THE IMPORTANCE OF BITE & BEING METAL FREE: the Conclusion of My Dental Journey

Stupid Post-Dental Selfie - 11:35am, Thursday 9 July 2020

Why did I send my family this stupid selfie today? Because it marked the end - the PROPER end - of a huge, life-changing process. And about three hours after this photo, I realised just how huge.

I had a bit of a life around 2014. I was surviving, working in fantastic jobs in London, but there was still a lot ‘wrong’ health-wise. It was embarking upon jaw expansion (to relieve the compression of my vagus nerve at the back of my neck) which started to finally change things for the better.

From then, I still think due to the massive relief it was to my nervous system not to have constant vagal irritation, so much of my body weight and my hormonal cycles were restored. It really is the point of my life where I started to be actually ‘OK’ rather than ‘worryingly thin but surviving’.

The start of that process saw the first appliance being fitted (some 8 different ones, plus a host of other hell, would follow!). But on that first appointment something so seemingly ‘inconsequential’ also happened: some composite material was shoved on the back of my front two teeth to serve as a ‘bite surface’ so all the expansion/bite alteration could take place.

That material has been in place since August 2014.

Until today.

Your mouth is so important. Our teeth are what determine that we’re omnivores - we have canines, our ‘ripping’ teeth for flesh, and we have molars, our masticating surfaces for mushing up plants. For 6 years, I’ve had literally none of that.

Moreover, our bite and jaw are orienting functions - they are an essential feedback system to our brain. There are dentists and neurologists out there who can explain all this better than me. Each tooth also links to the body. We know there are links between teeth issues and heart disease and breast cancer - not to mention the more common jaw/headache/congestion issues which happens when bite/jaw joints are an issue.

Moreover, there are energetic meanings to teeth. Whenever I mention that I’ve had my canine pulled out to someone spiritual or attuned to these ideas, they audibly gasp and mutter comments about ‘but that is your power!’, and look at me with slight pity in their eyes (I’m joking. Just.)

Anyone who has had their teeth messed with will know how affecting it is. And it makes what should be an unconscious process a very conscious one. Eating. And I’m probably the worst person for that to happen to.

I need to be incredibly clear that I still believe that this process was formative in my healing. Would I have done it now? I honestly don’t know. And I would have certainly tried other things first.

And the process I have been through has been instrumental in creating a lot of inflammation and stress. In particular, my history is with digestive issues. I honestly haven’t been able to chew properly, certainly not bite into things properly, for 6 years. Which sounds absolutely insane when you think about it - especially as that is into the context of nearly dying due to not being able to eat anything.

Moreover, I haven’t been able to really eat anything hard in over 4 months due to the fact that one bridge has been loose.

So today, I asked for things to change. And I really had to ask.

The major point of today was to have the alloy metal, awful, Maryland bridges on both sides of my mouth removed and replaced by beautiful, zirconium ones.

But before that began, I asked for the bite surfaces placed 6 years ago to be removed. And my dentist agreed… and then proceeded to do so carefully and diligently, repairing all of the chips and cracks and issues which had been created by previous work.

Without anaesthetic today, for which I was called ‘very brave’ (polishing my halo, honestly!), I had my mouth completely reshaped. And it all feels so new and different.

I have no idea what the upshot of all of this is going to be. But I have a mouth that is now almost entirely metal free - and without surfaces which completely jar my bite every time I bring my teeth close together.

In the car on the way home I was singing along to the radio. And - of course (anyone who understands the mechanics of singing will get this) - my singing was different. Which is lovely.

And then - the moment when I realised how important this all is - I ate something for lunch. I had the leftover bit of a steak from my dinner last night in the fridge… and I grabbed a fork, carved off a slice… and bit down on the piece of steak with my front two teeth. And - for the first time in 6 years - my own teeth cut through the steak.

Everything I believe about health is that there are so many elements that play into how healthy we are. However, the core of this is the feeling of safety within our skin. Whatever ‘tool’ we are using: from using meditation to be at peace with our mind, to spiritual seeking to be at peace with our place in the universe, to the physical therapies which support our bodies and the supplemental support which changes our biochemistry. All of it is trying to build an internal sense of safety. And this matters because it provides the nervous system feedback that you are OK. This is fundamental for health.

So - as I ate my steak - I knew that today marked a key change. It feels appropriate; a lot is changing at the moment. I am finally speaking more of my truth and more from integrity. It seems only right and fitting that I get my ‘bite’ back, I guess?! 😉