Dear Dr. Ellie,
I was just reading the posts on Hygienetown about fluorosis and I saw your post on xylitol. We have been talking about this some in our office, and I would love to have a copy of your book. We have one hygienist that graduated 3 years ago and she is really up to date on this. The rest of us “old” hygienists are learning. I’m really open to learning anything new, but I’m working on the other two!
We are seeing a lot of recurrent decay around the margins of crowns and bridges.
We have just started using custom trays with MI paste and Fluoridex, but I’m really wanting to encourage the use of the xylitol mints and gums. Thank you for all of your work on this. I’ll be sure to let you know the reaction and hopefully the results we start seeing from our patients.
TW
Dear TW:
Thank you so much for your message and your interest in xylitol. I have been working to spread the message of remineralization and the damage of acids in the mouth for many years.
I worked in the 1970s as a dentist in Switzerland where prevention was priority and we achieved success with very simple means. I could never understand why there was almost total silence about remineralization in the United States.
Now (of course) there are people making money on the patents supporting MI paste. All of a sudden remineralization is a new dental buzz word. Very interesting and hardly surprising!
All this time, for the past fifty years, the finest of methods to remineralize and protect teeth has been waiting xylitol. I think some feared that xylitol would make MI paste unnecessary. I hope someone tests MI paste against xylitol it would be very interesting. I have my money on xylitol especially when it is used in harmony with ACT original fluoride rinse.
I can tell you the story of four occlusal cavities – which a dentist was convinced needed to be restored ( he threatened the patient that there would be pulpal involvement in six months) – that healed and remineralized completely with the combined use of xylitol and ACT. It took less than six months to completely heal so that not a pin prick hole was evident in any of these teeth.
Please let me know when you receive the package if I can send you any other information or products.
Thanks again for getting in touch,
Ellie Phillips, DDS
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