Healing Teeth the Natural Way

A Freeranger's Path to Strong Enamel and Lifelong Oral Health

A person wrote to me recently after seeing a dentist for the first time in three years. He was told his enamel was worn and a few "decaying areas" had appeared. Yet he felt perfectly fine. No pain. No sensitivity. Nothing that suggested trouble.

He brushes with baking soda, eats a lot of citrus and grapes, and hasn't touched toothpaste in decades. The dentist was horrified.

But he also asked the right question: can teeth heal?

My answer is yes. Teeth are living tissue. Enamel may be the hardest substance in the body, but it responds to nourishment, chemistry, hormones, saliva quality, and lifestyle.

When we align with nature, repair begins.

And I say this not as a theory, but from a lifetime of personal experience.

My First Injury: Fluorosis Before Birth

My dental story began before I was born. In the early 1950s, pregnant women were advised to take fluoride tablets before and after birth. My mother followed the medical advice of the day. The result was dental fluorosis. Before I'd even entered the world, my enamel was scarred, mottled, and fragile.

By rights, I should have had a mouthful of trouble early in life. But I didn't not at first.

Growing Up Freerange in Putaruru

My childhood in Putaruru was as free range as it gets. We had plenty of white bread, sugary spreads, and Raro drinks mixed with scandalous amounts of sugar. You'd think my teeth would have dissolved on the spot.

But here's what protected us:

• We did not snack all day.

• We often went hours between meals, playing endless tennis, roaming the farmlands, paddocks, ponds, creeks, and bush.

• There were no supermarkets filled with snack foods.

• No muesli bars.

• No pocket money for treats.

• You ate what Mum cooked and nothing else.

And we had something extraordinary: Putaruru's legendary mineral water. Back then, it came straight out of the tap. Clean, alkaline, mineral-rich, and perfect. We drank it, swam in it, bathed in it, cooked with it we even flushed the toilet with it. That water helped build strong bones and strong enamel in ways we never appreciated until much later.

So despite the sugar, our teeth survived because our rhythms were natural. Long breaks between meals allowed saliva to repair enamel. The mineral water supports remineralisation. Our food was real, nourishing, and prepared at home.

Without knowing it, we were early Freerangers already living the principles of natural health, time in nature, simplicity, and trusting the body.

University and the First Collapse

Everything changed when I left home. Hostels and flats meant cheap food and little nourishment. My diet became:

• White bread

• Jam

• Cereals loaded with sugar

• Pasta and pies

• Instant puddings

• One sugary drink after another

• Endless snacking

Within a very short time, decay and gum disease set in. Fillings, pain, and constant dental work. My enamel never stood a chance.

Midlife: The Perfect Storm

In my 40s and early 50s, I was beginning to buckle under extreme chronic stress. I was worn out physically and mentally. I was consulting a cardiologist about an increasingly erratic and irregular heartbeat. I made a mistake that so many of us have made: I followed mainstream nutritional advice that I had learned while at university and elsewhere, such as from the heart experts.

I cut meat, eggs, and full-fat dairy. I switched to low-fat everything. I used heart-healthy margarine. It was one egg a week. I ate more grains. I reduced the salt. I ate vegetarian meals more often.

It weakened me, although I never realised this. The worse I felt, the more I tried to eat less fat and salt. I was thankful that I had done it just in time to avoid a heart attack. My cardiovascular health continued to worsen despite my desperate measures — guided by published, peer-reviewed science — of course! By 50, I felt like I was falling apart. My knee, which had been surgically repaired twice in my 20s, hurt every morning and I was very worried that a plastic knee was looming. My energy collapsed. And my teeth followed suit. Fillings, root canals, gum recession, and a general sense that everything was wearing out. Yes, I was depressed and so mentally and physically exhausted — unwell — that I had to quit work. I sold the business and went home to look after our youngest child while my partner, Alofa, returned to work.

This was the low point. But it set up the breakthrough.

HTMA, Rethinking Nutrition, and a New Path

When I began using HTMA in the clinic, the mineral patterns told a very different story from the textbooks. The body was crying out for animal fats, fat-soluble vitamins, minerals from whole foods, complete proteins, and stable blood sugar.

So I began to trust nature again. I started learning about nourishing traditions — the way we traditionally grew, prepared, and ate food, and timeless truths like "body heal thyself", while adding modern science and common sense (I was a slow learner).

I gradually returned to meat, eggs, full-fat dairy, broths, seafood, coconut oil, fermented vegetables. I adopted delayed eating and removed snacking entirely. I allowed hunger to reappear as a natural signal. I trained my body to run on fat again.

