 Hello everybody, Andrew Mayesky here with Dental L Mobile Hygiene. So I just posted something on my Facebook page and I wanted to kind of talk about it a little bit because I did do a more of a lengthy post here but it might seem confusing if this is something that you've never heard about before. So I talk about how acids attack the teeth and they can actually take out the minerals from our teeth that are needed to create that nice white appearance. And I'm going to kind of, I'm going to post the pictures here so you can see them a little bit better even though they might be kind of small but so I'm going to go through. So I posted three different photos, one here where there's white spots, another one where there's brown spots towards the gum line more and then another one where there's overall chemical erosion on the teeth. So if you notice that shinier appearance, that yellowy kind of shinier appearance where it looks as though the enamel has been taken off. So just to make note, these are not pictures from my patients. These are pictures that are like pictures that I take of my patients because I didn't think that anybody would appreciate me posting their teeth even if they did give me permission. I don't want to do that and then talk about how unsightly something might be because that's not very nice, right? So I just kind of took these from the internet that have allowed me to share and talk about it. So let's start with the first photo here. So notice these white spots. Some of you might have white spots where they're a lot more prominent. Now you might have never heard of, well how did these white spots happen? So it could be a number of things and we don't know until we actually have a look in your mouth because everybody's different but it could have happened if you had, if you were sick as a child or if you were on antibiotics often as a child when the teeth were still trying to develop in the mouth because anything we consume while our teeth are developing really impacts how our teeth will come through. And that's the sad, I guess, part of it where we just always have to be careful but if you're sick, if you have to be on antibiotics, well you can't just not go on antibiotics because you don't want your teeth to look a certain way, right? So in this case it likely happened when they were on a lot of antibiotics as a child or even this could have happened as simple as them not having really good oral hygiene care as a child, as a teenager where if plaque sits on the teeth too long it can start to eat away and create these white spots or in a more severe form these brown areas here. Now these brown areas would have started off as those white spots in this other picture here. So that's why I like to really talk about it. That's why I probably talk a lot with all of my new patients because I want them to really understand what's happening inside their mouth and, you know, 99.9% of the time patients will say to me, oh my goodness, I didn't know that. No one ever told me what these white spots or these spots were actually caused from. I just thought that's just how my teeth were, my mom had teeth like that or my dad had teeth like that. I just thought there was nothing I could do about it. But there's always something you can do. So moving back to this white spots, these white areas here. So more often than not, if you have these white spots now, depending on how long you've had them for, there's a toothpaste that you can start using two to three times a day that will actually help to make those white spots look a lot less, even make them disappear entirely. But more often than not, I see them where give it three months and those white spots are a lot less where, yes, you can see them, but not as clear as you can see them now. But the key is using this toothpaste two to three times a day. And I don't know about you, but if I had white spots like these and I was self-conscious about them, I would be totally fine using a new toothpaste three times a day, even if I was only brushing twice a day with my favorite toothpaste. If somebody told me that I just had to use another toothpaste and brush even three times a day for these white spots to look a lot less obvious, I would be like, okay, wow, awesome, like sign me up. Even if it takes three months, which is a long time, but to not have those, that would be amazing, right? And you have to think too, well, what are those, why are those white spots there? So what happens is when there's acid attacks in the mouth. So if somebody has a lower pH in their mouth to begin with, anything that's touching the tooth from, you know, eating, drinking anything, it can sit on those teeth longer and it basically eats away at the tooth over time. Those white spots simply mean that those minerals that are needed to build up the tooth again just haven't had a chance to build things up long enough because we all have certain proteins in our saliva, which causes those minerals to be built up again over time. But if it doesn't have a chance to actually work because that acid attack keeps happening, that's what happens here. So it could be caused from when the teeth were coming through in the first place as a child, you might have had white spots to begin with, but they're not going to get any better if those acid attacks keep happening. So you might be thinking, well, what's an acid attack? I've never heard of this ever. Let's just say you have a pop, you have a soda once a day. Because that acid attack from that soda is a lot. You know, pH of coke, Pepsi, let's just say is a pH of 2.3. We want our mouth to be a pH of a six or a seven because that's neutral. For a cavity to actually start to form, or these white areas here, you only need a pH of 5.5. So when you're drinking a pop, that's 2.3, or having candy, having coffee, which can be acidic, having tea, that's always causing that acid attack in the mouth. And acid attacks unfortunately last for 20 minutes. So if you're having a sip of that tea now, that's 20 minutes of that acid attack happening, eating away at those teeth. And then 20 minutes later, if you have another sip, well, that's another 20 minutes. So you've probably heard as a child, if you're going to eat candy, eat it all at once because it's one acid attack. That's not the healthiest for you, but for your teeth, that's actually healthy. Because if you have five