Is greater oral health possible in 20 minutes?
Yes and no.
You see, while you can’t undo any ill health in the mouth in 20 minutes, you can accomplish the first (and most important) step in 20 minutes!
In this first step toward greater oral and whole being health, we have to start at the beginning.
Here is the bottom line.
If we don’t know where we are, how can we expect to get somewhere else?
Stated another way, if we don’t know our current location, how can we begin to chart a course to a new (more positive) destination (with our oral health)?
Bottom line, we have to know the current state of health of our gums and teeth before we can begin any course correction to create positive change.
Most of us trust the dentist to care for our dental health, however, there’s only one person that can really care for our dental health.
You guessed it… Ourselves!
It’s true, a well trained, aware dentist can be a tremendous expert resource to support us in our own oral health. However, each of us is responsible for creating whatever health we desire.Â
The person looking back at you in the mirror when you brush your teeth is the MVP (most valuable person) on your journey to optimal oral health.
Here’s the most important action you can take to improve your oral health
Step one to creating greater oral health is to have an accurate understanding of where we currently are.
After all, without knowing our current location, how can we judge whether we are making gains on our health or losing ground?
So, how do we accurately assess where our oral health really is?
Surely a recent dental chart from your dentist would provide you with much of the necessary information to accurately track the progress of an oral hygiene protocol.
However, we have found that filling out a map on your own mouth provides the individual with a tremendous amount of information that empowers each of us to be able to create greater oral health in our own mouth.Â
There’s a vast difference between believing what a professional tells you and knowing what you know from having seen it with your own eyes.
In the oral health world, there’s simply no better way to accomplish this than looking in your own mouth…
If you want to make massive positive change in your oral health, take 20 minutes and get to know your mouth.
Getting to know your mouth…
Here is the OraWellness Mouth Map. It is designed similarly to a dental chart.
You can download the OraWellness Mouth Map PDF at our Free Downloads page.
Benefit #1… Knowing what areas in your mouth need your focused, loving care.
Here’s why… You’ll see with your own eyes the state of health of your gum tissue around each of your teeth.
- You’ll notice if a certain area is red and swollen.
- You’ll take note if it bleeds when you floss between certain teeth.
- You’ll finally see the exact state of health in your own mouth.
With that ‘current location’ known, you can bring more attention and mindful care to those areas that are in distress.
Obviously, knowing where in your mouth to put your caring attention will go a LONG way toward creating positive change.
But there’s another powerful benefit of getting to know your mouth.
Benefit #2… Having a dated record of your findings
By having a date on your Mouth Map, you can, for example, decide that you’re going to practice oil pulling everyday for a month to see if it will help you navigate to greater oral health.
Sure, we all believe that oil pulling daily (for example) will help.Â
But unless you have a dated record of what’s going on in your mouth AND look again after that 30 days of oil pulling, your belief will stay a belief and you won’t know.Â
However, by doing a ‘before and after’ Mouth Map, you will know that you created positive change in your oral health.Â
You’ll see it with your own eyes.Â
That, friend, is dental self empowerment.Â
Seeing with your own eyes that you created change with your efforts empowers us in a very big way.
How to get to know your mouth…
We are going to take two passes through the mouth looking for signs of redness, swelling, spots that bleed when (gently) flossed or brushed, any tooth sensitivity, spots where the gums are receding, etc.
The first pass we will go tooth by tooth with our finger, toothbrush or gum stimulator. We are looking to gently rub the tooth and gum surfaces while looking for any signs above. Remember to explore both the outside and inside surfaces of each tooth!
The second pass, we are going to do the same exploration, only this time with floss to ‘look’ what’s going on between the teeth.
Step one: Download the Mouth Map and print it out.
Step two: Gather together the following: toothbrush, floss, mirror, gum stimulator (if you have one), pen, and OraWellness Mouth Map.
Step three: Start by marking today’s date in the bottom right corner. Also X out any teeth on the Mouth Map that are no longer in your mouth. (Note: teeth numbers 1, 16, 17, and 32 are wisdom teeth. If you had your wisdom teeth removed, X them out.)
Step four: Using a toothbrush, finger, or gum stimulator, go tooth by tooth looking for redness, swelling, bleeding when probed, gum recession, or tooth sensitivity when touched. Mark it in the appropriate spot on the Mouth Map using some type of notation (the Mouth Map gives examples).
Step five: Floss consciously. What we mean is floss and after flossing each contact, check for the following: blood on the floss, discoloration on the floss, foul smell on the floss. If any of these are present, mark it on the Mouth Map. (Note: be sure to use a fresh segment of floss for each contact so you can really see/smell anything going on at each contact.)