This was the beginning of what is now the Freerangers philosophy.

The result was shocking: my health returned. My fitness soared. Today, in my seventies, I'm winning UCI Masters MTB races and growing stronger each season.

But the biggest surprise: my dental health stabilised and then dramatically improved. Despite fluorosis, despite decades of fillings, despite earlier gum disease, I now rarely need dental intervention at all.

Why Teeth Break Down Today

Modern erosion patterns are easy to spot:

• Constant snacking https://www.garymoller.com/post/2017/03/11/the-no-snack-diet-your-key-to-a-great-body-enduring-performance-and-fantastic-health

• Too much sugar or fruit acids

• Low intake of animal fats and fat-soluble vitamins

• Vegetarian or vegan diets requiring constant chewing

• Excessive raw, acidic plant foods

• Poor saliva quality due to stress

• Deficiencies in magnesium, zinc, selenium, and phosphorus

• A lack of long breaks between meals

Vegetarians and vegans are often hit hardest. Acids, constant chewing, high fibre, and frequent eating are a perfect storm for enamel wear.

Can Teeth Heal? Yes

Enamel can remineralise. Dentine can heal. Gums can regenerate. But the environment must be right.

Here's what consistently works:

• Adopt a semi-carnivore, nutrient-dense diet

• Prioritise animal fats, eggs, dairy, meat stocks, seafood

• Practise delayed eating and remove snacking: https://www.garymoller.com/blog/search/keto

• Support with fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K

• Ensure good intake of magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, selenium

• Reduce excessive citrus and grapes - guzzle them down quickly and rinse the mouth after.

• Choose fermented foods daily, such as these: https://wildly.co.nz/products/mixed-kimchi-kraut-pack-4-pack

• Brush gently once or twice daily

• Scrape the tongue https://www.garymoller.com/post/how-to-clean-your-tongue-to-improve-your-health

• Floss as required to remove debris between the teeth.
  

• Try a weak morning coffee with cream and coconut oil. The oils protect enamel

• Regular dental checks. Catch decay and gun disease early!

These are simple, ancestral patterns. Nature has been doing this for thousands of years.

Baking Soda, Toothpaste, and What Matters

Baking soda brushing is fine if gentle. It keeps the mouth alkaline. If you prefer a paste, choose fluoride-free. Our family favourite is Red Seal Baking Soda toothpaste.

Helpful Supplements

Not required, but supportive:

• Vitamin K2 https://wildly.co.nz/products/mixed-kimchi-kraut-pack-4-pack

• Vitamin D3 https://precisionhealthtesting.com/products/solgar-cod-liver-oil-one-a-day-100-softgels?_pos=1&_psq=cod&_ss=e&_v=1.0 https://precisionhealthtesting.com/products/vitamin-d-1000iu-200-caps-soft-gel-capsules?_pos=1&_sid=bc5895a72&_ss=r

• Magnesium malate or glycinate https://precisionhealthtesting.com/products/endo-met-magnesium-180-caps?_pos=1&_psq=magnesium&_ss=e&_v=1.0

• Zinc citrate https://precisionhealthtesting.com/products/zinc?_pos=2&_psq=zinc&_ss=e&_v=1.0

• Omega-3 oils from fish, and vegetable sources: https://precisionhealthtesting.com/products/waihi-bush-super-boost-500mls?_pos=1&_psq=boost&_ss=e&_v=1.0 https://precisionhealthtesting.com/products/waihi-bush-super-boost-500mls?_pos=1&_psq=boost&_ss=e&_v=1.0

• Collagen and gelatin http://blog.garymoller.com/2013/04/bone-broth-one-of-wholefoods-nutrient.html https://precisionhealthtesting.com/products/garys-super-smoothie?_pos=1&_psq=super&_ss=e&_v=1.0

• Probiotics or fermented vegetables

Real food still does most of the heavy lifting.

The Freeranger Conclusion

Teeth are not doomed, as we get older. They are not separate from the rest of the body.

They respond to nourishment, rhythm, stress, minerals, fats, and lifestyle.

My own journey from fluorosis to decay to near-perfect dental stability in my seventies proves something simple and powerful: when we return to real food, real rhythms, and a free range life, the body finds its way back to health.

We can restore not just our enamel, but our vitality, confidence, and independence.

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Disclaimer:

You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment. You should consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise, or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem. You are solely responsible for doing your own research on any information provided. This information should not substitute professional advice. Individual results may vary. Database references herein are not all-inclusive. Getting well from reading or using the information contained herein is purely coincidental.