Did you know that your teeth are living organs, just like your heart, liver, and thyroid gland? According to Dr. Dawn Ewing, executive director of the International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine, your teeth can provide important clues about underlying infections and overall body health.

On Today’s show, Dr. Ewing and I discuss how traditional dentistry often fails to connect the teeth to the rest of the body. When it comes to root canals and other procedures, this disconnect can cause serious problems. Dr. Ewing’s journey into biological dentistry began after she witnessed firsthand the transformative effects of simple dental clean outs and extractions. She found that root canals, which create “taxidermied teeth,” can cause chronic low-grade infections and urges listeners to seek out practitioners who think outside their narrow area of expertise.

If you’re interested in learning more about biological dentistry and how it can help you achieve optimal overall health, this podcast episode is a must-read. Dr. Ewing’s wealth of knowledge and her passion for helping patients understand the connection between their teeth and their bodies is inspiring.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The importance of a holistic approach to understanding teeth as living organs.
• How traditional dentistry fails to connect the teeth to the entire body.
• Dr. Ewing’s journey from dental hygiene to naturopathic medicine and biological dentistry.
• The drawbacks of root canals, and why it’s crucial to consider a patient’s overall health before embarking on any dental procedures.
• The significance of taking care of one’s oral microbiome.
• The role of meridians, and how certain teeth are connected to specific organs.

Listen to the podcast here:

Links:

• Let the Tooth Be Known by Dawn Ewing
• International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine
• The Fluoride Deception by Christopher Bryson
• Dr. Paul Thomas – The Vaccine Friendly Plan, list of research studies
• Chew on This, But Don’t Swallow by Blanche Grube
• Six Foot Tiger in a Three Foot Cage by Felix Liao

Within the below transcript, the bolded text is Samantha Gilbert, and the regular text is Dr. Dawn Ewing.

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You have an amazing background. I’m curious, what made you decide to focus on biological dentistry? Specifically, what made you interested in studying teeth as living organs that are connected to the rest of the body?

I had left dentistry to become a paramedic, but when I became pregnant, it became difficult to continue working as a paramedic, especially while nursing. Any time a baby cries in anyone’s home, it was a challenge. So, I returned to dentistry and, as fate would have it, God connected me with a biological dentist, and the rest is history.

I like that you talked about being guided by a higher power, because I believe in God too. It’s important to know how we can heal as human beings. Many of us have had bad experiences with dentists and have stories to tell.

At different times in my life, I’ve been told things about my teeth that just weren’t true, just to scare me into getting unnecessary procedures.

When I moved to a new state a few years ago, I found a new dentist who was very nice, along with his wife who was the office manager. But after my first visit, he said I had cavities and I was given an $8,000 treatment plan. I was shocked because I’ve never had a cavity in my life, and still haven’t. He also said I needed to see him every few months and wanted to charge $900 for a night guard. Obviously, I didn’t go back to that dentist, but it makes me wonder how many dental procedures, like root canals, are recommended when they’re not needed?

In the dental education process, we are taught certain things. When you’re going to a state-run university, you believe that what you’re being taught is the truth. For instance, we are told that the only way to get tooth decay is if you don’t brush and floss correctly. So, we try to teach people how to take care of their teeth.

But occasionally, there are families where one child who brushes regularly gets cavities, while their brother has neglected their oral hygiene to the point where their teeth are green.

You ask the brother, “Wow! When was the last time you brushed your teeth?” to which they reply, “I don’t know. I lost my toothbrush about six weeks ago and I haven’t been able to find it since.”

You would clean his teeth, and he wouldn’t have any decay. So the daughter would be screaming, “It’s not fair. It’s not fair. I’m the one that brushes and flosses, and he never has any cavities.”

This happens, but that’s not what we’re taught. We just dismiss it as something that rarely happens. However, when we delve into the field of biological dentistry, we learn that certain teeth are connected to specific organs. For instance, if we observe that only a molar on the top teeth and a bicuspid on the bottom teeth have decay while the other teeth do not, we can infer that there may be issues with the thyroid, breast, stomach, spleen, or pancreas. This prompts us to adopt a different perspective to prevent future decay.

When I was in nutrition class, we were told not to eat butter or eggs because they raise cholesterol. But now, the science on that has changed and we think differently. I understand that science changes, and we change our minds with it.

