EP 76: WHAT DR. AMBER WHITE WANTS YOU TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR MOUTH

Grounding Breaths And Intentions

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back to Not Alone with Melissa Sue Mehvin. Like every episode, I like to start with a few grounding breaths. So if you want to place a hand on the heart, one on the belly, and close your eyes. We're gonna take a deep breath through the nose. And a long exhale through the nose. Let's do that a few more times. Inhale through the nose. And a long exhale through the nose. I always love to start with a breath because oftentimes we are moving so fast paced that we never start to slow down. And it helps me and you to get grounded before we dive into truth, stories, and also making you feel like you're not alone, trying to seek truth and decipher what is real, what is not when it comes to your own health. I'm a big advocator to teach you to become your own advocate. With my book, The Get God Connection, that is what I'm trying you to do is to become your own health advocate and how to listen to each whisper. And I also am a true, true believer that oftentimes chronic illness, the root cause will start in the mouth. And it's often the last place we look at. So now with each guest, each expert that I have on, I'm allowing you to educate yourself. And now it'll be up to you to make that decision, that next step. But without your health, you can't take care of your children. Without your health, you can't live life with vitality and peace and joy. So this is a gift to give you this knowledge. Knowledge is power. So today I am so excited to have another fellow dental hygienist. I think this is the first one that I've had on. That's another dental hygienist.

Meeting A Biological Dental Hygienist

SPEAKER_00 2:00

And her name is Amber White, all the way from New York. Is that right? Um, I'm in Rhode Island, not far from New York. In Rhode Island, in Rhode Island, okay. And how I found her on social media and every post that she had on, AI resonated with talking about the nervous system, how the mouth is connected to every other organ in your body, uh, gut health, nutrition. And now she's educating other professionals, right? And you're educating patients. Because it is so hard to find this information. She has now created her own courses. Because I know for me as a dental hygienist, I didn't start off as a biological dentist for years and years. I've been a dental hygienist for 17 years now. It's only been maybe a year and a half now. However, the the idea of fluoride never sat right with me. That's from the beginning. Actually, I still remember having patients in my chair going, I don't want fluoride. I was like, Yeah, it's okay. Just don't tell my husband, who was a dentist as well and worked for. But it's uh it's always been kind of a knowing that maybe what we were taught might have not been the right way for moving forward. There's new evidence. And so welcome today. I'm excited to share your knowledge and your point of view.

SPEAKER_01 3:22

Thank you so much for having me, Melissa. I'm so excited to sit down with you today.

SPEAKER_00 3:27

Yes, me too. Me too. I would love, I'm always so curious because I'm finding a common thread of like, where was that pivotal moment where you changed in your career? Uh how how long have you been a dental hygienist for now?

SPEAKER_01 3:40

So I've been a dental hygienist for just over 10 years. And honestly, I found biological dentistry pretty early on in my career. Wow, that's fantastic. I've been in the biological dental space for about eight years. Um what brought you there? I'm so curious. Yeah. So I went to dental hygiene school a little bit later. I had already gone to school for psychology, got my bachelor's in that. And then later I went to dental hygiene school. And just like you said, you always had kind of an inner knowing that fluoride wasn't right. I was even questioning that in school. Like I was something never sat right with me. I was never the favorite student because I was always questioning everything. Um, and then so I got a job, a few different offices out of hygiene school, practicing very traditional practices, family practice, periodontal practices. And I was just

Why Traditional Hygiene Often Stalls

SPEAKER_01 4:35

early on, like I said, I started wanting to know more. I was like noticing patterns in my patients where they were coming in every six months or every three months or every four months, and they were presenting the exact same way. So everything I was doing in that appointment, it wasn't holding, right? And so I felt like there had to be more to the story. And I didn't feel like I had really all the tools to be able to guide my patients to really shift what was happening, right? They were still coming back with inflammation, bleeding response, cavities. So I started diving deeper into nutrition back then because I didn't even know what biological dentistry was at the time, but I just knew I always had an interest in nutrition. I was really into cooking, really into like local produce and all of the things. And so I started taking nutrition courses. And then I just happened to find a biological practice that was opening in my area. And I was fortunate enough to get a position there at the startup practice and really just started wanting to learn. Once I was there, I like had to learn everything. So I started taking courses, had amazing mentors, and just really just never looked back to the traditional model.

SPEAKER_00 5:47

I love that. I love that because it's so true. As a hygienist, we're all about preventative health, right? That's why people come right usually every six months, and then we get taken almost personal. Of course, it's the patient has to do the work as well, but if we're starting to educate them and they're they're continuing the work at home too, but nothing's moving, right? We're still seeing a lot of bleeding, we're still seeing gingivitis, periodontal disease, and and so something's gotta shift. So you you're so curious, like I am, it's like, well, what else can we shift? And how nutrition plays a big role for the mouth. People might be like, well, how does nutrition? Well, this is the first entry, but also what kind of acids you have in your in your gut, and the if you're taking on the right uh nutrients, are you able to absorb nutrients, right? So that you start incorporating nutrition. I think that is so important as a dental hygienist to educate patients. Like I know some talk a little bit about it, but it should be a big portion, you know, gut health, orobiome, doing their oral biome test to know what bacteria is in there, you know, what are we working with? Is it very, very important, but it's not status quo as far as treatment plan.

