The Dentist is Not A Flouride God

I took the kids to a new dentist, recently. Normally, when we go to the dentist, I prepare myself to be lectured and scolded because of our decisions to NOT use fluoride.  I usually rehearse what I may need to say -- so that I am not caught off-guard and I re-familiarize myself with just how much money the lobbyists and dental associations actually make.  This time:  I did none of that.  I simply went as a mom.  A mom taking her kids to the dentist.  Period.

I told the receptionist that I wanted to get my children's teeth cleaned and that we would need x-rays, but - that we would not be having fluoride treatments.  Apparently she listened, (heard) and understood what I said because they did not have the fluoride out on the trays nor  did they ask me if I wanted it.  The hygienist starting looking for it and quickly realized that we were declining treatment and then... she offered my kids some stickers.  That's it!

No lecture.  No guilt.  No thoughts of, "Why don't they get it?"

Oh, by the way -- NO CAVITIES!  I was and am so happy!  Makes me want to chant:  no cavities - we have no cavities!  Excuse my lack of proper grammar when elated.  By the way, my children do not have any cavities! 

No cavities - we have no cavities! 

The last 2 years we have used Young Living toothpaste.   Don't judge me - just rejoice that my kids did not have any cavities... ok?  Healing takes years and we are not going back to the chaos of what it used to be like when we went to the dentist.  I went through years of humiliation. 

No cavities - we have no cavities! 

There are 3 man-made chemicals (that I've blogged about before) in most toothpaste: Sodium fluoride, Sorbitol and sodium lauryl sulfate.  In my opinion, they should not be in anything that touches our skin on a regular basis, let alone in our mouths!  (sigh)
 
A quick reminder about fluoride...  By law, the amount of or concentration of Sodium fluoride cannot exceed 1000 ppm (parts per million) for adults and 500 ppm for kids. If higher, there is concern that the "fluoride ion might react with calcium ion and magnesium ion in the human body and cause low level calcium ion and magnesium ion in blood".   For those of us who fight to get supplements in our kids, we sure don't need to make things worse!

Basically, Sorbitol is a liquid that keeps toothpaste moist/wet. Sodium lauryl sulfate  makes toothpaste foam (and gives lather to shampoo as it strips the hair). However, both could be a laxative, causing diarrhea - if they have been swallowed. C'mon -- kids swallow everything and when trying to pinpoint allergies and reactions, it is so hard to trace what affects our kids... but - toothpaste?  Well, you test it out and see if there's a connection.

Thieves Dentarome Toothpaste 
All 3 varieties of Thieves toothpaste are from natural sources. The active ingredient is the essential oil blend - Thieves. Don't judge the name - read about it here.
The constituents of essential oils in Thieves -- thymol, eugenol and eucalyptal are documented to be antibacterial! These ingredients fight the development of plaque and reduce the severity of gingivitis and cavities without side effects. Thieves toothpaste is also effective against 6 different common organisms that can cause oral infections, such as periodontal diseases; Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus pneumoniae,Streptococci sanguis, Bramunella catarrhalis and Candida albicans.

Our whole family uses Thieves toothpaste and as a distributor for Young Living, this is one of the many Young Living products that I believe in.  It does what is claims to do. There is nothing else like it and so we continue to use it. 

No cavities - we have no cavities.