Dear Dr. Ellie:
I believe I have enamel erosion because my teeth are yellow, more sensitive, and my incisors have vertical ridges and transparent chipped edges. My teeth just don’t seem as white and solid as they once were. I started noticing problems after I went on a vegan diet that included lots of fruit. I am no longer vegan and am interested in healing a cavity and restoring my teeth. I have a few questions:
(Dr. Ellie’s Answers to these questions are in blue)
it possible to heal my teeth?
Yes, teeth can remineralize themselves.
The yellow color may take time to go away. People using my system have told me that sometimes it has taken a couple of months before their teeth started to change and become whiter but now month after month their teeth are getting smoother and shinier and whiter and stronger.
This is a slow natural process which occurs when the mouth is alkaline and is provided with enough mineral-rich saliva. Xylitol is great to stimulate remineralization particularly to the deeper layers under the tooth enamel surface.Eating Zellies after meals and drinks will ensure that teeth have a chance to remineralize about four or five times during the day.
The use of dilute sodium fluoride solution (provided it is in direct contact with tooth enamel) will also speed this process. Dilute fluoride has most effect on the outer “shell’ of the tooth. Use of xylitol and fluoride will be harmonious and will stimulate quite rapid remineralization enough for a dentist to notice after 6 months or so.
I only suggest dilute 0.05 sodium fluoride solution nothing stronger no gels or other kinds of fluoride. I agree that we do not need to ingest fluoride and I filter it out of my drinking water at home. I do, however, rinse with ACT twice a day at the end of tooth cleaning and spit out the rinse, leaving only a residue on the tooth surface. If you want to repair your teeth, I would suggest trying the Complete Mouth Care System EXACTLY as described.
I’m worried about fluoride, I don’t want to do something that will harm my body. I haven’t used fluoride toothpaste/mouthwash for years. So is it possible to heal them without fluoride? If so, what do you recommend that’s natural/fluoride free?
Fluoride is a big subject and on many points I agree with those who avoid fluoride. Iced teas often have loads of fluoride in them, for example.
ACT used as a rinse is different and ACT will help heal your teeth – so it is my recommendation.
To get the benefits of xylitol do I need to swallow it? Can I just swish the dissolved product for a few minutes and spit it out or take some xylitol as a mouthwash?
You could just rinse it around your mouth but please consider this: our bodies make 15 grams of xylitol each day it is produced by natural breakdown in the body. Xylitol helps to alkalize the body and also helps absorption of calcium.
Ingesting xylitol appears to almost be along the lines of a probiotic acid reflux symptoms seem to go away and some digestive problems have improved. We are only talking of eating about a teaspoon of xylitol each day ( 6.5 grams) which would be a couple of Zellies mints or a piece of gum after each meal.
Do you recommend tooth soap?
No because I don’t know enough about it and I am very satisfied with the products that I recommend.
I personally have only had one dental cleaning in twenty years. I grind my teeth at night and have been pregnant with five children. I have relied on my system for oral care and I have never had a cavity or filling since dental school (35 years ago) and my teeth are white, shiny, clean and my gums totally healthy. What more can I wish for?
What is the ideal PH of saliva to prevent tooth decay?
Tooth enamel will dissolve at a pH of 5.5. Teeth can be damaged at a pH lower than 6.0.
Neutral pH of 7.0 will not harm teeth. Teeth remineralize at pH values above 7.4 and eating xylitol can even boost the mouth pH to around 8.0 (very good for teeth!)
Categories: Sensitivity
Dr. Ellie,I have been using your program for several months and have seen some great progress with a couple of teeth that had pits in them on the gumline (not dark spots). They are filling in beautifully! I do have some questions !1)If I slack, they come right back. Why?2) My cavaties(black and pitted areas) do not seem to be doing anything, perhaps a little worse. Will they eventually be affected?(They are on the very back teeth and between teeth.)3) I ask my children’s dentist if he had heard of this program….he said teeth could remineralize but enamel would not re-grow. What say U? 🙂 And if it cannot regrow, could this be affecting the what’s happening in question one?Thank U so much!
1)If I slack, will they come right back? No not necessarily. It all depends on the process that caused them in the first place.The damage that caused them was too great and outweighed your tooth’s natural repair process. The question is, Has this balance changed?A tooth is always demineralizing/breaking down and remineralizing/building up.The state of a tooth ( strong or weak) is the outcome / balance between the two processes. Currently you say that the damaged areas are filling in and “re-mineralizing”.This means that recently there has been more mineralizing/building than destruction.As long as you continue in this state, your teeth will be able to balance any destruction, and they could get harder and more “filled in”. If you stop with the system, you may end up with more dissolving/ damage than repair .If this happens, your teeth will gradually weaken and then wear away or cave in.(What happens to teeth depends on the forces that the tooth experiences: if the force is from brushing, the enamel will wear away. If the force is on a biting surface the tooth will cave in as a cavity). Since it sounds as if it was brushing damage – I would suggest you consider protecting your teeth from mouth acidity before brushing. 2) My cavities(black and pitted areas) do not seem to be doing anything, perhaps a little worse. Will they eventually be affected?Cavities take years to form.The remineralization process can take a long time also. You will be helping these teeth if you are eating enough xylitol (to keep the bacteria away) and using the ACT rinse twice each day (to tip the balance to repair)I would want to know if you experience symptoms. If your tooth is sensitive to hot and cold then perhaps the cavity is too deep to repair. Obviously I am not in a position to know how bad your teeth are. The system that I recommend is designed to help those who cannot afford to go to the dentist for fillings. It can provide people with a way to control dental disease and help stimulate repair, so that the problems will not get worse. I cannot tell you that the black and pitted areas will go away – some people have staining in the grooves of their back teeth for ever – even teeth that never need filling. If you have no symptoms I would give this program at least a year before making any judgment.3) I asked my children’s dentist if he had heard of this program….he said teeth could remineralize but enamel would not re-grow. What say U? 🙂 This is a recent and true story.A friend of mine took his teen son to the dentist. The dentist told him he had four cavities and needed sealants or fillings in all of them. The damage was in the center of the back teeth – in the grooves( dentists call this the occlusal surface). My friend did not want these teeth filled and asked if he really needed to do this. The dentist told him they were cavities and that in six months they would be bigger and more damage would occur. My friend talked with me and asked questions. I gave answers. He cancelled his sealant appointment and waited six months – with the teenager using my system very carefully each day and each night. When they returned to the dentist after the six months, the dentist examined the teeth – looking for the holes. The dentist looked, read his notes, looked again. The dentist thought he has filled these teeth with sealant material – because he could not find the holes. The dentist wanted to charge my friend for the sealants! To this day these teeth have never been filled. Hope this answers your question!Have a good day, Ellie