Lyle Hurd: We’d like to welcome, Dr. Flora Stay back with us. She is the author of “The Secret Gateway to Health”. It’s a wonderful book about the oral cavity and all the things we really need to know about what is now being recognized as a very important organ system. I wonder if you would talk about the negatives that are in all sorts of toothpastes; things that are very much of concern. I know you have formulated not only toothpaste products, but mouthwash products as well. Can you tell us really what people need to look for and what you look for when you putting something together like that; that’s got the cassis, but isn’t toxic or it isn’t trying to kill problems that we don’t have in our system because it’s therapeutic?
Flora Stay: Certainly. You know, Lyle, for any organ in our bodies, we know what that particular organ needs to be at its maximum level of health. An example is the heart. We know that certain nutrients will help exercise, etcetera, will help the heart stay healthy. We know in the body overall or, if we could, individual organs. The same is true with the mouth. There are certain things that will help support that particular organ stay at a level of maximum health. What causes disease in the mouth is having a pH that is too acidic. Bacteria love an acid environment. So if we eat foods that promote that type of a pH – red meat or a lot of sugar, carbonated drinks with high fructose, sweeteners and that type of thing – we’ll really promote an acidic environment, where again bacteria thrive. So we have gum disease. Now, we can have toothpaste that’s full of antimicrobials; we can use mouthwash that’s full of alcohol; sodium laurel sulfate, antibiotics, this herb, that herb – it’s not going to be effective. As a dentist, the question that I asked myself was ‘what does the mouth need to support it to stay healthy?’ It’s very simple. I need something that will help neutralize the acid; as the patients, as the consumer, uses it, over and over again on a daily basis. That is baking soda – very simple, very safe. Then, the next thing is to prevent cavities; something that’s very safe, that supports the mouth in several ways is zeilatol. Zeilatol is not only a natural sweetener that prevents cavities, which many studies have now substantiated, but it also helps promote salvia, so what a wonderful ingredient to have in toothpaste. Calcium pyrophosphate is another very safe ingredient that won’t allow plaque, which is that film that builds over the teeth that when we haven’t brushed, you can feel that film over your teeth, it won’t allow that to harden and calcify into tartar. It’s a wonderful three set of ingredients that I like as the basis of anything that I recommend for toothpaste. Then you have to look at the other things too. And example is sacrum, which I don’t like, and alcohol in mouthwashes. I mean, my goodness, wine has 12% [alcohol]. A lot of mouthwashes have 26% or more. It’s mind boggling, and yet we know, for example, alcohol tends to dry the tissues so it’s almost counterproductive to what we’re trying to achieve.
Lyle Hurd: Don’t you recommend that people do a mouthwash cleanse before they brush, as well as after they brush?
Flora Stay: In my book, I have 7 steps to oral health. This is very simple, and yes I do recommend that they rinse first with a mouthwash. Then I recommend that they floss next. Then brush very thoroughly, but gently. You don’t need to brush hard. Some people get really carried away. Of course, a lot of toothpastes have major abrasives in them which can cause sensitive teeth, and a lot of people don’t know that. They’ll get sensitive teeth and they’re not sure why and they go to the dentist and the dentist says, ‘well, I don’t see anything.’ And now we know a lot of reports are coming out, that it could be from the abrasives. So, you want to brush very gently with a soft toothbrush, and make sure that you clean your tongue too, and flossing is very important, and also flossing the right way. Your dentist can show you how to floss; your dental hygienist can show you how to do it properly. So with a little practice, all of this only takes a few minutes – 2, 3 minutes max. After that, I recommend that you rinse and then lastly, rinse again… with a nice mouthwash that’ll help neutralize the oral environment.
Lyle Hurd: Well, that’s terrific. We look forward to learning more as we go along. I know there are a number of other subjects in this category and we look forward to having you back.
Flora Stay: Great.
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