An early patch of weakened enamel and an open hole in a tooth are different problems. That distinction makes the GAPS discussion of tooth remineralization easier to use. In Gut and Physiology Syndrome, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride calls the low-mineral patches caries incipiens and emphasizes nutrition while the tooth surface can still remineralize.[1]
For a parent, the useful first question is specific: what has actually changed in this tooth? A sensitive spot, a white patch and a diagnosed cavity are not interchangeable descriptions. Ask the dentist to identify the lesion and explain what will be monitored. You can then bring the food and oral-care questions from the GAPS book to the same conversation.
What Caries Incipiens Means
The book describes enamel losing minerals and gaining them again through saliva and the oral microbial community. When mineral replacement falls behind loss, a low-mineral patch can develop. Caries incipiens names that early change in enamel.[1]
Remineralization means replacing minerals within the remaining tooth structure. It does not mean that every damaged tooth will grow back into its original shape. Keep the condition of the surface in view: an intact surface with mineral loss is different from a cavity where the surface has broken down. The dentist’s assessment establishes which problem you are dealing with.[3]
Why the Book Emphasizes Early Dietary Support
Campbell-McBride recommends good-quality protein, animal fats and fat-soluble vitamins as part of supporting teeth. She argues for attending to early enamel changes rather than treating nutrition as something to think about only after a filling. Her criticism of a drilling-and-filling approach is part of the book’s case for nutritional care.[1]
That gives you a useful discussion to have before agreeing to a plan: is this an early, noncavitated lesion, and what are the options for managing and reviewing it? Ask how the dentist will tell whether it is stable, improving or progressing. Keep the examination and follow-up alongside the dietary work rather than trying to classify a tooth from its appearance at home.
Where Weston A. Price Fits
In the same chapter, Campbell-McBride recounts Price’s use of cod liver oil and high-vitamin butter oil. She describes a fourteen-year-old girl with forty-two open cavities in twenty-four teeth and reports healing after seven months of supplementation. Those figures and the account come from her discussion of Price’s work; they are not a timetable or promised result for your own teeth.[1]
The separate Weston A. Price and tooth-decay guide explains the book’s vitamins A, D and K2 discussion and its account of saliva and mineral movement. This page keeps the practical focus on early enamel changes and the questions they raise.
The GAPS FAQ on Sensitive Teeth and Fermented Vegetables
A reader asked Dr. Natasha about aching teeth when chewing lacto-fermented sauerkraut and vegetables. Her answer attributes that sensitivity to thin, poorly nourished enamel. She recommends replacing toothpaste with cold-pressed olive oil, dipping the toothbrush in it, brushing as usual and rinsing with water, twice a day. She connects the approach with Ayurvedic oil pulling.[2]
The same answer recommends animal fats and vitamins A, D and K, mentions good-quality cod liver oil, preferably fermented, and homemade sour cream made from raw organic cream. She also recommends temporarily reducing the fermented vegetables and using their juice in soup and meat stock instead.[2]
That is a response to a particular reader’s sensitivity question. It does not diagnose the cause of every painful tooth. Keep the symptoms, the affected teeth and the dentist’s findings in your notes. When a food is discussed, its place in your own GAPS stage still matters; this FAQ does not move sour cream or another dairy food ahead of its introduction.
When Enamel Has Already Broken Down
The early-enamel discussion should not become a promise that food will close a structural hole. A dentist needs to assess an established cavity, its depth and the remaining tooth. Improving the diet and arranging needed dental treatment can be parts of the same plan. You do not have to choose between feeding your family well and finding out what a damaged tooth needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a White Patch Always Caries Incipiens?
A patch is something to have identified, not a diagnosis to make from a photograph. Ask whether the surface is intact, what has caused the change and whether the area is active or stable. This guide explains the term used in the GAPS book; it cannot classify a particular tooth.
Does the Book Give a Universal Healing Time?
No. The seven-month figure belongs to the Price case described in the chapter. It is not a target for every lesion, and it should not replace the review interval agreed with the dentist.[1]
Do I Have to Stop All Fermented Foods?
The FAQ answer recommends reducing fermented vegetables for a time and using their juice in soup or meat stock. It does not tell the reader to stop every fermented food. Keep that specific adjustment separate from a wider change to the diet.[2]
Your Next Step
Write down which tooth is affected, what you notice and when it happens. Bring the GAPS passage and your questions to the dental visit. For the nutritional background, read the guide to Price’s vitamins and saliva discussion. My Care Team Log is listed in the WFLI Shop for keeping appointments, findings and questions together. A dated notebook will do.
References
- Campbell-McBride, N. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “Bones and teeth.” Early enamel changes and Price’s case account.
- Campbell-McBride, N. Official GAPS FAQs, “Teeth,” question7, on sensitivity when chewing lacto-fermented vegetables.
- National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. “The Tooth Decay Process: How to Reverse It and Avoid a Cavity.” “How does a cavity develop?” Reviewed January 2025. Early mineral loss versus a formed cavity.
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