A Revolution in Care

Most dentists are compassionate and skilled professionals, but the strategies they have been taught are out of date. Drilling cavities and filling them with plastic resin is expensive, painful, scary, and not truly a cure for the underlying disease.

And not just that, but that kind of dental care is far too expensive. In the United States there are millions of people who do not have reliable access to dental care, and in there are billions of people internationally who have little or no access to dental care.

And to make matters even worse, a regimen of brushing and flossing simply won’t prevent dental disease for many or most people. That’s why so many people brush and floss religiously but still have tooth decay and gum recession.

It doesn’t have to be this way! With some simple education…

You can keep your mouth far healthier,
Your dentist can provide you far better care, grow their practice, and care for their whole community,
And we can equip even the poorest communities to have healthy mouths.

The entire world of dentistry is ready for a fresh start.

This is all possible because of three critical facts:

Cavities and gum disease are caused by infection, almost always.
Most of these infections can be treated painlessly with medicine, not drills.
These infections can almost always be prevented or stopped early.

Because of these facts, you should be able to go your whole life and never lose a tooth, and never need to see your dentist holding a needle or drill ever again. Your children never need to experience a toothache. High-quality dental care can be provided everywhere in the world, even in remote villages with no running water or electricity.

If you’d like to be part of this revolution for yourself, your family, and your community, start by reading this page. This page will give you a big-picture view of what is happening.

Then check out our Self-Care Guide so you can keep your own mouth healthy. Send your dentist to our Provider Resources page so they can use their skills in the best way to help you. And if you would, please consider supporting our work with a donation so we can continue to spread the word about this revolution, and get the best possible dental care into every corner of the world through our program In The Bush.

The disease

Cavities and gum disease are caused by infection.

In almost all cases, cavities and gum disease are caused by infection. A healthy mouth has a rich microbiome with many, many species of microbes living in it. But when there is a problem, some of those microbes overpopulate and an infection begins. These microbes produce harsh acid that softens teeth, and as the teeth dissolve the infection goes deep into the tooth and makes a cavity.

This acid also irritates and damages gums and bone, causing gums to recede and teeth to loosen. And just like with teeth, the worse the damage, the worse the infection gets. The microbes that cause these problems love the conditions in cavities and gum pockets, and they multiply even more.

The Treatment

Most of these infections can be treated painlessly with medicine, not drills.

We know have a variety of techniques and medicines that can be used to treat the infections that cause tooth decay. Basically, a tooth is gently cleaned and dried, then painless antimicrobial and remineralizing medicines are applied to the tooth as drops of liquid or gel. After several treatments the infection will be healed, and the medicines linger in the tooth for months to help prevent re-infection.

That is it. No needles, no drills, no noise. Just medicine and true healing.

Your saliva is rich with minerals that can harden teeth – so after the infection is healed, your own saliva will help repair your tooth and make it fully hard again. If there is a cavity – an actual hole in the tooth – it can be gently cleaned with no drilling, and with no needles, and then filled with a special kind of medicated filling material called Glass Ionomer. This filling material chemically bonds to your tooth, helps prevent re-infection, and even helps strengthen surrounding teeth.

Prevention

These infections can almost always be prevented.

And this might be the best news. With our current knowledge of how dental disease works, we can actually prevent almost all of it. Or in other words, simply have a healthy mouth!

And no, we aren’t just going to say “brush and floss”… in fact, what we have to say about flossing will surprise you.

A combination of simple home care, and simple clinical care can almost entirely prevent dental disease. We have a basic, 5-step Self-Care Guide that walks you through the simplest, most effective steps you can take to have a healthy mouth for your whole life. You can easily have a healthy mouth and prevent most dental disease.

Your dentist can help make sure you have a healthy mouth. They can proactively medicate your teeth once or twice a year, helping stave off infections. And by finding issues early, then can treat them medically very easily, and very effectively. Send them to our Provider Resources page so they can get started today.

Self-Care Guide

Simple methods that you can use to keep your mouth healthy and prevent dental disease.

Provider Resources

Professional resources for dental health workers to quickly transform their quality of care.

In The Bush

We can teach your organization how to deploy effective, community-based dental programs out of a backpack.