Quotations by Ellie Phillips

Sensitivity pastes can dull the pain felt in your teeth, especially when this involves any root dentin that may have become exposed in your mouth. These pastes frequently desensitize the tooth by creating a plug made up from a tin compound that works as a barrier substance over the exposed dentin. This will provide immediate relief, but since the underlying problem has not been addressed, more damage can occur and result in more problems elsewhere in the mouth. Sensitivity is better addressed by using xylitol at the end of meals, followed by a period of mouth resting. This is really a time, after using xylitol, when you do not eat or drink anything for an hour or two. [2025] - Ellie Phillips

Sticky or highly processed foods, especially soft cereals and crackers, are particularly dangerous for teeth. The quantity of sugar you consume is not as important for mouth health as the frequency and duration of time during which sugar is in your mouth. This is why a more successful approach is to plan healthy meals, and then end every meal with a tooth-protective food or xylitol, which will negate any drop in your mouth's pH level generated by the sugary foods and/or beverages in question. [2025] - Ellie Phillips

Tomatoes and pink grapefruit contain special nutrients called bioactives, which can protect the DNA of cells from damage that may occur during X-rays, provided that they're consumed prior to any radiation. Fresh apples are a great example of a food rich in probiotic properties (together with the aforementioned bioactives) that help to speed up the repair of DNA damage to reduce damaging effects. This is why apples are useful when they're consumed after one has undergone X-rays, or for patients with disrupted salivary glands who are following a course of radiation and/or chemotherapy.  [2025] - Ellie Phillips

Onions (along with its close cousin, garlic) contain a naturally occurring chemical compound called allicin, which boosts saliva production and benefits immune health-and goes on to have a positive impact on gum health. The natural spice ginger stimulates saliva production directly and can be helpful for people with a dry mouth while it also supports the immune system. Berries of all kinds-blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries among others-are rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, and they all contain some naturally occurring xylitol. Berries have a particularly useful impact on mouth health and help to develop protective biofilm over teeth. [2025] - Ellie Phillips

Papaya and pineapple are two unique fruits for digestive health, each contributing enzymes that can be eaten right before a meal as an appetizer-which allows these enzymes to help support improved upper digestive health. The process helps to reduce the unpleasant and painful symptoms of acid or gastric reflux-a problem that negatively influences mouth health in many ways, especially as it can cause erosion of teeth and promotion of unhealthy mouth conditions. [2025] - Ellie Phillips

Healthy Food Pairings: Banana with some dairy product (like yogurt, milk, custard, or kefir) / Tomatoes with olive oil / Citrus fruits with spinach / Avocado and carrots / Salad greens with an egg / Oatmeal and berries / Broccoli and mustard / Beans and rice / Salmon and broccoli / Eggs and spinach / Chickpeas and lemon juice / Fresh strawberries with cream  [2025] - Ellie Phillips

Specific foods stimulate an improved wound response, and some of these foods include: Dark chocolate (which can stimulate stem cells); black and green teas (which can mobilize stem cells); grains (especially barley); and seeds (including flax, sunflower, pumpkin, and chia), all of which can speed up the process of angiogenesis to bring a needed blood flow to the gums. Herbs like rosemary, peppermint, and ginseng can be useful, as well as the fruit and peels of fresh apples and plums, which help the repair process. Capers and onions, dried cherries, sultana raisins, and blueberries are similarly beneficial for wound healing. [2025] - Ellie Phillips

Gum recession can cause pain and tooth sensitivity, but it's not an indicator of poor mouth health. In fact, recession often occurs in healthy mouths from overuse of the wrong kinds of products (like baking soda, whitening pastes, or peroxide) or an excessive amount of flossing. Filling the erosion grooves in enamel is often a recommendation. This type of filling on the sides of teeth is called a Class V (five) filling, and they often fail and need constant replacement-which risks the health and vitality of these teeth. Ask your dentist why he/she recommends the filling of these eroded areas, and maybe discuss what he/she thinks about the idea of a delay in treatment. [2025] - Ellie Phillips

Consider carefully that some dentists do not believe that cavities or gum disease are preventable or reversible. You should also remain aware that there is another available treatment that flow a thin plastic sealant material into the open porosities of a cavity. This is not a good solution, since it can act as a kind of plaque magnet to attract decay in this area of the mouth. A small cavity in a permanent adult tooth can naturally reverse in a few months, which is why any motivated patient should weigh the risks of sealants and "small" fillings, and consider carefully that any treatment will be irreversible, especially if you allow a tooth to be randomly drilled. [2025] - Ellie Phillips

