Healthy Mouth, Healthy You! Holistic Dental Guide
By Michelle Coles Jorgensen, DDS
Independently published
Healthy Mouth, Healthy You! is an excellent resource for those who want to learn more about their teeth, various dental procedures, what can go wrong in the mouth and how to remedy it, as well as the link between the mouth and the rest of the body. The knowledge within this holistic dental guide empowers readers to take responsibility for the health of their teeth.
Dr. Michelle Coles Jorgensen begins by introducing holistic dentistry, discussing how it differs from mainstream dentistry. This is followed by a list of ten questions she suggests we ask dentists before making an appointment. In the next two chapters, we learn what teeth are made of and what leads to cavities, with Jorgensen briefly describing several theories for dental decay: the acidogenic theory (sugar plus bacteria), the diet theory (Dr. Weston A. Price) and the hormone theory (Dr. Melvin Page).
Subsequent chapters give us descriptions of methods we can implement and tools we can use to take care of our teeth. Did you know that there is a difference between cleaning our mouth and brushing our teeth, that the timing of cleaning the mouth is important, that we need to consider the acidity level of our mouth in relation to cleaning it and that perhaps flossing isn’t necessary? After opening our minds to those ideas, Jorgensen recommends specific types of toothbrushes and alternatives to flossing, and outlines how to make effective toothpastes and mouth rinses. She says seven minutes of mouth care a day, using the methods and tools she describes, does the trick!
Because Jorgensen embraces the connection between nutrition and the health of the mouth, one chapter acknowledges the work of Dr. Price and dives into the importance and best sources of the fat-soluble vitamins and their roles in the body. The reader learns how to soak grains, nuts and legumes to reduce phytic acid and why that step is significant when trying to achieve optimal health. She also shares the benefits of fermented foods, butter oil, cod liver oil and bone broth. The only recommendation that is inconsistent with WAPF principles is a drink that contains cocoa.
Jorgensen does an excellent job of explaining all the options we have when it comes to root canals, mercury fillings, jaw bone infections and bony cavitations. She acknowledges the dangers and controversies of the various solutions so that the reader can make an educated decision. If you want to learn more about antimicrobial root fillings and oral probiotics, as well as ozone and laser sterilizations, that chapter is for you. And before the book is finished, she also dives deep into gum health, discusses how to remineralize teeth and even offers natural ways to whiten our smile. This easy-to-understand guide is filled with nuggets of dental knowledge! Thumbs up!
This article appeared in Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts, the quarterly journal of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Summer 2023
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