SPEAKER_01 7:02

Yeah, it definitely is not something. Sure, we talk about the frequency of the things we're consuming, snacking, things like that, but we're never really talking like what foods actually are optimal for oral health, what foods are actually going to change the oral microbiome, or what is hurting it? So I think nutrition plays such a role in healing in how well our tissue responds, how, you know, also chewing, right? That's a huge factor for having this soft diet. So we're not developing our airway, we're not developing our jaw structure, our facial uh muscles, tongue muscles. So so many things with nutrition is such a huge piece, too.

SPEAKER_00 7:40

So once once you started working at the biological dentist, were you able to see more of a better um optimization of your patients over time because of the treatments you're

Nutrition Chewing And The Oral Microbiome

SPEAKER_00 7:50

you're incorporating?

SPEAKER_01 7:52

Yes, absolutely. So I think everything changed when I started at that practice. And I started as a hygienist and I ended up gradually moving into management of this startup. And it was not just a biological dental practice, it was biological, dental, and medical. So we were doing dentistry, but we were also able to bring in other healing modalities. So our patients were getting IVs after surgery, or we were using red light, or we were doing different things to support detoxification with smart removal. So we're always really involving the body in the healing process and creating plans for patients that looked far beyond the mouth and really looked at how we can actually support the nervous system before healing, like things that are really gonna really change the trajectory of a patient's health.

SPEAKER_00 8:37

So um Yeah, instead of seeing the mouth as one, we're just gonna focus on this because I'm a hygienist, I'm a dentist, but no, seeing the body as a whole. And I love that it's not just working just yourself, right? You're gonna have to have other modalities alongside because we're treating the whole body. I'd love to be curious. I love that you mentioned nervous system, how important it is to prep the body before any procedure with a nervous system.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

Yeah, I mean, the nervous system, we know there's no healing if we can't get our patients into parasympathetic state. And also, I think as practitioners, we need to come into those treatment rooms in a parasympathetic state. We can't come in in fight or flight, or how is that going to reflect on our patients and their healing capacity? So it really is creating an environment for healing in the body, but also in the interaction between the clinicians, practitioners, and patients.

SPEAKER_00 9:33

I love that. So is this tell me about your programs that you have right now that you're incorporating? Is are you teaching uh patients or you're working alongside patients? And I think I noticed that you're also teaching other uh providers, right?

SPEAKER_01 9:46

Yeah, so I do have a course um working with providers called Beyond the Mouth. So it really goes into what biological dentistry is, assessing our patients through this whole new lens, looking at the terrain, the nervous system, minerals, uh, hormones, all the different things, all the different healing modalities that we can bring in. And ultimately, like what is the healing capacity that our patients hold? Because we can have two patients come into the practice for the same exact treatment, but they're presenting with different physiology. So the way we approach that treatment has to be different. And so it really is being able to personalize everything to our patients. And then I do work with dentists who are who are either opening practices who are or are making the shift to this biological model because that could be so overwhelming. Where do you start? Right. Exactly, exactly. As you know, it's like such a paradigm shift. And where do you even begin with this information? And sometimes it's you may have taken a lot of coursework, but how do you actually implement that into your practice? Because it we've all taken the course where we go learn so much, we come back, we're so excited, we're so lit up, and then we get back into the regular routine of our practice because it's like how do we implement everything in real time?

SPEAKER_00 11:01

It can be overwhelming. Yeah, because it takes, you know, we all know in dentistry, we don't have more time sometimes, right? Or how do you create more time for this? Because to find the value of it of prepping the patient before and post-op, you know, so it's all starts with education and also, okay, let's get you to that first step. It was really needed for sure. It's great to have that resource that you give these courses as well. And so when you work with uh patients, for example, are you educating them on uh their nutrition or airway? Do you go into depth with that?

SPEAKER_01 11:36

Yeah, when I work with patients, a lot of times I am looking at really their whole history, but I also love looking at mineral testing for patients and really looking at HTMA, hair tissue mineral analysis testing, because it gives us much insight into what's happening in the body, whether we're depleted or minerals are being dysregulated, or um, also just like the different systems of the body. Does the body actually have enough energy to heal? Right? Is it in a safe?