Congratulations! You have a first massive step toward optimal oral health!
You now have a record of what’s going on in your mouth today!
This record helps in two main ways.
- You now know which spots in your mouth need more care and attention.
- Over the course of the coming weeks and months, you will be able to see for yourself whether or not your oral health protocol is helping.
There’s nothing quite as empowering as seeing for yourself how a spot that used to bleed when flossing no longer does. That’s taking control of your oral health! Welcome to dental self empowerment.
If you really, really want to navigate to greater oral health, this truly is the most important step. And when you fill out your Mouth Map, circle back here and post a comment sharing what you learned!
When you’re ready to take your oral health self empowerment to the next level, feel free to download our FREE resource guide, “How to Remineralize Your Teeth”.
I have receding gums and my bottom front teeth are Crowded and one of the tooth on the side is long looking and the gums are sore and little red. I don’t have deep pockets. Two of bottom teeth do feel Tight every time I go too the dentist every three months I tell them about and the doctor comes in to examine my teeth and always says it look good but they feel good.
Aloha Angela,
Thank you for your comment!
In case it’s helpful, feel free to check out these resources:
How to Straighten Teeth Without Braces
What Causes Receding Gums and How to Stop it
How to Stop Receding Gums
What Your Receding Gums Could Be Telling You…
I hope that helps!
Aloha!
How often do you recommend filling out the map?
Aloha Gerry,
We recommend filling out a new Mouth Map every 3 to 6 months. By doing so, one can track the changes and improvements in their oral health over time that result from diligently taking care of one’s oral health each day.
Aloha! 🙂
This is a good exercise. On the back of my map I wrote 7 points of WHY I want to improve my oral health. So if I can look back and see the turning point and keep something in writing to keep me motivated to do the work needed.
thanks, I appreciate. When trying to open your link about the Mouth Map, Firefox recommends not to open it, giving warnings, did you know it?
Aloha Cinzia,
Thank you for letting us know! Thanks to you, our team investigated and resolved this issue today.
Aloha! 🙂
Hello,
I’ve recently purchased a few products to try and am really looking forward to them. I just have a question regarding my daughter’s teeth. She has enamel hypoplasia on all 4 of her 6 year molars. One was really bad and started to crumble so she was forced to have it pulled which was a very traumatizing experience for both of us. The dentist also recommends that she has the others out as well. From your point of view, is there anything that we can do to help this condition? She’s only 8.
Thank you!
Jen
I should also mention that she currently takes high vitamin butter oil daily along with cod liver oil 🙂
Aloha Jen,
Thanks for stopping by.
We’re sorry to hear about your daughter’s traumatizing experience!
We invite you to download our free ebook, How to Stop Tooth Decay and Remineralize Your Teeth. It contains a bunch of ‘in the mouth’ AND ‘whole body’ tips that can help your daughter support her teeth.
Also, in situations like this where we feel uncertain, it can be helpful to get a second (and sometimes even a third) professional opinion from different dentists to see what they think and what different options they might be able to offer. Here’s an article that can help you find a good dentist: Helpful resources to find a qualified dentist to assist you
Thanks again for reaching out! 🙂
I just wanted to clarify something. I realize that browsers have been known to claim a webpage is a security risk and to “go back.” Not surprisingly, that happened when I clicked on the “Getting to know your mouth” photo to enlarge it. The url had cdn before the orawellness words. I suspect this is a way to keep people from viewing the page but wanted to mention this 1) to let others know this is happening; 2) to let OW know so that you can let me and other readers know that this is a false alarm. Thanks very much for your efforts and hard work. It’s greatly appreciated. Look forward to hearing back. Here’s the url that Firefox is claiming to be a security risk: https://cdn.orawellness.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/OraWellness-Mouth-Map-PDF.pdf
Just wondering if anyone has had any positive results with Lichen Planus or Sjorgen’s (two autoimmune ailments) using the products in the starter kit? Been suffering since I took statins. (Stopped many years ago) The increase in saliva should be beneficial. As many point out here, it’s probably an internal problem, too.
Thank you.
Thanks for the great products, Will and Susan!
My dentist says I have bone loss/receding gums. I wonder if bone gain is possible, once lost?
I also have gingivitis and need frequent teeth cleaning
Can you recommend anything for these two problems ?
Hi Tanya,
Thank you for reaching out and your supportive words.
