Hello Dr. Ellie,
I was reading about fluorosis and how xylitol could help. I had a couple of questions can children use Closys II rinse? and why don’t you use or recommend the Closys II toothpaste?
Regards,
TS
Hi TS,
Xylitol as you will read has uses for all of us! It provides benefits for all ages: from newborn to older adults.
ACT rinse has a benefit for kids and adults from the age of 6 onwards. The dilute sodium fluoride in ACT helps new 6-year molars mature quickly and tips the remineralization balance in a child’s mouth. I recommend the original ACT anticavity not the Restore version.
Young children, on the other hand, should not need to use all the other products in the complete mouth care system. I view my system for tooth care in much the same way as I view skin care.It is not really necessary for children until they turn into teens or young adults unless they are suffering some kind of problem or are at high risk for disease.
Young children usually do not need Listerine or Closys if they are healthy, have a good diet and are not taking medications or suffer allergies or asthma which would give them a problem because of dry mouth conditions. Nature seems to provide healthy children with an alkaline mouth, but as the hormones kick in or if you add things like braces this can make the situation deteriorate quickly. ( I also realize that the diet of teens can be a problem!) Then Closys will be a help to prevent gingivitis.
If teens are developing gingivitis or if they are going to have braces/ or have braces then Closys will really help a lot. Use it without flavor and before brushing teeth. Use it to swish around and then brush. I would still recommend ACT rinse at the end of brushing and also the repeated exposure to xylitol after meals and drinks etc.
I don’t have a real problem with Closys toothpaste but I have not really seen any special results from using it either. I like Crest Original and it has the benefit of the sodium fluoride in the paste. Crest has a good amount of polishing agent but not too much to scratch enamel.
When they measure abrasiveness of toothpaste on a scale of 1 to 200 you want a paste to be around 100. Closys is under this number at around 65 I think (is it abrasive enough? I don’t have the answer) whereas Crest was tried and tested in the 1960s and came out at a perfect abrasiveness of 102.
I find that people with allergies and reactions to Sodium Laurel Sulphate do not have this problem with Crest Original. I cannot tell you why this would be it is just a long time observation. It appears that Crest Original is one of the very few pastes made in the USA all the newer ones seem to come from China. This is not necessarily a bad thing just another observation!
Enjoy the book and please let me know if you have any other questions,
Ellie
Ellie Phillips DDS
Dental Health for Everyone!
Categories: Xylitol
Hi Dr. Ellie,My 3-yr old has little holes on her teeth (2 of them from a check-up 2 weeks ago), I guess from my missing them during brushing. I recently got her on regular children's toothpaste and Children's ACT, 2-3 times a day. I am worry that they will eventually lead to cavities that need fillings. I am hoping to reverse this. Can you give me very specific advice as to what I should do to rebuild her teeth (if possible)? I feel so bad that I've caused her tooth to decay. I am just searching all over the web for answers now. Thanks you.
Try not to worry too much! I want you to think of cavities( holes) in teeth as a disease – damage caused by bad bacteria.These bacteria are probably in your mouth too – so you and any other children or adults in the family should "clean" their mouths with xylitol also.You need to disinfect your toothbrushes every day using a little Listerine – rinse them out and allow them to dry. Bacteria transfer on brushes. One teaspoon of xylitol each day can be mixed into a bottle of water. Shake it up and sip this water all day – after meals, drinks and when you like!This will get rid of the bad bacteria and allow the teeth to start healing. The rinses you are using for cleaning teeth sound great – do this morning and night. Together the xylitol and ACT should be enough to help heal these teeth – but it will take several months.I would suggest Zellies fruit mints if you want a little extra xylitol – kids love them – as a treat after snacks and meals.Use these mints in addition to the xylitol-water (at least while the teeth are healing). You need to have enough xylitol each day and also at least five separate times when your teeth are exposed to it each day. Please let me know how this works.Maybe you could put a date two months from now on your calendar and tell me what you notice! Best Wishes,Ellie http://www.zellies.com26 Corporate WoodsRochester, NY 14623(585) 272-1270