Customer Reviews

The Oral Health Bible

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book takes center stage in our reception and treatment rooms! Instrumental in my clinical practice as a dental hygienist are the very points made in this ground breaking and prevention oriented guide to oral health. No more will I struggle to explain the connection of the health of the mouth to total body health. My treatment and home oral health recommendations have been aligned with those in this book for over 15 years. And I have witnessed the positive difference with my patients especially when the top 10 nutritionals for oral health are taken and irrigation with the Oxycare 3000 becomes a daily routine. Read it - Study it - and most importantly - Do it! Thank you Drs. Bonner and Mindell for helping us learn how we can improve oral health, practitioners and people alike!

It is about time that the modern medicine world discovered the connection between oral health/disease and systemic health/disease. Generally speaking, if a person's oral health is good, they have a better chance of having good systemic health. Dr. Bonner is describing a way for oral health to be improved with nutrition and proper oral hygiene techniques. Better oral health equates to better systemic health.
It's About Time. Good job, and congratulations on your new book, Dr. Bonner.

John Hammer, DDS

Dr. Michael Bonner is the only medical author I know of who emphasizes the seriousness of dental and gum disease, and its impact on cardiac health. Though others have written about the topic, Dr. Bonner sounds the alarm, and gives the reader a protocol which can reverse oral disease, and promote a return to vital health.
What I learned about the impact of C-reactive protein (Crp),
and the tests he tells you to take to identify it, and the steps you need to take (how to keep your gums and mouth healthy)to lower it have been potentially life-saving for me. Clearly written and well organized, I rate it 5 stars.

This is an interesting, fun to read, and very important work for anyone and everyone interested in a holistic approach to improve their health. It caused me to reflect on the many patients whom I have cared for as an Internist over the past twenty years, and to lend thought with regard to the state of their oral health and its relationship to their overall health. To say the least, the advice is straightforward, safe, and easy to follow, and Dr Bonner has apparently taken the creed "First Do No Harm" seriously as he dispenses his logical formularies and advice. I am recommending this book to my patients without hesitation.

There is much to recommend the book, and I agree with most of what the other reviewers have said. I am convinced by the argument about the impact of oral health on systemic health, the point about oral irrigators and avoiding harmful ingredients in your oral hygiene products. Here's what I find concerning and intend to research some more:

(1) On p. 74 of my 2003 edition, there is a reference to Splenda as a safe replacement for sugar. While I am convinced of the need to eliminate sugar, specifically Splenda has received some bad press since 2003, so I am not sure it is all that safe as a replacement. Apparently, each of the alternative sweeteners (agave, etc.) can potentially have its own problems, with the possible exception of stevia and brown rice syrup, although it increasingly begins to appear that the evils of sugar are greater than the downsides of any of the others. As an aside, I have tried brown rice syrup and stevia and have been disappointed with both, but that's an individual taste issue.

(2) I find the hydromagnetic argument on p. 84 puzzling and need to research it.

(3) And the most troubling thing is the author's heavy reliance on Dr. Earl Mindell. Here is one less than glowing review of Dr. Mindell's theories from Quackwatch -- granted that this was written in 1986, but the facts it cites, if true, are concerning: [...] (For completeness' sake, a quick Internet search found nothing negative on Dr. Bonner or Dr. Gitterle, the author of the foreword to the book, except possibly some swine-flu-related fear-mongering and conspiracy theories from the latter in April 2009.)

The bottom line for me is that you can't avoid doing your own research if you want to take charge of your health. In the quarrel between conventional and alternative medicine, nutrition, or dentistry, you can't just take sides and delegate the responsibility for your health to one or the other; each is right on some points and wrong on some others, and new information is constantly becoming available. So on balance, I do recommend Dr. Bonner's book and intend eventually to purchase it, but strongly suggest that readers read it critically.

I read this approximately 119 page book in one sitting on a Sunday evening. As the book is designed so that a reader can jump to the chapter that interests them, there is a lot of repetitive information (e.g. in every chapter the author reminds readers why periodontal disease is dangerous and why most oral care products contain chemicals that can further damage teeth and gums). He repeats information so that a reader who jumps into the middle of the book gets the same information as one who reads the book from cover to cover. That said, if you read the book from cover to cover, you can quickly skim the first few pages of each chapter as it is usually just repeating what you've read in a previous chapter. Because of that, the book is an incredibly fast read.

The first few chapters focus on what is going on/wrong in the mouth (there's a particularly good section where the author takes you on a virtual tour of a virtual patient's mouth as if you were sitting next to the doctor in the dentist office while he explains what he sees while conducting the oral exam), and how the bacteria in the mouth can spread through your body, wreaking all sorts of havoc to include an increased likelihood of suffering heart disease or a stroke. The case the author builds is quite strong.

In the last 2-3 chapters, the author focuses on the types of products we should be using and specifically offers brand names (e.g. Sonicare, Oxyfresh mouthwash, etc.) while also encouraging us to find and use what works best for us. As an FYI, the author is a distributor of Oxyfresh products, but he does not coerce the reader to purchase those products from him and he also suggests competing products. Lastly, the author suggests supplements one should take to help repair damage to the gums and provides the appropriate dosages to be taken.