I’m sorry to hear of your challenging dental appointment. There’s plenty we can do to stop gingivitis. It’s really rather easy as it’s the term associated with early gum disease. Plenty of ideas on our site here. The bone loss is another, deeper subject. Really it’s important to view this from both an ‘in the mouth’ approach as well as a ‘whole system’ nutritional support angle.
I encourage you to look into our HealThy Mouth System, which is specifically focused to help people willing to put in a little work with the tools and education to effectively stop even advanced gum disease in their system.
I hope this helps!!
Aloha Anya,
Thank you for reaching out to us.
We will reach out to you via email. Please check your email this coming week for a personal message from us.
Thank you and Aloha!
Another stoke of genius, Will and Susan.
Certainly, having quality periodic reports from my local dental assistants’ examinations and probes has been of enormous value to me personally. I know without question that what you advocate here works. However, I am confident that you are right when you say, “There’s a vast difference between believing what a professional tells you and knowing what you know from your own experience.”
QUESTION: Why have you chosen the mouth numbering system 1-32?
All of the dental offices I have obtained reports from use a clock-wise quadrant system to number the teeth: 11-18, 21-28, 31-38, 41-48
Quadrant 1 – Right Uppers (front to back) are 11, 12, …18. (11 represents Q-1, front tooth #1. 18 represents the right top wisdom tooth.)
Quadrant 2 – Left Uppers are 21, 22, …28.
Quadrant 3 – Left lowers are 31, 32, …38
Quadrant 4 – Right Lowers are 41, 42, …48
Of course, that’s counter-clockwise from our own perspective, whether we are looking in the mirror or just thinking about our mouths. Until I put myself in the dentist’s shoes, I couldn’t understand it. Is there more to it than that?
Think One-one rather than eleven.
Four-eight rather than forty-eight.
Big hugs!! Loving your products!!
I was in a bad accident 4 1/2 years ago at work. My forehead was crushed in, nose broke and I have nerve damage in my mouth. My front teeth top and bottom hurt. The Insurance company sent me to a dentist. They told me that one tooth is dead and they wanted to do a root canal. I refused. I’m in to alternatives. And I can’t seem to find an alternative dentist in my area.
The tooth that is dead has turned color slightly and is the only one in front that doesn’t hurt. What can I expect with this tooth. Will it weaken and crack?
I just ordered your tooth brush and oil and waiting for it to arrive.
I was sent to an Acupuncture Dr. And He put me on an herbal tablets called Jiu Jie Cha. Which helped the pain. And recently I started taking Alpha Lipoic Acid 600mg and that helped even more. Any other suggestions?
Also the dentist said that all my teeth could die.
Respectfully Lisa
Aloha Lisa,
Thank you for stopping by to share your story with us. I’m sorry to hear about your situation. Sometimes there isn’t a ‘great option’ to choose from.
In the spirit to really provide you everything we know regarding this, I’m going to just throw out several ideas for you…
1. A dead tooth is dead. It’s essentially a root canal without all the drilling, etc. So, it’s worth keeping an eye on to see how you feel with that tooth in place. The silver lining here is that you are talking about front teeth. So, while cosmetically front teeth may seem like a real bummer to have damaged, they are much easier to replace with a composite bridge compared to molars.
2. While it may sound pretty ‘out there’, if I were in your shoes, I would be gently and regularly massaging my teeth, gum tissue and head region with loving touch. While giving loving touch, I would be talking to my teeth telling them, “I want you healthy and firm here to help me continue to live my life”. This is more of a prayer/statement of what you want than anything else.
3. Nutritionally I’m sure there is much you could do to support your system. While we’ve been on this path for decades, there are better people out there who can help you craft a supplement program to optimize your recovery. Supporting nerve tissue seems very appropriate given the head trauma.
I hope this helps Lisa. Thanks for asking for our input.
Will suggested, “gently and regularly massaging my teeth, gum tissue and head region with loving touch. While giving loving touch, I would be talking to my teeth telling them, “I want you healthy and firm here to help me continue to live my life”. This is more of a prayer/statement of what you want than anything else.”
When I was teaching and scanning the research several years ago, the effects of prayers had been subjected to controlled, blinded studies dozens of times and found successful. The scientists called it “healing intention.” More recently it seems to have morphed somewhat, into DHI (Distant Healing Intention). It is now “more common than any other healing practices outside of conventional medicine” in the UK and United States. (Glob Adv Health Med. 2015 Nov; 4)
Hi Will and Susan . . .
Thank you VERY much for all the research you have done, and for your generous sharing of your knowledge with us!!!
I have been perusing your site for awhile and have ordered some of your products (which are great) . . .
