Dentistry Xposed: Protecting You, Your Smile, and Your Wallet

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction

Finding Health

Understand that your Good Health begins with the mouth and what happens there affects your whole body and quality of life. The mouth is your signature organ which can play out with a smile, kiss, or a beautiful sound. It serves to warn us of stress, immune responses, diseases and vitamin deficiencies. Your mouth and smile can help you achieve your dreams. As Louis Armstrong so beautifully sang, When You're Smiling the Whole World Smiles with You.

With forty-three years of experience as an urban and wilderness dentist, author and inventor Dr. Hofmann is committed to helping you. Some answers will be as simple as having a high spot on a tooth adjusted, using a simple and safe spray to stop a dry hacking cough, or drinking the table water at your meal to rinse away food debris. He will inform you about many amazing products including a wonder molecule that prevents tooth decay and protects the mucosal linings from head to colon, or a new discovery that destroys tooth decay without a needle or drill. His observations will save you money and your health.

This information is for everyone including those who have little or no understanding of their mouth. For example, a handicapped patient found it convenient to go to a dentist within walking distance of his apartment. He was told he needed extensive and very expensive gum surgery along with a series of deep cleanings. In a state of panic, he made an appointment to see Dr. Hofmann. Over many years the patient had eroded his teeth by over-brushing. Although his x-rays showed large ghost-like spots in those areas, this type of tooth erosion is not a disease and does not require surgery nor a deep cleaning! The deep cleaning or surgery would have harmed his healthy pink gum tissue. He was extremely grateful to hear the truth and thus save thousands of dollars.

At key points in this book, the author will present a question or issue without providing direct answers. This should inspire you to think so you can come to your own conclusion while avoiding libelous judgments. Eventually logic and commonsense will shape a good answer. An example is evidence showing manufactured disease in the mouth. Over 500 medications produced by the drug industry causes dry mouth which leads to tooth decay or periodontal disease. Research shows that this will feed bad bacteria and toxins or enzymes into the blood stream. These in turn can cause heart disease, joint inflammation, pancreatitis and other disorders. A dry mouth also allows bacterial plaques to form around teeth and to be inhaled causing pneumonia. It is a death trap waiting to happen to those who are aging, incapacitated, or bedridden. Pneumonia is the #1 cause of death.

Some data might be contested by invested corporations or interest groups. Dr. Hofmann will leave the logical conclusions up to you and hopes that you will be both informed and inspired. Try not to self-diagnose nor treat any serious condition on your own. If some words or terms are difficult, go to Chapter12 which will explain them. This knowledge will help you research any topic in more depth.

The information presented will save you both time and money. It may also rescue a life. Just observing how a person breathes may end up saving them! A nasal sound is evidence of potential sleep apnea which if untreated can lead to a heart attack or other serious consequences. Sleep apnea can cause severe stress to the pancreas, brain and other organs and increase the chance for cancer or strokes. It can harm people of every age. An alarm concerning this danger needs to be sounded.

This book will also address many of the myths, falsehoods and serious deceptions on the trail to the truth. Some are anecdotal accounts with important data that will help you and those you love to avoid many pitfalls along the way to good health. In order to insure a balanced and honest viewpoint, Dr. Hofmann has been very careful not to accept money from any company. However, he will share information on certain products that have proven themselves effective in preventing or healing disease. Some of the important ones are backed up by decades of good research.

One pitfall that will surprise readers is the Apple Cider Vinegar craze which promotes itself as a cure-all for dieting and healing for everything from acid reflux to respiratory issues. A recent promotion claimed 1000 tried-and-true remedies which will heal you. The promoters fail to mention when you habitually sip a diluted vinegar-acid it can cause major tooth decay. As you make important choices remember those natural home remedies often do not list critical contraindications or warnings.

Our lives are already too full of cravings and desires which have stoked addictions and other bad choices. These include smoking, e-cigs, vaping, marijuana, opioids and the ever-growing sugar and snack food habits, all of which are increasing in the youth. Hopefully this book will help you overcome those pitfalls so that you can move forward to experience relief and healing. Your life should not be a measure of lost time, but of good safe choices and a transformation that will allow you to become a healthier and better person.