It's usually best, whenever possible, to save teeth rather than extract them too quickly. Implants are always at high risk for periodontal gum disease. Regular dental cleanings are also riskier for people with implants, as particles of titanium from the screw can be shaved off by hygiene instrumentation and cause tissue reactions that are similar in nature-and impact-to an exaggerated auto-immune response. You may want to ask your hygienist if she or he will use what is referred to in the oral health industry as a special dental implant scaler to avoid this kind of implant scratching or possible complications. [2025] - Ellie Phillips

How can one decide the best dental treatment to select? In view of all these choices and considerations, my advice is to empower yourself with as much knowledge as possible-and to always seek out counsel, or at least a second opinion, from a specialist like an endodontist or prosthodontist. [2025] - Ellie Phillips

Today most medications have mouth-drying side effects, and a dry mouth is a risk factor for dental problems. The saliva that protects teeth also protects your esophagus. If the coating is absent from your teeth, it may also leave your esophagus vulnerable to bacterial or fungal infections that create symptoms of acid reflex. It is interesting how dry mouth, dental problems, and acid reflux are so closed linked. [2025] - Ellie Phillips

Some kinds of tooth bacteria are harmful, whereas others are good for our dental health. People can lose healthy bacteria following an abrasive dental cleaning, after taking a course of antibiotics, or when the mouth becomes dry or acidic for long periods of time. During times of change, it's possible for a new type of bacteria to infect your mouth and suddenly cause damage to your teeth and dental health. [2025] - Ellie Phillips

Throughout life, all the products we consume affect our teeth. Sometimes, acidic apple juice, sports drinks, sodas, coffee, and beer harm our teeth. At other times, our teeth may benefit from mineral-rich drinking water, vegetable juices, dairy products, xylitol, and alkaline soups and broths. [2025] - Ellie Phillips

Dental problems in a dry mouth may actually be made worse with excessive toothbrushing or the frequent use of mouth rinses like Listerine, which itself has an acidity level capable of dissolving tooth enamel if it remains, undiluted, on teeth for a long period of time. [2025] - Ellie Phillips

Ideally, you should take a mouth acidity (pH) reading in the morning, right after you wake up. This will give you a recording that is independent of changes caused by eating or drinking. Begin the test by spitting a small amount of saliva into a spoon and dipping a strip of litmus paper (or a litmus stick) into the liquid. If you test your resting or morning saliva and find it's neutral or alkaline, you will generally have good salivary protection for your teeth. If you find your saliva is acidic, you may be at higher risk for cavities and tooth decay. A true healthy mouth ideally has a resting acidity measurement of close to pH7. Any time your mouth's acidity level falls below the number 6, you should be worried about your teeth. [2025] - Ellie Phillips

Measuring the pH of my saliva has shown me how it becomes more alkaline about half an hour after I have taken vitamins, when I relax in a sauna, or when I bask on the beach during vacation. Many forms of relaxation, including gardening and exercising, likewise seem to have positive alkalizing effects on my saliva. People need to realize that there is no single salivary pH and that one reading that shows a normal pH is not a guarantee that it will remain healthy. Regular readings will help you determine how much protection you have naturally for your teeth and when you may want to be particularly careful during times of more mouth acidity. [2025] - Ellie Phillips

The public has been conditioned to believe that dental cleanings are for the benefit of their teeth. The truth is that professional cleanings may reduce deposits, but they cannot stop the regrowth of acid-loving bacteria, and cleanings themselves cannot strengthen or protect your teeth. No amount of brushing, flossing, or professional cleanings can completely rid your mouth of bacteria. Unless you remove the conditions that promote harmful bacterial problems, more harmful bacteria will grow back and any cycle of damage will be repeated. [2025] - Ellie Phillips

Avoid mouth acidity as much as possible and encourage healthy plaque by consuming sufficient 100% xylitol each day, especially after meals and beverages. At least 6-10 grams of xylitol per day is recommended in (at least 5-6) divided doses. Mints, gum, breath sprays or granular xylitol are all acceptable. My general recommendation is to dissolve one teaspoon (4 grams) of granulated xylitol in 6-8 ounces of water and drink this each morning. This can be repeated again in the afternoon, or mints and gum can be eaten at the end of snacks or meals. Frequency is believed to play a major role in reducing plaque. [2025] - Ellie Phillips

To prevent gum disease, watch for the first signs of infection (bleeding gums) and take action immediately. When you prevent or stop gum disease at the early stage, you avoid all the problems that aggressive periodontal bacteria can inflict on your gums, bones, and health. When your teeth have multiple exposures to xylitol each day, totaling at least 6.5 and 10 grams of xylitol, studies show that you can radically change the kind of bacteria in your mouth within one year. The next thing to do is visit a dentist as soon as possible to have an evaluation to learn about remedies that can help return your mouth to health. [2025] - Ellie Phillips