Table Of ContentCopyright © 2013 by Nadine Artemis. All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for
brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by
any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the written
permission of the publisher. For information contact North Atlantic Books.
Published by
North Atlantic Books
P.O. Box 12327
Berkeley, California 94712
Cover design by Suzanne Albertson
Interior graphics by Nadine Artemis and Robert Howard
Holistic Dental Care: The Complete Guide to Healthy Teeth and Gums is sponsored by the Society for
the Study of Native Arts and Sciences, a nonprofit educational corporation whose goals are to
develop an educational and cross-cultural perspective linking various scientific, social, and
artistic fields; to nurture a holistic view of arts, sciences, humanities, and healing; and to publish
and distribute literature on the relationship of mind, body, and nature.
North Atlantic Books’ publications are available through most bookstores. For further
information, visit our website at www.northatlanticbooks.com or call 800-733-3000.
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: The following information is intended for general information purposes
only. Individuals should always see their health care provider before administering any
suggestions made in this book. Any application of the material set forth in the following pages is
at the reader’s discretion and is his or her sole responsibility.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
Artemis, Nadine, 1971–
Holistic dental care : the complete guide to healthy teeth and gums / Nadine Artemis; foreword
by Victor Zeines.
p.; cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
eISBN: 978-1-58394721-0
I. Title.
[DNLM: 1. Oral Hygiene—Popular Works. 2. Dental Care—Popular Works. 3. Holistic Health—
Popular Works. WU 80]
RK60.7
617.6’01—dc23
2013014011
v3.1
Dedicated to
my mother, Deirdre,
and to everyone who has teeth.
Moisten your tongue with praise, and be the spring ground
waking. Let your mouth be given its gold-yellow stamen
like the wild rose’s.
—Sanai, eleventh-century Persian poet
So, self-knowledge is the beginning of wisdom, and without
that self-knowledge you cannot go far … therefore, you
must begin near and search every word that you speak,
search every gesture, the way you talk, the way you act,
the way you eat—be aware of everything without
condemnation; then in that awareness you will know what
actually is and the transformation of what is—which is the
beginning of liberation. Liberation is not an end. Liberation
is from moment to moment in the understanding of what
is.
—Jiddu Krishnamurti, “On Self-Knowledge,” Third Talk
in Rajahmundry, 1949
Do not leave your health in your dentist’s hands and
assume all will be fine.
—Hal A. Huggins, DDS, Uninformed Consent
Acknowledgments
Loving appreciation to my late-night tooth brushing companion, my
howdy partner, Ron, who is always up for the adventure of living. To
our son Leif, whose smile fills my heart with gratitude and has taught
me so much about the care of children’s teeth—and whose breath is so
pure. Abundant thanks to my mother’s earnestness about making the
right choices for her children. And I thank the friends and family that
are a gift in our life and our house guests that let me show them a better
way to brush.
I acknowledge and appreciate the maverick dentists of this century
who persevered through ridicule and opposition until their tooth truth
practices and discoveries could find acceptance. With much gratitude, I
thank the dentists that I interviewed as part of my TOOTH Summit:1 Dr.
Hal A. Huggins, Dr. Lina Garcia, Dr. Victor Zeines, and Dr. Stuart
Nunnally. I also want to thank Tera Warner, Daniel Vitalis, Ramiel
Nagel, Dr. Kate Rhéaume-Bleue, Patrick Timpone, and Charlie Brown
who are health heroes dedicated to tooth truth.
I thank my dental hygienist Pat, who, years ago, did not summon the
dentist. She instead encouraged me to “go home and put some of those
botanical oils you mix on this cavity, and we shall take an X-ray next
visit and see that it has evolved.”
I am extraordinarily fortunate to be surrounded by a palette of plant
essences that offer their gifts and allow me to help others. I am deeply
thankful to the talented distillers who keep the true art of distilling the
plant’s quintessence alive.
I am very grateful to Keesha and our Living Libations kin, who keep
everything well-oiled: Heather, Marc, Joy, Thien-Anh, Jamie, Tom,
Cheryl, Tiffany, Elana, Lacey, Abby, and Dotty. I have great gratitude to
all of our beloved clients who imbibe and make making Libations such a
blessing.
I thank, with an everlasting toast of chaga, David Wolfe, who
encouraged me to make a tooth serum with neem and ayurvedic herbs. I
send a heartfelt thank-you to the organizational force of the Longevity
Now Conference team—Rebecca Gauthier, Len Foley, and Lucien
Gauthier—for creating such a venue of leading-edge revelation that has
featured many of my talks on oral care.
I present this book as a work of care and an offering of probable
solutions so that you, the reader, may empower your life.
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Introduction
1
The Invisible Toothbrush
Mind Your Mouth
2
Your Teeth Are Alive: A Tooth Tour
A Tooth Tour
Whiteness Comes from Within
The Gums: Turtlenecks for the Teeth
Super Saliva
The Outside Story: Bacteria
The Inside Story: Return of the Invisible Toothbrush
The Hypothalamic–Parotid Gland Endocrine Axis
3
May Be Harmful if Swallowed
The Truth about Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, and Mouthwash
Toothbrushes
Fun with Flossing
Evolving Habits
4
Mad Hatters, Mavericks, and Modern Dentistry
A Visit to the Dentist in the Year 2022
Fillings: Heavy Metals by the Mouthful
A Safe Harbor for Bacteria: Root Canals and Jaw Cavitations
Questions to Ask a Prospective Dentist
Preparing for a Dental Appointment
5
Processed Food = Processed Teeth
Feed Your Teeth
Key Nutritional Guidelines
Vitamins and Supplements for Oral Care
6
Oral Care for Children
Feeding the Mouths of Babes
Teething
7
Braces: Heavy Metal or Harmonized Health
Why Are We Down in the Mouth?
Braces Change Faces
Like Pulling Teeth
Face First
Graze for a Beautiful Face
Watch Your Mouth
8
Successful Self-Dentistry in Eight Steps
Step 1: The Salt Rinse
Step 2: Scraping the Tongue
Step 3: Brushing the Gums