Dentistry is committed to preventive care and to treating pain with the least amount of discomfort. If preventive dentistry has not been a big part of your dental health, this book will be of special importance, as it shows you concepts which will improve your technique. If you had a painful experience going to the dentist, information revealed will give you renewed confidence. And note, most dentists are honest and hardworking, very knowledgeable and dedicated to helping you deal with fear or pain in a comfortable way. Dr. Hofmann desires to improve dentistry throughout the world by educating and forewarning the reader about conditions and issues few have known about or understood. He invites you to join him on this journey of transformation.

He intends to be an advocate for those who cannot afford the cost of treatment in the modern dental office and believes the information in this book will change the lives of many who read it. For instance, there are many simple and effective ways to prevent and control both tooth decay and gum disease that most people do not know about. Much of this information has not been shared nor is being taught to patients.

Many people, including doctors, do not know that there is a simple food medicine that inactivates bad bacteria in the mouth, ears, nose, throat and gut! It will prevent tooth decay and can cure sinusitis, an earache or a hacking cough as it did for Dr. Hofmann. Chapters such as WOW 2 WHOA, DOC, I Did Not Know That, and Myth Busting, will reveal stunning information that can help you make decisions which will positively affect your health and wallet. This information is based on many research studies.

As you read on, each chapter will have special ALERTS to point you to important data or observations. They will be accented with italics or statements like, it may surprise you to know. For instance, it may surprise you to know that using two toothbrushes to allow each to dry out will help prevent bacterial recontamination.

Did you know teeth comprise only 20% of the mouth? The other 80% is soft tissue, tongue and mucosa, all of which are moistened by an important saliva people take for granted? Knowing the value of your saliva should motivate you to take steps to nurture and preserve it. Evidence shows that dry mouth weakens saliva and will lead to tooth decay and gum disease that can then hurt your heart. Drugs that affect saliva include ibuprofen, antihistamines, opioids, and diuretics. Habits such as smoking or consuming soft drinks will have a bad impact on saliva. Many of us have a level of addictive behavior or habit that affects our health. This book will help make it clear why and how they are harmful, so that you can then take the right counter measures.

There are other forces in your mouth which can sabotage both your health and your wallet. For instance, when you put off seeing a dentist after a crown falls off, natural shifting will occur in surrounding teeth which can cost you hundreds of dollars to correct. Your restoration will no longer fit, and a new crown may have to be made. Or if you fail to wear your new partial denture, teeth will move and the denture will no longer fit. As you continue reading take notes and if the book does not save you money you can have your money back.

Some products like toothbrushes are engineered for fashion and to fool you. Have you noticed that soft toothbrushes do not feel soft? Bristles are placed tightly together in pointed tufts that create two problems. One is that bacterial plaque or colonies are easily preserved in those tight places. If bristles are placed further apart air dries and kills the bacteria. A tuft is also more abrasive and destructive to thin tissue and weak dentin. This aggregation of bristles creates a hard pointed nob. The solution is simple: just use tufts with fewer bristles that will allow more bending and more air flow. This may not seem sexy to the manufacturers who seem intent on creating a new colorful design every year!

This book is unique for it is designed to get your attention and equip you to be able to talk to your dentist concerning your oral health care needs. Therefore, share it with your family, friends, strangers, and of course your dentist. Each chapter has powerful information that will inform even the highly educated. We have all been brainwashed to some extent by the sugar industry, media ads, and by our personal experiences or exposure to medicine and dentistry. We cannot trust commercials to keep ourselves or our kids healthy. The worse thing we can do is reward children with sugar or sweet snacks when they act up, have emotional needs, or are just demanding. Snack foods can act as sugar on steroids as they will use up the resources needed for digestion and act as a very sticky plaque in the mouth.

Keep an open perspective and use Internet search engines to find specific information that will help you better understand any topic discussed in this book. Dr. Peter Hofmann thanks you for buying the book, studying and sharing the information presented. He appreciates your observations, responses or reviews and hopes that you will help support and spread this grass-roots effort to wake people up to the truth related to dentistry and healthcare - so that lives can be saved.

CHAPTER TWO

The Good - The Wise

The Bad, and The Ugly

Knowledge can guide us to excellent health through both prevention and intervention. Knowledge alone, however, is often not enough. Motivation to act and follow through with good habits requires a little risk taking. To achieve change you may have to try something that runs counter to your thinking. For instance, try the super-soft Korean packet of four super-soft toothbrushes. You will be amazed how well they clean and last. They will not irritate and erode fragile bone and gums like harder toothbrushes.

