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Episode 91: The Magic of The Mouth with Laura Schikkerling

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“Everything that keeps you alive comes through the mouth”: communication, expressing love and nutrition

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Laura Schikkerling is a dental hygienist with a holistic approach to mind body health. She offers a mindful approach to caring for the teeth, mouth, tongue and gums for greater confidence and health. Hailing from South Africa, Laura now lives and works in London. In usual circumstances, Laura spends many months of the year at an ashram in India to support her personal practice and improve the lives of her clients. 

Laura works very closely with the dentists. This is necessary to either re-establish or maintain teeth and gums in an optimal state of health. A clean mouth is important for a number of reasons i.e. preventing both decay and gum disease.

Scientific studies have linked poor oral health to cardiovascular disease and also an increased risk of low birth weight in babies.

In this episode, we talked about:

  • Laura had a summer job with a periodontist in Johannesburg and became intrigued with the way he practiced. This led her to a dental hygiene course in London

  • Dental hygiene appointments have a supportive role that can help to combat the fear associated with dentistry that affects many people

  • Parents can bring their babies and children in to appointments to help to normalise the experience, and promote dental hygiene from a young age

  • The mouth is a private, personal space and should be honoured 

  • Dental hygiene for self-care

  • Oral hygiene and whole-body health

  • The mouth is a gateway to the body

  • “Everything that keeps you alive comes through the mouth”: communication, expressing love and nutrition

  • When there’s a lack of confidence around the mouth, it impacts emotional health

  • The first teeth are formed in the first trimester

  • Inflammation as a form of attack that takes the body into a state of ‘fight and flight’. The most common place for inflammation is the mouth

  • The mouth connection through to the gut microbiome 

  • Laura recommends first brushing without toothpaste, in order to taste trapped food, as well as to sense when and where the gums are bleeding

  • Taking care of the teeth and mouth can be done in a meditative way

  • The relationship of the teeth to various organs- so cleaning the teeth can be a whole-body act of self-care

  • Mindfulness practice improves the grey matter of the brain. Eg notice how you are standing, breathing, how you grip the brush etc.

  • The word brushing suggests the need for scrubbing or sweeping when actually it’s about pressure on the gum-line

  • You should see the bristles splay to the shape of the tooth and the gums going slightly paler with the massaging pressure

  • The health of the gums is affected by nutrition and cleanliness of the mouth

  • The tooth is part of the skeletal system

  • Neem is a common tree that is used for its cleansing action on the teeth

  • The mouth is regarded as extremely important in Ayurveda

  • Smiling produces endorphins 

  • Cleaning the tongue with a tongue cleaner or soft toothbrush

  • Oil pulling with coconut or sesame oil is a useful Ayurvedic practice

  • An individualised regime would be prescribed based on one’s constitution, e.g. bone structure, skin type, food preferences etc 

  • Homeopathy and mouth care

  • Tooth grinding and the suppression of emotion and expression

  • Tooth grinding and drug use eg crystal meth or cocaine

  • The controversy of fluoride use in water and dental products

  • Kinesiology for testing what your body needs

  • The mouth has its own microbiome and harsh products shouldn’t be used

  • A small brush head is needed for the inner surfaces and the back of the mouth

  • The ubiquitous Hollywood smile - teeth come in different colours

  • The temporo-mandibular joint and the whole spine

  • Cleaning between the teeth/ interdental cleaning with dental floss, interdental brushes or water picks 

Resources:

Laura practices at: http://www.carnabystreetdentist.co.uk/index.php

 Whole Body Dentistry: Discover the Missing Piece to Better Health

Book by Mark A. Breiner

 The Dental Diet: The Surprising Link Between Your Teeth, Real Food, and Life-Changing Natural Health

Book by Steven Lin   

Let the TOOTH Be Known: Are Your Teeth Making You Sick? 

Book by Dawn Ewing 

From the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine:

Tooth brushing, oil pulling and tissue regeneration: A review of holistic approaches to oral health

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3131773/ 

Homeopathic Resources:

https://www.ainsworths.com/

nelsonspharmacy.com

helios.co.uk

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