Hi! Sounds like an awful ordeal, I know I hate going to the dentist!
I'm having too many dental problems too, and have been trying to figure out how to improve my dental health, so I've been looking into integrative dentistry. I think it used to be called holistic dentistry. What I've found out is fascinating, but since I just started following their advice, I can't tell you yet if it works for sure.
I'll be glad to share with you the highlights of what I've learned so far in case the information can help you. There was a dentist, Dr. Weston A. Price, who noticed that a person's diet drastically affected the health of their teeth. He became so fascinated, he traveled around the world inspecting people's teeth. He confirmed that diet does, in fact, drastically affect the health of your teeth.
His quest was to find out which foods are necessary for healthy teeth. One of the things he discovered was the essential role of healthy fats -- fats from fish and the fats from grass-feed, pasture-raised animals. These fats are high in vitamins and minerals, and also in substances that the body needs (activators) in order to convert sunshine into Vitamin D, and to be able to use Vitamins A & K which the body needs for a healthy immune and other vital functions.
One of these functions is the body's ability to release minerals to the teeth to keep them strong and healthy. Without the activators in grass-fed animal fats, the body is not able to supply the different parts of the body with the minerals it needs for healthy functioning.
Another factor that affects how the body uses minerals is sugar and low-glycemic foods. When these quickly-digested foods hit the blood stream, they are too acidic for the blood, so the body pulls minerals from other places to balance the pH of the blood. Where is the body going to pull calcium from? You guessed it, teeth and bones!
Yet another factor that affects dental health is stress. Too much stress, like sugar, causes chemical reactions in the body that turns the blood pH acidic. Tums, anyone?! To balance the blood pH, again the body pulls calcium from other parts of the body, namely teeth and bones. (As a side-note to the Tums comment, antacids bind to certain minerals in the body and can cause serious, even deadly, health problems.)
Proteins are acid-forming too, so it's good to balance them with plenty of mineral-rich dark leafy green veggies or other veggies.
In our family, we've found out the hard way that sugar isn't the only factor that causes cavities. Celiac disease and other inflammation-based health conditions can also contribute to poor dental health. Every food and drink we put in our mouths either causes inflammation or reduces inflammation. If the inflammation occurs in the stomach, the foods pass through the inflamed openings into the blood stream undigested. The body cannot use the undigested foods, no matter how nutrient-rich they may be. The body can become mineral and nutrient deficient because of the silent inflammation.
Because everyone is diverse and unique, what causes one person inflammation may not cause someone else inflammation. In our family, wheat and corn cause some inflammation, and vegetable oils like canola, soy, safflower, corn, sunflower, and peanut oil cause others inflammation.
My solution? Food journal! I also use the Paleo diet as a guide since it avoids all the foods we can't eat, and there are thousands of recipes and lots of supportive people.
Hope this helps, and be sure to keep us updated on what changes you make and if they are effective!