How a simple 45-year-old technique could restore your gum health…and slash your family’s dental bills…..forever.
FACT: No-one likes going to the dentist (not even the dentist!)
Imagine you’re in a reclining chair with dental equipment around you and that familiar smell of antiseptic. Your fingers lightly grip the arm rests as you try to hide your tension. A buzzing drill is heading towards your open mouth. It’s usually at this point that you make a promise to yourself: if the procedure is pain-free, you’ll definitely take better care of your teeth and gums, starting tomorrow.
Keeping your teeth clean and your gums healthy is a daily necessity. Brush effectively and you’ll minimise the likelihood of decay; brush incorrectly and you’re a candidate for oral surgery. The chances are that over the years you’ve been subjected to the dentist’s drill or even gum surgery and it isn’t anything to look forward to. After each procedure your dentist probably told you to brush and floss more often, yet the next time you booked an appointment, the problem was still there; nothing had improved. There’s a reason for this…..
No matter how well you think you’ve brushed and flossed, your mouth will remain dirty. This is because you only brushed your teeth – JUST THE ENAMEL. Your teeth, the enamel, comprise only 10% of your mouth!
Were you ever taught to clean the gums, the cheeks, the roof and floor of the mouth as well as the surface of the tongue? The development of harmful plaque originates from the build-up of toxic bacteria here. Just imagine what you’d smell like if you washed only 10% of your face in the morning or 10% of your body in the shower?
Dentistry Explained
I used to think that if I brushed my teeth a couple of times a day vigorously, flossed occasionally and ate a few apples each week my dental health would be fine.
So why was I subjected to the dentist’s drill so many times over the years? That question was answered for me in 2001 by Dr. Joseph Phillips (1922- 2003).
Dr Phillips used to take the time to explain to his patients that modern dentistry had lost its way and was more about repairing conditions than preventing them.
Few modern dentists can make a living showing people how to stop tooth decay and prevent gum disease from happening in the first place.
Although there are some exceptionally good dentists around the world, most dentists are not there to prevent these conditions from developing. The dentist makes a livelihood by filling the decayed tooth, not showing you how to prevent the decay from happening in the first place.
If you don’t brush and floss properly you won’t remove plaque. Instead you may just push it to a different part of the mouth, or even into the gumline.
Then Dr. Phillips told me the single most important factor in dental health:
ELIMINATE THE PLAQUE
Plaque is the sticky, white substance that forms on teeth, between them and in the area between the teeth and gums, called the sulcus. Harmful toxins released by the bad bacteria in plaque are triggering the plaque to flourish. This is the principle cause of dental disease and contributes to the body’s acid state. Think about that for a moment as well as the consequences – this ‘toxic’ plaque causes cardiovascular conditions, diabetes and cancer (see WDDTY July 2012).
There is hope!
An almost forgotten technique that does remove plaque effectively was developed by Dr. Phillips himself in the late 1960’s.
It’s called ‘The Blotting Technique and works in conjunction with Blotting Brushes.
After his death the research he’d carried out for years was largely destroyed in a home fire but thankfully the brushes and his technique are still available today.
The procedure is simple to carry out and for many has proved to be the key to good oral health for a lifetime.
You decide whether or not this is for you…
A note from Linda Anousta:
I had a session with my dental hygienist in 2012. My gums hurt so badly after this appointment I was on painkillers for 5 days. I do NOT like taking painkillers!
I vowed not to return to the dental hygienist again. In May 2015 I was persuaded by my dentist to just have a routine session for the sake of my teeth and gums and just “pop along to see the dental hygienist”. I duly attended ( well, he is a good and very nice dentist so I did not wish to displease him!) so I went a long to see a different, gentler hygienist.
After the session she said to me ” I have nothing to report and no instructions to give you as your teeth look great and your gums are amazingly healthy”. I informed her I use the Blotting brush. She had never heard of it and was not that interested. Shame.