This Just In!!!

I'm in the suds and I love it! Recently, I started using a new product ... tooth soap. Yes, soap! It gives new meaning to foaming at the mouth but most definitely in a good way! It's the Perfect Prescription if you're looking for clean teeth, healthier gums and fresher breath. The shredded soap comes in a nifty glass jar ... one or two shreds is all you need. I use 1 shred because my toothbrush has a small brush head; oral defensiveness dictates this requirement so I am able to successfully brush my teeth without choking or gagging. The taste is most definitely an acquired one but not at all unpleasant. The soap comes with a booklet containing lots of useful information about diet, supplements, and oral hygiene techniques which I found very helpful. Alas, my plan to try this product on my dog is not viable because of the sudsing action. After brushing, it is recommended to rinse the mouth a couple of times. My tenacious one hasn't yet mastered that art, so he'll have to stick with  his tartar buster chews and Fragaria , a homeopathic that softens plaque. I use it myself. Coupled with the peppermint flavored soap, I expect to have healthy plaque free teeth until I'm 92!

 As I age with cerebral palsy and become even more quirky about my pathological fear of dentists, I was exploring on the Internet in search of ways to improve my daily dental hygiene program so I'd not have to traumatize my little self with a dental visit. Gosh, I even have dreams about losing my teeth. How nuts is that?

  My last visit to the dentist was in 1991; previous to that, was in 1986. Thankfully, I have good teeth, and such a lapse between visits didn't prove to be a real disaster (only 3 minor fillings, and a cleaning). Now I have to summon the courage to visit again for a cleaning. A recently diagnosed heart condition,  aortic insufficiency , requires that I take antibiotics before dental visits, so if I can avoid dental work altogether, I avoid potentially dangerous situations with regard to developing  endocarditis.

  Cerebral Palsy and Dentistry provides a wealth of information about dental care for those of us who live with cp. I hope you find it helpful.

 An Open Letter to the Dental Profession written by Tamar Raine, a good online friend whom I met on the St. John's cerebral palsy newgroup, speaks to her very real concerns about how she, as one with neurological disability, has been treated by the dental community. I was shocked to learn that such treatment of those "less able" still persists today, especially with our supposed advances in medicine and medical/dental care. We are victimized enough, often by the very nature of our disabling condition(s) without having to do battle with professionals whose job it is to improve our quality of health. If you or someone you know has a similar experience to that of Ms. Raine, I encourage you to communicate to your provincial or State Dental Society.

 Sedation Dentistry is another great source of information for people who have dental phobia. To coin a phrase, knowledge is power, and for those of us with acute anxiety, this site provides a starting place to explore alternatives to current practices in personal dental health, or possibly lack thereof. The days of poking and prodding without regard to the patient's fears are gone. Dentists, with ongoing training in a number of areas, are appreciating that the patient's emotional needs are equally as important as physical ones. No longer do we have to be victims of dentist avoidance. Key to continued oral hygiene is to have the proper tools at home. I've been using electric toothbrushes of one sort or another for years, and I find them to be the best for my needs. In fact, use of an electric toothbrush, along with a good diet, and good genes has done much to ensure my own dental health. Very infrequently, due to the potential abrasive quality, I use lemon and soda to break up plaque that may get away from me, but I'm usually one step ahead :)

To date, I've never had an extraction nor a root canal; not even a toothache. Interestingly, I had prep work done for a root canal years ago, and was petrified. I wandered around for 5 years with a temporary filling, before finding a new dentist who took me in hand, filling 3 teeth in one session, including the one with the temp filling. He said I never needed a Root Canal at all! Actually, being totally freaked out at the prospect, I had applied a little folk medicine related to me by a native Indian. I applied clove oil to the gum line, inside and out, surrounding that suspect tooth. There had been no pain anyway, but I am convinced the clove application, which I utilized for a week, cleared up the problem and the 5 years with the temporary filling passed without my ever having a toothache. With the fibromyalgia, I find that when I'm in a cycle of "deep bone pain", I will get tooth pain but it goes away after the bout of FMS symptoms abate. Occasionally, a course of tetracycline is indicated to break the back of the pain cycle, and it tends to attack what's attacking my system, including what might be lurking in my mouth :) With all of this, however, I am mindful of the need to see a professional from time to time and it's nice to know that my dentist cares about me, not just what's in my mouth.

  While playing on-line scrabble, I was chatting with a dental hygienist who told me about an interesting concept in electric toothbrush technology - a brush that used sonic waves to address plaque, gingivitis, and staining on teeth.   SONICARE is the brand name. She said that her office has been using SONICARE for some time with great result, and recommended the product to their patients. She piqued my interest, so I visited their web site and after reading about the product, I called the 800 number provided. .As I'm in Canada, I was invited to call another number.Michael McMillan, Sales Director for Gensci Dental Sciences (1-877-243-6724), a distributor of Sonicare in Canada for almost two years took my call.

