I have strong memories of childhood misery in the dentist’s chair, so it’s no wonder that I feel so passionately about homeopathic help for dental work. As a child, my mouth was overcrowded, so had to have quite a few teeth extracted and then a brace fitted, and I remember that I bled copiously at the time. As a homeopath, I now understand that a dose or two of the correct homeopathic remedy for me, whether Arnica (physical trauma from the extraction), Hypericum (bleeding and pain after extraction), Phosphorus (persistent bleeding after tooth extraction), Trillium (excessive bleeding after extractions), or Calendula (to help heal cuts and wounds in the mouth, including those caused by extractions) might well have eased my discomfort.

That wasn’t the end of it though: I wore my dental brace religiously (like the good girl I was), but my teeth flatly removed to budge, and I’m left with a gap to this day. Frustrated at the lack of progress, the school dentist, a grumpy old so-and-so, used to shout at me and unfairly accuse me of dodging wearing the thing. Again, as a homeopath, I know that I probably needed a dose of homeopathic Staphysagria (to help ailments from being reprimanded, ailments from injustice, ailments from invasion, ie having the dentist’s tools in my mouth, and feelings of anger which were suppressed by my fear of him).

To cap it all (sorry about the pun), I had all those teeth extracted, but still had a baby tooth in place right up until I had it removed this year at the age of 41. Baby teeth are only meant to last a maximum of 20 years, so for the last two decades, dentists I visited exclaimed in surprise when they saw it, still hanging on for dear life well past it’s sell-by date. According to the dental X-rays, it had never budged because the adult tooth that should have supplanted it is lying sideways and dormant, and hadn’t given it the nudge from below that it needed. Interestingly, one of the key homeopathic remedies indicated for delayed dentition is Calc carb, which matches my soft-heartedness, my tendency to overwork and be over-responsible, as well as my body shape, and even my liking for eggs. Calc even matches the fact that I’m easily affected by things I hear and see (I can’t even watch Jurassic Park – too scary)!

Many homeopaths, acupuncturists, reflexologists and holistic dentists also consider that particular teeth may have a relationship with specific other parts of the body that lie along the same meridians or energy lines, so I thought long and hard before having my venerable baby tooth removed, realising that the dental surgery could affect other systems and areas of my body – the fact that parts can’t be considered in isolation (but instead can affect the whole being) is a key concept in any holistic therapy. In the end, though, with the help of my holistic dentist (himself a homeopath and hypnotherapist), I decided the baby tooth’s time had run out, and I made the appointment to have it removed, much to the amusement of certain members of my family, who asked with mock innocence whether losing the last of my baby teeth meant I’d finally be growing up.

Just as I advise my patients to, I followed the dental extraction protocol that we use at Phoenix Homeopathy, starting with a few doses of homeopathic Emerald, a remedy which can help the system to let go of the tooth more freely. Eased by my dentist’s hypnotic and soothing words as he extracted the tooth, it came away cleanly and easily, and bleeding and pain were controlled this time with alternating doses of homeopathic Arnica and Hypericum, so I didn’t need any painkillers or antibiotics, and the socket healed beautifully, in no time at all – a very different experience to when I was a child. And weirdly, I’ve noticed myself being more authoritative – dare I say it, more grown up – since the tooth was removed!

For more information about homeopathy help with dental problems, visit the Phoenix Homeopathy website.

Disclaimer: Any views or advice in this weblog should not be taken as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, especially if you know you have a specific health complaint. Prescribed medication should not be stopped or varied without conventional medical advice. Please remember that homeopathic remedies and other health measures should be individually-selected to match the whole person, not just the unwelcome symptom. Seek professional advice rather than self-prescribing if your complaint is chronic, severe or long-standing, or if you are pregnant, elderly or on orthodox medications.