Today I happened to read this article about the first step in dental wellness…. and it makes so much sense….
Rather than just making a few changes and hoping for the best…. I am going to download your chart today and begin to understand my mouth/teeth/gums in a conscious and organized way. I am inspired to take better care and have a better understanding of what is really going on in there!!!! AND thank you for providing the map to begin this journey!!!
I also appreciate how clear and easy to understand all your articles are . . . and I am grateful for all the time and energy you have put into helping us (me) have the healthiest mouth possible!!!! Your dedication and genuine desire to help is absolutely OUTSTANDING!!!!!
With much love and respect . . . Namaste’ . . . Irene
Aloha Irene,
Ah thanks! We so appreciate it when kind people like you stop by to thank us.
We really do work to provide helpful, insightful strategies and information. To hear from you really makes it all worthwhile.
Thank you SO much Irene. Really, getting love letters like yours feels so great!
Aloha!
Hi!
This is different. Instead of the upsell I get the upadvice. Now see, this proves to me that I did the right thing coming to you instead of doing some other lesser version on Amazon! Wow! Super thanks for your great work!
Your fan in Alabam
Norm
Hehe Norm,
Thank you for the kind words here. It lets us know that our effort to bring back ‘old style’ business of really focusing on helping our community is working.
We look forward to hearing how you benefit from using our products Norm. As always, feel free to holler with any questions, we’re here to help. 🙂
I noticed a difference almost immediately. My sensitivity to cold in one tooth vanished the first day! I know my mouth is much healthier. Thank you!
Thanks for letting us know Maria! We are so glad you found benefit from the info we share! That’s exactly why we do what we do, to help people like you who stop by looking for answers!
Aloha
I THANK GOD FOR YOU GUYS, THE PRODUCT IS AMAZING!
Thanks so much for stopping by to share your kind words Rosa!
I purchased some healthy mouth blend for my wife who has peridontal gum disease and it has done wonders for her. Thank you so much Will and Susan. Mike
Thanks so much for sharing your unsolicited testimonial here Mike! We feel so blessed to help folks like your wife navigate the path to greater oral health!
Dear Friends, I am so grateful to find your website and have ordered some of your products to start my healing. Could you tell me if it is possible for bone around the teeth to grow again . . . My dentist says no but I feel anything is possible . . . Your thoughts appreciated.
Jinny
Aloha Jinny,
Thank you for your kind words of support.
I presume by ‘bone around the teeth’ you are referring to the jaw bone that the teeth nest in. Is that correct?
If so, there is plenty we can do to make the jaw bone stronger and remineralize it. Mostly via diet, the rub really is the fact that the body robs the jaw bone of bone mass when the body needs bone material to help support other areas more. Unfortunately, the game isn’t to just take more calcium supplements as most calcium supplementation really isn’t very bio-available.
I encourage you to google vitamin K2 and jaw bone density and see what you find. Generally speaking, we are miserably low in vitamin K2.
To learn more about this, we strongly encourage you to sign up to receive our free video tutorial course titled, ‘the 5 steps to a healthy mouth’.
We hope this helps you along your path to greater oral health!
Aloha!
I’m so glad to hear you touch on diet! I have been following a paleo/primal diet (before it was a fad!) for several years now due to food allergies. While I have noticed quite a bit health improvements, I’m recently having lots of issues with my oral health (receding gums, sensitivity, etc) and am wondering if I’m not missing something in my diet. It’s very difficult to trust just who has the best supplements available these days and I try my best to rely on the foods I eat. Could you give us some supplement recommendations?
Aloha Amy,
Thank you for reaching out to us. We are honored to be part of your path to optimal oral health.
Yeah, if you are having sensitivity, something is up most likely. Please check out our free video tutorial course titled, ‘the 5 steps to a health mouth’. If you don’t want to sit through the short videos but prefer to read, most of the material has been ‘translated’ into blog posts here. So if you search under diet, you’ll find quite a bit of reference there for you. You may also benefit from reading about the impact that acidic drinks can have on our teeth by checking out our article titled ‘how to drink kombucha and not destroy your teeth’.
We hope that helps!
Try cron-o-meter.com, then you can see where you might be lacking in a particular nutrient. I use this to see what food or supplements I need to take.
Thanks C!
I would like to have a reference map for each tooth and their connection to each part of my body. Because I am Diabetic, I really need to know whatever I can do to prevent/eliminate dental disease or issues.
Thanking you in advance for your help.
Aloha Greg,
Here’s a link to a meridian tooth chart on our site…
meridian tooth chart
We hope it helps.
