How To Avoid a Dental Disaster

 *Revised and Expanded Edition 2013 from Matt's personal blog*

I was once a dental train wreck. Then I got smart.

About 10 years ago I was walking down the street in Tijuana on pain killers with my Mexican American friend and translator, Ivan Vejar. I had just had a Mexican tooth extraction of my rear left top molar. The plan was to get the tooth extracted and walk a mile or two over to Tijuana's "Casa de Mole" for a solid meal. I was spitting huge globs of blood on the ground and the whole left side of my mouth was stuffed with cotton. Walking seemed to make me bleed more so we caught a cab. At the Casa de Mole I realized I could not eat in this condition, so I ordered a small bowl of Mole sauce and slurped it down the right side of my mouth. This was all courtesy of a lazy, uneducated dentist I had gone to 4 years earlier in my home town. He was bored, depressed, and lamented the fact that he had not had a vacation in a while. He gave me an amalgam filling for a minor cavity that was so half ass, it ended up getting infected under the filling and needing a root canal a couple years later. The root canal then went bad after another couple years and I found my way to Mexico on account of the low prices and quite a few good holistic dentists. Around that time, I realized I never wanted to have another cavity or tooth problem. I had done it the conventional American way and it had failed. I started to do some research and learned the following. Dental amalgam contains mercury. The American Dental Association states on their website: "The ADA recognizes dental amalgam (silver-colored filling) as a safe and effective restorative material and will oppose efforts to ban or otherwise restrict its use." On the same website they state that this wonderful safe restorative material cannot be put in the drain as it will contaminate the environment and the city water treatment facilities. I'm guessing that means our bodies are impervious to its adverse effects? Regardless of this safety claim, I opted to start removing this toxic metal from my mouth. I did several more trips to Mexico, and cleared the left side replacing them with composite fillings, largely recognized to be the safest and most similar to ones own teeth. The sad reality about amalgams, they will eventually go bad, and either crack your teeth, or rot your teeth, and you will need a root canal or extraction. Repeat business anyone?

After Mexico, I banned all dentists for 8 years and researched holistic and natural approaches to dental health. I figured my teeth were already falling out of my head and it could not get any worse. I then started a tooth protocol that was the opposite of what the mainstream was telling us to do. At my first dental check up in 8 years my teeth were flawless, my gums were strong and healthy, and the dentist said she has almost never seen someone with such an absence of gum pockets. All ones and a couple twos. I was ecstatic. My 8 year experiment on myself had worked. They said it looked like I had been getting regular cleanings. Are you wondering how to get low cost health care and better dental health? Here is how to stick it to the man. The following is my personal dental health protocol.

Toothpaste

Yogi Tooth Serum

Read the back of your corporate toothpaste. It roughly states, "If you take more of this than you need to brush, call the poison control center immediately." This is a huge problem for me. This is because of fluoride. There are some grand conspiracy theories about why fluoride in our water supplies and toothpaste, but I will not get into those. Suffice to say, it's poison and it's in most of America's city tap water and toothpaste. So fluoride is supposed to harden your teeth, but at what cost? Fluoride has been linked to all kinds of diseases, and it is poisonous to human beings, look it up. The other problem with your toothpaste, is glycerin. It usually comes from vegetables and is used to coat your teeth and give them a glossy feeling. The problem with this is, your teeth are living things. They have the capability to absorb minerals and to rebuild enamel. The glycerin coating prevents your teeth from absorbing minerals from food for hours after you brush. It also can trap plaque and create tartar buildup by helping to adhere bacteria to your teeth. What I look for in a toothpaste is: 1. No Poison 2. No glycerin 3. Full of organic goodness. This is hard to come by. There are a few brands at your local health food stores that will work. We personally use and recommend: Neem Enamelizer and Yogi Tooth Serum, both available at City & Sea.  Both are packed with organic essential oils that kill the bad bacteria, they make your mouth alkaline, and your teeth and gums feel like a million bucks. A Neem twig has been used by native cultures throughout history as a natural antibacterial toothbrush. We give you the oil so you don't need to chew a stick. With a good diet and no bacteria, you eliminate the root cause of tooth decay. 

My wife, Judita, stocking up on juice supplies.

