Since esoteric cavity cures have entered the zeitgeist once again, it's time to take you to school. Gather round, and let's talk about what remineralization is, and what it isn't. This all started from a concerned mother asking for the underground railroad of cavity cures that *isn't* nano-hydroxyapatite. First, I'm going to take a little credit for helping nHA graduate from what used to be esoteric deep tracks into the billboard top 20. I guess the goalposts for esoteric wisdom continue to widen, because a few years ago nHA was almost too esoteric. I digress...if you go into that post, she has HUNDREDS of comments and every single one of them is either bad advice, outright lying, or complete and utter stupidity. Recommendations range from brushing with raw milk, to vitamin supplementation, to idiotic lectures about how osteoblasts (cells involved in bone, unrelated to teeth) help rebuild enamel. Every single layman recommendation (including those that promote my own brand, @nobsroutines) is wrong. Remineralization is not magic. It is the process of minerals depositing back into enamel. It's happening right now. Your saliva is chock full of minerals that are providing nutrients to your enamel. Enamel isn't nourished by the blood. If you cut your arm, blood rushes to the site delivering platelets to clot, and healing factors. Enamel isn't afforded that luxury. Dentin, the inner layer is nourished by blood (more specifically, the pulp), but not the outer layer. The problem is, saliva can't keep up with the modern environment. That's why we've leaned on fluoride to quite literally fortify our enamel against the maladies of modern life. We love acid (lemon water, kombucha, balsamic vinaigrette, tomato sauce, etc). Acid doesn't like our teeth. It dissolves the calcium and phosphate out of our enamel, typically at a pace that is no match for the healing abilities of saliva. So yes, when pixie mothers ask for "secret remedies" it's insulting to you as a sentient being, to me as a practitioner, and to your own biology. Now, let's get back to where cavities come into all this. A cavity earns its title once it' breaks through your enamel into the second layer of your tooth. Before that point, you can absolutely reverse it. Whether that's through fluoride (gasp!), nano hydroxyapatite, theobromine, xylitol, or whatever compound you have a preference for. You can even stimulate your own saliva for a similar protection. The essence of NOBS, my company (yes, I am biased) is that I turned this combination into a blend that I feel can help people put up a fight against modern living without the use of fluoride. You can debate that all you want. I think I've earned my stripes both with research that's publicly available, and with years in the marketplace and good will. That doesn't mean you cannot do it without me, or without NOBS. You can, and you should. Vitamins matter. Diet matters. Habits matter. Breathing matters. Cavities are a metabolic issue, and a bacterial issue. You need to control your biofilm (fancy term for bacteria that inhabit your mouth) away from a pathogenic state, to a more commensal state. We do that through hygiene. Brushing and flossing mechanically disrupts the biofilm. You also need to nourish your body so that your saliva isn't sterile. Without proper vitamins and minerals, your saliva cannot protect your enamel the way it needs to. This is the essence of Weston Price's work that everyone loves to "introduce" me to. Finally, you need to be diligent about who you trust your dental treatment with. It's a bloodbath out there with private equity, and shady dentists. Many times they will not tell you about reversing initial cavities, they don't care to talk to you about your diet and habits. You know what's worse than a shady PE dentist? A trad mother that tells you giving her husband oysters and swishing with raw milk reverses cavities. Or listing some product (my own included!) that regrew a tooth. Or posting images of people pre/post dental work and giving credit to some heavy metal-laden tooth powder online (this happens). I take this so personally because if I just wanted money, I'd be doing other things. I'm on a mission, and quite frankly...talking like this hurts my mission. It upsets me. So please stop doing it. Oral health needs reputation rehabilitation: the providers and the patients need education. It's not all bleak though, we're making progress. There's a huge movement happening, and I'm privileged to be a part of it. Thank you for coming to my TED talk, carry on.