SPEAKER_00 12:06

Yeah, because if you're deficient, if people understand why this is important, this test that you're talking about, is because the minerals will have the right amount of minerals will help you communicate with other cells, right? And if there's a deficiency where some people might not know that, oh, if you have metal in the mouth, might cause a zinc deficiency or and that will cause thyroid issues and how much thyroid issues are are rampant now, right? And and the mouth could be the last place they're looking at. So knowing if I know I get a frequent lab, full lab test, you know, every six months where I'm at, and I love seeing where where I can tweak things a little bit better. There's always a place to be uh vital, but ultimately, yes, we want to feel energized, and what it is is on a cellular level and it's the nutrients, and why you're not absorbing it too. It could be something that's rooted in the mouth, or um some people can have the MTHFR gene,

Whole Body Dentistry And Nervous System

SPEAKER_00 13:05

things like that too, have a harder time methylating. So I think this is important work that you work with your patients. And I'm sorry, I kind of stopped there because I want people to understand why uh checking uh minerals is important because it's for cellular communication between the cells. So you want that so that you want healthy cell levels and for energy. But continue on to what your program entails. But I really wanted to focus on why that's important. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 13:36

And I love that you touched on the thyroid because the thyroid really is the master regulator of the body. And if we look at your minerals and there's a specific ratio on this mineral test, it's how your calcium interacts with potassium. And we can have normal blood labs where our thyroid looks normal or even optimal, but cellularly, we may not be able to get the hormone into the cell if we don't have enough of certain minerals. Potassium is a big one. And so when we think about it being the master regulator, we are gonna potentially have underactive thyroid symptoms if we can't use our thyroid hormones. So one of the big uh symptoms of underactive thyroid, especially in the mouth, is delayed healing or higher risk of gum and periodontal disease. So we might have a patient who is doing everything right, who has done periodontal therapy, but they're not responding as well. Their tissue integrity hasn't shifted. They still have inflammation, it's still still not resolving. Well, we could look at these markers and understand does the body actually have the energy and capacity to heal? Do they have the right nutrients to heal? So when I'm doing any of this testing and working with anyone on it, I'm always thinking of does this person have the capacity to heal? Whether that be their nervous system, their terrain, their hormones, right? Their mineral balance. Like it all is tied together. I'm never just looking at one system of the body ever. Um, of course, we talk about the mouth all the time because we're in the dental field, but I'm never just thinking about the mouth. I'm always thinking about how everything is connected.

SPEAKER_00 15:14

Yeah, but that's great that you do have that background though, because oftentimes it is rooted in the mouth and absorbing in the gut. And that's why I go to tons of health conferences, not just dental ones, because I want to learn more about the gut health. I want to learn about more of the thyroid and cellular optimization. You know, I know I've played around with peptides because they help with the cell, communicating with the cell and give them a little bit of a boost. And I'm curious, have you incorporated any peptides in your program?

SPEAKER_01 15:45

I haven't currently with patients, but it is something that I'm diving deeper in and would love to start incorporating more of because there's I mean, there's so much research. There's so many great benefits, especially for oral health. I just think there's there's so much. I feel like I'm still diving into to all of that.

SPEAKER_00 16:01

Yeah, it just I always say start with yourself. You know, I'm like my own science project and seeing the benefits of it. And and now I'm I'm also curious to see patients have been on it with a junction of changing diet and you know, checking the airway. I mean, airway is always most important. And look at that first because the breath affects the nervous system and it has a spiral effect for inflammation in the body. But uh cellular health, I think that's the new way of treatment as well, is looking at it as a whole, how can we feed the cells and nutrition is big. And unfortunately, our new our foods now is not grown in optimal soil to have the nutrients. So understanding where supplementation might be good. But instead of just like, oh yeah, I hear right now magnesium's great, or I should take this, test yourself. So you say you do a hair test, is that right?

SPEAKER_01 16:55

Yep, exactly. So it's a hair test, and it would look at magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium, but also how those minerals interplay with each other. So it looks at your thyroid and adrenals at that cellular level, blood sugar.

SPEAKER_00 17:07

Okay, I want to try this. I don't think I've ever done a hair test. Yeah, I want to try this with you. Absolutely. I'd be curious, you know, because I have the labs, but I'd be curious what comes up even with the hair text. Because I have seen for even checking for mercury poisoning, you know, heavy metals that it comes out in hair tests as well.

SPEAKER_01 17:27

Exactly. Yeah, so it does show us heavy metals and toxins that you've been exposed to as well. And it also shows us how well you can actually eliminate them. Because sometimes we'll see on the hair test that it doesn't look like there's anything there, but we know it's there. So sometimes we're a poor eliminator, we can't actually excrete it. So when we're thinking about detox and we're thinking about mercury and things like this in dentistry, we need to make sure detox pathways are open. So this test would also give us information as to do we need to support those detox pathways. Of course, with conversation with our patients, we'll we'll get some understanding if you know they're sweating regularly, going to the bathroom, breathing well, all the things. But um, it's definitely so important to think about our detox pathways being open before really any dental procedure.

SPEAKER_00 18:12

Yeah. And how would you so what would be somebody walks in and you could tell their nervous system, they're in the sympathetic, they're just in that fight and flight.

Teaching Providers Beyond The Mouth

SPEAKER_00 18:20

Uh their detox pathways are not open. How for I know everyone's individual, but on a broader scale, like what's some of the steps you would take that person through?

