It is amazingly easy to make your own yogurt or kefir with starter and raw milk. You can use pasteurized milk, too, but you get a better result with raw milk if you can get it. And then you get lots of probiotics!

Or buy plain yogurt--Trader Joe's makes a great Greek yogurt plain--and add your own fruit and sweetener. The typical serving of fruit yogurt has 2 tablespoons of sugar!! By switching to plain yogurt, adding xylitol and my own fruit, I easily eliminated 2 TBSP of sugar a day. My skin is grateful. Cutting out bread was another smart move for me. The bromine in processed bread is not at all good for your thyroid.

I still take additional probiotic daily. Remember that 70% of your immune system is in your gut, so a probiotic is a basic essential for everyone because our food is too clean. In other cultures where they eat raw milk, kefir, kimchee, etc--unpasteurized or fermented foods--they don't need to supplement with probiotics, but we pasteurize and sterilize everything. And then it is shipped thousands of miles away, so the freshness is really debateable, too.

This is all taking my mind off my tooth, which is great! If it really hurt, I could happy say goodbye to it, but mostly it feels fine. Sigh.

Does Culturelle come from the health food store? Or is this in the groceries at certain stores. Went to publix this a.m. our local chain and didn't find it. I did find some no sugar added friut smoothies, mango which is fab. Let me know where I should look for the one mentioned. I don't go on line to shop. I am not savy enough to have my PC fully protected so I don't use a charge card over the internet.
Thanks for trying to help. I truely am trying to help my health conditions. I went out yesterday and freaked with all the sneezing and colds there were out in public. I feel I am on a floating petri dish. I live in a high tourist area, and believe me, it is crowded!. Anna Maria is a small island just south of tampa bay. The tourist come down here full of colds and flu from up north. Shopping can be a nighmare trying to aviod those with the virus. My immune system as I said is really bad, so I am doing all I can to try and stay healthy. Thanks for your in put stacy and bryanna take care of yourselves too. ginnnie

Chemar,
I have a quick question. Were all your extractions right net to each other on the same side or were they different teeth scattered on the same side? i just had two molars on the bottom right extracted 2 weeks ago and think I need two more on the same side taken out. The ones from last week were next to each other the other two are not. One is my way back molar (rc) and the other one is on the bottom on the side also a rc tooth. Root Canals suck and they are a waste of money and I will not have anymore. I just had one done and hope it lasts. But going forward I don;t want to deal with this anymore. Your story has inspired me to not be scared and to just get it done with cause in the long run it will be better. I hope the teeth calm down they just might be aggravated from the extractions but if not I am ok with it.
Thanks
Nicole

Probiotics are refrigerated, so if there is a supplements section, look for a refrigerator. That's how Whole Foods keeps them and other similar stores. I haven't looked at regular grocery stores.

Even with your gut problems, you should also add vitamin D3. It's not expensive and you can find it at the drug stores. Take 8000 units/day.

My appt for extraction is December 30. I couldn't get sitters for this Friday, so it is what it is. I have no plans for NY Eve, so doesn't bother me!

Stacu

What tooth are you having extracted?

Ginnie,

You can usually purchase Culturelle or Pearls at a health food store or drug store. If you can't find it on the shelf, ask the pharmacist for help. Sometimes they can order it for you!

Bryanna

Stacy,

Culturelle and Pearls probiotics do not require refrigeration, so they are on the shelf with the digestive aids. But it is a good idea to look in the refrigerated section for other brands of probiotics.

I also think vitamin D3 is imperative! Ginnie make sure it's D3 and not D2.

Glad you scheduled your extraction date. This gives you time to put together a healthy soft food diet and whatever supplements you know will be helpful both pre and post op surgery. I'm sure you will do very well!

I personally take homeopathic remedies containing arnica for pre and post op dental procedures with much success!

Bryanna

Thanks, Bryanna. I hadn't started yet on my regimen for the extraction, and you've reminded me about arnica! It is very useful. I use a lot of homeopathic stuff on my toddler for teething or colds (which he rarely gets because he's been supplemented with D3 since before birth). Even for his one and only ear infection, we went to the chiropractor rather than take antibiotics.

I haven't used Culturelle or Pearls, but there are some shelf-stable probiotics now, which is GOOD because most people didn't know to refrigerate them anyway. I may take a look for Culturelle.

I figure I will have the one side to chew on, so while I won't be eating nuts for a while, I will be able to eat most things. I'm going to take antihistamines/decongestants for the week prior to dry out my sinus so that he can put in the graft at the same time. I also have become a fan of Smart Silver for any immune system challenge--the chiropractor gave it to me, and from what I've researched as well, it's helpful. Not cheap, so it's not my every day therapy, but useful when you're stressed or feeling like something is coming on.