However, in higher education, I’ve seen in one day where students were told, “Don’t ever drink anything but distilled water,” and then later in the afternoon, another professor came in and said, “Don’t ever drink distilled water. It’s devoid of all minerals.”

That’s frustrating for students who are trying to do the best for their patients. I’ve discovered that dentistry is a field where nobody knows what they’re really doing. I have come to find out that that’s why they call it “practicing”. But if you have a servant heart and you want to help people, then you’re in the right place.

The Transformative Effects of Biological Dentistry

I really appreciate you sharing that – especially the cholesterol myth. It’s fascinating how everything is intertwined. I also appreciate you sharing the biological mindset, because it takes into account the entire person, rather than just a human with a head and mouth full of teeth. I’ve noticed that little has changed within conventional dentistry, but in biological dentistry, there is an emphasis on understanding how we are connected to everything, and the importance of taking a holistic view.

My goal in this episode is to teach my listeners about the importance of dental health for the rest of the body. You mentioned that patients are often told they need a root canal if they have an infection. However, it seems that there is very little scientific research on the effects of root canals on the body, as with many things in modern medicine. Can you explain the typical reasons given for root canals and other common procedures you want to discuss?

The education we receive is that the tooth’s nerve, blood supply, and lymphatic system have to be removed to sterilize the tooth. We then regurgitate this information to the patient, believing it to be true. I used to tell patients that if we didn’t remove the teeth, they would crumple up; that they wouldn’t be able to eat, and would die because that’s what we were told to tell people. However, as I left the dental world for naturopathic medicine, I saw healthy people without teeth, which was not what what I was taught would happen.

Next, you began examining blood work, which dentists typically don’t learn to do. I noticed that a patient I had four years ago had higher neutrophils and lower lymphocytes, which are signs of bacterial infections, but there was no urinary tract infection, upper respiratory infection, or sinus infection. When I asked one of my professors about it, he told me, “Oh, that’s their ‘new normals.”

“What do you mean ‘new normals’?” I asked.

“Well, yeah, you can just get new normals every once in a while. The body will reset.”

I had never heard that before, but I’m seldom quiet. That evening, I went home and was actually silent, as if a soft voice had said, “Dawn, you started off discussing teeth, but you didn’t ask them anything about their teeth.” So I went back, talked to the patient, and asked, “Do you by chance have a tooth that’s bothering you?”

“No, no, not anymore. About four years ago, I had several root canals done.” That was my paradigm shift. It made me start going back and looking at people’s blood work, realizing that when a dentist taxidermies a tooth, it becomes a chronic low-grade infection. This infection doesn’t affect everybody the same way. Some people can smoke until they’re 105 and not die of lung cancer. Everyone is unique with the toxins they can tolerate. In this case, the chronic low-grade infection is caused by taxidermied teeth.

We are not taught to call their primary care and say, “I taxidermied some teeth. If you see something that looks like an infection, send them back to me.” In the dental world, we are not required to take x-rays of the root tip of the tooth. We are told that the tooth can no longer be bothering them. When patients say they still have sensation, we look at them like they’re crazy.

”No, you can’t feel pain in that tooth because we took the nerve out.”

It can be frustrating when you’re told otherwise, but when you’re on your educational journey, you have to be smart enough to know that people wouldn’t lie about having pain in a dental office.

I always joke with my OBGYN that I’d rather be at the dentist than in their office. It’s an awkward appointment, and I just don’t like it. However, most people would rather visit an OBGYN than go to the dentist, because it’s an uncomfortable and invasive experience, and they’re often not given good news. They’re having a finger pointed at them, telling them that they’re stupid. They don’t know how to take care of their teeth or what to eat, or any number of other things.

My mom is a good example. When I wrote my thesis, which then ended up being my book, Let the Tooth Be Known, I was seeing my mom once a month to clean her teeth even with the air water syringe, blowing air on her gums would cause blood to end up on the light above her. I kept insisting that she needed to brush and floss properly and visit the periodontist, but she was non-compliant. Her chart even had the code word “PINTA,” which means “patient is a pain in the ass.”

But that wasn’t the case at all. I ended up getting a phase contrast microscopy and realizing that she had an amoebiasis and trichomoniasis, and once she was given Flagyl, [an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections, protozoal infections, and certain parasitic infections], which her physician prescribed for her bleeding gums, they stopped bleeding. It wasn’t because of anything I was taught to tell her. I understand that patients don’t like going to the dentist or dental hygienist because they might not think outside the box. We’re told little things about thinking outside the box, such as asking if the patient could be pregnant. I often saw patients for years, and then they would come in with bleeding gums. I’d ask if there was a chance they could be pregnant. They’d be surprised and ask me how I knew.

