Supertooth Plaque Watch School Project Home * Supertooth book * Approved Products Brush Gum margins * Floss Between teeth * Chewing Inside grooves

Supertooth and the good food friends is a school, home, community-based project to create the conditions for health and develop personal tooth care skills that help prevent dental disease.

Tooth decay is the most common and second most expensive food related community disease even after 30 years of fluoride that has greatly reduced the problem supported by dental health education and a $304.5 million Australian oral hygiene industry. However treatment needs are so great that waiting lists are getting longer even though Government support has increased.

Almost all cavities occur where food is trapped between teeth and inside grooves on chewing surfaces while chewing every meal or snack and where the brush, toothpaste, mouthwash, saliva and chewing gum, cannot reach plaque or trapped food.

Plaque changes sugar to acid, which demineralises tooth. Saliva neutralises acid and repairs demineralised tooth.

Few cavities occur at Gum margins where the brush and saliva have good access. Food dye can colour plaque on teeth.
Brushing, wiping a cloth or Brush/floss'n'chew foam strips over teeth will remove visible plaque. Even chewing fibre like celery string.

Some 20% of cavities occur Between teeth where flossing skills are best to remove food or plaque but fewer people floss.

Dentists and hygienits can apply fillings and fissure sealants to prevent food being trapped and changed to acid inside Grooves in chewing surfaces where over 80% of cavities occur.  They can apply to use the Supertooth logo by sending an email to supertooth@optusnet.com.au These treatments are expensive and research suggests other natural methods are promising.

Chewing sealant foods like cheese before eating every meal or snack is a more natural and easy personal tooth care method of preventing food being trapped and chaged to acid while eating. Research can improve cheese and other sealant foods or a new sealant confection,  to be convenient and even more effective, even to chew after eating to help remove trapped food.

Chewing fibre foods like celery string or new Brush/f;oss'n'chew fam strip gum after eating can help saliva remove trapped food  neutralise acid and repair demineralised tooth so no food is left trapped on teeth causing cavities that fluoride etc cannot prevent.
See the glass model of a fissure that replicates how food is trapped and removed at http://ndk.biz/school/glass.htm

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