Picture it: I’m 22 years old, working my first real grown-up job after a fairly tumultuous entrance into adulthood. (I have insurance and everything!) So I go to the dentist, which is a grown-up thing to do that I hate doing, and she says I have to go see a specialist. I go to said specialist and he’s poking and prodding and it hurts so bad! Then he starts talking to me about surgery, skin grafts, how they’ll cut tissue from the roof of my mouth and then put it above my teeth, where the gum disease was causing my gums to recede… I left and never went back.
It was always in the back of my mind, this gum disease that was going to make my teeth fall out. I continued to watch my gums as years went by. They were always sensitive. They bled. I gave up flossing. I changed dentists. Eventually, I stopped going at all.
It’s been almost 20 years since that scary appointment and I want to tell you that every time I go to the dentist (every 6 months, thank you very much), my dentist tells me everything looks great. “Looks Great!” And I’m going to tell you how.
First, I sought out a holistic dentist. Don’t stop reading if you can’t find one! There is still hope! That’s what I did, though, and they were amazing. If you’re in the Virginia area, I can’t recommend Dr. Zunka enough. Gentle, kind, caring and non-invasive. A solid 90 minute drive each way, with 2 very small children, and I still went. You can’t put a price on your health!
Before they even cleaned teeth or talked too much about dental plans for the future, they focused on gum health. I knew my gums were in bad shape. After more than 10 years of ignoring the problem and 2 kids later (kids change your teeth!), I was prepared for the worst and my gums were the worst. They had a plan though. They didn’t make me feel like a terrible person for neglecting my oral health. And they never mentioned surgery!
The plan started with 2 necessary purchases (affiliate links included below); an oral mouth irrigator / water flosser and an electric toothbrush.
I have used these 2 companies and can recommend them as affordable options. You can find much more expensive options. Shop around, based on your needs. But do start with these purchases.
To the water flosser I added GSE (grapefruit seed extract):
I placed 2 drops of GSE in the container before filling it about half-way with warm water. It kills bacteria. And it did. Each time I returned to the dentist, they would take a sample of my bacteria under my gums and show me under a microscope. Watching it disappear was huge for my confidence in the program. I knew that what I was doing was working.
I returned to the dentist four times. Each time they did a quadrant of my mouth, for a total of four. Cleaning under the gums gently with a high-powered water-flosser like I had at home helped to clear everything out. This is the reason I think you could maybe take care of things on your own at home using these products! If you’re diligent and point that flosser with the narrowest attachment and at the highest power, underneath your gums with GSE, you may be able to destroy the bacteria that is causing your gum disease!!!!
I also brush(ed) twice daily with the electric toothbrush. The electric toothbrush stimulates the gums in a way that a manual, hand-held toothbrush never could.
I have since taken an extra step since this treatment and switched from toothpaste, which has ingredients you can’t even pronounce, let alone understand, to tooth powder!
Before you balk at it, think about it. Tooth powder lasts so much longer than toothpaste and has a handful of ingredients you not only can pronounce but can understand! You simply dip your wet toothbrush into the container of dry powder and brush. You still get a fresh-breath feeling and you can be assured that the ingredients in the tooth powder are not setting you back in any way.
If you’re struggling with gum disease, you need to be aware of everything from your toothpaste/powder ingredients to your diet because we all know by now that bacteria feeds on sugar. Keep it pure. Keep it clean. You’ll see results!
After a couple of months on GSE, I switched between clove, copaiba and thieves oils. I still switch between these three oils. I use only Young Living because they are the oils we have decided are most pure, based on extensive research. You can sign up with Young Living to obtain these oil using my Subscriber and Enroller ID 1414775. Contact me if you have ANY questions!
