Your Healing Mouth: Unlocking Ancient Ayurvedic Secrets for Optimal Dental Health

By Dr Aushi Patel

Unlock the transformative power of ancient Ayurvedic secrets for optimal dental health with this enlightening guide.

Bridging the gap between timeless Indian wisdom and contemporary dental research, this book unveils a holistic approach to oral care that impacts overall wellbeing.

Dive deep into the practices recognised

• Language: English
• Publisher: Anokhi Veda
• Release date: Apr 15, 2024
• ISBN: 9780645973013

Book preview

The information in this book represents the genuine cultural, lived and professional experience of the author. It is not offered as medical advice nor as a professional service in the treatment of dental conditions, but as a guide to possible avoidance of such conditions through lifestyle choices.

Some of the issues covered by the author challenge the status quo in the dental profession and remain topics of current debate and research. The reader should consult with a relevantly qualified health practitioner before implementing any of the suggestions or products discussed in this book, which are only intended to support the reader as they research how to best enhance their own dental health.

The author’s professional anecdotes and references to patient stories are a composite of her clinical experience. They are created by the author for the education and engagement of the reader and do not reference any of the author’s specific patient cases.

Copyright © 2024 Dr Aushi Patel

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical or electronic method. Permission to use material other than for review purposes can be requested by contacting the author.

draushipatel.com

First Edition: January 2024

ISBN: 978-0-6459730-1-3

I dedicate this book to the memory of

my beloved Mumaji

CONTENTS

PREFACE - OPENING TO GREATER WISDOM

PART 1 - YOUR MOUTH IS YOUR FRIEND

CHAPTER 1 - Welcome to a New Way of Looking at Your Mouth - Your Key to Good Health

CHAPTER 2 - Ayurveda and Dental Health - How Ancient Wisdom Can Support You

PART 2 - WHAT IS YOUR MOUTH TELLING YOU?

CHAPTER 3 - Gum Disease - The King of Deception

CHAPTER 4 - Tooth Decay - There’s More to Preventing Cavities than Brushing and Flossing

CHAPTER 5 - Stressed-Out Mouth - Clenching and Grinding: The Burden Our Teeth Bear

PART 3 - YOUR NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR MOUTH

CHAPTER 6 - From Mundane to Enjoyable - Turn Your Daily Dental Routine into a Beautiful, Nourishing Ritual

EPILOGUE - IF IT’S IN YOUR MOUTH, IT’S IN YOUR BODY

APPENDIX A - Ayurveda Dosha Quiz

APPENDIX B - Resources

Endnotes

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Anokhi Veda Ayurvedic Oral Care

Index

PREFACE

OPENING TO GREATER WISDOM

For three days, I sat with my beloved grandmother as she lay in her hospital bed in North London. I brushed her hair and sang mantras to her just as she had to me from the day I was born.

As I held her warm, soft hand in mine, I was overwhelmed with a deep sense of love and gratitude for this strong, divine woman who had played such a special role in shaping my life. These feelings eclipsed the underlying sorrow that would soon burst forth with her inevitable passing.

My grandmother was given the name Kamla, which in Sanskrit, the ancient language of India, means ‘lotus’. Nevertheless, all her grandchildren called her ‘Mumaji’. She was my rock and my anchor.

A couple of years after I was born, our family and other Indians who called Uganda home were forced into exile. We initially moved to London, where Mumaji took me under her wing.

She buffered the turmoil and trauma we went through, the extreme disorientation, by holding me on her lap and telling me stories about the mythological gods and goddesses of our rich Vedic culture. This is one of my fondest, most treasured memories. She taught me to sing Sanskrit mantras before I could even speak English!

True to her birth name, my grandmother embodied the expression ‘from the mud grows the lotus’. She was born in a small village in India and experienced trauma from a young age when her mother passed away. She was only four years old and was brought up by her relatives. When she was sixteen, she married my grandfather, a man she deeply respected and loved. Soon after, they moved from India to Uganda, where she had to adapt to her new life in East Africa. She soon settled in and went on to bear seven children, my mother being one of them.

Shortly before we were exiled, my grandfather passed away, leaving my grandmother a widow at a young age. As always, she was willing to meet life as it came. She carried her grief with her when we moved, and despite the additional hardship of being displaced to another country, she rose to the occasion, relying on her ability to find the light in the darkness and transform the mud into the lotus. She accepted what life gave her with humility and gratitude, yet always carried an inner fire.

Mumaji’s deep connection to the divine gave her a mystical aura, a grace and beauty in everything she encountered. She was dedicated to embracing the devotional practices and Ayurvedic teachings she had learnt growing up in India.

In her home, her pride and joy was her temple shrine filled with small figurines and framed images of various Hindu gods and goddesses. Here she began each day at five a.m. with a devotional ritual by lighting a stick of incense. To this day, the smell of its sweet, perfumed scent takes me back to the memory of her temple. She sang mantras and poured offerings of rose petals and milk over her statues, meditating for at least a couple of hours.

I have memories of my time in her London home before I reached school age, eagerly shadowing her as she went about her daily activities. She had a passion for writing and diligently maintained a notebook brimming with Vedic mantras she sang with joy. Inspired by her devotion, I yearned to be just like her and asked for my very own notebook and a saree so I could join her in the sacred realm of her devotional practice.

When I think back on it, the best way I can describe Mumaji is that she embodied the essence of the Divine Feminine. She was my Shakti; she was my strength.

Growing up, I absorbed and embraced her spiritual values. With each mythological tale she told me, she explained the morals of the story: Be honest, practise forgiveness and lead a heartcentered life. Seva, or service, was very important to her, as was Ahimsa, to do no harm, which later showed up in my Hippocratic Oath as a dentist.

