5 Ways to Avoid Cavities--FOR REAL!

Is it me or does the dentist sound like a broken record? Brush your teeth, floss, use fluoride. Even the mommy magazine articles I read swear by the same regimen. My children brush their teeth twice a day and floss. I even pulled a muscle in my hand flossing their teeth. However, we do not use fluoride. We avoid it like vampires avoid sunlight.

 Learn how fluoride affects your health HERE. With all the research about the damaging effects of fluoride I can't believe dentists, toothpaste companies, and water treatment facilities are still pushing it so hard. Fluoride is so yesterday. Moreover, brushing twice a day, flossing, and seeing your dentist every 6 months are not enough. 

With that being said, I thought I would share our wholistic healthy teeth regimen. I am not a dentist, but I am the mother of 3 beautiful smiles! Be sure to discuss these options with your doctor.

1. Calcium Magnesium Citrate. My children take this fruity liquid every evening around dinner time. Not only does it build healthy bones from the inside out, but it helps them achieve sleep nirvana.

2. Behold the Electric Toothbrush. 
My children use an electric toothbrush. Due to limited fine motor skills children are not able to brush independently until age 6/5 and still need supervision up to age 9. The electric toothbrush picks up the slack by getting in more strokes with more power--Oh! And some even have a timer to make sure your child brushes for the recommended 2 minutes.

Yes, they chew it up; and therefore I have to replace it like every month. I got smart and bought the rechargeable electric toothbrushes (they plug into the wall) so I don't have to fool with batteries. The toothbrush heads are also replaceable, so you don't have to throw out the entire toothbrush just the chewed up head part.

3. M.I. Paste (the Fluoride-Free kind). My girlfriend who is a dental hygienist hipped me to this. When I asked my dentist about it, he said he'd never heard of it. So he wouldn't prescribe it to me. Then I asked my children's dentist and he was clueless too. Finally, my mother asked her dentist and she said it was a great idea and prescribed it to her.  At night we coat the (fluoride-free) dental floss with it before flossing.

4. Oil Pulling. Teach your child to oil pull in the morning before brushing her teeth. My four-year-old does it!

5. Xylitol. Dr. Yum's Baby Teeth Cleaners.  Xylitol helps keep a neutral pH level in the mouth and prevents bacteria from sticking to the teeth. This is how it protects the teeth from tooth decay. With the dental benefits of xylitol, the acid attack that would otherwise last for over half an hour is stopped. Most people are not aware of this benefit because such a claim makes xylitol into a drug, crossing a boundary not allowed by the Food and Drug Administration. Plus it's a natural sweetener, so it tastes like sugar!!