Thanks for sharing. Some of the evidence seems mixed (like the first link is about toothpaste and says “The remaining evidence for other xylitol products was low to very low quality.”) But the other analyses do trend towards positive, which is good to know. I know Xylitol gum is super popular in Korea and Japan and is promoted for cavity reduction. I’ll try to find some 
I make my own mouthwash, 1 tsp of bicarb, salt, xylitol to 600ml of water… you can add more water if you need to. Add a few drops of peppermint oil if you wish. I use it several times a day.
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Bryan Johnson said he uses food grade tea tree oil on his tooth brush. I tried it: it cleared up the inflammation around an implant that nothing else had helped. So I keep brushing with tea tree oil at night, and regular toothpaste with flouride in the morning. Also chew xylitol gum.
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So I keep brushing with tea tree oil at night
How do you do that? Do you just put a few drops on the toothbrush?
Related to this, apparently you can also make a tea tree oil mouthwash by putting a few drops of tea tree oil in water. I’ve tried 2 drops per ounce of water, but that may not be the right mixture.
I’m the OG of not using conventional oral care products… I probably started using Toms of Maine 35 years ago.
All that is to say I was a very hard sell for the Dr Ellie’s program which consists of old school oral care products used in a specific order. In fact, I HATE that I’m using this stuff, but no flossing and no plaque build up between my bottom center teeth shows her system is superior… drats!
Joseph Lavelle and @medaura each saw great results, so I thought I’d give it a go. My sister and husband are doing the same and they both quickly noticed they are not building up any plaque (just like Medaura)
Here is the description and a list of the EXACT products to use.
https://www.rapamycin.news/uploads/short-url/AoPiltzb2zAwFDPiOtvTDSo585q.pdf
The discussion:
Don’t heed @medaura’s advice at your own peril
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Jay, yes, just a drop of food grade tea tree oil on the brush. That way I can focus on the areas that have been problematic in the past.
Oral exposure to tea tree oil can be toxic. Ten years ago, toothpicks dipped in tea tee oil were popular for oral hygiene, but then they were outlawed and taken off the market.
According to the Mayor Clinic, tea tree oil is toxic when taken by mouth. Serious side effects can occur, such as:
Confusion.
Ataxia.
Problems breathing.
High white blood cell count.
Coma.
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What is the effectiveness of using mouthwash VS flossing for preventing cavities ?
Hey Beth, I don’t think that list is too unconventional at all! My dentist told me not to brush after acidic foods is advised by dentists, and avoiding making a sugary/acidic environment has been traditional advice since I was a kid. The only bit I’m baffled by is why no flossing?
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The closys that’s part of the pre brush regimen is to neutralize the ph of the mouth (among other things) so you can safely brush after even if you just ate. Also your mouth may be acidic even if you didn’t just eat. The no flossing is because the flossing toothbrushes she recommends are already doing flossing’s job of getting anything stuck, unstuck. They’re called interdental flossing toothbrushes and are not your average soft bristle wussy brush. Flossing with actual waxed thread on top of that would not only be redundant but too aggressive and beat down on gum tissue that’s trying to heal. It also drives any ongoing gingival infection deeper into the gums and possibly the blood stream. Also Listerine gets in between teeth and in gum pockets to modulate down pathogens and also heal gums (it contains diluted concentrations of eucalyptus oil and other essential oils that help heal gums, unlike using undiluted tea tree oil that will f them up). And then in the end to seal it all, the ACT. You’d really need to listen to the woman’s whole rationale to be convinced. There’s nuance all around, and there’s the concept of “mouth resting.” Also the use of xylitol. It all works together to get you plaque free, and also to reverse any early cavities, and heal gum disease. It actually works, as Beth says. I’ve never not had plaque build up before and used to measure my success by how thoroughly I would get rid of it. Now there’s nothing to get rid of and when I go for a dental cleaning next I really don’t know what there is for them to clean.
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@relaxedmeatball what she said
I don’t think most of us fully believed the no flossing part (it’s so ingrained in us!) so would still do it on occasion anyway just becasue she sounded crazy … but I have mostly stopped because I can see it’s a waste of time. (I did go to the dentist recently and asked if he could tell I wasn’t flossing… he said nope)
Btw, these are the super duper toothbrushes.
@relaxedmeatball if your kids are still small enough, there is also a small version. I actually use both for myself because I’m petite.
And brush your gums… below the teeth, not just where the teeth and gums meet… I never knew to do this… it was amazing to discover I had a sensitive area that was cured by the massage in aprox 2 days!
Oh, and rotate through at least 2 toothbrushes because she says they don’t completely dry and kill the germs for 24 hours, so use one in the morning and the other one in the evening
Before I was willing to start her program, I did order the toothbrush and fell in love… I had not used a manual toothbrush since electric toothbrushes were invented… but I think this thing blows them away.
Oh, also don’t use a water pik. I had recently bought one and I was happy to hear I didn’t have to use that abusive violent thing ever again! PTSD
I think you should try it and report back… for science!
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One of my problems and complaints is the plague of upselling dentists. This is the fairly routine practice of recommending unnecessary treatment. I’d say that as many as 20-30% of dentists are guilty.
