Apparently, nano-Hydroxypatite is even more effective than Novamin (which is still good): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5121804/
If you're in Australia and struggling to find toothpaste with Hydroxypatite, Chemist Warehouse stock "Healthy Care Sensitive Propolis Toothpaste". So far, highly recommended.
Oligopeptide P11-4 [1]
I also have 2 kids, the youngest (4 yr old) had cavity issues which required intervention and then we started using the hydroxyapatite toothpaste and had no issues since.
I also headed down this path via looking for Novamin. I wish there was a reliable way to get it without the “is it fake” on Amazon. I’d gladly accept any reliable sources.
It looks like the popular brand is Sensodyne.
"As of the time of this update, Sensodyne toothpaste with NovaMin is now available on Amazon to buyers in the USA, directly from Sensodyne/GSK."
https://medium.com/@ravenstine/the-curious-history-of-novami...
https://www.amazon.com/Sensodyne-Protect-Whitening-Toothpast...
>Careful monitoring and patient education on the other hand can lead to permanently keeping that natural teeth, as our teeth are living and can heal.
Do you have any sources for this? I'm not disagreeing; I hope it's true.
My dentist prescribed/sold me this for some decay: http://www.mi-paste.com/whyMIP.php
She said it works sometimes. I definitely like this conservative approach better than my last dentist's, who filled 4 teeth unnecessarily because his DIAGNOdent beeped once.
In fact the second statement is surely the basis for most modern dentistry...?
(I said US there because it's an assumption that the US approach to dentistry may be different to rest of the world. From afar, seems more cosmetic focused with a lot more emphasis put on whitening/straightening/veneer/fixing procedures than over here)
Mineralisation of tooth is a constant process with a tug-of-war between pathogenic and protective factors [3:09].
If it's in the balance, of the remineralisation factors prevail, you can stop the progress of the cavity. But deeper the cavity, this is harder to achieve.
Arrested dental caries is an official diagnosis recognized by ADA: https://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/K00-K95/K00-K14/K02-...
Unfortunately high fluoride toothpastes require an RX.
Has worked great, have never had a cavity.
English is weird.
Some have been under observation for more than 20 years.
I'm also sure they have re-mineralization treatments they do on site, if it was really worth it, they'd be glad to take your money for that.
I'm sure they have exact procedures for when to work on a cavity or not.
Personally, I had a chipped tooth in my early teens and it went away after a decade. I was also drinking about a gallon of milk a day, but I don't know if that's what really fixed my tooth. I wasn't actively doing anything special with my teeth to try to fix them. I just really like milk. The problem just seemed to go away on its own.
Sure, but it's tough to find a dentist since:
> most dentists optimise for billable revenue
I find it hard to trust dentists since they may exaggerate cavities to put money in their pocket.
What is with this sentiment about evil dentists wrecking peoples' teeth prevalent in this thread? Any dentist will tell you that if you brush and floss daily and consume sugar responsibly, that your teeth will be healthy and happy for the vast majority of your life. A VERY small percentage of the population actually does this.
There is no big dental conspiracy to destroy our teeth. We do that just fine on our own.
I've heard this so often as well as the more general statement that doctors optimize for revenue. I think it's nonsense and even dangerous. People are more likely to die from deadly diseases like cancer because they avoid doctors. The anti-vaccination movement is also very likely linked to this sentiment.
> Cavities, on the other hand can be arrested (stopped),
If they are really small. And even if, teeth with rough surface require multiple times more effort to take care of. (So you really need to chew a lot of gum) Only exception are deep holes, those you sometimes don't want to fill so the tooth can "breathe", at least for some years IIRC.
> and if small can even be remineralised. Yes, most dentists don't tell you that!
2 out of 3 dentists told me to buy remineralization tooth paste and use it once a week. Also I'm getting urged nowadays to go twice a year for tooth cleaning including professional remineralization treatment.
Disclaimer: Not a dentist either. I think medical advice should be taken from people that have actually studied that stuff.
As with everything, there are caveats to the kind of doctor you are talking. The key distinction is that most dentists keep the residual income: the difference between the fixed costs and income. It can be a quite large sum and high % of dentists' earnings. So a dentist has a very strong incentive to increase it. Overtreating patients is the easiest way to do it since increasing the prices is not an option due to competition.
Who isn't keeping the residual income? It's the doctors who work only for a fixed salary. They can't earn more by overtreating. In fact, if they have less work, they are at profit since their salary is fixed. They don't care about increasing the residual income since they don't get it.
So, this is not some conspiracy theory. It is based on economic facts. I've analyzed this in more details here: https://documentation.denther.com/docs/industry/inefficienci...
Fillings for example always degrade and need repairs after X years. Drilling and filling even the smallest cavity puts that teeth on a lifetime progression to bigger and bigger fillings, eventually a root canal, eventually an implant.
Cavities, on the other hand can be arrested (stopped), and if small can even be remineralised. Yes, most dentists don't tell you that!
Careful monitoring and patient education on the other hand can lead to permanently keeping that natural teeth, as our teeth are living and can heal.
My personal lived experience: a dentist told me I must fill 2 cavities six years ago. I got a second opinion. That dentist told me I should wait, focus on oral care, chew xylitol gum, and use a toothpaste with novamin.
Both cavities have "arrested" and need no restorative work.
Disclaimer: Not a dentist. Listen to your dentist you trust, and get second opinions if you have doubt.