candies from Halloween, having one now, one and half an hour, one in two hours, that's always an additional acid attack. But there are toothpaste out there, as I had mentioned, that can actually help to neutralize our pH and form a thin layer over the teeth. So not something you can actually see, but a thin layer to help to protect the teeth overall from any acid attacks. So I like to tell people, it's as if you were to wax your car. The wax is meant to protect the car from the outside elements. Well, that's what this toothpaste is. Do you need the toothpaste? Well, no, I suppose not. But if you are using that toothpaste, your teeth will look so much nicer and be protected because of that. So when things get a little worse, you know, for lack of a better word there, you see brown areas here. Now, a lot of people would look at those and say, oh my gosh, I have a cavity. This does look like a cavity to me, but it's something that I would have to actually see inside the mouth. But more often than not, this is just simply those acid attacks happening too much. So the second layer of our tooth is starting to show through. And once that happens to cause a cavity, it can happen a lot quicker because our tooth enamel, which is the main, you know, front surface of our tooth is quite strong. But once those acid attacks keep happening, it can sort of break down. And then now we see the inside layer, which is like a yellowy brownie color in some people. Once you see that, a cavity can happen quickly. Any other acid attack can happen even quicker because the enamel is no longer there. But even in this case, the best thing to do is to use a different toothpaste to help to bring back those minerals that have been lost and to help to protect the teeth overall from acid attacks that might still be happening because we all have to eat, right? We all have to eat. And even if we're super careful, we have no sugar. We have no coffee. We have no teeth. That's impossible, I think. But even if you're super, super careful, you know, there's acids everywhere because we don't all eat lettuce and more lettuce, you know? Oh, sorry, guys. That's just my dog. She's a little hyper. There we go. You know, it will keep on happening. But toothpaste and using a mouthwash. So in a case like this, I take it a step further. And I say that they should be using a toothpaste every day three times a day. And that will help to restore those minerals in those teeth, plus using a mouthwash at nighttime that has at least a 2% sodium fluoride overall to help to really build up the enamel over time. So there's xylitol. Xylitol is used in toothpaste to help to create a much healthier environment in the mouth and limit those pH acids from sitting on the teeth. But then you have to take it a step further, as I said, with the actual mouthwash and that will help to build up the enamel over time. So this area could look like this one. So yes, there's still a light yellow brown area here, but it doesn't look like this. This, it looks like a cavity to me, so that would have to be fixed anyway. But this could lead to this if you're not careful. And then the next picture here. So this is chemical erosion on the top teeth. So look at the bottom teeth. Okay, there might be some erosion here too. But this is what happens if a chemical, if a acidic chemical has been left on the teeth too long. So this looks like somebody's been sucking on lemons, perhaps, you know, something along the lines of that where it has literally taken off the first layer of their tooth. Now, this is something more extreme where you need more than the toothpaste and the mouthwash, but if that chemical is still happening. So if this patient is still sucking on lemons, which they're probably not at this point, but let's just say that this is what happened there, you need that toothpaste and the mouthwash to prevent things from getting worse. But when things get to this point, I would suggest the patient have a crown, probably a crown on these two front teeth because the whole surface is pretty much not there. And if the patient is cold sensitive, that's likely why. But using that toothpaste actually helps to seal up these teeth anyway. So if they're cold sensitive now, they won't be in probably three months time for that toothpaste to form that protective layer to prevent against the cold sensitivity. But again, it won't change the look. So that toothpaste and the mouthwash that I've been talking about, it won't change the actual look, but it will help to protect the teeth. Now, if things weren't as bad, so say like this, if it was this tooth here, then it might actually change the look where this little area here might start to kind of fill in where it doesn't look as severe. And then with the white spots, same thing. That toothpaste could actually cover up those white areas because these white areas are more exposed. So once the toothpaste helps to cover that up, then the minerals are able to come back in and then the tooth won't be exposed. So actually, I'm just going to pause the recording for a moment and I'm going to bring up the toothpaste and the mouthwash that I think helps so, so much. So I'm just going to pause this quickly. Okay, guys, so can everybody see my screen okay here? So this is a toothpaste that I probably recommend, nine out of ten of my patients. Like everybody should be using this toothpaste because our teeth need more than just simply, you know, like Crest Colgate. I'm not saying that those toothpaste don't work because they obviously do. They help to take the plaque off of our teeth, which is perfect. But this is more for helping the teeth be protected, you know, overall. So you might notice that this has 25% or sorry, 10% xylitol. I was trying to show you guys but it's kind of hard to see. So xylitol is something that I had mentioned before that helps to actually change our pH inside the mouth. So a cavity doesn't even have a chance to form in the first place because if the pH isn't low enough for a cavity to form, then how can a cavity form, right? And cavities usually form at a pH of 5.5. So we want our mouth to be a 6 or 7, which is neutral. So 5.5 isn't much less. So that's why we have to be careful, obviously. If you eat anything with sugar, your pH will, you know, get a lot lower to probably a 2 or 3. So a cavity could happen literally that minute. I hate to say it, but