This common sense approach to oral health works for everyone, but is especially suited for those who:

• Find it difficult to floss
• Dislike or cannot afford dental treatment
• Have dental damage and don’t know how to stop it
• Have bad breath or sensitive teeth
• Have new white spots on teeth or teeth becoming darker in color

Adapt the system to your own priorities

Learn about the system

Enjoy Xylitol at any age

Xylitol is a sweet, white substance that looks and tastes like sugar, but it has 40% fewer calories and is diabetic friendly. Eating 6.5 grams of xylitol per day, and making sure you get at least five exposures, helps rid your mouth of sticky harmful bacteria and promotes the growth of tooth-protective, non-acidic bacteria. Xylitol raises mouth pH encouraging mineral-rich saliva to flow into the mouth. This can protect all your teeth and help repair and remineralize softened areas.

Children under the age of 5
Dissolve a teaspoon of xylitol in a small amount of water and wipe on baby’s gums 3-4 times a day, especially as new teeth begin to erupt. Use xylitol dissolved in water instead of toothpaste until children can rinse and spit. Introduce children to healthy tooth-protective foods and use some form of xylitol after every meal, drink or snack.

Learn how xylitol preventing cavities in toddlers.
Find xylitol tooth wipes.

Children Ages 6-10
Use Crest® Regular Paste, ACT® Fluoride Rinse and xylitol every day. Start with a pea-size amount of Crest® Regular Paste on a clean brush. Provide a cup of water so children can rinse after brushing. Young children should be supervised with rinsing and slowly adding drops of ACT® Fluoride Rinse to this water as they learn. When child can safely rinse and spit, use ACT® Fluoride Rinse at full strength after brushing. Children should have at least 6.5 grams of xylitol each day. Granular xylitol dissolved in a water bottle can be sipped throughout the day and xylitol mints and gum an be eaten after meals, snacks and drinks.

Children Ages 10 +
Start them on Zellies Complete Mouth Care System with xylitol. If they haven’t started already, be sure to start at least 6 months before braces are applied, providing they can rinse and spit with confidence.

Learn more about Xylitol

Keep your toothbrush clean

Swish in Listerine®, rinse and air dry. Brushes can also be UV sterilized in UV toothbrush holders, cleaned in the dishwasher, or “cooked” in the microwave for 2 minutes, then air dried.

Store your brush so the head has air circulation around it and avoid any toilet area. Try the kitchen instead. Select a good toothbrush holder or use a clean cup - never store in a bag. Don’t forget to find a storage location away from the toilet and wet vanity counters when traveling. We even have a Travel Sizes Complete Mouth Care System.

Avoid products that damage your teeth

Toothpastes with whitening agents
Many whitening pastes remove surface stains with an abrasive that can damage tooth enamel. This may remove stains but it weakens your teeth and makes them sensitive to hot and cold. Abrasion can also make teeth porous - so they stain again more easily. Some whitening pastes are acidic and “etch” the glass-like surface of your enamel. This whitens the surface but leaves teeth weak and more likely to stain and be sensitive.

Tartar control additives
Many products with tartar control are very acidic. This may dissolve some of the solids, but the acidity pulls calcium from your teeth to actually form more tartar. The acidic environment also promotes the growth of more plaque, weakens teeth and makes them sensitive. Other tartar control pastes contain harsh chemicals that can make your gums or tongue sore.

Toothpastes with Stannous Fluoride, Sodium Monofluorophosphate, and Triclosan
The Crest® Regular Paste I recommend is made from silica and sodium fluoride. Stannous fluoride found in other pastes can stain teeth and even make them turn black. Sodium monofluorophosphate was developed in an effort to lower costs and can be mixed with chalk to make a paste. Triclosan is an antibacterial found in dry hand sanitizers. Research shows that Triclosan reacts with chlorine in tap water and immediately forms chloroform. Many people find Triclosan harsh on the “skin” of their mouths and even get ulcerations from paste made with it.

Baking soda
Baking soda is often used as a homeopathic remedy for tooth care. My experience is that people who use baking soda often suffer aggressive gum loss. My hunch is that useful and protective tooth bacteria are damaged by baking soda. I may actually make teeth “too clean” and unprotected leaving them exposed to thermal and chemical damage.

Peroxide
Peroxide is often added to toothpaste as a whitener. Research shows that mercury in fillings is encouraged to vaporize when in contact with peroxide. If you have silver fillings in your mouth, I would recommend you avoid peroxide in pastes or in rinses to avoid exposure to harmful mercury.

Using the Complete Mouth Care System

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