The following were a list of questions I was recently asked and my answers. We wanted to post these because we felt that the answers would be beneficial to many. Thank you everyone who participates in asking questions and giving feedback. It is always appreciated, and the reason that Zellies and the Complete Mouth Care System has been so successful.

1A. Do you still not advocate the use of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda due to gum damage?

I think a short and limited use of these products may help reverse disease (one week) the products create an alkaline environment and may be antibacterial to some degree. BUT patients who use baking soda or peroxide for extended periods of time never have healthy mouths and usually end up with gum recession painless, but terminal for teeth.

1B.Are there any other abrasives in toothpaste that you know are bad?

Most toothpaste is too abrasive for delicate enamel  including “natural ones”. Since you are not eating toothpaste I can accept that it contains things we wish it did not.

Toothpaste abrasiveness is measured on a scale from 1 to 200: you want something in the middle enough to clean your teeth but not to scratch them. Crest is my choice because it comes in at 102 on this scale.

2. Are you still against fluoridation during cleanings and check-ups, for adults, children?

Fluoride treatments at the dentist use a gel or foam that has about 9,000-11,000 parts per million of fluoride. The level considered safe in water is 1-2 parts per million. Strong fluoride like this is actually not good at remineralizing teeth it simply kills bacteria. The problem is that these bacteria quickly grow back.

There is Evidence Based Research to show that children with good teeth do not benefit from in office fluoride treatments. Children with rampant tooth decay will benefit because the treatment will kill off a number of the bacteria for a time. Research shows that repeated use of a dilute fluoride in contact with teeth is the best way to mend and repair soft or carious teeth.

The reason I like ACT over other fluoride rinses is that it COATS the teeth and a film stays on the teeth for hours in the crevices and grooves most at risk. Other rinses do not do this. You could rinse with fluoridated tap water but what else is in the water?

3. So you honestly believe that the fluoride in the Crest toothpaste and Act mouth wash and what ever chemicals are in Closys II will have no side effects on the body over a lifetime?

I look at things this way: What are the risks the benefits the end result.
We get in a car to drive to work: risks benefits end result. Etc…etc.
Tell me the things we do each day that have “no risk”.

My goal is to help people heal their teeth without fillings and keep their gums health year after year-despite their age, ability to floss etc. I work to help people have healthy teeth and avoid fillings and gum disease.

Unhealthy gums and unhealthy teeth are horrific health “risks”. Gum disease and plaque are both associated with heart plaque and all kinds of other heart problems, high blood pressure, stroke, pre-term birth, possibly pancreatic cancer and also diabetes instability. The filling materials used in fillings are cause for concern…mercury in silver ones, Bisphemol A in white ones, plus concerns with anesthetic liquids etc, etc.

My system uses products that are grocery-store available, not expensive, and THEY WORK!! I use the products, my kids use them, my friends, patients and now thousands of internet followers use them many of us have all used the products for years and years.
We spit them out of our mouths but we use the system properly twice a day.

We have all found that this system works it has stopped dental disease. Those with problems at the start have quickly seen huge improvements in their oral health.
Need I say more?

4. Have you ever heard of the Tom’s of Maine line working in replacement of the Crest original paste and the Act mouthwash. The Tom’s mouth washes have Sodium fluoride .0442% and their toothgel is Sodium fluoride .234% (these I am using right now).

Colgate owns Tom’s of Maine. Does this matter?

FYI: Colgate Total was advertised for several years offering 24 hour anti-bacterial protection. Studies have shown that this may not be so. The real problem is that the toothpaste contains triclosan as an active ingredient. Triclosan reacts with chlorine in tap water to form Chloroform in your mouth. No one ever warned us about this. Colgate simply stopped advertising with dentists and Tom’s of Maine products landed on my office shelf instead. I am not amused.

5. Have you heard of any real benefits of the Sonicare line or the Oral B electric brush’s. I own one and feel it doesn’t really help me. In fact it may damage my gums.

There are two important things about brushing. One is to make sure your mouth is non-acidic before you start brushing. This is because acidity softens enamel and makes it easier to brush away and abrade off your teeth. Bulimics have this problem they brush their teeth to remove the acidity from their mouths and the enamel disappears leaving their teeth soft, sensitive and easily stained. The second thing is to make sure your toothpaste is not too abrasive see question 1B answer. Manual or electric I don’t think it much matters.

6. Are you still against flossing? I’ve been flossing for 5 years or more and should have better gums that I have. I really feel that flossing has helped to recede my gums along with brushing too hard and too long and using abrasives in toothpastes that were harmful. I’m looking to clean my teeth more chemically (rinses, xylitol etc..) than mechanically (brushing, flossing). I believe the right chemical – chemistry cleansing, is probably what people with delicate teeth and gums need more than the harsh mechanical methods. Which is why I’m attracted to your system.

Think of your mouth as a swimming pool adjust the pH and the algae do not grow…same in your mouth basically! Xylitol does more than adjust the pH it actively works to eliminate harmful mouth bacteria and help remineralize teeth.

I think that flossing can be useful if it is done well but that is very hard to do. I also believe that flossing when you have gum disease may make it worse and may encourage plaque bacteria to enter the bleeding wounds in the gums.

I think the only people who should floss are those with healthy gums! I never said “don’t floss” I said “don’t expect flossing to cure dental disease how can it cure a bacterial infection. Better to clean your toothbrush and use xylitol to eradicate the bacteria.”

7. Have you ever had success, remineralizing a cavity that was obvious with blackness and a bit deep (like what I’m dealing with right now) in the rear molars on the gum line. I’m ready to schedule my self for a filling, but will do the final research before hand.

A dark groove is not necessarily an indicator of disease. In fact as a cavity hardens up it can darken like a scab on your skin. In some cases the healing takes several years. The use of 0.5 fluoride and xylitol work in harmony studies that have shown cavities to disappear. I have some pretty amazing personal stories of healing cavities as well.

If you use my system twice a day and eat 6.5 grams of xylitol daily you will arrest dental disease and there should be no urgency to fix the cavity. I always encouraged patients to stop the disease before I putting a filling in their teeth.

8. Do you have any success rebuilding the gums, that have been worn away? Right now, I’m taking CoQ10 200mg a day for gum rejuvenation and spraying my mouth with a homeopathic by King Bio for preventing cavities and bleeding gums.

CoQ10 sounds interesting and may help but I have no idea about the King Bio. I only know that if you have patience and use my system regularly you will notice healing and feel the healthy benefits quite quickly. It will only work if you are committed and my system does not seem to work when intermixed with other treatments.

Does the owner of King Bio use it him or her-self and if so, how are his/her teeth?
I am almost 60 years old and have wonderful, happy, comfortable and white, shiny teeth using only the system I recommend. I have never whitened my teeth, had any dental treatments since dental school and have only had one cleaning in twenty years…..Testimonial to my system!

–Dr. Ellie

This site is privately and personally sponsored, funded and supported by Dr. Ellie Phillips. There are no financial or personal ties to Johnson and Johnson or to Pfizer Corporation and the endorsement of their products is based on clinical observation, and independant ADA endorsement. To contact Dr. Ellie, email webmgr@zellies.com

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Tags: hydrogen peroxide, sodium fluoride, toms of maine