it's true. And then I just want to show you guys another product. So I talked about the mouthwash as well. Where is that here? So this is the mouthwash that I talked about that will actually help to bring in that protective layer also. So the toothpaste helps to protect our pH inside the mouth. So a cavity does not form in the first place. Plus it does help to bring those minerals back into the teeth to have a more, you know, clean, smooth appearance. Whereas the mouthwash helps pretty much overall to help to protect the teeth and make things as, you know, as strong as possible. So I like people to use that toothpaste three times a day and the mouthwash every single night. This is perfect. Plus, which I did not talk about yet, but I like to apply a varnish. When I'm seeing a patient, here it is here, this is something that you cannot take home. So this is something that especially for kids, I like to apply the varnish every three months. So this is like the toothpaste and the mouthwash all in one and as potent as possible to help work its magic, you know, right away. Even for adults who, let's say, I see them for the first time and they tell me, oh, I usually have like six cavities every time I see a desk. Oh, sorry, guys. My door just happened to shut. Sorry. It's pretty windy. But anyways, so if I see even a child and adult for the first time and they say, oh, yeah, I usually have like six cavities every time I go to the dentist, that's not normal. Even a child where they're two years old, you know, three years old, if they have a cavity, you know, yes, it does happen, but nobody wants their child to have a cavity. So this should be applied with me every three months to just help those teeth stay as protected as possible, because a two-year-old and a three-year-old, you know, pretty much under the age of six, a mouthwash, they would not be able to use anyway because they would probably eat it, right? They could use that toothpaste, but there's a toothpaste specific for kids, which I love. I can show you guys that too. When I see children where they have had a lot of cavities, even if I see them and they do currently have a lot of cavities, this toothpaste is amazing, because this will help to change the pH in the mouth. It has xylitol 25%. So this helps to change the pH in the mouth plus helps to protect against cavities, because if the pH isn't at a certain level to cause a cavity, then that bacteria that causes the cavity doesn't have a chance to cause a cavity, right? So this is perfect for children, because they can't have something where they would eat it and then cause them to be sick, right? But for adults, I give them obviously this one here, because it's just more for adults. It does the same thing, but it's a little more for adults, and it just helps to protect the teeth against cold sensitivity, against everything. But what I like to apply in office is this here, to really help to protect the teeth overall for children and adults. Now, unfortunately, the insurance companies don't typically cover this every three months, but I tell people all the time, this may not be covered every three months, it's about $25. That's it, but this will pretty much protect the teeth overall, so you won't get cavities. So we could apply it every nine months, because that's usually what insurance will cover, but that might be too long, and by the time I see you in nine months, then it might be too late. And now you have a cavity or two that you have to get fixed. And yes, insurance will likely cover that, but who wants to go to the dentist to get a needle? Who wants to get a needle? Who wants to use the high-speed handpiece? Who wants a cavity? Nobody. So yes, it's about $25 per application, which is perfect every three months. Not for everybody, but for those people where they get a lot of cavities, or if you hear me say to you, you're pH. I'm sorry, you guys. Let me just have some water here. There you guys. I'm sorry. I've had a cold the past two days, so I probably shouldn't be talking too much, but that's okay. So this will just help to protect things overall. And yes, it's $25. I would suggest every three months for those people where children, especially, because they will eat sugar. They will eat candy. That's OK. They still have to live their life, right? But it's so hard for them to brush properly because often they don't want you to help them, even though you should help them because you can actually see things easier, but they don't want you to. So me putting this on every three months will help to protect the teeth against cavities. It's not perfect though, so I still tell people, okay, if your son or daughter is two or three, you still need to help them. Even if they don't like it, have them use their toothbrush first and then help them afterwards. Say you just want to make sure things are as clean as possible and then that's it, right? But this stuff is amazing, okay? Things have changed. It's no longer us seeing you or a child and saying, oh yeah, six cavities once again. Okay, so let's book an appointment for that. No, it's OK, wait a minute. Why do you have six cavities? You brush every day twice a day and you're also trying to get in between the teeth with the floss, but you have six cavities. Let's talk about why this is happening. So it's no longer just, oh well, you have six cavities or oh well, your son is six years old, they have six cavities, that happens. We need to look into it more. So I hope that this helps. Let me know, you guys, if you have any questions. I did talk a little bit longer here, so hopefully you were able to stay until the end and listen, but let me know though if there's any questions and if I didn't explain things thoroughly here. Cause yeah, I just wanted to show you guys those pictures cause I posted this in Facebook about an hour ago and I've just been seeing this in a lot of patients. So I just wanted to help to explain it a little bit better cause pretty much every patient that I've talked to about this, they have said that they've never heard this before. They look a little like, oh my goodness, I have low pH, I had no idea, this is horrible, but things can improve with the proper oral hygiene care and me possibly seeing you more often to apply this stuff here to make a big, big difference. So thank you guys so much for listening. Let me know if you have any questions.