And then there is the unrelated problem of dentists misinterpreting their own x-ray images. I’ve seen two dentists in the last six months and both used cone beam technology, which provides a shockingly detailed portrait of your teeth and jaw. However, like an MRI, it is can provide false positives and false negatives. One dentist told that me I needed three implants, at a cost of $9,000, while the other one said, no, I don’t need implants but rather, on different teeth, fillings and crowns for a mere $4,000.
I had planned to go to Mexico for the implants, but now I don’t know what to do. The worst flu in 20 years is also a factor in my reluctance to get on a plane.
This is a very difficult problem. I’m afraid there are no easy solutions. Sure, you could keep getting second, third, nth opinion, but that’s like doctor shopping - how do you know you are getting a good opinion rather than just one you like. I myself have relied on the grinding work of reading reviews - yes, it’s subjective and also not 100% reliable. But I then get the best dentist I see from reviews and try them out - here gut feeling and careful listening is what’s needed. Ask questions and listen to hear of the answers make sense. I have walked out of “highly rated” dentists who I thought were merely money spinners. If you finally get a good one, you ask them for their referral for an implant (if needed). I wouldn’t go to a dentist who does everything, rather for implants, extractions and the like you need to go for a specialist. The dentist will guide you to who does what best - and make sure they are experienced, so an implant periodontist must have done a ton, and make sure it is he who does the work, not one of his flunkies. It’s a jungle out there, unfortunately.
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CronosTempi is spot on, as always. I do think it’s protective to say you would go to a specialist for the work because, if it’s a money grab, it might change their advice… not always of course.
I’ve had two great dentists I trust… the others have been highly skilled and popular but complete salesmen.
You don’t have to answer, but why do you feel you might need an implant. If you have a cavity, they can show you on xray.
I’ll share how my current dentist thinks incase it’s at all helpful to you. And of course each mouth is different and sometimes an implant is definitely needed.
My dentist in my old city kept trying to get me to do things, but this was after his hygienist looked at my record and said ‘oh, I see we’ve never done any work on you’… he then came into the room with a hard sell. He kept saying my tooth was going to crack and I needed it worked on asap, but due to the hygienist’s comment, I said not today. He was visibly upset.
I moved and found my current dentist. I said my last one said I needed to do xyz… he said is it bothering you? Ding ding ding, this is the key question for him! I said no, not at all. He said why don’t you call me if it ever does… eureka.
A decade later, he said it’s getting worse and this tooth might not last forever. He said you can take care of it now, or just wait, and if it should crack, call me and I’ll get you right in… I said I’ll take option #2. That was probably 2 years ago.
Then last month he showed me that one of my childhood fillings cracked and I developed a small cavity. He said we have to put a crown on that one. The tooth next to has a cracked filling that we’ve been watching so you might want to take care of it while that area is numb anyway, and the 3rd tooth, which will also be numb, has an old silver filling that we could switch out if you just want it to look better. 3 options, 1 is a must, 2 is probably a good idea because you’ll have to fix it at some point, and the 3rd is just because we are there. He said I’d do all 3, but you should seriously consider doing at least 2, but you only have to do 1 and it’s up to you. As always, you can just call me when that other filling cracks and I’ll get you right in. (I voted for 1)
I also have pocketing on the brain and asked him if we should be discussing it… he said everything is fine and if I send you to a periodontist, they will tell you everything they see needs to be worked on.
PS, if you get on a plane, mask up and don’t touch your eyes etc. (I’m sure you already know this)
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Dr Ellie’s recommendations have worked well for me and everyone I was able to convince to try it. I have stopped flossing; Dr Ellie’s concern was flossing causing access to blood supply for bacteria. If you don’t bleed from flossing then floss away. I stopped because why bother. My dentist says I have great teeth.
Dr Ellie’s other advice was to stop sipping liquids all day which interferes with saliva’s healing function. I struggle with this one but I’m still trying to drink less often (without lowering the total volume). My caffeine-less efforts dovetail here.
FYI: my nitrite test strips are perfect every time I test. I may have lower NO production for a while after oral care but it apparently returns to full force after a few hours.
The xylitol stuff has fallen by the wayside but may be important.
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Right?? It’s hard to imagine!
Also:
To make the routine a little more efficient
this is my setup….
My sister chose these because they are on her counter
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Back to the foundational principles. Don’t use mouthwash if you don’t have periodontal disease. Brush and floss (or use waterpik) 3x/d to maintain good oral health. If you’re prone to cavities use Prevident or Neutracare as your toothpaste or at least once a day. If you’re on bisphosphonates for osteo, see your dentist regularly. Do not go to Mexico for dental work, especially implants. Find a very good dentist (sorry I don’t have a time machine to send you back to 1970-1985). HMOs changed how too many dentists practice. Still some very good ones out there though).
Your current criteria are what I’ve adopted for myself. If and when they bother me, I’ll act. The dentist did say that two of the teeth are infected and could erupt without warning, but right now they are dormant. Considering the prices involved, I’ll wait and take my chances.
I had a bridge done in Mexico and it lasted 12 years. I saved 6k and stayed a nice week in San Diego.
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