The book is so compelling, once I was done, I got in my car at around 10pm, found a supermarket that was open 24 hours, and purchased Tom's of Maine toothpaste (a toothpaste recommended in the book). I also ordered Tom's of Maine mouthwash on Amazon (not specifically recommended in the book but it contains none of the ingredients the author warns against), and the Hydrofloss oral irrigator and cannulas the author suggests. In addition, I've started taking the supplement product Green Defense I already had on hand that includes the bioflavonoids and grape seed extract the author recommends be taken daily.

In summary, the book's advice couples holistic medicine/dentistry with traditional medicine/dentistry (the author recommends blood tests and oral exams in addition to home care remedies) and focuses almost entirely on gum health and periodontitis. It is clearly written and compelling.

One of the frustrations I suffered in working with my dentist is that, aside from being told to brush and floss (duh), I was not provided with detailed information on what else could be done to fight and win the war against gum issues. If you are looking to fight a winning battle against gum disease, I recommend a look at this book. It is doubtful that the recommendations in this book can harm you and, with careful attention to your oral health through the use of the author's suggestions, it is likely that it will improve the situation in your mouth.

Best of luck!

**UPDATE: I purchased this book because I woke up one morning a few weeks ago with an abscess and was told by my dentist that I'd likely have to have the tooth in question extracted. Yikes! As noted in my review, I immediately began following the advice in this book. I floss daily now (even when I don't feel like it ;) ), brush 3x/day rather than 2 as I once did, use an oral irrigator and have recently upgraded to a Sonicare brush and Hydrofloss irrigator (both recommended by the author), and have added vitamin C to my supplement regimen (also author recommended). In just about a week of caring diligently for my teeth and gums, there has been dramatic (and I do mean DRAMATIC) improvement.

How do I know? Well my dentist referred me to a periodontist and today was my first visit with her. As she examined the area that was once abscessed she said, "Hm, it seems like, based on the x-ray your dentist sent us, the pocket depth should be much deeper there." In addition, the measurement of my gum pockets was mostly 3mm with only a few areas that were deeper (1-3mm depths is indicative of healthy gums). Having only a few deep pockets is a *major* improvement for me considering the perio disease flared up rapidly, started ravaging my mouth in a very short period of time and my dentist had been considering extraction not long ago.

Wow! I can't say enough about the advice in this book.

By the way, even though I now take extra time to care for my mouth, I actually enjoy the process of caring for my oral health and doing all I can to keep my teeth for life. Although my periodontist is still thinking I may need to undergo surgery, I am confident that so long as I continue to follow the author's advice and care for my oral health in this new way, I shall not have to go under the knife. I am looking forward to amazing and delighting my dentists. ;)

Page 14 seems to support the Louis Pasteur germ theory. So what about Antoine Bechamp? It's widely known that Pasteur, on his deathbed, stated that Bechamp's 'terrain' theory was the real cause of disease.

Why no mention of Weston A. Price and all his "research" regarding the healthiest (tooth) populations in the world?

The book fails to mention that sodium fluoride is a waste byproduct of the aluminum industry. Very flimsy tooth enamel studies allowed Alcoa to dump their toxic wastes into the water supply; and also into toothpaste.

The most egregious error of the book is the missing research on prolonged elevated blood sugar levels. Price found this to be the root of tooth decay, not proper brushing, flossing, and dental treatments. All cultures that had "westernized" diets had bad teeth. Cultural diets without white flour and artificial sugars; and diets high in omega-3's (fish), raw milk/cheeses, vegetables, and grass fed meats had the best health (and teeth).

How about the role of vitamin D? Again, no real mention. When people get adequate sunshine in the summer, and then supplement with vitamin D3 in the winter, their teeth have the best possible nutrient foundation. Dr. Eric Madrid has a wonderful book on the topic.

Last, but not least, I recommend Ramiel Nagel and "Cure Tooth Decay." Though, not a perfect work, it sure is the best book written to date on tooth decay, cavity treatment and prevention, and oral health. Nagel comes from the holistic/Bechamp/Price side of the debate. His book is supported with research, not anecdotes.

The allopathic/germ model has gotten us nowhere in medicine. It's time to start questioning the current medical establishment, particularly the conventional side of dental health. Don't take my word for it. Seek your own answers. Do you ever question why humans continue to get sicker and sicker? Three words--follow the money.

After reading this book I threw away my Colgate toothpaste and Listerine mouthwash, replacing them both with the Closys brand from Wallgreens. And the sores in my mouth disappeared! The book doesn't mention any of these brands specifically, but it tells you how to read the labels to select products that won't harm you. The book is a short, easy read that lets you know more than most dentists seem to know about how to keep your mouth in perfect condition.

The connection between dental health and several infectious diseases, plus heart attacks and strokes, is still not commonly known. Dr. Bonner's book clearly and accurately makes the case, as well as providing the remedies for those and various dental conditions. Dr. Bonner doesn't hesitate to list products and techniques he and others have found through years of dental practice to be safe and effective, and many that are neither. It's good seeing so much vital information packed into a compact, easily understood book.

Ive been trying to find somethings I can do to really improve my oral health. This book is excellent. It suggest supplements that will help and which products to use and not to use for teeth and gum cleaning and the reasons for his suggestions.