Couldn’t resist using this photo of Sally :)
In the summer of 2010, I went to the dentist and, as it turned out, I had a 7mm pocket in the gum next to one of my molars. Anyone that has had periodontal work done, knows what a pocket is and that you don’t want deep ones.
A 2-3mm pocket is normal and healthy. A 4-5mm pocket means you had better tend to this or else it will lead to surgery, and a 7mm pocket means definite surgery.
Here is a primer on periodontal disease.
I’d been down this route before
At age 30 I had periodontal gum surgery for deep pockets in 3 places in my mouth. My grandfather on my mothers side had dentures at an early age. My mother had the same surgery in 3/4′s of her mouth several years before. Was it hereditary or just learned bad dental hygiene? Probably both. I CAN tell you I never flossed and only brushed once a day.
I had the surgery
It was awful, and then I became a tooth and gum Nazi! I flossed, used a proxy brush, and brushed well daily from that point on.
But….at age 37
After a c-section and the recovery, it was BACK! I had to have the surgery AGAIN. Ugh! I was so mad, but what to do? I chalked it up to raging hormones and recovery with pain meds where I know there were days I didn’t brush my teeth at all.
Fast forward to age 49 back in 2010
Another dentist visit. They say “You have a 7mm pocket. You have bone loss and you will need surgery.” Damnit.
Since that c-section so many years ago, I had gone my typical rebel-girl self, wholeheartedly into the natural world of healing where at all possible, loathe to take an antibiotic or any prescription.
I was raised by an MD general surgeon, what an awesome man he was, and married a man whose mother was an OB-GYN.
Click here for my take on the Allopathic Medical World vs the Alternative Medicine World and how these 2 worlds collided.
Back to the dentist and his proclamation that I needed surgery
I thought…. I am getting a second opinion.
I knew about a holistic dentist 90 minutes away. He took a look and said, I think you can maintain this pocket and do ok if you will use a waterpik daily, floss and brush well. Ok, well that sounds good. Let’s try that out.
Thieves Essential Oil
I had just started using essential oils for various health reasons about 6 months earlier. Supposedly, this company, Young Living, had some very good dental products and oils, called Thieves, that others thought would be helpful. I needed something good, so I gave it a try.
So for the next 3 months, here is what I did:
I flossed once a day with the Thieves floss.
I used the proxy brush (as I had for years before.) This is taking flossing to the next level, pushing the brush between molars that have bigger spaces between them. I have 3-4 spaces where I use the proxy brush. Just a few swishes through each space with a little water on the brush. (These are not my teeth :)
Then I used the waterpik. I prefer the little massage tip that usually comes with the waterpik and would use that to get in close to the gum. I used it between all my teeth.
For the first half of those 3 months, I added a capful of this essential oil product to the water in the waterpik. The holistic dentist carried this in his office and recommended it. The oils in it are peppermint, thyme, cinnamon, eucalyptus globulus and lavender, plus it has some other carrier ingredients.
After I ran out, I put 3-4 drops of Thieves essential oil in the water. Since learning about the efficacy of these oils, I’m convinced using Thieves oil the entire time would have worked equally as well. The oils in Thieves are clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus radiate and rosemary. There are no other ingredients.
Thieves gets its name from the days of the Bubonic Plague in Europe
Here is a wonderful link explaining in detail the history of Thieves. And here is a link explaining a little more.
This is the short story. The perfumes of that day were essential oils. The perfumers knew the healing properties of the oils. In Marseilles, France, some applied the correct oils and went house to house robbing the people who had died from the plague, without getting sick themselves. When questioned, these were the oils used.
After the waterpik, I brushed well with the Thieves Ultra toothpaste.
And finally, I used the Thieves mouthwash.
After 3 months I went back to my hometown dentist
I was expecting that the pocket would still be 7mm, but that I was maintaining it and it would look healthy.
Surprise!
To my great surprise (and I think my awesome hygienist’s as well) it had healed back to a 3mm pocket! Totally normal! Wow! How exciting is that!
What about the bone?
She reminded me that we did not know about the bone loss though, and that it could still be a problem.
X-rays. Too many. Not good.
Since X-rays are not good for us (radiation) I did not want to do more of them so soon, so I just prayed and said I’m going to assume the bone is fine and we can X-ray again sometime in the future.
We took an X-ray 2 years later in October 2012
And that bone completely regenerated itself! Aren’t our bodies amazing! They were made to heal on their own if we will just get out of the way and do things to promote that healing.
Below are the pictures of the 2 X-rays
Notice in these first 2 pictures (March 2010) the bone area between the 2 bottom teeth (In the right photo, it is the 2 bottom teeth to the left. Those are the same 2 teeth, just a slightly different angle.) There is a very slight shadow in the bone next to the right tooth. See it? The picture on the right shows it better. That is bone loss.
In these second 2 pictures (October 2012,) again look at the bottom 2 teeth (And again, in the picture on the right, you are looking between the 2 teeth to the left.) That area is solid bone. No shadow.
This shouldn’t be surprising at all
We’ve all heard many stories about bone, organs, cells healing, regenerating, etc. I guess its just surprising when it happens to you :)
A Believer
I am now a believer in the healing power of these essential oils that God put on this planet.
I had to see real facts like this and now after 3-4 years, I have seen several more in me and in others.
Soon I will tell you a few other stories about how essential oils have worked for us.
- Getting rid of headaches.
- Healing cuts and burns.
- Reduction of scar tissue.
- The elimination of parasites from our daughter Sally’s gut right after we brought her home from Ethiopia.
- And the biggest and most significant, the elimination of my lifetime environmental allergies – trees, grasses, dust mites, mold, cats, dogs, etc.
Let me know if you have questions. I’m happy to help!
Click here for how to order any of these products.
God Bless and Stay Healthy!
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