Dentists are not taught to identify signs of osteopenia when taking x-rays. If bones appear to be disintegrating, it could be a possible indication of this condition. However, dental education only focuses on identifying issues [in the mouth and head]. In biological dentistry, we aim to broaden our approach and consider the possibility that these issues may not be limited to a single area. It may be necessary to involve a primary care physician to rule out other potential causes such as low vitamin D levels, bacterial infections, or frequent steroid use that can lead to bone thinning.

I’ve talked about the connection between the microorganisms in the gut and the mouth. It’s surprising how many gut infections patients have that they are not aware of, which obviously affects their oral microbiome.

And vice versa.

If a person has a root canal and uses that tooth to chew, a small amount of anaerobic bacteria that scavenges dead tissue in sideways tubules can be pushed out of the tooth and enter the bloodstream when swallowed in saliva. This can affect the gut biome. A mercury filling can also affect the gut biome and predispose the individual to higher levels of candida. This is the body’s protective mechanism to prevent the mercury from reaching the brain. A practitioner may think outside of the box and say, “Oh my gosh, your candida levels are really high. Let’s put you on this diet, remove all sugar, and kill off the candida.”

Trust me, God is smarter than I am.

I imagine that there is a compensating mechanism in place for a reason. Therefore, if a person is tested and found to have high levels of mercury or heavy metals, it might be better to focus on getting rid of the heavy metals first. Once the heavy metals are removed, the body may naturally release some of the candida.

Finding Trustworthy Sources Amid Widespread Deception

Yeah, well said. That’s why it’s important to always examine metals, as they have a direct impact on the proliferation of certain organisms in gut ecology. I’m glad you mentioned that. Additionally, nutrient deficiencies are a huge concern, and I always test for those in my practice. There’s vitamin D and other nutrients, such as B12 and vitamin B6, that impact the brain, hormones, as well as our teeth and gum health. These are critical areas to address.

Furthermore, despite decades of knowledge that fluoride is toxic, it is still promoted as being safe. It’s important to be aware of this, and when working with a conventional dentist, ask them their take on fluoride. Many may downplay its potential harm. If I’m not able to see a biological dentist, I always make sure to ask, “what’s your take on fluoride?” And many say, “Oh, it do not that big a deal. We don’t think it matters.”

There’s a very eye-opening book called The Fluoride Deception. I happened to read it on a plane, and I believe divine intervention intercedes all the time. It was on my way to Utah, and the man who was supposed to pick me up at the airport was late because he was at a civic meeting where they were talking about having fluoride in the water.

He said, “Oh my gosh, I’m going to gift you this book because I can get another one, but you need to read this as soon as you can.”

They book shows how we got duped into putting fluoride in the water, but again, that’s not something you’re taught in school. I did research on dogs involving fluoride, so when I first heard someone speak out against fluoride, I assumed they were uneducated hippies who didn’t attend school, didn’t wear shoes, and homeschooled their children.

Speaking of which, I also homeschooled my own kids. I can make fun of that because that was my mindset at that time. However, once I started doing my own research, I couldn’t believe that higher education was setting us up for failure on so many different levels when it comes to patient care. Relying on literature to keep up is not effective because that literature is often five years old or more. Anything that ends up in print or a book has taken at least five years to get there. The people who lecture often lack writing skills and funding, so they don’t keep statistics. However, they will tell you what they use in their office and what has been successful for them. This is what I choose to follow now, because it allows me to stay on the cutting edge. For example, I went to a conference on stem cells in dentistry recently, and there was some amazing information presented. If you don’t attend these types of conferences and rely solely on peer-reviewed journal articles, you may end up with faulty information that was possibly funded by a big pharmaceutical company and manipulated for their own purposes.

My goodness, think of all the information that was out there over Covid. You couldn’t discern what was truth and what wasn’t.

This applies to all areas of medicine. It’s important to do your own research and be discerning when looking at a study, considering funding sources of the authors among other things. Some people are doing amazing work on their own. For example, Dr. Paul Thomas in Portland, Oregon conducted a 10-year study on childhood vaccines in children. He had a large population that was both for and against vaccinating, which allowed him to make valuable correlations and have a true placebo group.

