Mouth Bacteria, X-posted in Traditional Foods

[boadhagh]

I have two pretty severe pockets in my gums -- both about 1 cm. In the past I have had other pockets up to about 6 mm, but I seemed to have "cured" these with a combination of (I think) using a waterpik and using xylitol mouthwash. The waterpik and the xylitol have done nothing to the big pockets, though, and my dentist keeps telling me that I have to go to a periodontist to have my gums resected .

So, here's my question: could using xylitol kill off the beneficial bacteria in my mouth that might possibly help to heal those big pockets?

And, does anybody out there have any suggestions for healing these pockets? [I already brush 2x a day (once with reg. toothpaste, once with flouride), floss 1x/day, waterpik 1x/day, and use a xylitol rinse 2x/day.] Part of why I'm really hesitant about having mouth surgery is that every big dental problem that I've had has actually been caused by previous dental work (including these 2 pockets which seem to be the result of bone loss from having my wisdom teeth pulled).

Thanks for any advice! I really appreciate it.

[Demeter9]

Two things.

Putting some lugol's iodine in the waterpik.

Oil Swishing. There is a whole forum dedicated to this on curezone. You use a high quality oil (safflower, coconut, hemp, walnut, etc) and slowly pull it around and through your teeth for 15 minutes. It gets thick, and then thins out. You spit it out and then brush. Sometimes people add in a drop of oregano oil, or iodine into the oil while they are doing it.

I've read posts from people doing both of these things who have fixed their periodontal disease, and large pockets.

[JaneS]

I've been reading about xylitol lately and it's recommended that you do it 3-4x day, after eating.