Tooth decay: 

• It is at the forefront of dental problems. 
• It is classified as the third global scourge by the WHO (World Health Organization) after cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
• It is a calcium metabolism disorder affecting the entire human skeletal system. 

Do you know that a disturbance in the function of the thyroid, which regulates the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus in the body, can awaken the mechanism of causing tooth decay? Accordingly, balancing the hormonal system is a prerequisite for its treatment. 

But how is tooth decay connected to self-sabotage?

Self-sabotage involves patterns of thought and behavior that lead to the activation of self-destructive mechanisms that make our daily lives difficult and hold us back from achieving short-term or even long-term goals. 

Many behaviors include substance or alcohol abuse, overeating, procrastination, perfectionism, etc. 

What are the causes of self-sabotage?

First, it’s the fear of failure. It has to do with not being able to bear the thought that we will fail, that we will not perform as well as we should, or that we will not be perfect. 

Equally essential causes are the lack of self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-worth, as we don’t believe in our abilities. As a result, we give up or don’t even try causing even more harm to ourselves. 

However, we are satisfied because everything can change! 

The first step is to recognize the patterns that lead us to self-sabotage and how they relate to our childhood patterns. 

Tooth decay disease

Tooth decay reveals many things about our lives. Sugar is not the only cause of tooth decay, despite popular belief. Under normal conditions, a protective shield protects teeth through saliva. 

Scientific experiments have shown that prolonged stress suppresses the tooth’s natural immunity. It makes it vulnerable to acids, which come from bacteria produced because of sugar. Numerous studies confirm that stress causes an increase in tooth decay in humans as well as in animals. 

When did the pathological condition of tooth decay first appear? 

Historically, the first carious cavities appeared about six thousand years ago, when man created the first settlements, settled permanently in areas, domesticated animals, cultivated plants, and turned from hunter-gatherer to farmer. 

Eating habits are changing, and cultivated grains carry an ever-increasing share of sugar. With civilization, man abandons nomadism and lives in communities, increasingly limited. Tooth decay is, to a large extent, the direct consequence of the lack of freedom. 

Also, the creation of settlements and life within the community generate tensions and conflicts. 

It is no coincidence that tooth decay appears at the same time as the first race wars, and social or psychological pressures are a fundamental cause of their occurrence. According to studies, the people most exposed to tooth decay are introverts. Internal stiffness, a “buttoned up” behavior, and the inability to fit speech into our lives (in other words, the absence of speech) favor tooth decay. 

Tooth decay reflects the refusal to express a part of ourselves, talent, or ability. 

The ailing tooth indicates which side of ourselves we are giving up. 

Η Χλόη και η Έλενα

Η Χλόη, εικοσιπέντε ετών, εμφανίζει τερηδόνα στους φρονιμίτες της τη χρονιά που φεύγει από το πατρικό της σπίτι για να αγοράσει ένα διαμέρισμα σε μια γειτονική πόλη. «Αρνούμαι να διεκδικήσω την ανεξαρτησία μου και να αναλάβω την ευθύνη του εαυτού μου, δεν αισθάνομαι ικανή να ζήσω μόνη μου», φωνάζει η τερηδόνα που ροκανίζει τους φρονιμίτες της.

Παρότι είναι φαινομενικά ανώδυνη, η τερηδόνα κρύβει ένα μικρό δράμα: «Αρνούμαι να δαγκώσω, να υπερασπιστώ τον εαυτό μου και να εκφραστώ με τον λόγο». Η τερηδόνα αντικατοπτρίζει την ασυνείδητη επιθυμία του ατόμου να «λιώσει» και να εξαφανιστεί. Στο παιδί, εκφράζει την επιθυμία του να εξαλείψει τα εμπόδια που το χωρίζουν από τη μητέρα, για να αναβιώσει το στάδιο της ένωσης, που συνδέεται με τους πρώτους μήνες της ζωής του.

Chloe and Elena

Twenty-five-year-old Chloe develops cavities in her wisdom teeth the year she leaves her parents’ home to buy an apartment in a neighboring town. “I refuse to assert my independence and take responsibility for myself; I don’t feel capable of living on my own,” cries tooth decay gnawing at her wisdom teeth. 

Although painless, tooth decay hides a little drama: “I refuse to bite, defend myself and express myself with words.” Tooth decay reflects the person’s unconscious desire to “melt away” and disappear. In the child, it expresses its desire to eliminate the barriers that separate it from the mother and revive the union stage associated with the first months of its life. 

Elena, four years old, develops tooth decay a few months after the birth of her younger brother. In this case, the little girl expresses the fear of abandonment and losing her mother’s love. 

Tooth decay can destroy the most complex tissue in the entire body: the enamel of the teeth. 

The person with tooth decay refuses the vital energy of life refuses to eat at all levels, and rejects earthly pleasures, gluttony, sensuality, and indulgence. Multiple and deep tooth decay often accompanies a background of depression. 

Do you know that tooth decay, depending on where it is located, indicates the place where we are weak and vulnerable because we did not receive, as children, the food we needed? 

For example, the cavity on the lower left first molar (mother’s tooth) screams: “I missed maternal support.” The tooth decay in the upper left center field yells: “I missed a father’s benevolent gaze to build myself up and grow.” 

The tooth decay that plagues our teeth is a form of self-destruction. Stress, trauma, grief, and other emotional shocks leave their marks on our teeth. It is the self-destructive solution that the subconscious finds to cut off its contact with the psychic trauma, dissolving and destroying the teeth. 

Does this happen when the person cannot take personal responsibility for their emotional release? 

What emotion tied to the past needs to be released? Its appearance warns that it is time for the person to take action. The moment is favorable, and the emotional charge is ready to be removed or assimilated. 

If we don’t bring the emotion to light, the body works for relief through self-destructive patterns, and wear and tear continues despite care. 

Tooth decay and small children

In young children, tooth decay of the baby’s teeth expresses their difficulty speaking and their needs to the parents. As far as teenagers are concerned, tooth decay, which is usually multiple during this period, “screams” a discomfort, a disagreement, a diversity that cannot be heard otherwise. 

Therefore, primarily a psychosomatic disease, tooth decay reflects our moods and existential difficulties. It points out our shadows and imperfections. If we accept and recognize them, we will make tooth decay a means to evolve.

A prerequisite for preventing tooth decay is the general health of the individual at all levels of his existence, that is, at the physical, mental and spiritual levels. 

Treat Tooth Decay with the help of Holistic Dentistry

The holistic approach to dentistry suggests natural treatments such as Acupuncture and Homeopathy, Herbal Medicine, and meditation exercises to help support psychosomatic health. 

In addition, a diet with enough fruits and vegetables and avoiding packaged foods helps. 

Tooth decay increases when factors cause a decrease in saliva and dry mouths, such as smoking, excessive alcohol intake, various medications, radiation therapy, stress, and other mental disorders. 

We can improve saliva quality by washing it daily with sesame oil for about 5 minutes; we do not swallow after washing, but spit it out and rinse our mouth with enough water because this technique releases many toxins from the lymphatic system of the teeth that must be discarded. 

In the case of people with a predisposition to tooth decay or who have difficulty following the rules of oral hygiene, taking high-quality fermented cod liver oil also helps. With the appropriate formulation of vitamins and trace elements, we can remineralize the weak areas of their teeth to stop the progression of the disease and even reverse it. [Dr. Christopher’s Herbal Tooth and Gum powder]