It reminds me of when I was a kid and they gave us fluoride tablets in Oregon. I’m not sure how that affected my health, but I did have some challenges when I was young. It’s interesting to see what information is promoted in the mainstream versus what we know in the holistic community.

Meridians and the Connection Between Oral Health and Overall Health

Could you talk more about the connection between oral health and overall health? You mentioned that certain teeth are related to the thyroid gland. Could you also share which teeth correspond to other organs and deficiencies?

Yeah, your wisdom teeth are correlated with the heart and the small intestine. Then, you’ve got your maxillary molars and your mandibular bicuspids, which are correlated with the thyroid, breast, stomach, pancreas, and spleen on the left side. After that, you get to your top bicuspids and your lower molars, which are called lung and large intestine. Your cuspids, which are your canines, the pointed teeth, are also called the eye teeth because they correspond to the liver and the eye. Finally, all your front teeth on top and on the bottom correspond to your kidney, bladder, ovary, uterus, prostate, and anal canal.

But regardless of which tooth a root canal is on, it’s a dead tooth. Therefore, it’s an electrical disconnect. Yes, it can have bacteria, but it’s still an electrical disconnect. In medicine, there isn’t anything we taxidermy and leave in place. In dentistry, we do that with root canals and we’re taught it’s not a problem at all. Imagine plugging in a lamp and turning it on. If it works, you know everything is good with the building, outlet, and cord. But if someone cuts the cord and it falls on the floor, the lamp won’t work anymore because there’s no electrical connection. You can call an electrician to fix it by splicing the wire back together. The two ends of the wire need to touch and be taped together, and then the lamp will work again. That would be taking out the root canal and all the dead bone.

Your body is designed to heal itself. I can cut my finger and I don’t have to go look up the clotting cascade. My body is designed to start that clotting cascade, regardless of whether I’m walking down the street, talking on a cell phone, eating a sandwich, or chewing gum.

We talk about bacteria in the root canal. To explain it to a patient, I tell a story. Imagine an electrician is fixing a lamp in a room, but then a dog comes in and poops on the wire. Now the room smells bad, but that’s not what’s preventing the lamp from turning on. Your body can handle bacteria, or else we would all be dead. The problem is an electrical issue. It’s like trying to call 911 on a bad phone line—you can go through the motions, but you won’t get the result you want. Bacteria is a problem, but not the main issue. Even if I could make sure a tooth was sterile, there could still be an electrical issue. This is the main issue that people have when they find out they’re having a problem—it’s an electrical disconnect.

I have seen many patients with infections so big they were told they have diabetes, even when they didn’t have the traditional markers. Their hemoglobin A1C was high, but after they had their root canals removed and their mouth cleaned up, their hemoglobin A1C went down. How do you explain that?

Those people didn’t have traditional diabetes. Their bodies were reacting to the bacteria because people with unstable blood sugar levels don’t do well with lots of bacteria. It’s like gestational diabetes in a pregnant woman. Her body can’t handle the extra weight, but once she delivers and loses the weight, she’s not diabetic anymore. Many people who come to me have been told they have pre-diabetes or diabetes. One of the first things I look for is whether or not there is an infection present.

Is the concept of electrical disconnect the same as the concept of meridians?

Yes, I speak in word pictures because that’s how I understand things. My son was neurologically challenged, so I got very used to speaking that way all the time. It’s like if we were cooking together using a stove and oven in the kitchen. Now, we’re cleaning up and have washed the dishes and put them all in the dishwasher. We try to start the garbage disposal and it won’t work. Coincidentally, we try to start the dishwasher and it won’t work either. I want a new dishwasher and garbage disposal immediately. However, my husband is hesitant and says, “Let me check the breaker first.”

As it turned out, the breaker did not trip. We then called our favorite electrician, who said, “What I really want to do is check the electrical circuit.”

I tell him that what I really want is for him to install the new dishwasher and garbage disposal that I had bought.

He proceeds to install them, but they don’t work. He then turns to me and says that he wants to do what he had originally intended. He did not think that I needed new appliances. He uses an ohm meter and finds that the first and second outlets are working, but the third one is not. Consequently, he deduces that the electrical disconnect was between the second and the third outlet. He cuts a hole in the sheet rock, finds the disconnect, reconnects it, and then it works. We see that in the mouth However, this type of knowledge is not taught in post-graduate school for physicians.

