I just didn't know how to review this product since it's only one part of a new oral hygiene regime I have started.I have a tooth that was severely damaged in an accident almost 30 years ago.This tooth was almost completely knocked out but through oral surgery put back in position with the warning that it would eventually be lost.I started to notice what I now realize was tartar and redness in the gum surrounding that tooth.Thinking that this was it...the tooth was finally going to fall out I left that spot pretty much alone.The tartar got worse and the gum started receeding. Don't remember why but I was looking at some photos of tartar and suddenly it hit me...that spot was tartar and the redness probably had nothing to do with the previous injury.I did tons of research and found this product which from the chemistry seems to make sense....but I also started using other products at the same time which also reduce tartar and prevent it's buildup.I can't say for certain it's the Periogen but I can say that 2/3 of the tartar I could see are gone now and the gum looks completely healthy again.Not only that but the gumline that looked like it was receeding has "grown back".I know that these things are not supposed to be possible according to the dental profession however I also take their view with a grain of salt...if products you can use at home are really effective they don't stand to profit.I will continue using the Periogen and the other products that in combination to this point have caused the reduction of tartar.I don't really give a hoot what any dentist has to say.
About 2 years ago my gums were hurting so badly that I decided to go to a dentist.I had so much tartar and infection beneath the surface of my gumline that my roots were deteriorating.I was logging 6s and 7s in the dental probing.I immediately got a scaling and planing.This was a horrible and painful experience, but I was told that with a strict regimen of brushing, flossing, and using mouthwash that everything would get better.
It did not get better.My gums would keep getting infected.My dental pockets kept getting bigger.I hypothesize that they were so deep that nothing I was doing at the time could really help.My dentist told me i'd need to undergo an expensive procedure where they rip your gums down, scrape everything clean, then sew your gums back together.I could not afford this.I got smart and turned to the internet.
Due to my gum issues I was supposed to get a cleaning every 3 months.After starting Periogen I noticed a decrease in infection within one week.I felt so confident because of this (and because of the glowing reviews for this product here on amazon), that I did not go in for my next cleaning until today, the day I write this review.This was approximately a 10 month span.
My dentist was quite impressed.Usually the probing for pocket depth made my gums bleed.They did not at all, and my pocket depths were between 3 and 4.
The only problem is that you MUST be vigilant.I use Periogen 5 times per week.Also initially i had some trouble wielding the 90 degree pik pocket attachment for the waterpik.It took me about a month to finally be sure that I was really hitting the periodontal pockets correctly.I set the waterpik pressure to a smidgeon above 1.
No con to using this product holds a candle to the peace of mind in knowing that my gums are ok, that my teeth aren't going to fall out anymore, and that the only dental cost I will have going forward are my biannual cleanings.I am a real person and this is my story.I declare this product to be a life-changing product.
What follows is my opinion after studying the claims surrounding this product.I also have included an essentially free alternative from Dr. Keyes, of whom they seem to think so highly:
I began researching this product because I was interested in using it on my dog.I noticed "angainor"'s review containing a suggestion that shill reviews and comments in favor of this product had been placed.This development increased my interest in learning more.I want to suggest that anyone considering purchasing this product, which is presently selling for roughly 10USD an ounce, (although it appears to be made up of common and cheap ingredients) do their own research and draw their own conclusions, but here are the things I think I have learned. YMMV.
They assert that the product is recommended by Dr. Paul Keyes, Former US Dental Director, NIH.Here is what I read about him in my research.
Dr. Keyes was apparently a staffer at the NIDR (National Institute of Dental Research), however, at least in my searches, I found no evidence that he had been its director.I'm not saying that he wasn't, only that I can't find evidence that he was.Dr. Keyes retired from NIDR in 1981, and the article in which this is mentioned refers to him only as an NIDR staffer (People,February 14, 1983,Vol. 19,No. 6).
Dr. Keyes was 66 when he retired, making his current age (if he is still living) 97 years.If Dr. Keyes is living, and if he in fact endorsed this product, we have no idea if he was compensated for the endorsement, or if, at age 97, he still has the mental acuity and currency of expertise to make such an endorsement meaningful.
If Dr. Keyes was nominated for a Nobel Prize, it does not appear to have been a successful nomination.In fact, most of the mentions I find of Dr. Keyes seem to come from the makers of this product, including 100% of those I found which mention a position of Director, or a Nobel nomination.Furthermore, this nomination is supposed to have occurred 56 years ago, and was therefore apparently not for this product or the research or theories of this product.Dr. Keyes' most significant professional achievement was reportedly in regard to the formation of caries, and if there was a nomination it would likely have been in this arena.
I should state that Dr. Keyes does appear to have been a talented and successful researcher, and I mean no disrespect to him in anything I say here.Whether he has had anything to do with this product, and if so what the circumstances were, are questions for which I have no answers.
