Another Personal Account of the State of Modern Medicine

About a year and a half ago I started experiencing a lot of pain and bleeding when eating, brushing, and flossing, particularly with the wisdom teeth in the top part of my mouth. I had also begun to notice an unpleasant, pungent bouquet emanating from the floss afterwards - not very appealing. Concerned, and not knowing anything at all about dental hygeine (apart from "Thou shalt brush and floss regularly,") I did what anyone would do - I made an appointment with my dentist. He confirmed that the gums around my upper wisdom teeth were quite inflamed, and recommended that I have them (the teeth, not the gums...) removed - a thought that was equally as unappealing as the odiferous nature of my mouth. He recommended a dental surgeon for the procedure, and I made an appointment for a preliminary evaluation a couple of days later. She also recommended that my wisdom teeth be pulled, and gave me some literature to review. I scheduled the surgery for the following week. Yes, the situation was that dire. I honestly would've set the appointment for the next day, if I could have. But I'm glad I didn't...

Being the inquisitive person that I am, I tried to find out as much information as I could about my condition, from both of my dentists, and the internet (in that order of preference...) As it turns out, I had apparently been brushing my teeth with a bit too much vigor, causing my gums to recede around my top wisdom teeth. With gum line recession, the gums' grip around my wisdom teeth loosened slightly, causing them to tilt backwards, away from the preceding molars, increasing the gap between those teeth (on either side of my mouth). With no resistance in those gaps, scraps of food would (and did) easily get packed between those teeth during every meal. (This was obvious to me while flossing, since I was pulling enough food out every night to feed a small family...) However, even with nightly brushing and flossing, there's simply no way to get 100% of the food particles removed from those widening gaps. And with food consistently residing between my teeth, my mouth became an optimal breeding ground for bacteria. Thus the inflammation, pain, and odor.

While stewing (pardon the pun) on my condition between the initial evaluation with my surgeon and the date of surgery, I had a thought: Since this was apparently a microbial problem, why shouldn't I take a round of specifically-targeted antibiotics to at least eliminate the microbes/inflammation/pain temporarily? And with the bacteria gone, could I not then try to repair my gum condition naturally prior to such a drastic measure as tooth extraction? I called my regular dentist with this proposal, and he agreed, prescribing a regimen of amoxycillin, which I was more than happy to wolf down (did I mention that I was in a lot of pain?). To give myself a little time for this experiment, I also postponed my surgery.

The amoxycillin worked like a charm, knocking out the microbes, though my gums were still recuperating and slightly inflamed. I started brushing my teeth with a bit less violence. I brushed, flossed and rinsed with an antibacterial mouthwash after every meal. Fast forward:

Last week I had my regular, semi-annual checkup with my usual dentist: clean bill of health, specifically noting my wisdom teeth! Three days later, while flossing, I noticed that it had become increasingly difficult to wedge the floss between my wisdom teeth and molars, on either side of my mouth. My wisdom teeth had tilted back towards their natural alignment - snuggling up close to the adjacent molars! Problem solved! It did take 1.5 years, but keeping my teeth was well worth the time and effort, and I think most of you would agree.

But I'm not writing this blog entry to tell of my trials and tribulations in dentistry (that post would be a novel). There is a bigger lesson to be learned, I believe. Thinking back on it, I find this experience to be a typical example of the current state of modern medicine. Got tooth pain? Easy! Just grab some pliers and yank 'em out! Now, far be it from me to criticize my dentist (whom I respect greatly - I've been with him for 2 decades). This is more a reflection on how our medical professionals are trained. We can't help what they're taught in school, which, in my totally unsupported estimation, is probably 40 to 50 years behind the times.

As such, the bottom line is that your own health is ultimately your own responsibility. With enough information and knowledge at your disposal, you CAN heal yourself by utilizing logic and common sense approaches. There ARE logical reasons behind your health issues. Your body DOES want to reach a state of healthy, natural equilibrium, and YOU can figure it out. You can also utilize typically modern approaches (like antibiotics, in my case) to supplement or kick-start a more natural health strategy. (We're certainly NOT anti-modern medicine. Prescriptions DO have their place. We just don't believe they should always be the primary course of action.) If you don't feel that you have the time, knowledge or confidence to begin your life of natural health, you can always find people (like us :-) to help you.

Best of luck and best of health, naturally!

Bret McClellan

Certified Primal Health Coach #239

McClellan Natural Health, Wellness & Nutrition

#health #ancestralhealth #healthtips #natural #naturalhealth #bacteria #antibiotics