Thank you! for your wonderful information. I hope that I will start creating better health. I have been using the oral blend for some time now and I realise that what you teach is true we have to be aware of how we brush at all times. I’m still struggling with this and I hope to achieve much more results but I’m going now to fill out the map. Thanks again will.
Aloha Jason,
Thank you for stopping by and for sharing your words of support to us. Truly, we wrote the article for you (as you have found benefit from reading it). Keep on with the process of becoming more conscious during your oral hygiene. We can change habits like this with a little consistent effort…
Aloha!
Thanks William for your continued support of educating the public about how their Oral hygiene is linked to our overall health! You have done a great job, and we are so thankful for your amazing product!
Rebecca Nenner, CHHC, AADP
Certified Holistic Health Coach
http://www.healthcoachdiva.com
Thanks for stopping by Rebecca! We so appreciate your supportive words, especially from someone as well studied as you!
Aloha!
I definitely need to take better care of my teeth! The mouth map is pretty cool..I just find I am too tired to brush properly before going to bed and do a quick job on them!
I had the same issue. Have you thought about brushing after dinner rather than waiting till bedtime? That is what I did. It is working out much better. But it wont work if you then eat something agsin later on. I guess the point is to try brushing after you eat your final and last thing for the day.
Make sure you do wait 30-40 minutes post dinner for the enamel to harden! Brushing too soon after can actually
Be damaging.
YES> I have a friend who started oil pulling with coconut oil and when her braces came off even the dentist commented on how white and non stained her teeth were. Cavities not there either!!!
Did you know that every tooth represents an organ in the body? I have fixed issues with the teeth for my kids by fixing the organ which is at a deeper level. Currently my son has a heavy metal in his stomach that is effecting the 4th tooth (counting back from the front) on both sides. That tooth relates to the bile duct and duodenum. Anything we see regarding are teeth or skin is always something going on inside our bodies. Im glad there is information out there now regarding tooth health!! Thank you.
Katie
I’m curious to learn more about this! I began having head tremors shortly after having a tooth extracted a year ago. I was diagnosed with cervical dystonia, but was in perfect health before having the tooth extracted. My gut initially told me it had to do with the tooth.
Mahalo, thank you soooooo much for your awesome energy for advocating for oral health! I am in HNL and it has been recommended I have a tooth extracted (old gold crown, root canal). During the Summit I have sreceived so much information on taking care of my oral health. I am so grateful to you! I am in Hawaii for two more weeks and ready to receive the guidance (perhaps with a capital Creator) to have a biological dentist with OZONE support me in caring for that dis-eased, challenged stub of a tooth. I have located a biological dentist and oral surgeon in Santa Rosa, California and am interested in leaving the tooth (extraction) in Hawaii since I will not be leaving the islands until Feb. 8th. Intend to see that “cavity” with bone implant in place and healing while I am here. If you care to comment on a “resource” biological oral surgeon for my oral health that would be super.
wearing braces on your teeth is that healthy can they damage your teeth
It’s difficult to clean around braces. I ended up with cavities on the back side of the teeth that were difficult to reach.
Aloha Vicki,
I’m sorry to hear about your circumstances. This is a very common mishap of braces. They are just so darn difficult to clean around well. Incidentally, if you know of others with braces (or anyone reading this), we have heard wonderful feedback from customers who have braces about the effectiveness of our Bass brushes to clean around braces. Our brushes have much fewer bristle tufts which provides an easier ability to get around the appliances of braces.
I hope that helps! 🙂
QUESTION: Would not oil pulling be at least a partial solution to the problem of cleaning around braces?
Thank you so much for the very informative summit and your generous educational gift of the mouth road map. I look forward to more of what you have to teach us.
Jewel
As I did my first oil drilling of the day I read the…getting to know your mouth information. What an excellent idea! I will get that accomplished today also. I mostly want to say thank you for all your time and hard work in organizing and hosting the seven day program. What a wealth of information right at listener’s finger tips. I am now oil drilling, paying attention to what is happening inside my mouth and I have an appointment to see a dentist who practices Natural Dentistry to find out what can be done about all my root canals and crowns. Your program has helped me take the first steps toward better oral health!
Thank you for this summit. Much was learned and I will look forward to both learning more and passing the information along. Who Knew our mouths spoke in such a way to tell us about our health?
This is awesome! Thank you so much for providing this resource. I am going to do this right away.
hi could you send me a diagram of teeth in our mouth of parts of the body that their connected to.
Hi Lenore,
We have an interactive chart here: http://orawellness.com/free-resources/meridian-tooth-chart/