dd's tooth decay is arresting & remineralization is happening!

[flowmom]

Dd (24 mo old) is my second child and she has severe Early Childhood Caries (ECC), with decay on 9/16 of her teeth. The decay is into the dentin in six of her teeth, but so far the pulp is not yet affected. Half of the enamel has melted away on her lateral upper incisors. My first child is 4.5 yo and has no dental problems.

The fantastic news is that the decay is arresting and remineralization is starting! I am so thrilled! The dental assistant can tell because the decayed areas are smooth under the explorer instead of sticky. Also, the Diagnodent readings are much improved. We did a ton of stuff to deal with this for 2 months, but it wasn't really working. It was the HealOzone that turned it around, in combination with the other stuff that we are doing. The dental assistant said that we are getting much better results than are typical with the HealOzone because of the home care stuff.

Thanks from the bottom of my heart to everyone who shared information with me about managing ECC.

This is what we did/are doing:

Professionals:
--------------
* searched for child-friendly dentists in the local Find Your Tribe thread on Mothering.com and in the alternativekidsteeth and veryyoungkidsteeth yahoogroups - we have found dentists who have made it fun and secure for dd

Stopping decay:
---------------
* we've had the third of three HealOzone treatments

Remineralizing:
---------------
* frequent cheese
* we are currently using the HealOzone/CurOzone remineralizing liquid between HealOzone treatments (contains a tiny amount of fluoride) applied via Qtip when dd is sleeping
* when we are not using the above liquid, we apply MI Paste (without fluoride) via Qtip while dd is sleeping or we use it as a toothpaste
* frequent nori seaweed as a snack

Xylitol:
--------
* the whole family is getting 2 Spry Mints (Berryblast) 5x per day for a total of 10 per day (they do not taste like mint)

Diet:
-----
* stopped all dried fruit (dh was feeding it to her regularly before)
* cut back sugar treats (they were occasional before)
* reduced refined carbs (haven't stopped completely because sometimes we just need her to eat)
* increased meat and cheese (we had reduced our intake because of a serious health condition that dh has)
* increasing frequency of bone stock
* dd almost never had juice and still doesn't

Supplements:
------------
* high vitamin cod liver oil - dd takes 2 Natural Factors Super Cod Liver Oil capsules (400 IU of Vitamin D) -- we've cut back on this during the summer though and we're using salmon oil instead
* X-Factor Gold High Vitamin Butter Oil supplements (I am taking 3 capsules per day and hoping she is getting it via my breastmilk)

Hygiene
-------
* brushing 2x per day using a Sonicare electric toothbrush with an ultracompact head
* in the morning we use Spry Infant Tooth Gel (sweet but otherwise tasteless)
* in the evening we use PerioPaste (minty, dd doesn't like it)
* when I have to force dd to brush her teeth (songs/games aren't working), I lie her down on the bed and I sit down with my legs in a "V", her head goes between my legs and I pin her arms under my legs - this is a gentle way of getting the job done as quickly as possible
* we watch a fun video after brushing

Breastfeeding
-------------
* we are breastfeeding on demand from sunrise until bedtime
* we nightweaned ... although I do not believe that breastfeeding causes ECC, I have reluctantly concluded that once a child has ECC, nightnursing could contribute to making the decay worse (we nightweaned when we started the HealOzone treatments)
* dd is probably making up for the reduced nightnursing by nursing more in the morning

Our plan is to get dd's teeth treated ASAP if she starts to have any dental pain. We would go the GA route as I have safety concerns about in-office use of chloral hydrate as recommended by dd's dentist. I don't think that nitrous oxide would be enough for the amount of treatment that dd would require.