They haven’t taught to ask your patient if they have had a root canal or an electrical disconnect. These concepts are not fully understood until they reach the post-graduate level and delve deeper into the functional biological world. But once they have seen it, they cannot unsee it.

I have seen cancers go into total remission with nothing more than dental extractions and clean outs. I have seen people with atrial fibrillation and it goes away after having areas cleaned out. I have also seen people regain their vision after a cuspid tooth was removed.

Now, I have to explain that further: The individual was not born blind in that eye, but an abscess was present and impeding their vision. When the infected tooth was removed, the individual began to cry. I thought they were in pain, so I patted their hand, and she said, “No, no, you don’t understand. I can see.”

I appreciate your use of analogies. They provide clear and detailed explanations of how the body works.

Hope and Healing from Severe Tremors

You mentioned an interesting case about a patient suffering from tremors. Can you share more about that case?

Well, actually, we’ve had two patients now. The first one was nothing short of amazing. I had such a difficult time testing her in my office because her tremors were so overt. Finally, I got her to lean forward so that we could do the testing. I ended up participating in her extraction. I went to the office where she was having the tooth extracted, and I was trying to draw her blood for the PRF (Platelet-rich fibrin). She was tremoring so much that I chuckled and said, “Gosh, this reminds me of when I worked on the ambulance because you had to time your bouncing motions to make your stick with the ambulance moving up and down.” We got our blood just fine. When the tooth was removed, she calmed down.

Instantly, she calmed down, and I had to kind of ponder. I asked, “What happened? I mean, all your tremors stopped.”

The dentist and dental assistant paused their work, and we all stood there puzzled for a moment. We sent the tooth to DNA Connections, a company that can test for 88 different pathogens (including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites) in anything, though we use it in dentistry. The tooth was a root canal, and when it came back, we discovered 12 different pathogens that specifically affect neurological issues. It’s unclear whether removing those pathogens allowed the body to instantly reconnect or if it was simply an electrical disconnect. This case was fascinating and is what keeps me invested in this profession. When you encounter someone who has tried everything and been to countless specialists, like the poor lady who was on Eldoper [an over-the-counter medication used to treat diarrhea] seeing rheumatoid specialists and a neurologist, it’s always an interesting challenge to help them find a solution.

The people who were most impressed were those in her church. When she walked down the middle aisle on Sunday with no cane and no tremors, they were all amazed and asked, “What happened? What did you do?” It was crazy. When the physician received the report from the dental DNA test, he said, “I don’t know what kind of test this is. This bacteria is not found in living people. What did you send in order to get this?” I replied, “It wasn’t a living person; it was in a dead tooth.”

How many years had she been struggling?

It had been quite a few years. This particular case involved a lot of dentistry, and the other patient still has a bit of a tremor, as I saw him just two days ago. However, before he had to have help walking.

I cannot claim that taking out a tooth will help everyone with tremors because there are so many different reasons for them. Nevertheless, I have seen cancers go into total remission with nothing more than dental extractions and clean outs. I have seen people with atrial fibrillation and it goes away after having areas cleaned out. I have also seen people regain their vision after a cuspid tooth was removed. Now I have to explain that further: The individual was not born blind in that eye, but an abscess was present and impeding their vision. When the infected tooth was removed, the individual began to cry. I thought they were in pain, so I patted their hand, and she said, “No, no, you don’t understand. I can see.”

Of course, we all broke down in tears because that is never something you expect. We know that miracles can happen all the time. God can do anything, but we do not make any promises. However, when you see that, you want to participate in it more. You want to help.

Questioning the “Implant Industry”

I’m grateful that you shared that with us because I always aim to give people hope on the show. While we discuss many unpleasant and challenging topics, the underlying message is one of hope. If we can delve deeper into the causes of these issues, we can achieve amazing healing. This further underscores how root canals can actually be detrimental to health instead of promoting it. Dr. Weston A. Price discovered in the 1920s that organisms reside inside root canaled teeth and can release toxins that affect the rest of the body. It’s astounding that a century later, dentistry still fails to look at the big picture.

Today, more dentists are willing to participate in root canal extractions than ever before. I don’t want to make a claim for everybody, but often times, dentists approach extractions with the mindset that they can perform a $5,000 implant afterwards.

