Better Than A Toothbrush?

I received a phone call the other day from a dental hygienist who was… we’ll say less than happy with me.

Why was she so upset? She noticed that our products come printed with this little phrase: Better Than A Toothbrush.

That seems like a bold claim--that hygienist certainly thought so. She was concerned that folks would read that tagline and think they could bail on brushing entirely.

We’re all about the benefits of brushing here at Epic--that's the reason we went to all the effort of specially formulating our own toothpaste.

But there's one big problem--lots of people who brush regularly (and do a great job at it) still get cavities. That's because your toothbrush is at best an incomplete solution. It does nothing to stop tooth-eating acid attacks as they happen.

Let’s talk about acid.

Dental cavities are essentially just holes that develop in your teeth as acid slowly erodes the enamel and minerals that make up your pearly-whites, leading to damage, soreness, and ultimately, a painful conversation with the dentist’s drill.

How does this acid get to your teeth in the first place?

There are basically two sources. The first is from food. Much of the food we eat is acidic. When you eat or drink acidic foods like soda, coffee, or even tomatoes, you’re introducing acid into your mouth.

The other source of acid is bacteria. Nasty bacteria live in your mouth and convert small particles of sugar or other carbohydrates into tooth-eating acid.

The good news is that your body has a natural defense against these acid-wielding invaders: saliva. Saliva naturally helps to rebalance the pH levels in your mouth, removing harmful acid delivering vital minerals to your teeth to start on repairs.

The bad news is that this process takes time. It can take as long as 30 minutes for your body to respond and produce the saliva you need to get rid of acid after you eat. That’s 30 minutes of tooth erosion, hitting your teeth every time you eat. What’s worse is that the process resets completely every time you take a bite. You know that guy in your office that sips from a 60-oz tub of diet cola all day? His teeth are basically sitting in an enamel-eroding, cavity-causing acid bath all day long, every day.

You might think that brushing your teeth right after meals would be the way to go here. Your toothbrush is great at getting rid of plaque, that nasty gunk that builds up on your teeth over time (some people call that feeling “sweaters on your teeth”). However, it does nothing to eliminate acid, and very little to rid your teeth of the bacteria that create it. In fact, if you brush your teeth while there’s high levels of acidity in your mouth, you’re just spreading the acid around and into those hard-to-reach gaps in your teeth.

That’s where we come in. Epic Gum and Mints naturally promote saliva production in your mouth, reducing that acidic danger window down from half an hour to just a few minutes after you eat.

The other benefit comes from our secret weapon against bacteria: xylitol. Xylitol is an all-natural sweetener that’s completely safe for humans, but toxic to those bacterial acid factories. In fact, xylitol is so effective at getting rid of bacterial acid factories that the California Dental Association recommends that you get 6 grams every day.

That’s the Epic one-two punch against cavities: clean up acid when you need it most, and get rid of the bacteria that create it in the first place. It's the powerful protection you need against the biggest threat to your oral health: Acid.