Cavities, Lollipops and Bacteria

Back in May, I posted about some lollipops the kids ate that were supposed to kill the bacteria that cause cavities.

Three of us went for our six month cleaning/checkup yesterday. Of the three younger girls, there were four tiny cavities, the kind that don't need novocaine, just a quick drill and seal. Each girl had one, and the one girl who's never had any had two. She has braces, but the cavities were on the biting surface of her teeth, not between her teeth or by the brackets where it would clearly indicate a cleaning problem.

Yet to be checked are my son with awful teeth and my oldest daughter.

How do I feel the lollipops worked? Hm. I'd say this testing was inconclusive. Although the cavities we had after using the lollipops were fewer and smaller in size than those we had prior to lollipop use, the one child who had never had a cavity suddenly gets two. Son's test won't be accurate, as I found the still half-full baggie of lollipops in his room last week. Hard to force a kid to eat candy, ya know?

Did you have your lollipop today?

I'm always on the lookout for ways to help my family's health without involving professionals in the process. I respect the medical profession and the amount of education required to obtain a medical degree, however, I believe there are abuses both educationally and practically which encourage doctors to not provide the best treatment possible. I also believe the best treatment possible is usually non-medical in nature, often having more to do with nutrition and health maintenance than with treating disease that has already occurred. What to do? In my case, I start with research, alternative medicine, home remedies.

My research has come upon a very interesting bacterial theory of tooth decay (Infect Immun. 2004 Aug ;72 (8):4895-9 15271957 (P,S,E,B) Cited:4

Inactivation of the ciaH Gene in Streptococcus mutans diminishes mutacin production and competence development, alters sucrose-dependent biofilm formation, and reduces stress tolerance.

[My paper] Fengxia Qi, Justin Merritt, Renate Lux, Wenyuan Shi

Department of Oral Biology and Molecualr Biology Institute, UCLA School of Dentistry, P.O. Box 951668, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1668, USA. fqi@dentnet.dent.ucla.edu or better, https://www.c3-jian.com/products.php)

Now, you might nod and say, "Duh, but brushing and flossing kills that bacteria!" But I'm not convinced that does enough for some of us. I brushed and flossed religiously and ate a low-sugar diet as a child and still had a mouthful of cavities at my dental exam every six months. The dentist told my mother she had to be sure I was doing it right. One year she and Daddy would brush and floss my teeth twice a day. I still had cavities the exams that followed. They were stumped. The dentist, of course, assumed Mom and Dad just didn't follow through.

So, my research led to Dr. John's Herbal Lollipops. We are going to give this a try. One lollipop after breakfast, one before bed, with nothing to eat or drink afterward for 10 days. It's supposed to kill off the bacteria that causes cavities for three months. John will be my acid trial. If it slows or stops his decay, I'll be sold.

Stay tuned!

Say AHHHH

It's been a real fiasco here this summer. Turns out several of our children have forgotten how to brush their teeth! Now, that the 7-year old has a cavity, I'm not surprised. That the 10-year old has a cavity worthy of a root canal disturbs me (it was a baby tooth though, so we pulled it.) But that my 15-year old son has 13 - THIRTEEN - cavities, that's a real blow to the parenting job I thought I was doing.

Now, to be fair, in his defense, I concede that he has what is called "porous enamel" and with the move and getting resettled, I didn't exactly run to the dentist for sealants as often as I should.

But, knowing he has this porous enamel, and in my own defense, I have purchased, instructed in the use of, reminded and nagged concerning the use of floss, the toothpaste of his choice, a pre- and post-brushing rinse and a fancy sonic toothbrush that does all but sing the national anthem to him.

If even two - pick two, any two - of these had been faithfully used, I submit the damage would not have been as extensive. Now, partway through drilling, the dentist informs me that at least one of his teeth will require a root canal.

I'm pretty much over my anger, but can't quite see my way to laugh about it yet. I am seriously considering telling all the relatives to purchase tooth care items and gift certificates to the dentist for Christmas this year, though. After insurance we'll be in debt to the dentist more than $2000. While that includes cleanings, my oldest's wisdom teeth removal and various fillings, it doesn't include root canals, braces or anesthesia for the poor boy who just can't sit still in the chair. My mother said, "Have the dentist just skip the novocaine!" Yeah, sure, except the dentist didn't do anything wrong, why should he be punished? So much for a commuter car this year.

So, open wide and say AHHHH, or is it ARGH!?