  I explained to Mr. McMillan about my situation with regard to fear of dentists, and a common feature of people with cerebral palsy - an exaggerated gag-choke reflex. In addition, we with cerebral palsy, also have a startling reflex.Pretty scary to have a startle reflex while brushing teeth. The immediate reaction is to bite down. Thankfully, I've never broken a toothbrush in my mouth.  Anything that rests in my mouth for too long a time makes me gag and potentially choke; a toothbrush that was too big was always a problem. Mr. McMillan explained that the Sonicare has a 2 minute timer, that beeps at 30 second intervals, which is the user's cue to move on to the next quadrant in the mouth, as the teeth are being brushed. The toothbrush also comes with a ring that is inserted under the base of the brush head, which attaches to the handle. That ring slows down the vibration of the brush until one gets used to it. 

  Off I went to the bathroom, after charging the brush as the manual directed. One of my cats sat up on the sink counter to watch; he and his udder brudder had come back from the vet that afternoon and I had been told both of them had plaque build-up and I should brush their teeth. I look at the toothbrush, and looked at the cat. Nah!

  I tried the toothbrush with the ring in place and found there to be very little activity, so I figured where I've used an electric toothbrush for over 20 years, I'd take the ring off and see what the brush did, with full force. It was, at first a startling sensation; sort of tickling effect on the gums, especially. Waiting for the beep, as per instruction manual, I moved brush slowly over next quadrant in my mouth, concentrating more time behind front teeth, bottom and top, and along the sides. The two minutes went by very quickly, and I realized that I brush my teeth longer than that. Go figure!  Still watching from his counter perch, the cat wasn't the least bit concerned about the noise, fascinated by this new "thing" I was using. Anyway, I turned the brush on again to finish the job. So, for me, 4 minutes is what is spent on brushing teeth. The brushing action, coupled with the toothpaste and water in my mouth created sort of a rushing sensation between my teeth. I could actually feel the water being gently forced between the teeth - and that is a good thing. Flushing out food particles and plaque that are hidden below the gum line.

  I can see where this type of toothbrush would be a great benefit to people with dexterity problems. It requires very little effort to use it, as one only needs a light touch as the bristles touch the teeth. The idea that the harder you brush, the better you clean your teeth is wrong. That wears off the surface of the teeth, which you don't want. For kids with cerebral palsy, who often grind their teeth, or who have difficulty accepting things into their mouth to clean the teeth, this brush would be really helpful to parents. It comes with a smaller brush head with a longer reach so there would be no gag response at all. I was able to get all the way to the back and not gag even once. I was impressed, to say the least. The dental hygienist I chatted with also said that using something like PLAX dental rinse further helps the effectiveness of electric toothbrushes.  Since I started using PLAX years ago, I always brushed it into my teeth anyway, feeling that simply rinsing with it had little effect. So, too, I did with the SONICARE brushing system. My teeth felt like they'd been professionally cleaned.

 After I finished brushing my teeth, I put the brush back on the charger, all the while being closely supervised by my cat. Then, it occurred to me. This brush system might be just the ticket for pet owners, too! Remembering that I  had to brush my cats' teeth, I rounded up an old toothbrush and put some baking soda in a saucer. I was surprised that neither of them objected to it, since it was the first time I'd ever attempted to brush their toofies in the 6 years I've had them. Don't know how well received the SONICARE would be by felines. I think I'll stick to the manual brush for them. For dogs, I suspect grooming shops and vet clinics might find the SONICARE a great way to improve canine dental health. I might just give them a call and see what they currently use. Heck, I might try it on my own wee Cairn terrier one of these days. He loves to have his teeth brushed. Takes after me, I think!

  If you want to learn more about the SONICARE toothbrush and how it can help improve the quality of your own teeth and gums, I encourage you to call 1-800-676-7664 (US) or 1-877-243-6724 (Canada). I do not work for the company. I'm nothing more than an extremely satisfied user of the product.

  People with health conditions or a high fear factor that preclude frequent dental visits may find that their dental hygiene will be markedly improved with a product such as the SONICARE toothbrush. A tooth is a terrible thing to lose, given that a quarter, or even a dollar isn't worth what it used to be. And if you think of the SONICARE as an investment in your teeth, then it's certainly worth the money spent.

  After only one week, my teeth, according to my husband, are at least 3 shades whiter. Certainly, one's natural tooth color is not that blinding white you see on the teeth of your favorite actor on television; teeth like that come at a very big price, not only in terms of money but in terms of the totality of the procedure involved - grinding natural teeth down and putting porcelain caps on them. Not for me, thank you very much! Why should I go through all that when I can achieve an almost similar result with my Sonicare toothbrush? With daily brushing and dental visits (even if they are 5 years apart), I should have my own teeth until I'm at least 92!
 
 

If you have any questions about this brush, please get in touch with me.