SPEAKER_01 18:31

So I would want to know, are they going to the bathroom regularly, right? We should be going to the bathroom every day. So many people aren't. They're constipated, they're not going to the bathroom regularly. We want to be able to stimulate digestion. Now, really, there's a lot of things that we can do there. We can do further testing looking at gut health, but if we're looking to, we want to be including more fiber in the diet, we may want to bring in some probiotics. We want to make sure they're sweating regularly. A lot of people are working out or they're out in the sun and they are hot, but they're not necessarily sweating. If we're not sweating, we're not detoxing. And so we want to make sure that we actually can sweat. When we look at minerals, we think of sodium and potassium, right? Every cell in the body has this sodium potassium pump, which regulates cellular hydration. But if we don't have enough sodium and potassium, there's a good chance we're not sweating. There's a good chance we have dry mouth because we don't have that cellular hydration and that ability to pull things out of the cell, bring things into the cell. So I'd always want to look at that. We also think about hormones, right? A lot of women, perimenopause, menopause, hormones are shifting. And a lot of that hormone clearance, hormone conversion is happening in the liver. So a lot of times we need to add in some liver support for, especially women, when we're in that kind of age range of perimenopause, menopause. Um, that can be a lot of different things. There's supportive herbs, there's things like glutathione, uh, castor oil packs, right? It just depends on what's going on with our person, our patient in particular. Um always thinking, how can we how can we support this? Nervous system, you talk a lot about that. There's so many things now for our nervous system. There's free things outside in nature, grounding, pouring sunlight. But then there's so many biohacks, red light, and these vagus nerve stimulator devices. So it just depends what people are. I always say with the nervous system, find something you actually enjoy. Because if I'm forced to do something you don't enjoy, that's dysregulating your nervous system even more. That's true. So you may not love guided meditation, but you may love EFT tapping, right? It could you just gotta find the things that you enjoy because those are gonna be the things that really build that resilience and settle your nervous system down.

SPEAKER_00 20:52

Yeah, so simplifying, find like keep it simple. Like really nervous system regulation could be just as much as taking a few slow breaths through the nose, right? And changes your physiology under three minutes and or grounding time in nature, um, hugging, you know, someone just where you feel safe. And so it doesn't have to be complicated where all the big biohack stuff, which I still love to try, you know. I have PMF mats, I because unfortunately we don't live in an environment in a bubble. So these kind of just help re-regulate uh on a regular basis, you know, sound healing and all of these modalities. So I think it's so important for people to understand that it's a whole body uh awareness. So you're uh kind of advocating to understand how the body works. You have the information for the mouth as well and how it's all interconnected. And I think that's so important. And on top of that, you're helping other providers that are kind of seeking this and how to incorporate it in dental practices. I think, are you finding a lot of resistance sometimes to even make that shift? Sometimes, you know, maybe when you bring that up to other practitioner and um say, hey, would you be open to changing your dental practice? Like what, what's the biggest pushback? Is it just because people just don't want to change the way they've been doing it all along or the finance?

SPEAKER_01 22:16

Yeah, I've been fortunate to work with some really amazing people that are just so ready for the change. But I will say the pushback does tend to be that they're not ready to overhaul their whole practice. And I also think sometimes the term holistic can have like this negative connotation. And I feel like some people, some practitioners, some dentists are practicing more holistically or biologically, but aren't ready to tie that language to their name. Um but I would say honestly, I've worked with so many practitioners at this point. And I also have colleagues and acquaintances who are more traditional or conventional dentists who reach out to me numerous times to say, okay, this patient came in seeking this. Can I send this patient to you because they want to know what supplements are best for their treatment? And I think that there is a lot of openness. I just think we're kind of like at this precipice of like this movement is happening, right? Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:15

They like to or not, there's a new documentary coming out here that'll be part of. It's called Bi

Minerals Thyroid And Healing Capacity

SPEAKER_00 23:20

Old Industry. So it's coming. And patients, patients are seeking truth. Patients are, you know, uh, they're they're wanting this information and it makes sense. And actually, uh, I just had Dr. David Porter and I have his book here. Have you read AIME? Have you read it? I just uh ordered it recently. You did okay. I is seriously, I think for simplifying educating, you know, your patients, your clients, I'm gonna be recommending it to everybody because it really simplifies airway uh infections and metals and in not too technical, but it makes sense. And I think if we educate people, that's gonna be supply and demand. And um I think it's just uh important this movement is happening. So it's gonna be where they're gonna want to implement them. And maybe they're having troubles uh calling themselves holistic or biological, maybe, because right now, yeah, in a dental community, you you're gonna be kind of positioned one side or the other. And there's obviously a heavier side of just not biological dentists at this point, and you're not you you're part of this group and you don't want to be an outsider, right? In your field. You don't want to be mocked, you don't want to feel like an outsider, you want to be part of a community. It's a hard career. You want to be outside, but in the same time, they shouldn't be one and the other in a separation. It should be a bridge. They can communicate together. There's no I'm better than you, you know. They should be just a bridge that, hey, it's okay. I was there too, and this is what I learned, and this is how I'm doing the work. You know, I always tell providers now go shadow biological dentists, you know, be curious and be open-minded. And a lot of times it'll just happen by seeing it from just patients in their chair. Just start asking, you know, deeper questions. I know as a hygienist, you we see a lot of a whole story in the mouth. The minute somebody opens their mouth, it's very personal. And we also see the long list of medications that could be affecting them long term. You know, they don't understand that maybe some of the medications is actually causing the drama, causing the ripple effect with their gut issues and whole body um effects. So bringing that awareness is hard because sometimes you're like, well, I'm stepping out of my lane, right? So I love that you're being brave enough to just be like, no, you know, not enough people, not enough uh dental hygienists are speaking about this and you're providing this program. I mean, I don't know how many other dental hygienists that are providing this right now. And uh, so I'm honored to have you on and to share that that's available.

