The Disappearing Cavities!

    During my wife's pregnancy with our first child she was very sick with nausea and vomiting. She couldn't hold down any food or water without throwing up.  Several times we went to the emergency room for an IV to replenish lost fluids.  I had never seen anyone get so dehydrated that their digestive system completely shut down and an IV was needed.

   Near the middle of the second trimester her amazing OB, Dr. Parker, figured out a drug combination that helped reduce the nausea just enough for her to eat a little. She could tolerate saltine crackers and mashed potatoes from Bob Evans but the thought of brushing and flossing would cause her to vomit.  So the wonderful oral hygiene habits she had developed throughout her life had to be postponed in order to eat.

     Following the birth of our beautiful baby girl, my wife came into the dental clinic at Ohio State for a check up.  I was a fourth year dental student there and anxious to help her get back on track with her oral health following her pregnancy. Her x-rays showed that she had several incipient caries (small cavities between the teeth extending part way through the outer enamel).  The acidic plaque left on her teeth, by not being able to brush and floss, were to blame.      

      I showed the x-rays to my instructor and he reminded me that my wife had the perfect cavities for my upcoming Regional Board Licensing Examination.  In fact, all the staff and students called these type of cavities "Board Lesions".  I was elated!  I went around showing the x-rays to all the other dental students bragging about how my wife had the perfect cavities for my test.  They were envious of me because many of them were still looking for a patient to help them with their exam.  
     My wife and I made a plan to help her keep her cavities in their current condition until May for the Board Examination.  We didn't want these sweet little lesions to change a bit.  They were like baby bear's oatmeal in "Goldilocks and the Three Bears"...they were just right!   
     Our plan included brushing two times a day with prescription fluoridated toothpaste, flossing and rinsing daily with ACT fluoride rinse.  She followed the plan religiously from January to May attempting to keep her cavities in perfect condition for my test so that I could become a licensed dentist.                                                                      

     

     A week before the exam I took another set of x-rays just to get one final look at my perfect little cavities and to my dismay they were gone!  I couldn't believe it!  I took another set of x-rays at a different angle just to make sure I wasn't missing anything and still they were gone.  I showed them to my fellow students and instructors and they couldn't find them either.  

     My colleagues asked how they just disappeared.  I discussed with them the plan my wife and I had made to preserve her cavities and soon we all realized that the lessons taught during the first years of dental school about reversing dental decay with oral hygiene and fluoride were true!  We were witnessing our first case study on how miraculous teeth are in their ability to heal!  They just need to be in the right environment with the right building blocks and as long  as the decay remains in the enamel it can be reversed.

Diagram of my wife's teeth with
early or incipient caries.  Notice
the dark lesion (cavity) on the
side of the tooth.

  

Diagram of my wife's teeth after the
4 month hygiene program.  Notice the
lesion on the side of the tooth is now gone.

     This experience has been my personal evidence and inspiration to practice and promote preventive dentistry.  There is ample evidence in dentistry illustrating how this very same healing process can and does occur in all of us.

     I am creating this dental blog as a way of sharing this experience and others with as many people as possible.  I plan to share the science, evidence and stories that will empower us to see our bodies and teeth for what they are...an amazing gift!

Please let me know if I can answer any questions you may have about your oral health.  Some topics may include:

Do I really need to floss?

How does diet effect my teeth?

What is the best way to brush my teeth?

Is fluoride good for me?

Do I need dental insurance?

What's the best way to prevent cavities?