Dental Health… what does it mean?
You have been taught that dental health has to do only with your teeth. You have been taught to see health in your mouth as separate from your general health. You have been taught that dental health is achieved by the use of a tooth brush (and regular check-ups) to the extent that parents see it as a sacred duty to get on to their children incessantly to brush their teeth. This has become the bedtime norm in most homes. Yet is it the "great fake". You have been, albeit unwittingly, induced to invest your power in a product and in what others can do for you while giving up your own personal power. This is the situation that I seek to rectify. I would return the power where it belongs – I would return the power to you.
Your dental health has very little to do with your teeth?
This sounds like a ridiculous statement, but wait a little and consider this. What if I told you that the state of repair of your car has nothing to do with the car? You will not argue here seeing that the car cannot fix or clean itself. So, the state of repair of your car depends on what you, the owner, do with it. In the same way, leaving genetic defects aside, the state of repair of your mouth has to do with the owner's use or otherwise of it. Now the notion can make sense.
Your dental health has little to do with your teeth.
Let's keep the car analogy going a while longer. If I told you that cleaning your car is all you need to do to keep it in good repair, you would be quick to point out that cleaning will not service the engine, change the sparkplugs or change the oil for you. No more will it prevent the damage of reckless or careless driving. Cleaning is relatively important for its own sake but it cannot and could never be expected to maintain the vehicle of itself.
The toothbrush is your humble servant.
Why should you then believe that using a toothbrush alone will maintain the health of your mouth? Yet so many people do believe this and the notion is rarely if ever challenged in health awareness campaigns. You are given the impression that if you brush your teeth and visit your dentist regularly you can expect that you will never suffer any disease in the mouth. This is simply not true! Attending a dentist or doctor regularly may help you to spot signs of disease earlier but it will not prevent you from contracting disease. Yet the notion persists. So many people still say in all sincerity to me "I just can't understand how I could have a cavity. I had a check-up 6 months ago." Another common one is "I can't possibly have a cavity; I brush my teeth four or five times daily". These people in all genuineness have placed their faith in brushing (and check-ups) as the answer to all dental ills. And they are often distressed and bewildered to find that their faith was misplaced. Is it any wonder they end up blaming their dentist for their woes? Imagine the sheer frustration of finding yourself in trouble despite your firm belief that you are "doing everything right".
The Mouth is the Mirror of your Body… your Body the Mirror of your Mind
This seems a very large statement indeed, yet within these few words is your power returned to you. As you begin to see in this new light and begin to understand the very nature of disease, you reclaim your power and make new choices that will serve you better by allowing you to prevent disease not only in the mouth but in your body as well.
It is with this goal in mind that I wrote the book "Something to Chew On: A Mouth Map to Health". In this unique book, I take you on to a very simple and jargon-free journey. I begin by bringing some light to the darkness of the unconscious mind and from there follow a clear path to the mouth and the manifestations of dental disease. With each step, the light gets brighter and soon we see the whole body and its health issues simply as reflections of those we have seen in the mouth. In this way, general health and dental health are established as one and the same thing. This is the true spirit of wholism.
The Gentle Light of Understanding
In the gentle light of understanding, we recognize, probably for the first time, established childhood patterns of fear-based belief (mind) as the primary source of our discontent and disease. These notions and beliefs give rise to the emotional stress of our lives. This stress is then shown to be the supporting matrix of our negative habits and behaviors. While our current methods for dealing with problem habits and behaviors are seen clearly for the abject failures that they are (and must continue to be) our new found wisdom and understanding allows us to create a clear map to excellent health of mind and body.
Dr. Philip Christie qualified as a Dental Surgeon at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland in 1980 and completed a Master's Program in Dental Science, again at Trinity College Dublin, by research in 1995. He has been working full time in dental care either in general practice or specialist practice since his qualification. Dr. Christie's main interest is and always has been prevention. He is the author of Something To Chew On: A Mouth Map To Health. You may contact Dr. Christie at philip.christie3@ntlworld.ie
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