SPEAKER_01 26:02

Yeah, no, thank you so much. I feel like it's so important. I think one of the biggest reasons that I share so much on social and I create these courses is because I don't want to hold this information to myself. I've done so much education. I'm always doing education, right? I'm always going deeper. But I think that when I first got started in biological dentistry, I was fortunate. I had amazing mentors from around the world, like unbelievable. But also, it was so much at once. It's so much information to take in. And so what I wanted to do is be able to kind of streamline it and simplify it so you can actually take this information and apply it tomorrow in your practice, right? That's my goal is you can listen to one of my modules in my course, and tomorrow you can go into practice and change the conversations you're having with patients, change how you're approaching the care, change how your treatment planning. Um, because really this information should be readily accessible, right?

SPEAKER_00 26:58

And it isn't. It's hard to And I love that you say prep prepping the language. Sometimes they don't have the language, right? How and because that was not taught. So simplifying it and having that one module to be like, okay, yeah, now take dynamic next step and apply it. And that's that's kind of what I've been doing too, is just like incorporating breath uh in in the dental practice. Yeah, it's something new, but it doesn't take more time. It doesn't take more, it's just gonna be something new to implement, right? And that's kind of what you're doing for the practitioner is that it's just these little tweaks here and there, and it's gonna allow them to probably feel more purposeful, you know, knowing to see the change in their patients and what they're being able to provide them. I think that'd be huge for provider to know that wow, I'm seeing these uh huge changes in their health and it has a ripple effect to their families as well.

SPEAKER_01 27:54

Yeah, I think that is definitely one of the most powerful things working with people, but also just working in biological practice is patients' health is completely changing. Not only their health, but the health of their families. Like once people have this information, have experienced it themselves, they start bringing their whole family, right? It changes generational health. It's so it's has such a ripple effect. It's such a powerful experience. And then I know when I'm working with practitioners who are making this shift, I will get calls and messages saying, Oh my God, you will never believe this patient, how well they healed. This happened. They, oh, they told me this after we removed their mercury, like everything changed, their brain fog lifted, all these things change. And it's just so powerful to see that, especially in different things to your practice. And and all of a sudden it just clicks and and things really start to shift in that positive direction.

SPEAKER_00 28:48

Yeah, I love that. And that's it. It just clicks, they have to see it themselves, and then it gets exciting. It really does. You're like, oh, this is actually, you know, the periodonal disease is you know, um, is actually healing, and we're getting to the root cause. And uh, yeah, people now are gosh, there's so many stories of people where you remove the metal and all of a sudden it there was one great story that David Potter shared. His patient had MS, was in a wheelchair, removed all the metals, did a whole detox, could walk again and is healthy again. So, so get curious, you know, as a provider. And I think for patients too, I find they get kind of overwhelmed when I do send them to, you know, biological