I was just about to ask you about implants because they scare me, since we have no idea about them.

There are two types of dental implants. One is Titanium. Titanium in the mouth is different from titanium used in a hip replacement because it is directly placed in a meridian. It does not go around other areas of the body. All titanium contains some nickel, which can cause reactions in many women. And while it may anger dentists when I say this, it is true. Placing titanium in the jaw is like sticking a fork in an electrical socket and bending it around before sticking it in the bottom. It can short out the electrical circuit. Titanium is known as a hapten, which means it can trigger autoimmune reactions. You may not have had autoimmune issues before the implant, but you may develop them afterwards. Removing the implant will not undo the trigger. It has already been done.

Porcelain Implants as an Alternative to Titanium

So we do have another option in dentistry, which is porcelain, but electricity cannot go through porcelain. Therefore, you have to understand that there is nothing as good as what God gave you. Man has not yet found a replacement for a tooth. For many people, this is an awesome option if they only need to replace one tooth and do not want anything else. I tell them that, for me, there are eight teeth related to most meridians. The cuspids only have four, and the wisdom teeth only have four, but the others have eight.

So, if you think of it as an eight-lane freeway, and all of a sudden a tree falls across all eight lanes, I can’t go to work because the tree is in my way. The guy in the car next to me gets out, goes over, and looks at the tree and says, “Oh man, it has [mold] in it and Africanized bees. Everybody, get back in your car.”

The bees and the mold are not the issue; it’s the stinking tree. If a magical helicopter takes the tree away, I can now get to work. In the analogy, that would involve removing the dang tooth. Then, the energy can flow on that meridian. If I place a titanium implant in there, it’s like a telephone pole falling down over all eight lanes of traffic, which is not a good option. However, if we put a porcelain implant in, it’s like one stalled car in one lane of traffic; it’s much less of a burden. Oddly enough, I see people come into my office and claim that they got these porcelain implants and now they’re sick. We find that they have eight implants, all on the same meridian. It’s like having eight solid cars parked next to each other, blocking the flow of energy in that area.

So the question always arises, what caused the tooth to go bad? Was it an organ malfunction that caused the tooth to go bad? Because if you don’t address the root cause, then you may end up with another bad tooth, and then another, and another. This could lead to the need for multiple implants on the same meridian. Dentists are trained to place an implant if a tooth is lost.

However, they don’t always ask the patient important questions such as, “Is this on the lung and large intestine meridian?” or “Do you have regular bowel movements? Do you have asthma or COPD?”

These are questions that should be addressed by a physician. In biological dentistry, we try to work with physicians to ensure that the patient is healthy enough to undergo the procedure. We check vitamin D levels, clotting disorders, and overall health before placing a porcelain implant. We need permission from a physician to clear the meridian, meaning we need to know that the patient is healthy enough to withstand the procedure. There are other options.

God’s Wisdom in Giving us Wisdom Teeth

I have been wondering about wisdom teeth lately. When I was young, my parents had all four of mine removed because they were causing pain. This makes me wonder if God gave us wisdom teeth for a reason, as they obviously serve some purpose. Is it necessary to remove them?

Right, but as humans have consumed more sugar, our jaws have become stunted. When I started in dentistry in 1975, if you needed orthodontics or braces, we automatically removed four bicuspids and pushed your teeth back because it was the fastest way to get you to occlusion, which is where your bite comes together correctly. We never took into consideration that God decided your jaw should be a certain size and made your tongue a certain size. Now that humans have intervened and made mouths smaller, tongues don’t fit properly, leading to a gross increase in adults with sleep apnea that is iatrogenic, meaning it’s caused by humans. The latest trend in biological dentistry is to examine the diameter of a patient’s airway and use devices to expand their arch and increase the airway’s diameter. While it is not possible to actually grow an airway, it is possible to increase its diameter.

And sometimes that’s like reverse orthodontics. Many adults say, “I don’t want to do that.” Well, you might not want to do that, but it’s either that or you’ll need a CPAP or BiPAP because you can’t breathe. We’re being conditioned to look for that in children because there’s a huge increase in children with ADHD symptoms, and it’s because they’re hypoxic. If we can intervene at an early enough age by creating a wider arch instead of just focusing on the fastest way to get them straight teeth, we can make a difference. It’s a different mindset than just practicing medicine and dentistry. We have to figure out what works and what doesn’t work.