Ciao, Ksenia

Links
-----
HealOzone:
http://www.ozonedentist.ca/treatment.php
Diagnodent:
http://www.kavousa.com/Default.aspx?...oid=009&lid=Us
MI Paste (contains milk protein):
http://www.gcamerica.com/mipaste.html
internet source of MI Paste:
http://www.dentist.net/prospec-mipaste-recaldent.asp
local source of MI Paste:
http://www.vedderdental.ca/
Spry xylitol mints:
http://www.xlear.com/spry/dds/
Canadian source of Spry mints:
http://www.aviva.ca/shop/products.as...3924&catid=145
Spry Infant Tooth Gel:
http://www.dentist.net/spry-infant-tooth-gel.asp
PerioPaste:
http://www.bioprodental.com/PerioPaste.html
local source of PerioPaste:
http://www.naturesdesigndentalspa.com/
Natural Factors Super Cod Liver Oil:
http://tinyurl.com/2fcblm
X-Factor Gold™ High Vitamin Butter Oil
http://www.drrons.com/x-factor-butter-oil.htm
Canadian Source of X-Factor Gold™ High Vitamin Butter Oil:
http://www.familyherbalclinic.com/gp...st_May2008.pdf
Sonicare:
http://www.sonicare.com/brushes/default.asp
we bought our Sonicare at the local Shoppers Drug Mart, but ordered the ultracompact heads from dentist.net
Crawford the Cat toothbrushing video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdhptrhn2tM

[artparent]

hurrah!!! that is brilliant news! what a relief! you've been so proactive, i'm so pleased that you're seeing her health improve. yay!

*

[tanyalynn]

Wow! Good job! :

[widemouthedfrog]

That's great, Ksenia! And thank you for the comprehensive list.

[momofmine]

WOW! Thanks for all that info and those links! I am starting to attempt to do this to my teeth now too. I have two cavities that I want to stop without fillings!
Thanks!

[misseks]

Well done.

Just a 'rude' question...do you have dental coverage and if so, how much of these treatments were covered? Isn't it great to be able to see your progress? Fabulous!

[flowmom]

Originally Posted by misseks

Just a 'rude' question...do you have dental coverage and if so, how much of these treatments were covered?

We have Pacific Blue Cross, and the HealOzone wasn't covered on dh's plan.

[nancy926]

That's awesome! You must be so relieved!

I was just coming to post a similar thing. Not to hijack, but my DD also has ECC on her upper four front teeth. After a year of brushing (manual toothbrush, fluoridated toothpaste), using MI paste, and one chlorhexidine gel treatment, her decay is arrested.

We made no other major changes, though we did buy a lot of sugar-free gum and tried to cut down a bit on carby snacks. No supplements or major dietary changes.

I'm just adding that info because looking at the list of things you guys did is sort of intimidating! It's awesome that you were committed to all of those changes but I could see some people with ECC kids feeling defeated before they started. (I think I might be one of them!)

[misseks]

Originally Posted by nancy926

That's awesome! You must be so relieved!

I was just coming to post a similar thing. Not to hijack, but my DD also has ECC on her upper four front teeth. After a year of brushing (manual toothbrush, fluoridated toothpaste), using MI paste, and one chlorhexidine gel treatment, her decay is arrested.

We made no other major changes, though we did buy a lot of sugar-free gum and tried to cut down a bit on carby snacks. No supplements or major dietary changes.

So it took a whole year to see a 'change?' Did you visit a dentist and then not again for a whole year, and that dentist confirmed the improvement for you?

Just wondering, because we've been doing a similar smaller list for two months, and our first dentist appt is next week. Sooooo I'm curious how you approached the wholistic-approach with your dentist?

Thanks for sharing!

[flowmom]

We had our fourth HealOzone appt last week and the dentist confirmed that dd's tooth decay is arrested. I am soooo relieved . And frankly I'm surprised that things turned around so quickly once we started the HealOzone. I was a skeptic

Originally Posted by nancy926

I was just coming to post a similar thing. Not to hijack, but my DD also has ECC on her upper four front teeth. After a year of brushing (manual toothbrush, fluoridated toothpaste), using MI paste, and one chlorhexidine gel treatment, her decay is arrested.

That's fantastic . There are so many stories of this happening - I hope that it encourages families who are dealing with this.

Originally Posted by nancy926

We made no other major changes, though we did buy a lot of sugar-free gum and tried to cut down a bit on carby snacks. No supplements or major dietary changes.

Interesting -- I haven't read many stories like yours . Perhaps the decay was less advanced?

