My oral care routine

I know you're expecting me to say I use hydroxyapatite toothpaste, or something where you understand all the ingredients straight away. Maybe something from a jar, I don't know. But you probably already have in your head what my routine consists of. Can we start from scratch? Because I’m sometimes that girl but not always that girl.

I do ask you keep an open mind and read this entire thing before you challenge me (which is totally fine to do). By now you know I'm extremely balanced in my health opinions — I gather from Western medicine, TCM, Ayurveda, Functional medicine, etc all of it. I question everything. No one facet of health is above criticism.

So naturally, that’s my approach with teeth.

If you haven't read my dental story, you can read it here — I've been through the ringer but have successfully turned my teeth around these last few years and figured out some major “secrets” of the dental industry. FINALLY. I feel like I see the light haha.

Before we begin if you want to know how I keep my teeth white without any whitening products (which I'm fully against), read that here.

Getting your teeth stronger and healthier naturally will make them whiter — so this is what I do to make them stronger. And therefore whiter.

Two of the most INFLUENTIAL dentists to me are Dr. Ellie Phillips and Dr. Ameet Trivedi. Their methods have given me the most results. (I am going to focus on Dr. Ellie method in this article.)

I basically follow the full Dr. Ellie Phillips protocol when it comes to products. I don't always use the CloSYS step — sometimes I'll do a xylitol mint before brushing instead, or occasionally I'll start with a short oil pull using sesame oil (not coconut oil). If I oil pull, I absolutely make sure I end my routine with a xylitol mint to restore bacteria to balances I desire. I'm also an avid xylitol mint and gum user in general and it is a BIG CONTRIBUTER to keeping my teeth healthy and white.

I do NOT use hydroxyapatite toothpaste. I use fluoride — with extreme nuances.

Hydroxyapatite is brilliant marketing. A beautiful story that helps some people, but not even close to all. Yes, it's the mineral your teeth are made of, so the concept makes sense. But the actual science for preventing cavities? Way weaker than fluoride, which has decades of good, solid research behind it.

The hydroxyapatite studies are smaller, shorter-term, and inconsistent. Most were funded by hydroxyapatite manufacturers, used surrogate markers instead of real-world cavity outcomes, had small sample sizes, and didn't control for important variables like diet or baseline cavity risk. The biggest issue: they measured whether hydroxyapatite can remineralize enamel in controlled conditions and not whether it actually prevents cavities in real life. That's where fluoride has mountains of long-term evidence.

Also why are we trusting dental studies that were often weeks or months and not years? It can take years for cavities for form! Like hello?!

Here's the kicker though!! Everyone glosses over this: people switch to hydroxyapatite because they think it's "cleaner," but the nano-particles are actually less studied for long-term safety. We don't know if they accumulate in the body with decades of daily use. ANDDDDD if you say "well I just won't use nano-hydroxyapatite" — then it will have a very hard time even penetrating to where you want it to go in the teeth. So what’s even the point then?

I will say: for children who swallow everything, hydroxyapatite could be worth considering. Personally, I'll be using a xylitol toothpaste for my son when the time comes. For now, at 6 months we are starting him on xylitol crystals on a little sponge brush.

BEFORE YOU SAY “Well you haven’t tried Hydroxyapatite!” I do have a personal experience here. I used hydroxyapatite for almost two years. During that time I had no cavities form and cavities that we “were watching” get even worse. My teeth got more sensitive, less white, and my front tooth — a root canal tooth that had been in impeccable condition for years on fluoride — crumbled. I gave it almost two years, faithfully, so no one can say I didn't give it a fair shot. I also get a lot of DMs from people saying their teeth got worse on hydroxyapatite. Do I hear success stories too? Yes. But not often.

I am not saying some people don’t have success on hyroxyapaite! I hate when people form an opinion and therefore think anyone who has a different experiences is either wrong or lying. You did well on hydroxyapatite? I believe you!

Now let’s say EVERYONE was telling me they had a stellar experience with hydroxyapatite. Well, I would say, “Okay. Despite the studies not being that great for hydroxyapaite, and despite the safety concerns, it seems EVERYONE does well with it so this is one of those times where what’s on paper and reality doesn’t match up! Hydroxyapatite seems like the real deal.”

BUT. The studies aren’t that great AND there are safety concerns AND sooooo many people end up switching back to fluoride. Why? So many people DM me saying their teeth are worse off with hydroxyapatite. WHY?

We must question these things.

Not all fluoride and fluoride exposure is equal — and this part matters A LOT.

Fluoride in drinking water? I hate it. Toothpastes with huge levels of fluoride? Absolutely not. Leaving fluoride sitting on your teeth the way some hydroxyapatite brands suggest leaving their toothpaste on? Terrible. Stannous fluoride (from tin)? HARD PASS. Because stannous fluoride is extremely different from sodium fluoride, even though people use blanket statements as if all fluoride is the same.

I do believe (personally, as a non professional through my research and experience) we need a tiny amount of fluoride for our teeth. And here's some perspective: fluoride is naturally occurring. If you want to fully ditch it, you'd also have to give up tea, iced tea, raisins, wine, and sardines — because they all contain fluoride.

Especially iced tea, which can contain a lot. I won't even drink it for that reason.

As for the "fluoride makes us stupid" studies — most of them look at fluoride exposure levels way higher than what's in toothpaste, often in areas where high natural fluoride co-exists with arsenic contamination, poor nutrition, and lack of healthcare. They blame fluoride alone without controlling for any of that. The dose makes the poison. High levels? Yes, problematic. The levels in certain dental products? Nowhere near that threshold.

What I actually use.

The toothpaste I use isn't perfect. It’s one of the cheapest toothpastes that Crest makes believe it or not. And one of their only ones that uses sodium fluoride and not stannous fluoride. It has some additives, including dye, that I'm not thrilled about. Dr. Ellie isn't thrilled about them either. But this is a woman who has dedicated her entire life to teeth: pouring through studies for decades, writing books, going toe to toe with dentists who disagree with her (and often swaying them), and constantly engaging with real people and their concerns. She cares and even as an individual she is incredibly health focused! Even she believes that for now, it's cheap crest toothpaste (oddly enough!) is the best we've got.

Below are photos of what to look for:

And again, it's the cheapest. Which is such a thrill for me! I just grabbed a few boxes at the Dollar Tree for $1.25. At Walmart and HEB you can find it for $2. That's a relief after spending $15 on trendy toothpaste that, for me, wrecked my teeth and often contained ingredients like glycerin and baking soda that aren't great for teeth either. Not saying it'll wreck yours, just sharing my experience.

And just picturing how most of the people profiting off of the hydroxyapatite craze are venture capitalists (CHARGING SO MUCH FOR A TUBE) makes me ill!!! It’s really not what we romanticize.

I also use the two mouthwashes Dr. Ellie recommends. I won't go into the full why here — I'll link her video because she explains in her own genius. Just know: to do the Dr. Ellie method right, it has to be the exact products she recommends. She is against a LOT of mouthwashes, but not her chosen few, which can be highly beneficial.

There is extreme benefit in keeping your teeth. Hydroxyapatite and other clean-sounding ingredients seemed appealing to me once, but I don't have faith they'll help me keep my teeth long-term the way this protocol has. The ingredients aren't perfect — but the exposure is slight, and for me, the benefits outweigh the risks.

Alright there ya go!!! I just care and like to stay balanced in my research. Off my soapbox now ;)