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Question for Bert (or any other dental students/dentists)?

First off, thanks to Bert for the expert answer on my earlier question about xylitol. Ok, so here's the background. I have the worst teeth. I always have cavities. My mouth at this point is more fillings & crowns than natural tooth! So back when I was a teenager & in college I admit to neglecting my brushing and flossing, but now that I'm an adult I've been really diligent with the brushing & the flossing for years now. When I go for cleanings, my dentist says my teeth are very clean. Former dentists said cavities were caused by not brushing enough. If you're getting cavities, you must need to brush more. My current dentist (who I love) was the 1st one to tell me that some people, despite good brushing habits, are just more prone to them. He mentioned weak enamel and having more bacteria in the mouth as possible reasons. He gave me some Chlorhexadine mouthwash to use to help reduce bacteria, but basically said, "you'll keep getting cavities, your teeth are just weak, live with it." Which sucks, so I started doing my own research. Somebody on this site suggested GC Tooth Mousse Plus, which I purchased 1 month ago. I put it in a custom bleaching tray and leave it on my teeth for 30 min every night before I go to bed. Then I happened to be on my Aetna health insurance website, and saw a blurb about xylitol and an Aetna discount to buy xylitol products from a company called Epic Dental. So, I bought some Xylitol mouthwash and tons of gum. So, my questions are: If Tooth Mouse & xylitol gum really work (if they do???) then why didn't any of my dentists ever suggest them? Because they're so new? Bad dentists? Because maybe the products don't really work that well? And is there anything else I can do? I plan to continue the GC Tooth Mouse plus every day before bedtime, as well as chew 2 pieces of xylitol gum after every meal. Or would I be better off to chew 1 piece after each meal, and a piece after any snack, so long as I get 6 pieces in a day? Any other suggestions? I'm so afraid I'm going to end up in dentures (like my dad- ugh!). I've already needed 2 teeth pulled an am hoping to save enough $ to get implants. But if my teeth are going to be a lost cause anyway, I don't know if the implants are going to be like throwing good $ after bad. What do you think? Any hope for someone like me? And should I continue w/the Chrlorhexadine mouthwash? How often? Instead of or in addition to the xylitol mouthwash? Or is that really overkill?

Public Comments

1. Yeah. Your'e on the right track. your research is doing you well. Xylitol is a natural sugar, but it cannot be used by bacteria for fermentation (and the creation of acids - i'm sure you know how dental decay starts). Instead of being used by bacteria, it kills them (I think). Tooth Mousse has a fancy chemical in it (casein phosphopeptide amorphous calcium phosphate) that helps to remineralise the teeth, and it also prevents future decay. Unfortunately, though, I would say that you have done most of the damage to your teeth already, and you cannot get decay in fillings. So keep up with the xylitol gum, and the tooth mousse at night. Brush lots and floss between the teeth. Remember that chlorhexidine (if your'e still using it) interacts with some of the ingredients in regular toothpaste, so you should wait about half an hour between each. Other treatments you might like to try is fluoride treatments (though tooth mooth PLUS has some in it) This can be done in your trays, or in the form of high concentration mouthwashes (200-9000ppm) God luck!