This common sense approach to oral health works for everyone, but is especially suited for those who:

• Find it difficult to floss
• Dislike or cannot afford dental treatment
• Have dental damage and don’t know how to stop it
• Have bad breath or sensitive teeth
• Have new white spots on teeth or teeth becoming darker in color

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Xylitol
Xylitol is a sweet, white substance that looks and tastes like sugar (sucrose). It contains 40% fewer calories than sugar and is diabetic friendly.

Eating 6.5 grams of xylitol per day has a beneficial effect on the bacterial flora found in the mouth, nose, and throat. It rids the mouth of sticky harmful bacteria and promotes the growth of tooth-protective, non-acidic bacteria.

Xylitol also raises the mouth pH and encourages mineral-rich saliva to flow into the mouth, which can protect teeth and help softened areas repair and remineralize.

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Toothbrush Sanitation
Keep toothbrushes bacteria free
Best way to clean a toothbrush - Swish in Listerine®, rinse and air dry
Brushes may be UV sterilized in UV toothbrush holders, cleaned in the dishwasher, or “cooked” in the microwave for 2 minutes, then air dried.

Toothbrush Storage
Store your brush so the head has clean air circulation around it. Do not store it near any toilet area and consider the kitchen as a storage location. Select a good toothbrush holder or use a clean cup - never store your toothbrush in a bag. When travelling, consider storage location, possible toilet air contamination and never leave a toothbrush on a wet vanity counter.

All Ages and Interest Levels

Children before the age of 5
Use xylitol in a suitable form.
Start by making sure your own mouth and the mouths of caretakers are cleaned with 6.5 grams of xylitol each day. Dissolve a teaspoon of xylitol in a small amount of water and wipe this solution on baby’s gums 3-4 times a day, especially as new teeth begin to erupt. Until the child can rinse and spit, use xylitol dissolved in water to clean teeth in place of toothpaste. Introduce the child to healthy tooth-protective foods to end each meal or use some form of xylitol after every meal, drink or snack. If you would like to learn more about xylitol preventing cavities in toddlers, read this study.
www.Spiffies.com sell tooth wipes for cleaning baby teeth.

Young Children Ages 6-10
Use Crest® Regular Paste, ACT® Fluoride Rinse and xylitol every day.
Start introducing toothpaste at about 5 years old and use a pea-size amount of Crest® Regular Paste on a clean brush. Make sure to provide a cup of water for your child to rinse after brushing. Young children should be supervised with rinsing at this age so slowly add drops of ACT® Fluoride Rinse to this water as the child learns. When the child can safely rinse and spit, use ACT® Fluoride Rinse at full strength after brushing. Children should have at least 6.5 grams of xylitol each day. Granular xylitol dissolved in a water bottle can be sipped on throughout the day and xylitol mints and gum should be eaten after meals, snacks and drinks.

Children Ages 10 +
Zellies Complete Mouth Care System with xylitol
If it is not already being used, start the Zellies Complete Mouth Care System with xylitol at least 6 months before braces are applied, providing the child can rinse and spit with confidence.

Things to Avoid

Toothpastes with whitening agents
Many whitening pastes remove surface stains with an abrasive action on tooth enamel. This is like taking sandpaper to your tooth, which may remove stains but will weaken enamel and make your teeth sensitive to hot and cold. The abrasion can also make your teeth porous - so they stain more easily –discolor – and need whitening. Some whitening pastes are also acidic – and “etch” the glass-like surface of your enamel. This whitens the surface but leaves the tooth weak and more likely to stain and be sensitive.

Tartar control additives
Many products with tartar control are very acidic. This may help dissolve some of the solids, but the acidity will pull calcium from your teeth into plaque and form more tartar. The acidic environment also promotes the growth of more plaque and can weaken teeth and make them sensitive. Other tartar control pastes contain harsh chemicals that can make your gums or tongue sore and sensitive.

Toothpastes with Stannous Fluoride, Sodium Monofluorophosphate, and Triclosan
Stannous fluoride is often used because it is less expensive, but it can stain teeth and make them turn black in color. Sodium monofluorophosphate is a kind of fluoride that was developed in an effort to lessen toothpaste manufacturing costs. It can be mixed with chalk and made into a paste, whereas the paste I recommend, Crest® Regular Paste, is made with a mix of silica and sodium fluoride. Triclosan is an antibacterial found in dry hand sanitizers. There is research to show that Triclosan reacts with chlorine in tap water and immediately forms chloroform. I do not know if there are negative effects with the use of Triclosan in hand sanitizers, but many people find Triclosan is harsh on the “skin” of their mouths – and they get ulcerations from using pastes containing this product.

Baking soda
Baking soda is often used as a homeopathic remedy for tooth care. My experience is that people who use baking soda often suffer painless but aggressive gum loss. I do not recommend pastes or rinses made with baking soda. My hunch is that useful and protective tooth bacteria are damaged by baking soda – which may make teeth “too clean” and unprotected which leaves the tooth surface exposed to thermal and chemical damage.

Peroxide
Peroxide is often added to toothpaste to whiten teeth. There is research to show that mercury in fillings is encouraged to vaporize when in contact with peroxide. If you have silver fillings in your mouth, I would recommend you avoid peroxide in pastes or in rinses. Remember the mad hatter in Alice in Wonderland? His dementia was caused by mercury poisoning as mercury vaporized during hat manufacture in the 1900s.