Hi Dr. Ellie,
I’ve been really enjoying reading all the letters on your site and just ordered your book. I’m excited to try out the program.
My son is 7 and the dentist just discovered cavities in his baby teeth that he wants to fill asap. I am reluctant for emotional reasons (he is my baby and perfect and whole!) and I also don’t want to put him through the discomfort of fillings if he doesn’t need them. The dentist says the cavities could proceed quickly in these baby teeth and could cause trouble if they are not there as spacers for his adult teeth coming in. I’m hoping, with some care, we could reverse or halt the damage. We already have some xylitol gum and mints (a product from Finland, thoughts?, we live in Canada and that is what I’ve seen around). I was giving it to him intermittently but will now give him some more regularly.
But also, my question is, I was wondering if children’s teeth remineralize faster than adult teeth and if they are more porous, or de and remineralize faster.
I’m also curious about some of the discussion around celiac. I’ve noticed that my teeth appear noticeably more yellow after I have a lot of carbohydrates (ie wheat and sugar…) and that goes away when I eat other foods, like fruits and vegetables. Have you ever heard of this? They are not stained but have a yellow cast.
Thank you for the great website. These were all concepts that I suspected but not everyone talks about them.
Looking forward to getting the book!
C
Hi C,
I agree with you and I would hope your seven year old son will not need fillings.
On the other hand, I can’t tell you if you will be able to reverse these cavities since I don’t know how advanced they are. Most cavities take about a year to form so I will assume, if this is the first time you have been told about them that they may quite young cavities.
Of course it depends the date of his previous dental visit the visit when he was last given an “all clear”. The main problem with fillings is not the discomfort of having them placed that shouldn’t be much of a problem.
I agree with your dentist that baby teeth are important and they hold the place for permanent teeth.
The problem is that most filling materials carry negative side effects.
White filling materials can contain Bisphenol A the product that has been a concern in baby bottle plastic. Silver fillings of course contain mercury something else would be best to avoid.
Another way to restore a baby tooth is often with a crown a metal crown that contains a mix of metals. Obviously avoiding a filling, if possible, is the best way to go.
I don’t know how much time you have before the filling appointment but I would certainly start immediately with xylitol and dilute fluoride rinsing. Your son should use Crest regular toothpastes and rinse it off his teeth with a dilute fluoride mouth rinse.
In Canada I believe the nearest rinse to the one I recommend is a Colgate products called Fluoriguard. The Finnish chewing gum (providing it is 100% xylitol) should be perfectly fine.
You could also find granular xylitol at most health food stores sold in a bag, like a pound of sugar. I suggest you put a little of this granular xylitol in water and have your son drink it throughout the day. Try and find creative ways to have your son enjoy a little xylitol at the end of every meal, after every snack, after every drink. If you do this, in addition to rinsing morning and night with the dilute fluoride you will have done everything possible to repair these cavities. A concerted effort with all your might may help to mineralize and repair these teeth. It won’t happen unless your son has at least 5 to 7 exposures of xylitol every day + these rinses morning and night. You need to get your son to help you to work together maybe he can keep a calendar of his exposures to xylitol. I encourage you to do everything you can for several weeks perhaps if your appointment is in a month or so you will be able to make sufficient changes. Then you could ask your dentist if it would be possible to wait another couple of months before the fillings.
I hope you are successful it’s worth the effort. I think you will learn a lot when you read my book but I don’t wait for the book to start this regimen beginning this as soon as possible you have no time to waste. You will read in my book how carbohydrates turn to acids in your mouth. This is why teeth become yellower after eating carbohydrates.
The good news is, frequent use of xylitol and my mouth rinse system will harden teeth, making them stronger and shinier, and xylitol will eliminate plaque. All of this means your teeth will look a lot shinier and whiter very quickly!
Best wishes,
Ellie
Ellie Phillips DDS
Dental Health for Everyone!
author, Kiss Your Dentist Goodbye
26, Corporate Woods, Rochester NY 14623
Dental Health for Everyone!
author, Kiss Your Dentist Goodbye
26, Corporate Woods, Rochester NY 14623
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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