>>519749766 (OP)
I don't think it's necessarily malicious (although the incentives in place don't favor the interests of the patient), but I do think we create unnecessary problems for ourselves by being overzealous or excessively cautious. That said, oral health shouldn't be taken lightly, as an untreated cavity will eventually progress to septicemia.
My regimen:
- Tongue scraper before brushing and whenever I feel like it between brushings.
- Electric toothbrush - Oral-B, soft bristles
- Baking soda with peppermint essential oil (for flavor + antimicrobial action) as toothpaste. Wet the brush head and roll it in the baking soda, packing it into the bristles. Sometimes I add a dab of fluoride-free, SLS-free hydroxyapatite toothpaste.
- Before turning on the brush, gently brush front teeth with the dry baking soda. It's more abrasive before it dissolves into the saliva, and this buffs away stains well.
- With the brush on, let the brush do the work (low pressure) and hit all tooth surfaces, focusing on gumline & spaces between teeth.
- After rinsing with water, take a spoonful of more baking soda, a small amount of xylitol, and swish for 5 minutes. Do not rinse again after spitting. This is for resetting oral pH & microbiome.
- Occasionally swish with xylitol only or coconut/olive oil for an extended period (15min+).
- Sometimes more baking soda / xylitol swishing after meals or when I can't brush soon.
- I only floss as needed and wish I'd never started. Flossing created gum recession between my teeth where detritus is now more likely to accumulate. Resetting pH & microbiome is more valuable.
I've also thought about rolling my own tooth powder with a mix of baking soda, bentonite/kaolin clay, charcoal, & xylitol, but baking soda alone does a good job. Supposedly vitamins D3 & K2 plus hydroxyapatite can actually reverse minor cavities. Teeth are alive and lined with cells that are constantly remineralizing the enamel/dentin *if* the oral pH is correct.