We put our son on the Ellie system last Sept. We were very proud of the fact that at 14 he still had no cavities, largely because we had closely monitored his flossing and brushing up to that point. However, he had gone through several 2- or 3-month periods on his own at summer camps where, even with a mouth full of braces, he had managed well enough.
We got the exact name-brand rinses and toothpaste you specify, and a toothbrush sterilizer, and put up a chart on the order in which to use them. We periodically watched to see that he was following the plan, and could tell from the use of materials that he was at least going through the motions. He gets powdered xylitol after breakfast and Zellie candies after lunch.
At his most recent cleaning last week we were dumbfounded to hear that he has four small cavities. The dentist said it appeared that those areas weren’t getting brushed properly. That’s certainly credible, but what is so astonishing is that the xylitol, Closys, Listerine, and ACT didn’t prevent the damage.
We will, very reluctantly, get these cavities filled. We’d like to believe that the fluoride rinse etc will renew the enamel as you have described in your book, but that flies in the face of logic since he got the cavities while using that whole system.
Pretty disappointed.
Hi there,
I am sorry you wrote your “disappointed” message – because this kind of comment makes me feel quite fed up about the work I provide for free and what I try to do to help people. It makes me think how ungrateful people can be.
It is the gratitude that I get from thankful people that keeps me giving of my time and my knowledge, year after year. I love to help people that I never get to meet and improve their lives.
I wish I could talk with you, because I am not much for having a “discussion” by email.
I thought about ignoring your message – but I felt it was important to point out some basic facts about mouth health and your son’s mouth.
The outcome for teeth is always a balance between damage and repair. There cannot be damage, without damage having occurred.
Plaque must have been in your son’s mouth – otherwise these teeth could not decay. This in itself indicates insufficient xylitol. Acidity must have been around his teeth for too long – I have no idea if that was dietary ( drinks, candies, foods etc).
Repair WILL occur when you use adequate amounts of xylitol and my rinse system twice every day.
If you end up with worse teeth at the end of a 6 months period it means there must have been more damage than repair during this time. I have no idea what the damage was – but it is always connected with acidity ( juice, soda, sports drinks, acidic foods, candies etc. ) or dry mouth ( braces, nasal allergies, sinus etc).
Even now, I encourage you to use this system – but with more vigilance. I would make sure you have the correct products, add more xylitol to his day, and have him understand he has to control drinks and problem foods for 6 months to reverse these “early cavities” . Obviously you won’t get any reversal with the way he is doing things now – I agree.
Maybe get your son to book a consultation with me on the phone – so we can ensure her “understands” the importance of doing this correctly and use this method to protect his teeth. If you don’t stop this “cavity disease” now – it will go on and on – there is no reason for cavities to be the last of his cavities.
Cavities are an infectious, bacterial problem – that will probably attack more teeth in the years ahead.
Best wishes,
Ellie
http://www.DrEllie.com
More information can be found on this topic and more at: www.drellie.com
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***Dear Readers — We had a comment here that I deleted originally — but later thought that it was more fair to post it with my response– so here is the comment: JBG has left a new comment on your post "Comparison of Results": Chill out, Ellie. If you come down so hard on anyone who reports disappointing results, then you will not HEAR about disappointing results, but of course you need to.If you think a report is malicious disinformation, then by all means ignore it. But otherwise you should welcome it, because it carries real-world data.What happened in this case is not clear (certainly not to me!), but whatever your analysis, communication will go better if you can omit the judgmental moralism.I think you should apologize to the notewriter for losing your cool. It's OK. Nobody's perfect. *** Here is my response:***Dear JBCPlease don't think I am upset – my goal is pure oral health education.My concern is for the interpretation of results – because this was not an accurate interpretation.You see there are NEVER disappointing results with this system- there cannot be.Cavities are not random:If you think that "disappointing results" are possible, it means that you think cavities and gum disease are a matter of chance.(Of course lots of people think this – but it is not true. )Science is not about chance – because science explains the chemistry and biology of what actually happens.Cavities and gum disease do not occur by chance, any more than my system of rinses and xylitol heal by random chance. Xylitol and my system of rinses affect the chemistry of the mouth. The chemistry is changed, so that it makes teeth harder and gums healthier. This is why there is no way for "disappointing results".My system tips the balance in the mouth towards healing – every day. It is acidity or mouth dryness that tip it the other way and damage teeth.Healing vs Damage:Providing you do sufficient "healing" to balance "damage" you will find that your teeth remain the same every day.If you do more healing than damage, your teeth will get progressively stronger, cleaner and healthier.It is only when you damage teeth MORE than you improve them, that you get a cavity, erosion etc.Enamel crystals are dynamic – breaking down and rebuilding all the time.If you get break-down without healing – then you get cavities.The outcome for teeth is this summation of breakdown vs. repair – calculated every day.My system is comprehensive and is able to control damage in the driest of mouths, the oldest of people, and even the most acidic saliva.That is why either this person was not using the system properly, or was doing some unbelievable damage to their teeth every day.I suspect the former! General Confusion about Oral Health:So why should I accept information that does not report true facts – it only causes confusion for others.I am sorry if I sound serious about this – because I am.You see there is already far too much confusion about teeth.Oral health is very simple and very science-based. This is why I am not prepared to listen to a story that cannot possibly be true.Thanks for your comments and I hope that I have explained why it is important for me to speak up sometimes.I mean no disrespect, and I do not think I am judgmental. I am indeed passionate and concerned – yes, because I think oral health is vital and important.Ellie