Detox Pathways And Simple Regulation Tools

SPEAKER_00 29:30

dentists that I love, and they're like, okay, I went. I may I always say, here's first step. But now I'm saying, here's first step. Read this book. Yes. Then find the right provider, ask the right questions, you know, someone like you too would be a great resource to get knowledgeable, get figure out, you know, as far as the nutrition, your deficiency in, and and kind of use us as a directory. Where do I go? Who do I see? And what's my next step? Just seeing one step at a time, because I do find patients are like, well, oh yeah, I definitely have airway issue. Oh, I have a root canal. What does that mean? I say, okay, I'm not here to create fear because that's even worse for your nervous system. I'm just trying to educate you. And first step first, educate yourself. Listen to all these podcasts, and you'll see a common, it's a different way to explain it, but a different way to incorporate the mouth to the entire body and what's affecting it, uh, what resources are out there, and what's, you know, just one step at a time. But it'll what's gonna happen though, if you do this now, 10 years down the road, the vitality that you're gonna feel for doing the work now and an investment, of course, you know, investment to be with you as a guide. This is an investment. And I think, especially as uh women, we don't like to invest in ourselves for sometimes it's everybody else first, but you also have to take care of you before you could take care of everybody else, you know, especially as a mom. I always say the best advice I had was put the oxygen mask on for me first, take care of me, heal me, so then I could better show up for my children. So I think what you're doing right now is providing just that that knowledge, that safe place, that groundedness, you know. I I your information, I love all your, you know, your everyone go follow, you know, Amber White. What was your hashtag again? It's naturally Amber White. Natural, I love it. I love it. I mean, your content is fantastic and it's um root cause, it is awareness, education. You know, there's a lot of junk out there when you're strolling, but not not yours. You know, all my friends now, it's not, it's all in the right direction and it's important work. And I I I'd love for you to share, yeah, just um maybe some patients you've had, some stories that you've seen the progression. People love to hear stories and where you're seeing them, they're living with vitality. Because if they make the choice today to start working on themselves, this is 10 years from now. How do you want to feel? Right? This it so what habits are you gonna do today to feel with vitality? Because for me, I do the same. I look at my grandfather, he's 97, he dances three, four times a week, he walks miles and miles. I mean, he is a vitality, vitality, vitality. He is doesn't have a long list of meds that he's on. He is happy and fun, lives on his own, has his car. I was like, that's where I want to end, you know. I'm 97 living like that. So what do I have to do now? Habit-wise. And a lot of it is doing labs for myself every six months, uh, you know, doing all the supplementation and nutrition. Uh, so I'd love to hear some stories that of your clients that you've had, that you've you've seen it, you've witnessed it.

SPEAKER_01 32:49

Yeah, definitely. I feel like there's so many. There's so many in practice, but one that's standing out to me just as we're talking about the mineral testing and everything we're talking about is I had a client who had Hashimoto's, has Hashimoto's, and she had come for a hair test. She had been out of work for over a year because she just physically could not get out of bed exhausted. Um, you know, we did her hair test. She had a lot of depletion. She was completely depleted in the core minerals. Um, with Hashimoto's, we think about autoimmune, right? So it's underactive thyroid, but an autoimmune component to that. And her antibodies were 10,000. Now, our antibodies should be as close to zero as possible. 10,000 is a really high number. But in talking with her and going through her history and her intake, uh, we discovered that she had a root canal on a tooth that is associated with the thyroid meridian. Now, this tooth had been monitored. She had always brought it up with her dentist, and they just said, it's okay, we're just gonna keep an eye on it, we're gonna watch it. So she had a gut feeling about it, right? Always, yes. And, you know, we through talking, something is going on with this tooth. She had only had two dimensional x-rays at this point, the traditional x-rays. So I recommended you see a biological dentist and have a cone beam x-ray, which is gonna give us that 3D image. And there was recurrent infection around this tooth, huge infection. So she ended up having it removed, following all the biological principles using PRF and laser and all of the things. And within three months' time, her antibodies had dropped down to like 500. Wow, her energy was back, she was like getting back to work. It's just like everything changed for her. And then within six months' time, I want to say they were down in the hundred range, but it was an immediate, right? That was the root cause of her hush.

SPEAKER_00 34:51

But the hardest part too, people don't understand, is that you're not gonna feel pain most of the time. You don't feel pain. So they don't know to look at that, they don't know to ask for a CBCT scan, the 3D scan to look at that. And and look at how crippling it was for her. And you know, you get lost in a system, and then you get lost into lots of pharmaceuticals to treat the Hashimoto, and then that's a a spiral effect for her gut health, for her oral health, the dry mouth and all everything, you know, losing the hair. So for you to for her to find someone like you that can get to the root cause and get her on the right track back to working and finding vitality, what a gift, you know, what a gift.

SPEAKER_01 35:38

Unbelievable. I mean, when you uh I just I get emotional with like that because it's you know, we can really change so much. But if she never knew that, she wouldn't have had been able to investigate further and seek another second opinion because sometimes we just are okay, we're watching it. And that's a big thing that I've never agreed with in a more conventional model is this watch and wait game where we're just like paradontal disease.

SPEAKER_00 36:02

How often would I go? Oh, well, we're just watching. There's some bone loss. We'll watch that it doesn't go any further. I'm like, what?

Resistance In Dentistry And Building A Bridge

SPEAKER_01 36:10

We're just waiting to actually take hold, to actually progress. And there's so many things that we can do in the interim to be proactive. And so I think that's such a huge piece and just being able to intervene for those patients, right, that we're watching because they don't technically qualify for this advanced treatment, this advanced scaling appointment. It's like there's so much we can do to bring down that inflammation, bring down that bleeding response, build a healthier oral environment.

SPEAKER_00 36:38

Um yeah, we're probably working against, you know, insurance. Of course, it's expensive. So people finding the value of these other treatments that might not be covered. That's where I see that a lot, you know, which is really sad, right? We give away our power for our health. And so also shining a light as to how this is so imperative for vitality. So finding spending that amount on this care will give you the vitality for years to come after that.

