Rebuilding Bone Naturally

As a dentist, I have seen many patients with significant jaw bone loss. This is not a good thing as it is a marker for loose teeth and eventual tooth loss. Sometimes it may be associated with the usual symptoms of periodontal disease and you should  read our previous post Floss First! for further clarity. But other times, the periodontal health looks fairly normal with minimal pocketing and no bleeding.

Bone Loss around Teeth

Upon seeing this bone loss, my primary question to the patient is “Have you had a bone density test?” And if they have had one, they already know that they have a bone density challenge (osteoporosis or osteopenia). If they haven’t had one yet and they do go, it is not surprising to find that they are usually low on the bone density scale.




As many of you are already aware, your mouth health is a reflection of your body health, and many dentists can infer quite a bit by a comprehensive oral evaluation. (See Meridian Dentistry and Saliva Secrets: pH )


For those of you trying to reverse bone loss naturally, here is a base recipe of nutrients that may help. There are other specific factors depending on which bones are actually involved (jaw, legs, arms or spine) but those can be addressed individually if you ask at your appointment.

These are the suggested nutrients necessary to rebuild human bone:

• Strontium. (at least a 1000 mg). It should be taken on an empty stomach, away from other minerals and away from food
• Vitamin D3. (3000 – 5000 IU). Best to take with fatty food, or it will not be absorbed. You might also consider having your blood levels tested. It’s a simple blood test. Ideally your blood levels should be over 60,000.
• Minerals. Best way to get mineral supplementation is by taking a daily dose of gray Celtic salt. You can buy it at many health food stores. A good daily dose would be ½ teaspoon of the salt followed with 2 glasses of quality water. You can do a1/4 teaspoon twice a day if it is easier. The 2 glasses of water each time is still necessary. You can also put this salt on food. There are 84 minerals in gray Celtic salt. (see The Miracle of Minerals)  It will not raise your blood pressure since the sodium content is very low. If you take it away from food, it will be absorbed more efficiently. DO NOT TAKE AT THE SAME TIME AS THE STRONTIUM. They will compete with each other and the strontium will not be absorbed.
• Magnesium. Taking additional supplementation of Magnesium will activate Vitamin D (from the sun).
• Vitamin K2. Found in grass fed meat, free range chickens and eggs, and almost all REAL fermented foods. (Not the make-believe yogurt found in most supermarkets).
• Collagen supplements. You can buy this in powdered form, add to smoothies , or buy in capsule form. You can get collagen naturally by making a bone soup. (See The Benefits of Bone Soup)
• Weight bearing exercise. You can stand on one leg for 3 minutes and then do the other leg for 3 minutes. This is the equivalent of an hour’s walk in terms of stimulating bone growth. You can also do weight lifting daily with 2-5 lb. weights.
• Make sure your cholesterol is at least 180. If it is too low, you will not make enough Vitamin D.
• Contrary to popular dogma, taking Calcium supplements alone will not create more bone. It must be taken with Vitamin K2 to actually be absorbed into the bone.
• Use of a mini trampoline (rebounder) has also shown to be beneficial in stimulating bone growth. (See Jump Your Way to Health!)
• Drugs used for osteoporosis (for example, Fosamax) do not create new bone. They simply prevent death of old bone. The bone that is there is dry, brittle and styrofoam-like. It is prone to fracture as much as having osteoporosis. It just looks good on the bone density test.

As you restore the integrity of your skeletal bones, you may find that the bone supporting your teeth may also improve. There are other factors involved with the dental bone but these are the basics. You should see a difference in bone density within a year.

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