Help! Does this plan make sense?

[rubidoux]

ETA:  Oh crud.  :(  Looks like raw milk is really off the table:  http://www.realrawmilkfacts.com/  I know these people are most likely the anti-raw-milkers and that I can probably find a lot of pro-raw-milk arguments out there, but...  I guess I'd rather my kid have rotten teeth than be one the "cases" in the right margin.  If anyone has anything fool proof they could use to talk me out of it, I'd love to feel like it's safe.  But anyhow, now I guess I'm looking for advice that doesn't include raw milk.

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Okay....  ugh...  Milo (now 7) had terrible tooth decay which we first noticed sometime between 2 1/2 and 3 (may have been there longer, of course).  At 3 1/2 we weaned, just by coincidence, and he had his dental work two weeks later (I think it was five caps across the front top and then two crowns on molars).  He hasn't had a cavity since.  

Now Augie is 23 mos old and I suspected problems, took him to the dentist and, in fact, I think his teeth are WORSE than Milo's were, even though we have, of course, been much more careful about brushing.  I don't think his decay is *deeper*, but I believe it is more extensive in terms of the number of teeth/area it covers.  The dentist said that his teeth are malformed, and although it wasn't something I really saw myself (though there was one tooth that looked odd to me), it was a lot more obvious under the lights and with the little mirror in his mouth that they are just not shaped properly, especially the biting surfaces of his molars.  So -- the dentist, who I think is just super fabulous for a mainstream dentist, suggests that we come in every three months and check on it and wait until it is absolutely necessary before we put him out and do the work.  His hope is that we will be able to nurse as long as we want *before* the teeth are fixed.  

Both of my LOs nurse(d) all night long and not much during the day, and it worked out well with Milo's teeth that he weaned before the surgery, so even though I know there are lots of good arguments for why this can't be about nursing, I would love to be able to wean when we would have anyway and then do the surgery -- just on the off chance.  Btw, Augie also has a tongue tie that has not kept him from nursing like a champ, but I do wonder if it has affected how the milk pools in his mouth at night, if it does.

So, this is the thing --  I just don't have the money or the energy (mostly in terms of convincing my husband who thinks a lot of what I do/am interested in is some kind of voodoo) to completely change our way of eating.  We eat a conventionally seemingly healthy diet in terms of having lots of mostly organic fruits and veggies and whole grain bread and whatnot.  We are not vegetarians.  The kids generally don't eat a whole lot of sugary stuff and especially not sticky sugary stuff or hard candies that seem particularly rough on teeth.  

But I'm wondering what small changes I can implement that might be helpful.  A friend who follows a lot or all (not sure) of the Weston Price stuff has suggested a few things -- natto/grassfed butter for vita K; fermented cod liver oil for vitas A and D; raw milk for calcium; and then ummmm, something about E -- what do you all suggest for E, maybe almond butter?

I have a couple of Qs though:  

--  Augie doesn't want to drink cow's milk.  Is it important that he drink or would it help if I drank it, since we're nursing?  If I want him to drink it, can I put it in some kind of a recipe (maybe a pudding or smoothie or something) or is it important that it not be cooked?  Same for the natto/grassfed butter, how do I get them into him?  My friend said the natto is very strong tasting, so should I maybe just try the butter?  And can it be cooked, etc?

--  I don't know much about cell salts or clay.  Do you all feel that those are as important/more important than the vitamins/minerals?  And how do I know that cell salts and clay are safe?

--  If I can't afford to buy all this stuff this pay period, which should I start with?  I know the cod liver oil is like $45 a bottle, and I'm not sure I can do that this time... or it may be about the only think I'm able to do.  I'll go to Henry's to check prices on the raw milk/butter today.

--  If I were able to make some modest dietary changes, which ones would I start with?  Maybe some fermented veggies or drinks?   

-- Is there any magic fix, or a minor helper, that I haven't heard of yet?

I'm also wondering if anyone has gotten support from a mainstream dentist with any of this stuff (nutritional/homeopathic stuff, I mean)?  I really feel good about our dentist, but I'm kind of assuming that a mainstream dentist is a mainstream dentist and probably almost never runs into patients who go beyond brushing and flossing, so he won't have any idea about it.  It would be so awesome if he knew this stuff was positive and said so to dh.  

Wow!  That's long!  Thanks for reading, mamas!

Edited by rubidoux - 1/31/11 at 4:00pm