I had the moon crater indentations while I had EC. I guess it's a good way to describe it.
The aloe vera store products are probably diluted or not as strong of a strength as a fresh aloe plant.
One thing I was wondering if you think this could be an overgrowth of yeast or bacteria in your mouth, which the apple cider swishing is helping with? Or this might be a regime you may need to continue for life, but it's worth it.