The first birthday celebrates the most important time in the entire life of your teeth. By a child’s first birthday, front incisor teeth provide a surface for plaque germs to grow and multiply. As baby molars erupt in the second year of life, grooves in their biting surfaces quickly become infected with the resident mouth …read more

A Birthday Wish

Every month Dr. Ellie Phillips will answer your oral health questions as part of the Ultimate Oral Health Guide.   ———– Q: I have a 20-month old daughter. She has an upper lip tie (which I read can lead to a greater chance of cavities) and she is still nursing at night. It seems to me that her upper …read more

Q&A with Dr. Ellie: Toddler Teeth

Some bacteria make us sick, but there are many friendly bacteria that are a vital to our health. These bacteria help give our bodies the nutrition it needs to maintain, repair and regenerate itself. Some bacteria break food into components we can digest while others are involved in aiding the absorption of nutrients. As a …read more

Your Mouth is a Garden!

Baby teeth can get cavities, but rarely show signs of gum disease. This means that a little xylitol each day should be enough to keep baby teeth clean and healthy. Xylitol will also help protect kids from “inheriting” bad teeth, passed from generation to generation in a family. Diet is very important for healthy teeth …read more

What Age Should Kids Start the Zellies Complete Mouth Care System?

Many people worry about receding gums, and it is sometimes associated with loss of jaw bone. Don’t underestimate these symptoms, because they warn that something is wrong with the health of your mouth. On the other hand, if you believe the universal answer to dental problems is to brush and floss, I hope you will …read more

10 Easy Ways to Improve Gum Recession

Every month Dr. Ellie Phillips will answer your oral health questions as part of the Ultimate Oral Health Guide.   ———– Q: Are the gums on the market – such as Trident – effective at delivering xylitol? Also, I make lemonade with xylitol in the summer and my kids don’t know the difference. Is that not …read more

Q&A with Dr. Ellie: Not all xylitol products are the same

Bad cavities can happen to healthy families. Most of the people I consult with are shocked to discover their toddler has cavities. They are stunned and confused, since they have healthy diets, breast-feed their babies, and subscribe to natural medicines and organic lifestyles. The myth that must be broken is that flossing and brushing will …read more

What To Do If Your Child Has Early Childhood Caries (ECC)

This picture shows two kinds of white spots. Some of these white patches are likely the result of exposure to too much fluoride as the patient’s teeth were developing. Fluorosis, as this is called, is a condition where cells that form enamel, die. Studies show this damage can occur in young children (under the age of …read more

White Spots: Is it Fluorosis or Demineralization?

You must have noticed whitening rinses on store shelves and maybe contemplated using them. These products are tempting, but don’t fall for those shiny, white bottles! Remember the bottle is made of plastic and nothing like your tooth enamel. These bottles are such an excellent marketing tool, because they make you subconsciously imagine this product …read more

The Dark Side of Whitening

Zellies Junior Tropical Fruit Polar Bears are melt-in-your-mouth candies made with the finest european birch xylitol. Zellies Junior Tropical Fruit Polar Bears are All-Natural and do not contain any artificial sweeteners, colors or flavors (that’s why we’ve made them pure white Polar Bears!). Each Polar Bear contains 2.0 grams of xylitol. To have sufficient xylitol …read more

Product Spotlight: Zellies Polar Bears – A Yummy (Tooth-Friendly) Xylitol Treat