Leeches didn’t work so well, but in certain instances, we still use them. When a finger is cut off, we can attach it again. To help it heal, we use a leech to force blood to flow to the finger. We don’t throw everything away, but we learned that bleeding people to death probably wasn’t the best option.

Customizing Care to the Individual

I have some clients who had a surgery called LANAP (a laser-based gum surgery that treats periodontitis). I looked it up online and there are many positive reviews. Do you have any thoughts on it?

In biological dentistry, we want to know the cause of the problem. In the past, I suggested surgery for my mom when I was ignorant, but it turned out that it wasn’t necessary. In fact, it would have set her up for failure because she had two different bacteria in her mouth that needed to be eliminated before her gums could stop bleeding. Now, we know that there is a strong link between cardiovascular disease and oral pathogens. Therefore, we can perform a salivary test to look for five specific pathogens that, if eradicated, will lead to supreme success.

First, we identify the pathogens and then determine the most effective way to remove them. This might involve ozone treatment instead of cutting away gum tissue, which is what we were taught in school. We were taught that if a patient has a deep pocket, we should simply cut off the tissue. However, this approach is flawed because it assumes that the patient is simply not brushing or flossing properly, when in fact they may still have a pathogen present. In my mother’s case, we cut off her gums and made her teeth longer, but the pathogen remained, so she has to keep clean instead of addressing the root issue.

I recall hearing about a saliva test for the first time. I was attending a lecture from a rheumatologist and was surprised to learn that he knew about it. This test is typically used in the dental industry rather than in his field of expertise.

However, he had a little girl who came in at the age of five with sudden onset of juvenile arthritis, and she was in a lot of pain. Somehow, some small voice told him to do the salivary test. She came back with AA (aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans), which is one of the five bacteria that we really don’t want. When it came back positive, the suggestion was that she go on Augmentin, which she did, and her symptoms went away. But then the rheumatologist wanted to know where a five-year-old would get this infection that’s normally found with periodontal disease. So he checked both the parents, but the results came back negative. When they came back negative, he apologized for having them do the test and explained his mindset. The mom said, “Well, that’s funny because she stays with my mom while I’m at work. My mom has periodontal disease.”

Sure enough, they checked the grandma and treated her as well. This doesn’t mean that the little girl won’t develop arthritis at some point in her life due to her genetic predisposition. However, what it does mean is that they were able to avoid the traditional treatment of putting her on steroids for the rest of her life. Now that they are aware, they will be cautious to prevent it from happening again, without ruling out other possible triggers.

Explaining the Mind-Boggling Interconnectivity of the Body

It’s important to understand what’s happening in our mouths, but people often don’t give it enough credit. If someone goes to a dentist who is a very kind person but not knowledgeable about biological dentistry (and I’m not saying that biological dentists are not kind people), they may not receive the best care. I have many friends who practice conventional dentistry, and they often think I’m from another planet because of my beliefs. I give them their space.

I try to plant seeds lightly because some people have had shifts and realized, “I can’t believe I thought you were crazy all these years.” However, they had to experience something happening to themselves or a loved one to truly understand because it goes against what they were taught.

And I believed that what I was taught was the truth and that truth couldn’t change. That’s just the engineering mindset, that you can only build a bridge one way and it’s this way, and that’s just not true. The body is so intricate and connected that it’s mind-boggling. When someone comes in and says, “You know what? I think this tooth is the issue and I’m going to try to prove it,” I ask them to go back to their dentist and have a little bit of anesthetic injected around that tooth.

I say, “You are complaining about ankle pain only in one place. You’ve already been to a podiatrist and an orthopedist, and neither of them could help you. They didn’t find anything wrong with the joint. This tooth is related to that area.”

Here’s the concept. I drive a big red pickup truck. The girls call it Bart, short for “big ass red truck.” So I went out to get in Bart to come home, but my truck wouldn’t start. I wanted a new truck, so I went out and tried to bypass the starter to see if it was just a bad starter. And if it was, then we would know what to do to fix the truck. It’s the same concept with neurotherapy. So we go in and place a little bit of anesthetic—not enough to make the whole face numb—and if the pain goes away, it’s a sign that this is an electrical disconnect in this area.

This method is effective only when the person is experiencing extreme pain and can rate it as a seven out of 10.

