The View from the Dentist's Chair!
A few days ago, I had my best dental checkup ever! I received my first compliment, “Great gums.” Now, that may not sound like news to some of you, but if you’ve ever struggled with dental plaque … and the resulting cavities, you’ll understand.
Going to the dentist has been traumatic for me for as long as I can remember. No matter what I’ve tried to reduce the plaque – different toothpastes and brushes, rinses, even special probiotics designed for oral health - they just weren’t enough. Besides, our household has been sugar-free (we use stevia exclusively) for more than 10 years. It just didn’t make sense to me until I was sitting in the dentist’s chair.
About a year ago, my functional bloodwork suggested I had evidence of a chronic viral infection. For the life of me, I couldn’t place it. Like most people who feel fine, I eventually forgot about it.
But over the winter, I developed a sore throat with a raspy voice and wicked dry, hacking cough. I sounded dreadful, and no one wanted to be near me. Drawing on my herbal studies, I figured I should add tinctures of Echinacea (immune booster) and Isatis (antibacterial/viral) to my usual supplements.
They worked well, but something still seemed to be missing. Then it dawned on me. Could it be a layer of germy biofilm left over from my tonsillitis and tonsillectomy as a young kid? Hmmm … after all, my sore throat felt like I remembered it as a child.
Even though my sore throat and cough had pretty much cleared up with the tinctures, I still felt kind of blah. I had assumed my infection was bacterial, but what if it was viral instead? I did have a really bad case of the chickenpox around age 5 and my tonsils out at 6. That’s a virus.
As fate would have it, I had a string of clients who were coming to me for help with a history of known chronic viral infections. With these remedies top of mind, I decided to add them in to my usual supplements to see if they would help:
- Monolaurine
- L-lysine
- Pancreatic enzymes
- Probiotic rich greens powder
- Curcumin standardized extract
- Alternating teas of Lemon Balm and Cold Care to round things out
Low and behold, that was it! The anti-viral supplements were what I needed. After a week or so, I noticed I slept better, my menopausal symptoms were reduced, and my teeth and gums were looking better because of the noticeable reduction in plaque formation. Even my really faint occasional ringing in my right ear and occasional tightness on my scalp was improving.
More importantly, my lifetime of dental woes was clearing up! Turns out my pesky dental plaque was really about a chronic viral load that I’ve been carrying around most of my life, not bacteria like most medical and dental professionals assume.
Little did I expect how much my dental health has been influenced by my overall wellness … and a childhood disease!
Leave me a comment about your view from the dentist’s chair (either good or bad)!
Oh, and for the record, Dr. Dave is the best dentist that I've ever seen in my life!