Dear Dr. Ellie,
Where have you been all of my life?? I am so happy to have found your book and web sites. Better late than never. It’s timely anyway because I think I have hit rock bottom with my dental health and unfortunately, my baby is already going down this terrible path. I feel worried, frustrated, guilty and confused all at once.
Our most pressing problem is the state of my 16 month old daughter’s top front teeth. Her pediatric dentist recommended 4 crowns and possibly root canals. She was at the same dentist 4 months prior, had an x-ray and brief exam and supposedly no decay was present at that point. I am really alarmed at the severity of the problem in such a short period of time. I saw white spots near her gum line a couple of weeks back and made the appointment. I thought we were looking at fillings as a worst case scenario. The worst part of the decay is at her gum line on the inside of her mouth (I had no idea to even look there so upset that I lacked this info!!). I feel like we could have attacked this problem before it turned to cavities. Maybe it is not as terrible as the dentist made it sound… I really don’t know but I’m very worried.
I would like to get a second opinion, preferably from a dentist who is oriented towards conservative treatments and who is knowledgeable in caries disease management vs. a surgical approach. I realize crowns may be necessary any way to restore structural integrity to her teeth but if we jump to that right away I know where things are going to head without a professional hand in addressing the root of the problem. Could you recommend anybody in the NY-metro area or even further out, like PA? I am having the hardest time finding someone who even seems to take a modern approach to treating teeth.
I will have to write more one day because my mouth is a dental disaster area, but in the meantime I am doing your CWT system a minimum of 2x a day and I’ve been giving my daughter xylitol after every meal, snack and nursing. We cut out night time nursing just about completely by now and I try to get some ACT on her teeth when she naps. I finally have hope for improving my dental health and I’m trying to make the best of the situation with my daughter so that we can put a halt to the ECC before other teeth are affected.
Thanks so much,
A
Hi A,
Delighted to meet you!!
I am so happy that you have discovered how to end dental disease for your family.
It really IS this easy make sure you have some xylitol at least 5 times a day the frequency is important, and as you are doing preferably eat it after meals and snacks! You are on track with the advice I give: adults need frequent use of xylitol plus the CWT system morning and night…. for children, frequent xylitol plus a little ACT in place of toothpaste until they are old enough to rinse and spit.
My only other suggestions:
Ensure you keep your toothbrushes cleaned every day: swish in some Listerine, rinse under running water and allow to air dry before they are used again. The picture on the front of Kiss Your Dentist Goodbye is how toothbrushes need to be stored NEVER in a bag or under cover unless you have a UV sanitizer.
Last piece of advice is mark some dates on your calendar. Mark five weeks from the start of this program. At this time your “teeth” will be clean from harmful bacteria this is the end of any more damage! From then on, month after month, you will be “cleaning” the skin of your mouth, tongue and saliva. Mark on your calendar six months from now….end of August??……this is when your entire mouth, saliva, teeth and mucosa will be clean and healthy!
Now you will feel the difference even as you wake up in the morning your teeth will tell you how happy they feel!
Good luck with your daughter. It can be surprising how quickly baby teeth repair themselves.
Does your daughter have ear infections? Does she suck lollypops or ring pops? I am looking for a reason why the decay was on the inside of her front upper teeth it is quite unusual (don’t blame yourself for not looking) I wonder why it became so damaged most cavities take at least a year to form…….
If sucking lollypops was the reason we need to get your daughter some xylitol lollypops let me know, so I can help you! Be encouraged you are on the right track and will never look back!
Sorry I don’t have a good suggestion for a dentist in your area ask around, ask other Moms ask some people you trust.
Best Wishes,
Ellie
Ellie Phillips DDS
26 Corporate Woods
Rochester, NY 14623
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