Luckily, raw milk is sold in my state, so I can drink lots of that while I'm healing! Someone had asked which tooth, and technically, it's #14, my upper left molar. Dang root goes straight up about an inch. It's the longest root any dentist has ever seen. On the other side, the roots bend, so no problem over there.
Stacy

They do have a good probiotics one at the health food store in the refiidge section. Yum. I will add my own goodies to the plain. I also will take the vitamine D. Everytime I go out it is a zoo at the stores. Is it like that where you live too?
Good luck with that extraction on Dec.30. I will be thinking of you. I go back the 22nd to see if deep route cleaning on one tooth is good and healed. He wants to crown that one, so I am going to ask him why it needs it since I have no trouble with it and he gave no reason to me yet. I have the list of questions for him through bryanna. My healing from the extraction is complete, and I will also ask about a bridge. fun fun fun... take care Stacy. ginnie

I have feel stuck between a rock and a hard place with so much information....good information. I have read the perils of root canals (not only bacteria but mine have curved roots) and the perils of taking this tooth (14) out with a long root in the sinus cavity. I have been to dentists who want to only to do a root canal and a dentist who wouldn't take it out because there could be so many problems because of the long root in the sinus cavity. And on top of that no one wants to take off the crown to see if there is a cavity under it and to see in what condition the tooth is really in for fear of going into a root canal.

The tooth has had an infection in it on different levels for the last year and a half.......so far I am good at keeping it down but not getting it to go away (this also may have been to my detriment as I have had the infection so long in this body). Above the tooth about one inch up is a bump with the infection in it that goes up and down...... Every time I get the courage up and make an appointment with a dentist...... I end up coming home still stuck as they say to do something different that what I come to do.

First two wouldn't take the crown off to look to see if decay was under there......the third dentist's secretary who I scheduled a root canal with wouldn't let me talk to him first to ask a few questions about the difference to take it out or do a root canal (I would have to pay $94 for this info).... the next dentist would take it out but didn't want to rush it so told me to come back the next day to a different dentist to extract it.........this new dentist said he didn't want to cause me pain and go to a specialist to do this extraction but he really recommended a root canal and proceeded to tell me the perils of taking the tooth out........ I went for another consultation to another dentist (free) and he said go to a root canal specialist not to take it out.

I am not a candidate for an implant due to the way a tooth next to it is (couldn't afford it anyway). The bone seems good from the x ray they say. I can't do a bridge .... perhaps a partial for the space. On that top left side it is the only tooth that would be gone. On the bottom right side a back molar is gone (nothing there) from when I was a teenager and the teeth did move a bit.

I am a female, sixty, and no dental insurance. So far I have been able to pay to take care of my own teeth. Now it could be very expensive if the Perils were to manifest themselves in either direction I went. Now I am caught in my own catch 22 of fear which way to move. Dental chairs and authority are not my favorites....wish I could take care of it myself with herbs and non invasive treatment. I looked up the tooth chart and corresponding organs, etc. My mouth in general is okay with a little bit of everything done in it. I feel stuck and possibly creating other issues such as decay and infection in this "damned if I do and damned if I don't" thought and fear so I freeze (old dental traumas) ..... and on top of this finding dentists who reflect my stuckness.

I have read all the most of the posts regarding the roots in sinus cavity and molars and a few others. Luckily at this point I have no sinus symptoms or allergies or problems in this area.......Infection running in the body is my main concern right now and I don't like to take antibiotics . I use herbs that you mentioned plus some Chinese herbs that have helped to keep it down.

Anyway thanks for listening and if you have any thoughts about this please let me know. Appreciate all the caring and insights everyone has shared as well as the thorough medical sharings. It is great to be informed especially if I can match a dentist up whom has all this knowledge and uses it and that I can afford.

I am on Maui..... Perhaps I should fly to Mexico (buddy pass) and try out a good clinic there that friends know. I might be able to afford better care....... Right now when I finally make a decision I then draw in a dentist who is thinks opposite of me as to what should be done in that moment. I walk out of the office not getting the procedure done I came in for. It is kind of funny when you think of it.....5 dentists total in about one and a half years.....1 of them in the last two months .......3 of them in the last week. It is getting ridiculous but I am sure learning a lot about teeth out of it. Being one of the dental trauma clients I swear I bring this on out of my own fear of making the wrong decision or fear of having the wrong dentist. Like I said IS THERE ANOTHER OPTION that I am not seeing? Mahalo and enjoy the day.......