DEMINERALIZATION and REMINERALIZATION

Demineralization and Remineralization have a vital impact on the strength and

hardness of dental enamel.
WHAT IS
DEMINERALIZATION? Demineraliz
ation is the process of removing
minerals, in the form of mineral ions,
from dental enamel.
"Demineralization" is another term for
"dissolving the enamel." Dental
enamel is a crystalline latticework composed of various minerals, the principal
component of which is a complex calcium phosphate mineral called
hydroxyapatite ("hi-drox-e-appetite"). A substantial number of mineral ions can
be removed from hydroxyapatite latticework without destroying its structural
integrity; however, such demineralized enamel transmits hot, cold, pressure and
pain much more readily than normal enamel. For example, if you feel
something like a toothache, but the dentist says you don't have a cavity,
chances are good you are feeling the results of a severely demineralized spot
on your tooth that hasn't yet formed a cavity. Your dentist may also tell you that
your enamel is soft at that spot, and that s/he can actually penetrate your
enamel with a probe. Dentists frequently recommend brushing with a
prescription high-dose fluoride gel to retard demineralization. When too many
minerals are dissolved from an area of the hydroxyapatite's latticework, you
have a cavity. Cavities are the loss of the hydroxyapatite's crystalline latticework
structure. Fortunately, the latticework can be strengthened and restored
through the process of remineralization.
WHAT IS REMINERALIZATION? Remineralization is the process of restoring
minerals - again, in the form of mineral ions - to the hydroxyapatite's latticework
structure. Remineralization is like replacing the missing rungs in a rickety ladder
to make it strong and stable again - except that remineralization is threedimensional, and the lost "rungs" (i.e. different mineral ions) must be replaced
with "rungs" having the exact same shape, size and the same electrical charge
as those lost from the lattice. Both remineralization and demineralization occur
on the surface of the tooth. If you examine the cross-section diagram of a tooth,
you will see there is no connection between the bloodstream and the enamel.
Therefore, taking mineral supplements has virtually no impact on remineralizing
the teeth. (It's also worth noting that this is true in reverse too: An event that

draws on minerals in the blood, such as pregnancy or healing a broken bone

cannot extract minerals from the teeth, as is widely believed.).
WHAT CAUSES DEMINERALIZATION? Strong, stable acids, mostly: To a
certain extent, these are found in acid foods, such as tomatoes or oranges; but
they're also formed by oral bacteria that feed on starches and sugars in your
mouth, especially refined sugars, secreting acids as by-products.
WHY DO STRONG STABLE ACIDS CAUSE DEMINERALIZATION?Dental
enamel is mineral, a "living stone." In your mouth, as in the rest of nature, acids
dissolve minerals, transforming them from solid mineral molecules into mineral
ions that exist only in solution. Strong stable acids do not break down easily, so
very small quantities can keep on dissolving the minerals in your enamel. In the
presence of these acids, millions, even billions, of calcium and other mineral
ions are removed from the hydroxyapatite latticework. Eventually, the enamel
loses its structural integrity.
HOW DOES THE BODY FIGHT DENTAL DEMINERALIZATION? To counter
demineralization, the body had to solve an interesting problem: If dental
minerals are only soluble in acids, how can it create replacement mineral ions
in a way that also doesn't dissolve enamel, as strong stable acids do? The
solution is so elegant, so simple, and so invisible that you don't even realize it's
happening! This natural mechanism is enhanced be eating unprocessed foods,
rich in minerals, including trace minerals, such as natural and organic foods.
WHAT IS THIS NATURAL REMINERALIZATION MECHANISM? Our bodies
utilize carbon dioxide from our breath and water from our saliva to create a
mild, unstable acid, carbonic acid. Carbonic acid is the heart of the natural
remineralization process. Like all acids, carbonic acids can dissolve minerals in
our saliva (present from our food); however, unlike strong stable acids, carbonic
acid quickly and easily converts to carbon dioxide and water. When this
happens, the mineral ions that are dissolved in it precipitate out as solid mineral
ions again - but not necessarily as the original mineral molecules: If a particular
mineral ion is near a demineralized portion of the hydroxyapatite crystal that
requires that ion, the ion is incorporated into the dental enamel! Though natural
remineralization is always taking place, the level of activity varies according to
conditions in the mouth. In fact, for remineralization to proceed, six conditions
or events must occur at the same time:
FIRST, sufficient minerals must be present in the saliva. Since foods
are the principal source of minerals for the teeth, an adequate diet,
or insufficient time chewing foods (which transfers minerals to the
saliva) may result in mineral-poor saliva.

SECOND, a molecule of carbonic acid must be produced. Only a

miniscule fraction of the carbon dioxide from the breath is converted
to carbonic acid.
THIRD, the carbonic acid molecule must be produced in proximity to
a mineral molecule, which it then dissolves into its ionic
components.
FOURTH, this all has to occur in proximity to a demineralized spot
in the hydroxyapatite latticework that requires that exact mineral ion.
FIFTH, that spot of the tooth has to be clean, so that the mineraldeficient spot is accessible. If it is, then the mineral ion is attracted
to the "hole" in the lattice by the opposite electric charges of the ion
and the "hole." Many different ions have the correct charge, but only
the correct ion has the correct shape and size to fit into the "hole."
FINALLY, the carbonic acid must convert to carbon dioxide and
water before any of the above circumstances change! When all this
happens, a mineral ion is precipitated out of solution into the
structure of the enamel. All mammals (dogs, monkeys, lions, mice,
etc.) utilize this same carbonic acid remineralization mechanism. In
the wild, animals generally have strong enamel, so we know that
with a natural diet, this subtle and invisible process really is able to
maintain the strength of enamel! This also indicates that with a premodern diet, humans probably also had strong enamel naturally.
For strong enamel in today's world, though, the natural
remineralization process needs to be augmented.
TODAY, WHY IS NATURAL REMINERALIZATION FREQUENTLY
INADEQUATE TO MAINTAIN STRONG ENAMEL As you can see, natural
remineralization is a pretty "iffy" occurrence. In contrast, demineralization is
enormously accelerated by the refined sugars and processed foods in most of
our diets. The destruction caused by the strong stable acids abundantly present
in our mouths is constant and unremitting.
TO RESTORE THE BODY'S NATURAL EQUILIBRIUM, EITHER
REMINERALIZATION MUST BE ENHANCED OR DEMINERALIZATION
MUST BE RETARDED. (A good description from this Swedish web site...)