More truth will be uncovered as this book shines a light on exciting oral care concepts, good and bad dental products, ugly scams, falsehoods and myths, and observations that will warn you before disease or pain sets in. Unfortunately, the exposing of truth will step on some feet, such as some Wall Street companies and those who preach with the profit motive, promoting Hollywood hyper-whites and speedy treatments with titles like How to make a Million Quickly or Spend Less Time & Make More Money!

Quality time is what every patient needs with his or her dentist. The patient should be made aware of their condition, the cost and length of treatment, and all options available. It is important that the dentist warns you of any consequences or emergencies which might arise. After all, your mouth is a unique organ which requires attention as you eat, drink, and breathe.

Chewing is the ultimate stress test to determine how effective a restoration will be. You deserve fillings and other solutions that stand the test of time. In turn it is your responsibility explore the good techniques and concepts taught in this book and then transform any bad habits into good ones.

To eat and drink healthy means to avoid excess sugar, empty calories such as processed carbohydrates and acidic foods and drinks. Unfortunately, most things we like are acidic, sweet, or quick and easy to eat. So, what is the answer? A great solution is to drink plenty of water and eat only when you are hungry. If you drink wine, fruit juices, soft drinks, or use apple cider vinegar, rinse with water afterwards and swallow. If possible, drink with a straw. When you snack rinse with water and skip those empty calories. They are like sugar to the body.

Search out foods that have more fiber such as bran or seeded bread, and raw or steamed vegetables. Experiment by eating salads with nuts, fruit, dried cranberries, goat cheese, or a hard-boiled egg. Eat cauliflower and fruits like strawberries or plums which have natural xylitol. These foods make good snacks as xylitol works to inactivate cavity forming bacteria in your mouth. The xylitol protects the saliva, the microbiome of your gut and your nasopharyngeal passages from dangerous bacteria and yeast.

Mouth malodor or Halitosis by itself can be a big turn-off to social acceptance and good communication. This seems like a little problem, but it can be a sign of a much bigger issue. Brushing your tongue, teeth, and gums with a super-soft toothbrush will help. Seeing your dentist for a regular checkup and using antiseptic mouth rinses helps. Use warm water with a touch of salt or chlorine dioxide mouth rinse to neutralize sulfurous odors. Chlorine dioxide has been shown to be very effective against Sulphur compounds and related bacteria that cause malodor. If a dry mouth is causing odors use xylitol to increase your salivary flow.

Cutting down on those manufactured snacks or empty calories will also protect your teeth by letting your saliva recuperate from acids. In following chapters, we will learn how important your saliva is and how helpful it is to use xylitol mints or chewing gum to neutralize acids. Toothpaste and mouth rinses with added zinc protect teeth and help to counter bad breath, especially in combination with activated chlorine dioxide rinses. Mouth odors can also come from a dry mouth and from infections in gums and within deep decay.

Scattered throughout the book are examples of good decisions and bad mistakes one can make concerning the care and use of the mouth. Some of those mistakes are due to popular myths and bad media-medicine. Others may be due to the confusing science of dentistry. Most professions do not have so many strange words, double meanings, and the weird gadgets associated with them.

Dr. Hofmann’s personal experiences will challenge you to make wise decisions concerning your preventive care. Two widely advertised examples of potentially bad media-medicine are apple cider vinegar and extensive nasal flushes that wipe away good mucosa. We will discuss these in later chapters.

Hopefully this book will become a go-to reference resource you will share with your family, friends, co-workers and acquaintances. Get your highlighter out and take notes. Explore the Chapter on Terminology as you go along. All words are printed in this "script format" are defined and explained there.

Use caution if you are using baking soda or hydrogen peroxide to clean or disinfect your teeth. Ironically some people use these in sensitive areas thinking they will heal tissue. The truth is just the opposite. They destroy the microbiome that protects the teeth and gums. Do not use this combination for receding or eroded gums or bone. Both baking soda and salt crystals are too abrasive. Many modern toothpastes have rounded micro-particles of sodium bicarbonate, calcium carbonate or other semi-abrasives that clean safely and effectively when used with a good super-soft toothbrush. If you are very careful in areas of recession, you may avoid the need for surgery.

Another simple solution that has surprised many of Dr. Hofmann’s patients is how effective and durable his specially engineered super-soft brushes are.