SPEAKER_01 37:07

Yeah. And even what you said in the very beginning, it's just being your own advocate and being able to have this information and knowledge to say, I don't want to wait till my six-month checkup to see if this has progressed to that next level. And but I don't think a lot of patients understand that that's what we're waiting for, that's what we're watching for, is for this to progress. And I think it's just having these conversations and really just keeping that dialogue open, but also just like really being able to be that advocate for yourself and also as a hygienist, as someone in the field, advocate for your patients.

SPEAKER_00 37:40

Yes. And like really showing up for them and getting it. Yes, because now I temp and then I don't always temp at bagical dental. And now I this is why I feel I need to do it more often. More because when I'm working at another dental office, sometimes I get the side eye by the dentist because I'll talk to the patient about their airway. I'll talk about, hey, have you heard get educated? Now, of course, I could share my podcast and books. That it it's it's interesting because then the exam comes and then the dent the patient's like, hey, she was telling me about, you know, airway and how important that is. And the dentist like just doesn't even go into it, you know. And so I do feel that for patients, don't be afraid to ask questions. First, and what you mentioned too, if their gut instinct is saying there's something off, they can't pinpoint it, find a dentist that will trust your intuition. Right? Instead of like, well, I don't see anything there. No, you need to find a dentist. A lot I'm lucky enough that a lot of dentists I've had on here, they're like, oh yeah, no, I trust the patient's intuition. They spend enough time in the exam to really connect with them, to truly listen, which oftentimes it's in and out, right? 10, 10 minute uh exam, and that's all you'll get for the dentist. Uh so that's not a lot of time. And a lot of time for sure, patients don't feel comfortable to ask them a question to question what they're about to do. But I I'm hoping to advocate to no, don't don't be afraid to ask questions and trust your gut instinct. You know, how often? I mean, I've been I've been one to not trust my gut. I'm very intuitive as well. And I've I've kind of pushed it down. And but now, no, that's that's my guide, is my intuition, you know, God given, and it's always the right way. So I I think that's just important work. And before we we kind of finish, is there any other uh topics you or stories you'd want to share or any of resources? Because I I'm just love what you're doing and I can't wait to share, you know, to have resources. That's what I I feel like I am. I'm a resource. I can line you up with some of the best logical dentists, uh therapists, health experts. Uh, and for you, I think for the dental community to know who, if you want to make that switch, that you have someone that can guide you through. Uh patients that want to do the hair test. You know, if there's anything we you wanted to really talk about and share or another story, I'd love to, I don't want to miss anything.

SPEAKER_01 40:17

Yeah, yeah. No, I love that. And I love what you said about just like listening to your intuition too, because I will always say, you know your body better than anybody else, right? You're gonna know when something's off before any type of diagnosis, diagnostic imaging, anything you can feel in your body. And it is not pushing that intuition down, but actually listening to it. And also, I think the biggest thing is is our bodies are so intelligent. And when they are in the environment, they have the ability to self-regulate and heal. And I think that's really important, especially for anyone who is the patient listening, is that you're never too far gone to bring your body back into balance and to be able to self-regulate and heal. There may be treatment options, there may be different things that are required, but we all have this ability.

Hashimoto’s Root Cause Found In Mouth

SPEAKER_01 41:10

Our bodies are so innately beautifully designed, and it's just really honoring that and really creating the conditions for healing. And so I think when I'm working with someone, whether it be with a hair test or or that, it's you know, we want to design those conditions so your body can self-regulate and heal. And it looks different for everybody, right?

SPEAKER_00 41:31

There's yeah, and no matter what age, I love how you said it didn't matter when you start. Like you could be 86 and start today, and your body will know how to heal, right? But you got to prep the body. I love that, and that's so true, and allow to get your body in a state where it can heal and learn how to. So there's never too late. I love how you said that.

SPEAKER_01 41:54

Yeah, and I think for practitioners too, it's a lot of times, especially in entrepreneurship, business ownership, we're gonna be on our own healing journey too. And especially if you're shifting your practice from this more traditional insurance-driven model to this more biological whole body approach. Sometimes one of the biggest things, one of the most impactful things that we can do is actually slow down, right? We're so used to moving from one appointment to the next, running behind, you know, all of the things. But sometimes it's slowing down to allow yourself not only to get into that state to be the healer, to get into that healing state yourself, but also to be able to see what's right in front of you, to be able to hear and be able to listen to the stories of your patients. I also think the one of the other most important things too is like when you're moving to this model is to be so sure of your core values, of your vision, of your mission and why you want to do this work. Because once you're so clear on that and your team is so clear on that, that's when everything really starts to shift.