Once you inject them, they should respond, “Oh my God, you’ve got to be kidding me. I’m going to the mall, because I haven’t been able to walk in forever and I’m going to go walk.”

Okay, they’re going to be really sore tomorrow because when the anesthetic wears off, they’ll feel discomfort. However, this case is a good match for us to investigate because we don’t like extracting teeth. Our peers tell us we’re creating dental cripples, but all I’m trying to do is help people become healthier. I don’t believe in extracting every root canal, as everyone can handle different toxins differently. For example, some people don’t react well to EMF while others aren’t bothered by it at all. We need to consider all these issues to get someone to a better state of health, because they deserve that.

Yes, exactly. It’s important to encourage people to embrace their uniqueness. There’s no one else on the planet quite like you, down to the little hairs on your head. You’re special and your experience of the world is unique to you. We all tolerate things differently and I think we need to have more grace, compassion, and understanding for one another. This is especially key in the field of conventional medicine, where these qualities are often lacking.

Book Recommendations for Understanding Oral Health

Could you also recommend some other resources or books for people who want to learn more about dental health? Additionally, you mentioned The Fluoride Deception – could you provide more information on that as well?

The best reference book I have ever seen is called The Garbage Collector: Root Canals, Disease, and what the Dental Profession Refuses to Acknowledge, by Robert Gammal, a dentist in Australia. When I read it, I felt compelled to get in touch with this guy because he talks about people I know.

Blanche Grube wrote a book recently called Chew on This, But Don’t Swallow, about mercury. Felix Liao has an incredible book called Six Foot Tiger in a Three Foot Cage, about the tongue and how it doesn’t fit in the mouth and little things that we never thought to look for. We now know that there are lots of people who have a tongue tie.

Some children can’t swallow pills. We often make fun of people with tongue ties, but in reality, they need to have their tongue released. To do this, they should be sent to an oral myofascial therapist who can teach them how to exercise their tongue. The release itself is not as bad as it sounds; it involves simply cutting the short connection that often prevents the person from being able to fully extend their tongue. In infants who can’t latch, the condition is recognized as a serious issue, and they are often sent to a specialist who can laser the connection or provide the necessary service in the hospital. Numerous people could benefit from straightforward procedures like this, and we aim to provide this information to dentists. This is not typically taught in dental school.

Do my teeth poop? And other questions you were too scared to ask

What’s one thing you wish people would ask about dental health, but don’t?

I wish they asked where their person got an education. I wish that they would read ingredients on labels of things that they’re putting in their body. We’re duped into thinking that we have to use toothpaste to clean our teeth. If you did, you’d be smearing toothpaste in between your teeth when you got ready to floss. It’s just the mechanical action of something rubbing up and down your tooth.

I wish they asked more questions as a young person. We were told in school that plaque forms on your teeth, but we’re not really sure how. It just shows up. But now we know that you brush your teeth at night before you go to bed. You run your tongue over your teeth. They’re nice and slick, but when you wake up the next morning, what do they feel like and what do they smell like? They stink. You know why? Because a healthy tooth pushes its waste out through those tubules to the outside of the tooth. The reason your teeth smell so bad in the morning is because they pooped while you were sleeping.

That’s the first thing I do. I like to swish, and then I go through my routine. I love that. Hair is basically dead cells, in a way. We can determine a lot by looking at hair for certain things – not everything, of course. But I think it’s a good analogy that helps people understand why we were created the way we were and why there is a divine plan in every body system we have, and why each one functions the way it does. Furthermore, we can understand why nighttime sleep is a time of rejuvenation, which is critically important.

Why is it a veterinarian looks at a horse’s teeth?

When you consider the value of knowing the health of a horse, why wouldn’t the same apply to us? We can learn a lot about a person just by looking at their gum tissue, which is made of collagen. We can tell a lot about a person by getting a good idea of what’s going on in their mouth.

I hope everybody can get connected to a biological dentist.

I highly recommend Dawn’s book, Let the Tooth Be Known. This helpful guide through biological dentistry is a must-read for anyone with a compromised immune system or anyone who wants to make wise dental choices to sustain their current health. Learn about the risks of mercury, amalgam fillings, gold crowns, and dentures. Explore the problems of root canals, and other hidden sources of infection.

Find out what your dentist should do to keep you safe and learn just how important your teeth are to overall health. To find a biological dentist near you, visit the International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine at ibdm.org.

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