I had the start of a cavity in one of my back molars (I know, the shame of it all!)  I say start because it’s been there for years.  And each time I would go for my dental check-up and have my teeth cleaned, I was met with, when questioning the dentist about the tooth cavity, “Oh, we’ll just keep an eye on it.”  And, afterwards would think driving home – yeah but what if I can never come back … ever …like is the poo-hits-the-fan ever,  then what?

I am pretty weird about my dental hygiene health, I oil pull, carry dental picks with me, make my own toothpaste, use natural whiteners, and have learned how to scale my own teeth, all in an attempt to avoid any dental problems down the road (i.e.,like I mentioned, if and when the poo ever hits the fan.)  But even with all this, there was still the issue of … that dreaded tiny speck of a cavity - that if not treated one day could turn into a gapping big black hole and the subsequent need to remove the tooth. uhhh!

Losing a tooth is not acceptable. Period.  And yet having the dentist drill into what would otherwise be a perfectly good and healthy tooth was not acceptable either, said after having experienced a dental amalgam (a combination of mercury with other metals – in a ratio of one part of liquid mercury with one part of a mixture of either silver, tin, copper, or zinc), as a treatment for a tooth cavity as a child.

I still have that gosh-awful silverish molten lava blob of metal nested in the middle of a white casing in a back tooth still today.  And yes, I looked into white “fillings” or composite resin which is a tooth-colored plastic and glass mixture, but again came back to why ruin an otherwise good tooth by making a hole four times its size only to fill the hole again?  (my weird logic)

There had to be a better way than filling or pulling the tooth. So, I began my quest to see what the alternatives were out there, with the driving force being the concern that if and when the poo ever hit the fan … I’d be “poo” outta luck with this tooth if the cavity decided to rear its ugly head and grow.  What I stumbled upon … well, it’s just too easy!  I mean, honestly too easy. Its eggshells (as everyone breaks out in laughter.)  Okay, okay. Funny I know.  But let me say upfront that there is nothing I write about that I don’t do, test, and use myself “before” sharing it with you – consider me your guinea pig.

Now, before I get into the eggshell thing, let me share what lead me to the eggshells in the first place. I was looking for methods for re-mineralizing my teeth; which is the process of returning minerals to the molecular structure of the tooth. Our bodies are constantly renewing themselves so why not our teeth too?

Teeth are calcified structures and the composition of eggshells is pretty similar to our teeth. Eggshells have 27 trace minerals of magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sodium, potassium, iron, sulfur, aluminum, etc.  And, the protein of an eggshell is composed of such essential amino acids as methionine, cysteine, lysine, isoleucine.  All of these could provide the most balanced natural means to obtain calcium for our teeth.
So how do I use the eggshells?  I make a “eggshell” toothpaste (more giggles I’m sure.)  Its easy peezy, especially when you have a homestead of fresh eggs coming in the house daily.  When I get the eggs, I keep the bloom on them (a natural coating that keeps air from getting into the egg).  When I’m ready to use them, I wash the egg(s) and remove the egg yolk and white, I then set the shells on a rack to air dry. Once completely dried I boil the egg shells in water for 5-7 minutes to kill any pathogens, and again let them air dry completely.  When the shells are dry I powder them using my coffee grinder into a really fine powder and put it into an airtight jar.  When ready to make toothpaste I take ¼ cup of eggshell powder, 1 tablespoon of baking soda (which is a strong alkali and scores much lower on an abrasive scale than most toothpastes) and, 2 tablespoons of coconut oil (an antimicrobial that inhibits the growth of bacteria, including Streptococcus mutants significant contributor to tooth decay). Cream all the ingredients together, place the paste in an air tight jar … and use it.  Now, some people add peppermint essential oil to the paste, I don’t, I won’t be able to replenish it when the poo hits the fan so I don’t use it now.)  You can also blend the powder into your morning juice or smoothie, or sprinkle it on your food instead of making a toothpaste – like I do for hubby and he’s never the wiser (grin).

The reason you want to use pasteurized eggs, i.e., eggs that come out of a pasture (right out of the back-end) - as in free roaming non-chemicalized eggs - for this toothpaste, is because store bought eggs, even if labelled "organic", all have to undergo the same chemical process before they can be sold in a store - not good.  “But I don’t have access to homegrown eggs”, you say.  Not a problem, use Calcium Magnesium tables and grind them up instead!  Oh, just a note, Vitamin D greatly aids calcium absorption so if you are not getting enough sunlight or eating liver (Yuck. I know, right?) grind some Vitamin D up and put in your eggshell toothpaste too! 

As an added bonus; the eggshell membrane that thin membrane layer between the egg shell and the egg white (that gets ground up with the shell when making your powder) is rich in glycosaminoglycans - specifically the polysaccharides glucosamine - chondrotin, and hyaluronic acid, and all three are naturally occurring substances in cartilage. So it’s good for healthy joint and connective tissue too.

Oh, and that little dark spot … it’s now gone since brushing with eggshell toothpaste. It took a good while, this is not an overnight miracle cure, but it was well worth it.

Just sayin'.

- Survivor Jane

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