Mouth care strategies

[arina83]

I'm curious as to what other people do for mouth care. I've really been struggling with dryness in my mouth, and now I'm having a bit of pain and sensitivity in my teeth. Have an appointment with my dentist, but not until the 20th.

This is what I do.

Brush after every meal, usually 3-4 times a day. Just got an electric toothbrush that I really like. Using biotene mouthwash, toothpaste and the gel too. They help, but not for very long. Try to keep my mouth moist, with drinking water too. And I think I've developed some cavities, despite all this.

[sunkissed64]

Arina,

Try to chew Freedent or any other gum that states it won't stick to dental work. Chewing sugraless gum means no sugar to possibly decay your teeth in any way. It also stimulates saliva. I chew that brand because if I chew regular sugarless gum it sticks to my fillings or worse yanks them out due to my very dry mouth. Another good idea that also helps to stimulate saliva are tictacs or other low cal or no sugar mints.

[arina83]

Thanks for the idea. I do have to be careful with sugarless products, because sorbitol makes me very sick.

[Rachel F.]

Sometimes I have to use bottled water rather than tap. Tap water hurts my mouth when I am very sensitive-- maybe because I have "hard" water. The soft water seems to help moisten better. Although I guess tap water contains the flouride which is what you want for your teeth. Maybe try the ACT mouthwash for dry mouth? It seems to help me more than the biotene. Do you use biotene mouth spray? That can be helpful between meals too. Thanks for posting. I'll be interested to see how people handle this.

[Jellyb]

Hi Arina,
I use xylitol mints, my dentist said xylitol kills bacteria in tbe mouth. The brand I buy is called Spry. They have gum too.

[Madison Granny]

At your dental appointment talk to your dentist about Prevident and MI paste.  Prevident has extra fluoride in it and MI paste has calcium and phosphors in it.  Prevident helps prevent cavities and MI paste remineralize your teeth.  I use both and have not had one cavity in over 2 years.

[Sooki]

I use an electric toothbrush and also a handheld WaterPik - I imagine it massaging my gums as well as cleaning them.  I also use MI paste and Prevident in trays usually used for whitening.  Also, Biotene makes PBF mouthwash and toothpaste which apparently have 2 additional enzymes to fight plaque and biofilm buildup.    Of all of these, the MI paste in the trays make my teeth feel the best - slippery and smooth again. 

[Madison Granny]

I've tried the Prevident and MI paste in the trays.  I could use them until they became loose and because of my gag reflex being so bad I had to switch to just smearing it on my teeth.  Must still be working because that was over a year ago and still no cavities.