Let's talk teeth

[bellona]

Well, folks, I'm embarrassed to say that this is one issue I've been playing ostrich on. I've researched all sorts of other areas...this one I've just been doing what my parents did. It's about time I got my head out of the sand.

My ds hasn't been to a dentist yet (he's 6 - please be gentle with me...no dentist in my area would take him until he was 4 - then we didn't have any insurance ). He has an appointment for the end of the summer. I just know he's got cavities

He has this thing going on from the beginning where plaque (or whatever that fuzzy stuff is) builds up way fast on him. I'd brush his teeth after breakfast and they'd be nasty like he hadn't cleaned them in days by lunch. The doctor told me it was fine and normal...but it doesn't seem that normal to me. I'm just starting my research and I'm wondering what kind of damage has been done. His teeth are also discolored. Not alot, they just aren't as white as they could be.

I read that eucalyptus oil can be diluted (I'm assuming with water, but I don't know how much) and that you can rub a few drops of this mixture around your gum line and it'll help prevent gum disease. Anyone know anything about that?

I've also read about xylitol (I think that's what it's called), but I'm a little hesitant to use it, I guess I just don't know what it is. I read that you can use gum with baking soda in it to neutralize acids in your mouth. What gum has baking soda in it? How often should you use it?

My kids are all grazers and I've never had issues with it, but I wonder what kind of effect that has on teeth.

Do you sterilize your toothbrush? How? Can it be a DIY thing or do you need to buy an expensive piece of equiptment?

I've been using Collgate 12 hour protection toothpaste myself, and it works really well. Why? It just seems a little suspicious to me. I've tried the Toms stuff and not only did it gag me, but my teeth didn't feel clean. How bad is the stuff I'm using?

I'm not comfortable with my kids getting the floride treatment at the dentists. How much of a problem is this going to cause if I bring it up and he/they have cavities? I remember when I was a kid I swallowed ALOT of that stuff when I had it done (they always insisted that wasn't possible because of Mr. Sucker there :, but I'd swallow so much I'd throw up shortly after and be sick for a couple of days). Anyone want to arm me with some good comebacks in case I encounter resistence when I tell them no?

Thanks everyone - I'm off to read past posts now.

[DevaMajka]

On xylitol- I did a search on it on a search engine (www.dogpile.com), and I didn't find anything saying that it was unsafe for people. I did find that it's dangerous for dogs.
There is one post that I found on mdc saying that she didn't think it was as safe as people make it out to be. That's it. lol
btw, I searched for "xylitol risks dangers" and "xylitol safety" or something like that.
I got Spry infant tooth gel for ds (he's only 20 mos, so no fluoride for him) I got it from here- http://www.xlear.com/ they also have mints and gum. Interestingly enough, at my last dentist visit, the tech was telling me about the last conference she went to, and that they were promoting xylitol gum. lol
They have adult toothpaste, but what I like about the infant stuff, is that it doesn't have glycerine in it. I've read here that glycerine can coat your teeth and prevent the saliva from helping remineralize them. Something like that. lol

I believe you can just boil your toothbrushes for 5 min or so, to sterilize them.

From what I've read about cavities, and the bacteria that cause cavities, I've gotten this:
Cavities aren't really directly caused by the bacteria, they're caused by the waste produced by the bacteria when they eat. The waste is acidic, and acid eats away at your enamel.
When you eat sugar or anything that converts to sugar (starches) the bacteria eat, and produce waste for 20 minutes after eating (obviously longer if there are still food particles in your mouth). So frequent eating would contribute to tooth decay, I'd guess. But it would help if your ds had a drink of water after eating. I've also tried having ds drink some water with xylitol in it (I got some plain xylitol at the hfs)

As far as the "fuzzy stuff," maybe you could try tooth soap- I've seen it mentioned in this forum before.

hope that helps some :-)