It seems that Dr. Keyes had in fact developed the underlying concept used in this product late in his career, but he apparently did not do a lot of research on it, reportedly stating that he didn't have time to do long term research.Their were two short term studies, one in 1973 and one in 1981.The concept of this regimen was reportedly greeted with some controversy, but there were reportedly also positive indicators in the short term studies.It is worth noting that Dr. Keyes expected that the patient would be working with a dentist.It is also worth noting that this seems to have been intended as a therapy for existing disease, possibly in combination with short term use of antibiotics.It does not seem it was intended as a prophylaxis.
Here is Dr. Keyes' formula:
Dr. Keyes "salt-and-soda" regimen, which he stresses should be supervised by a dentist, consists of four simple steps:
*Mix two tablespoons of baking soda (or, for people with high blood pressure, Epsom salts) with enough hydrogen peroxide to form a thick paste.
*Work the paste around teeth with the rubber tip on the handle of a soft-bristle toothbrush.
*Massage the gums and gum margins with the tips, then brush teeth.
*Follow with a warm salt (or Epsom salts) water rinse done with a Water Pik. Then run fresh water through the Pik to prevent salt damage.
Moving on from the Dr. Keyes material, there are some things in the product description, and in some of the comments left in reply to angainor's review which trouble me:
There is a claim of a patent for this product, but the patent number is not offered.I would love to have the patent number for further research.I did take the trouble to do a brief patent search, but found nothing which seemed to remotely resemble this product.Perhaps Periogen will respond with the patent number if there is one.If they do, it is a development I will welcome.
There is an implication that the product is based on a trade secret, but to my understanding, the concept of trade secrets and patents are antithetical.Patent protection is given in exchange for revealing the fundamental details of an invention in the belief that such an exchange furthers progress in the long run.The legal protection offered is the incentive to the inventor for sharing this information for the greater good of society.So, which is it, patent or secret formula?Are they simply trying to persuade people that they can't mix up an effective alternative on their own?After all, with this kind of markup, people have a lot of motivation to home brew a substitute.
Much mention is made in the product information of pH levels.It is indicated in the description that low oral pH may adversely impact dental health.And, a lot is said about the pH of the product itself.It appears that we are supposed to infer that the pH of this product will improve our oral health by raising ambient oral pH.But the pH of a rinse such as this would not be expected to have any long term effect on ambient oral pH.Anything you eat or drink may temporarily impact oral pH in either direction, but such changes are transient.Dissolving a Tums tablet in your mouth periodically during the day would likely do much more to maintain a favorable average oral pH, and will provide your body with calcium in the bargain.
It is suggested that although the ingredient list has been shared with you in the product description, there is (apparently) some magic ratio of ingredients, which if altered, even slightly, will render the formula useless.This seems to me to be absolutely absurd, and sounds like the patter of a carnival pitch man to my ears.Besides, if the product is (supposedly) under patent, why not share these details?
These are just some of the things which concern me, but I think this is adequate to express my doubts about Periogen.
So what is my overall take?The product MIGHT have some small benefit, but I see lots of smoke and mirrors in play.A lot of seeding their remarks with reasons why a customer has to be very patient and go through a lot of bottles of unbelievably expensive product before they can even think about claiming it doesn't work.I see a lot of word games that evoke images of carnival barkers trying to part a "rube" from their money.If I wanted to try the concept, I would use the Dr. Keyes' regimen.One thing I personally would not do is shell out 30 times the value of the ingredients for something which appears to be vastly over-hyped.The description and comments from Periogen feel disingenuous to me at best.
One person's opinion, make your own call, and caveat emptor.First of all, beware of all the fake comments. I was suspicious of the wording, and upon a quick check I realized most of those 5 star reviews are just scam to advertise the product...
Anyway, upon some research it looked like periogen was one of the promising products in the market, so I decided to give it a shot. I have only been using it for a week now, so don't have much to share yet. So far, my gums feel slightly healthier but I can't really tell if it is periogen or the waterpik itself. I'll keep posting after I use it for a fair amount of time.
Btw, it is not a cheap product for the size of the bottle and they suggest you to use it for at least 2-3 months to see any dramatic changes. Well if it is useless, I guess it doesn't help much to realize that after spending 100 bucks and wasting all that time. So please share your experiences...I had ignored a buildup of tartar on three of my teeth for awhile, always thinking that I would deal with it "later". After it had grown to cover about 50% of the tooth surface, was quite thick, and had penetrated beneath the gumline, I started to worry. Getting it mechanically removed would have been expensive, so I searched, found Periogen, and decided to give it a try.
Long story short, it works -I'm well on my way to being tartar free.
Having some force behind the water is best -i.e. a waterpik vs. simply swishing. And adding in some Sonicare to knock the neutralized layer away may help. Based on the description of how it works, Periogen is like dissolving the cement between stones. Even with the cement dissolved, however, you still need some kinetic force to remove it, and get at the next layer. The force of a waterpik is one source -throwing in Sonicare could be another.
Results are a direct result of time x efficiency. If you want faster results, youre going to have to spend more time over the bathroom sink.
But it definitely works.
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