Dear Dr. Ellie,
I had a question.
I started using Zellies before having my teeth cleaned.
I am still getting tartar buildup behind my lower front teeth. Should tarter still be forming?
KG
Hi KG,
Nice to hear from you again!
It takes six months eating 6.5 grams of xylitol each day to eliminate unhealthy bacteria in your mouth. I am working to produce a down-loadable time line graphic put on a refrigerator door to help people know what and when to expect change. If you started eating Zellies in June you would have far less bad germs in your mouth now, but the full effect will not be seen until December. This means that the next time you visit your dentist is when you should see a noticeable difference.
I do have two comments:
FIRST: Are you eating enough Zellies? (6.5 grams would be 13 Zellies mints each day). Remember you can mix and match your sources of xylitol. For example, you
could eat a packet of granular xylitol on your cereal in the morning( 4 grams) , a piece of gum after lunch( approx.1 gram) and a couple of zellies on the way home in the car ( 1 gram)….. and maybe another piece of gum after dinner…..
If you don’t reach the 6.5 gram threshold you will not have all the benefits. Using a little granular xylitol is an easy way to add quite a bit into the diet without any change especially if you normally sweeten your tea or cereal with sugar.
You can safely eat a quarter pound of xylitol each day but for dental effects we need a little less than two teaspoons each day for six months! Dental benefits “plateau” at 10 grams a day – (so if you are eating more than 20 Zellies each day it is OK, but you will not reduce oral bacteria any faster!) Nature works in its own way slowly and efficiently! If you skip a day or miss a month of xylitol benefits do not relapse. It appears you can just resume where you left off!
This is good news to those who struggle to remember their Zellies. Keep eating xylitol and I am sure you will see the results next year.
SECOND: I always recommend to adults who have plaque, acid damage, weak or
sensitive teeth my three rinse program USED IN EXACTLY THE WAY I RECOMMEND.
This means using all of the three mouth rinses in an exact order and with crest regular toothpaste and a very clean tooth brush! I would suggest checking that you have the correct oral care routine twice a day.
It is important for anyone at high risk to clean and strengthen their teeth. Strong teeth are smooth and plaque is less able to stick to them. If you are using the “system” routinely and want to talk lets arrange a telephone call. Some people continue to mix in oral care products like sensodyne or Crest Pro-health or Prevident.
I have found all of these products interfere with the system and delay the process of becoming plaque free. I hope this answer helps you,
Please let me know what you think,
Ellie
Dental Health for Everyone!
26 Corporate Woods,
Rochester NY 14623
Categories: Xylitol