Originally Posted by nancy926

I'm just adding that info because looking at the list of things you guys did is sort of intimidating! It's awesome that you were committed to all of those changes but I could see some people with ECC kids feeling defeated before they started.

I know. I wrote down everything because I don't know for sure which things worked -- with the exception of HealOzone because I know that things turned around after we started that. I was super overwhelmed at first so what I did was basically add things that we were doing one by one - we didn't start with everything in the beginning.

to everyone dealing with ECC.

[Denali]

Originally Posted by Ksenia

I don't know for sure which things worked -- with the exception of HealOzone because I know that things turned around after we started that.

I'm so frustrated because I can't find a dentist in my state who does those treatments.....it sounds like they're making a real difference

[krismarie]

That's amazing!! good job mama!!

[flowmom]

Originally Posted by Denali

I'm so frustrated because I can't find a dentist in my state who does those treatments.....it sounds like they're making a real difference

Some families have travelled to get HealOzone (link to other threads) . Travelling for HealOzone may be cheaper than paying for dental treatment in some cases (obviously situations vary). You can look on the alternativekidsteeth yahoogroup for more info about dentists who do HealOzone - not all advertise it.

[Denali]

Thanks for the links, I'll check them out.

If I just had to drive a few hours, it wouldn't be so bad. But if I can't find anyone in state, then I would have to fly to the lower 48 (I'm in Alaska)......and that's not in our budget, I'm afraid

I already posted the question twice on those yahoo boards....no answer

[momofmine]

There are some in Canada, like here:
http://www.calgarysmiles.com/

There may be more. Contact them and see if they have a list of other practitioners who do it, and maybe there's one closer to you.

I also found this:
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/N...ries%22&rank=8

Recruiting people for a study on HealOzone. It said under status that they were recruiting, but the dates in the link say 2007, so either it's old info, or maybe it got pushed back and is actually still happening.

[Rumba]

Thank you so much for sending your regime. DD has discolored enamel but no actual decay yet. I'm going to incorporate some of your tactics into my efforts to prevent decay. You made it so much easier for me to figure out what to do.

[clothdiapermama]

[flowmom]

Denali, as momofmine posted, there are many Canadian HealOzone practitioners, especially in the big urban centres like Calgary and Vancouver. I think the key is to find a way of killing the bacteria. Apparently chlorhexidine doesn't kill the lactobacilli that are so active in caries in the dentin -- HealOzone does:

My PhD research reported that lactobacilli are the most important microorganisms associated with caries in dentin. Chlorhexidine is not clinically effective against these microorganisms. HealOzone kills lactobacilli almost on immediate contact.

Maybe there are other ways of killing the lactobacilli ? It's unfortunate that many people have dental plans that subsidize invasive and expensive dentistry (GA, drilling, etc.) while having to pay out-of-pocket for less invasive procedures :.

[Denali]

Originally Posted by Ksenia

Denali, as momofmine posted, there are many Canadian HealOzone practitioners, especially in the big urban centres like Calgary and Vancouver.

I'm in Alaska, not in Canada
Vancouver would mean several hours of flying (plus transit time in Seattle, no direct flight), Calgary is even farther away......if I can't find anyone here in the state (Anchorage is about an hour away, Fairbanks a 7-8 hour drive, that would be doable, but not flying halfway across the country, the flight to Seattle alone is 3.5 hours), then I guess I'll just have to hope that all the other measures are enough (I did get lots of good advice from your list above, thanks ). I was just hoping that there might be a HealOzone dentist in Alaska

[momofmine]

Originally Posted by Denali

I'm in Alaska, not in Canada
Vancouver would mean several hours of flying (plus transit time in Seattle, no direct flight), Calgary is even farther away......if I can't find anyone here in the state (Anchorage is about an hour away, Fairbanks a 7-8 hour drive, that would be doable, but not flying halfway across the country, the flight to Seattle alone is 3.5 hours), then I guess I'll just have to hope that all the other measures are enough (I did get lots of good advice from your list above, thanks ). I was just hoping that there might be a HealOzone dentist in Alaska

Did you try contacting one of those practitioners who do it in Canada though? Maybe they can put you in touch with whatever organization or business started the technique, who likely would have a list of all practitioners that do it. You never know!