Dentistry was a calling I’d felt since I was nine years old, when my mother took me to her dental appointment with her youngest brother, a dentist. He was someone I’d always loved and looked up to as a role model.

Although I was supposed to stay in the waiting area, I snuck into the treatment room. The tools and equipment in his workplace captivated me, and once the procedure on my mother began, I was fascinated. At that moment, I knew that when I grew up, I would follow in my uncle’s footsteps and become a dentist.

When I think back on it, the best way I can describe Mumaji is that she embodied the essence of the Divine Feminine. She was my Shakti; she was my strength.

The years passed, and my grandmother and I remained close no matter where I lived. I always admired her deep commitment to serving others and her strong belief that everyone, especially women, had the right to a quality education no matter their life circumstances. Despite Mumaji’s limited resources, she made it possible for a number of underprivileged children in India to receive an education. I’m proud to say that many of those students have become successful business leaders in the United States.

So naturally, she was over the moon when I was accepted into the esteemed King’s College School of Medicine and Dentistry in London. I can still see her beaming smile and the happiness she radiated when I graduated, earning my degree and the title of Dr Patel.

Her message was crystal clear: Always be humble because you and your hands are channelling divine energy, which is something far greater than you.

Mumaji instilled in me not only her moral values but also gave me my cultural identity. I’m of Indian ancestry but was born in Uganda, as were my parents. Shortly after we were exiled, my parents and I moved to Canada and lived there until I was fourteen. We then relocated to the UK, where I lived for the next fifteen years and completed my education. Today, and for more than two decades, I’ve called Australia my home. Although I’ve lived around the world and have been exposed to many cultures, I’ve never truly felt I belonged anywhere, not even in India, where I’m looked upon as a foreigner!

But Mumaji would have none of it. Once, when I told her how I felt, her eyes flashed with fierceness. What she said gave me roots that served as my anchor. ‘You are Indian,’ she said, ‘and you should be proud.’

I can now appreciate how strong and resilient Mumaji was. She adapted to life in East Africa, learning to speak the native language, Swahili, and then in England, learning to speak English. Yet no matter where she was, she embraced her Indian heritage and wore a saree with pride every day. Because of her, no matter where I might be in the world, I can recite a mantra and find my way back to the home of my heart and soul: my Indian heritage.

The early years of my career in the UK were spent working in National Health Service hospitals, first in paediatric dentistry, and then oral and maxillofacial surgery. Working alongside oncologists, ear, nose and throat surgeons and other medical specialists gave me a deep understanding of how closely the mouth is connected to the rest of the body. As a new graduate, I was already viewing the mouth through a medical lens.

After five years in London, my desire to live closer to the ocean and my love of scuba diving inspired me to relocate to Sydney, Australia. It was here, through a series of predestined events, that I was introduced to the world of holistic dentistry.

Esteemed dentists were recognising the connection between oral health and overall wellbeing, which aligned with the insights I had gained from my previous experience working in hospitals. Moreover, they were offering a more natural approach to dental care, which fit perfectly with my deep-rooted connection to natural healing.

As a new graduate, I was already viewing the mouth through a medical lens.

As I began my own study and research, I started connecting with other like-minded dentists around the world. My knowledge of the potentially harmful effects of certain dental procedures and materials increased, and I found myself starting to question some of the ways modern dentistry was practised.

At the same time, my eyes were opened to the possibilities of a more conscious and integrative way of offering dental care to my patients. When I graduated, I took the Hippocratic oath of ‘premium non nocere’, which translates to ‘first do no harm’. Now I saw how to take that oath even further. I learned more about the underlying philosophies of holistic dentistry, also known as biological dentistry, which only deepened my understanding of and appreciation for the mouth–body connection.

A desire and a vision began to grow in me: I wanted to change dentistry from its traditional ‘drill and fill’ method to one that takes a gentler, more wellness-based approach to healing.

With this goal in mind, I founded my Sydney practice, Anokhi Dental. In Sanskrit, the word anokhi signifies ‘unique’. I would treat each patient as a unique and whole individual. I wanted their healing to begin as soon as they entered my clinic, where they would experience a tranquil, calming environment.

My involvement in my patients’ healing was about more than just their teeth. I blended all the aspects of wellbeing I had learnt so I could support their overall health.

This shift in perspective led me to approach everything with fresh eyes, including the issues that presented themselves in my daily dental practice, such as gum disease, decay and teeth grinding.

I recognised the importance of delving deeper and began asking my patients questions such as:

What did they eat?

How was their digestion?

What oral care products were they using?

Did they breathe through their nose or their mouth?

It was becoming clear to me that the underlying factors contributing to their dental conditions extended beyond the mouth, prompting me to explore the root causes and take a more holistic approach to their oral health.

I blended all the aspects of wellbeing I had learned so I could support their overall health.

Within the realm of dental treatments, I came to understand that some of the procedures and materials used in modern dentistry, such as fluoride and mercury amalgam were toxic and not supportive of overall health. I consciously chose to avoid those procedures and materials and have done so for more than twenty years.

I knew Mumaji was proud of the work I was doing, but there was more to come. When I received the call that she had suffered a stroke and been admitted to hospital, I rushed from Sydney to London.

At her bedside, I watched her body inhale and exhale, her face at peace as she slept. Then, for just a moment, she opened her grey-blue, ethereal eyes and fixed her gaze on me. Her look shook me to my core. Once again, she closed her eyes, then slipped away from this worldly realm.

To this day, I can’t describe the