SPEAKER_00 42:58

I can see that. I can see that to get the team to understand the why and how we treat. And I think that is empowering because it provides purpose. And then a story, I'm sure after stories and patient and patient, then it gives them excitement, right? They can have the proof of how they can provide their patients with vitality and health, and that is so important. And and you're right, it's just um, I love how you said allow for more time, and that's the hardest part. I think in dentistry, everything's so expensive, right? I always say a dental chair is similar to a massage chair, sort of, you know, yeah, and it's like four times the amount. Right. So everything is really expensive. So, of course, the dentist feels to stay afloat, it's gotta have, you know, my husband used to have three columns, then three hygienists, and it's just, yeah, patient to patient. And, you know, in the beginning of a six days a week, and it's wow, how slowing down. A lot of them will be like, Well, how am I gonna pay the bills, right? How am I gonna stay afloat and pay? Everyone, but long term, where do you want to be at with your health as a practitioner as well? Find ways to slow down so it protects you as a physician. Uh, and you see, like you said, you'll you'll be able to treat the patient better. If you show up in that kind of rest and digest state, they'll mirror your nervous system. And so it's it's a win-win. You know, it's hard to reprogram people to think about that because we always were taught from a young age the more productive I am, the better, the more accolades I get. You know, I remember thinking, wow, look how many things I accomplished in one day. You know, I worked out at 4:45 a.m. I grabbed the kids, got them ready for school, then I went to work from this time to this time. Then I picked up the kids and I then I made dinner. And then I got ready, like I used to be like, yes, I did that. But then oh, long term, oh my gosh, I was so depleted, so depleted, and my health paid for it. And luckily now, but it's taken over a decade where I've been able to repair and ask the right questions and dig more in my own health. You talked about Ashimoto, and in, you know, a decade ago, I was so fatigued all the time. I uh, you know, uh losing my hair and the gut health. And and I would go see prag, you know, doctors are you know, the top of the their field, and I'm told, oh, well, you have GERD, uh, so here's this prescription. But of course, me, my intuition is like, uh, no, I I'm not going to take that. I've always been more onto no, what's the root cause? That's not gonna help me. Or I go see somebody else. And they're like, oh, 800 milligrams of ibuprofen. And I'm like, what? And no, so I keep digging and digging. So I'm telling you right now, with my books, I explained my journeys because I had to dig a lot to get to the knowledge

Slowing Down Burnout And Closing Steps

SPEAKER_00 46:00

that I have right now. It wasn't readily available, right? It took over a decade of asking why and getting to the root. So this is why I'm using my podcast now to help educate people now before they wait, it's too long, before they're being diagnosed for Hashimoto's and they can't work for a year. Can you mention the the financial burden of that now? So use those finances now for your health. So you're not spending it later on when you can't work. You can't work. I remember my husband took a month, he had almost six weeks off because of back pain. That was very scary. When you're you're the sole, you know, uh, you know, owner of the practice. We had associates, but really he was the one that generating the most. That is so scary. But you they work themselves like that till their bodies can't function anymore. So, yes, the slowing down is important now for 10 years down the road to prevent burnouts. I mean, that is high for dentistry, really, really high. You know, it's really hard to find all the statistics. And I think because so many of them are silently kind of suffering and they're not talking about it much, but it but they are. I hear it all the time. Ever since my husband passed, I had many dentists share their close calls themselves, and many of them are still feeling stuck. And and so the slowing down is very important and um finding purpose as well. I think a lot of them have lost kind of purpose. It's uh like you said, insurance driven. I always think there's gotta be another better way. I had the lady on about insurance and how she's trying to pivot where dentists create their own type of insurance, like in-house, you know, and so then you're not giving away the power to other insurance companies, but something's gotta shift for the dental industry because it is, I feel like the such an important field. And I think more and more now physicians are gonna communicate with dentists, send patients to the dentist, biological dentists first, and work together, right? Instead of just uh so separated, like building a bridge, kind of like what you're doing. You're building a bridge between all modalities, right? Uh, whole body health instead of just one area that we're looking at, because you saw that in your chair, right? So I think it's it's important. And if anyone wants to work with you, if you can share uh your website or any links that might be appropriate, and I will have it in the show notes too. But if just say for anyone listening. Yeah, of course.

SPEAKER_01 48:40

So Instagram at naturallyamberwhite. My website is just naturallyamberwhite.com. So really easy, easy to find.

SPEAKER_00 48:49

Perfect. I love that. Well, thank you so much for being on and sharing your wisdom. Continue the wonderful work that you're doing, and I'll be looking forward to sharing with you. So thank you very much for everyone listening today. It truly means a lot to me. And if you like, if this resonated for you and you want other people to kind of start advocating for their own health, please like and subscribe. It'll help me reach globally, write a review. And, you know, I always say uh education is power. You know, Dr. David Porter's book, AIM, this could be kind of first step. Get it educated. Listen to all these dentists that I've had on as well. Follow along with uh Amber. This will get you the information to do that first step. And uh, we all want you ultimately. I'm so passionate about health and I want, I really want everyone to live life with vitality because it has ripple effect to our children as well, right? So let's change the generation. Uh, I can't help but look at young kids going, oh my gosh, they're they're a downward spiral for their health, right? And so it's changing generations. So thank you very much for listening. And this also, I'm sharing all this so nobody ever feels alone because I know it was very lonely for me to find out all this information as to why, why I my health was declining, why my husband's health was declining. So this is a place where we share truth, story, hope. And thank you very much.