Food
The food you eat has everything to do with your health and the health of the planet. You need to eat greens everyday. Not iceberg lettuce, but proper greens: kale, spinach, romaine, anything green and leafy. These are the basic building blocks of life. Chlorophyll is only one atom different from our own blood. Greens are also mineral rich, which help to mineralize our teeth. Get on board with green juice. Treat yourself to a green juice a couple times a week and swish it around your teeth. Now that they are not covered in glycerin, your body's natural re-mineralization process can begin. If you eat acidic things like pineapple or lemon, be sure and rinse well afterward. Acidic foods will break down your enamel and eventually create weak points for bacteria to cause cavities. I love a good pineapple based smoothie but I always rinse well or brush with my tooth serums afterward. You want your mouth and body to be alkaline, and you do this by eating and juicing greens and staying away from things that make your body acidic. Junk food, sugar, coffee, meat, refined grains, etc...

Life changer

Brushing
My life changed when I got an ionic toothbrush (also available at City and Sea). I challenge anyone to find a cleaner feeling than brushing with our Neem Enamelizer and the ionic toothbrush. Your teeth will literally feel cleaner than when you get a cleaning at the dentist. It will blow your face off. I can't say enough about this. If you want to save you and your children a lifetime of money and pain, use these products.

Flossing
I floss every day, but if I'm burned out at night, more like every couple of days. I put a drop of the tooth serum on the floss and then I get it between my teeth. You want that in there killing bacteria. I brush every night, sometimes in the morning. For the last 6 years I have done this combined with the toothpaste and food I have already mentioned. I also have a tongue scraper that I use once a week. I've heard it's good for you, it does not take long, and makes me feel superior to my friends. I kid, I kid.

Xylitol

Chew the bad bacteria
 away!

Also known as birch sugar, xylitol is a low glycemic sweetener that comes from birch trees and corn. It has an amazing ability to eliminate bacteria in the mouth that causes tooth decay. Chewing xylitol gum in between meals is a great way to keep those chompers cavity free. Oh, and since most corn is GMO, I only use xylitol made from trees. I found a brand of gum that is the cleanest around and made in the USA and is available at City & Sea.

Dentists
I now go to the dentist once every 3 years just for a check up. I find a good dentist who understands that mercury is toxic.  I pay in cash because people are willing to give me a discount, whether it is Mexico or America.  I suggest doing an internet search for "holistic" or "amalgam free" dentists in your area if you want to find someone good.

Here are two reputable dentists in Tijuana that treat patients from all over the world.

Dr. Benjamin Arechiga, DDS (top notch oral surgeon and general dentistry)
www.bajadentistry.com

This place is coming highly recommended these days.
http://www.americanbiodental.com/

Thoughts On Oral Surgery
The dental industry largely thinks everyone needs their wisdom teeth out. I was told this 18 years ago and it's one of the reasons I stopped going to the dentist. I could not afford to get them out and it was better to ignore the problem. Years later, when I went to the Mexican dentist, they told me everything was fine. They did not need to come out. This was confirmed by my current dentist here in Long Beach. In short I think it's a scam. Think about every ancient skull you've seen. Full head of teeth, wisdom teeth in tact. They were chewing on neem sticks, eating more natural foods, and largely keeping their teeth. Life expectancy was also lower so you did not have the time to get bad teeth, and more people did die from tooth related problems. I'm not saying that wisdom teeth never need to come out, but largely it is not the case. I'm glad I kept mine. I am that much richer and my wisdom tooth has dropped down into the place my molar used to be. They hold your teeth in place, and help to keep your jaws bone structure. My advice, find a good reputable honest minimally invasive dentist and find out if they really need to be removed. Always get a second opinion.

Step By Step
1. Enter the bathroom or suitable tooth care environment.
2. Grab your Neem Enamelizer, and put a drop on your ionic toothbrush or inferior toothbrush that you should replace.
3. Brush lightly for an extended period, make sure you get that enamelizer in the grooves, along the gum line, all over.
4. Marvel for a moment and how insanely clean your mouth feels.
5. If you have a lot of tooth decay problems, repeat with Tooth Serum, I also recommend switching back and forth between both of these.  They last for months this way.
6. Place a drop of Tooth Serum on dental floss by tipping the bottle and running the floss along the drop that will form and then floss with that, getting all those germ killing essential oils between the teeth and deep into the gums.  The gums are connected to your blood stream so why not give yourself a little infusion of goodness!
7. Enjoy your insanely clean teeth. It's crazy how good your teeth feel after this process, and as the years go by and you have no more tooth decay, you will be grateful to not deal with dental bills and drills.


Click here to check out the products I use and recommend on our City and Sea store.  

*Disclaimer: Matt is a freelance photographer and music producer and is not a dentist nor should he be mistaken for a dentist or health guru. The information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any health condition. *