Episode 91: The Magic of The Mouth with Laura Schikkerling

June 9, 2021 Avni Trivedi

Photo credit - Unsplash -

“Everything that keeps you alive comes through the mouth”: communication, expressing love and nutrition

Laura Schikkerling is a dental hygienist with a holistic approach to mind body health. She offers a mindful approach to caring for the teeth, mouth, tongue and gums for greater confidence and health. Hailing from South Africa, Laura now lives and works in London. In usual circumstances, Laura spends many months of the year at an ashram in India to support her personal practice and improve the lives of her clients.

Laura works very closely with the dentists. This is necessary to either re-establish or maintain teeth and gums in an optimal state of health. A clean mouth is important for a number of reasons i.e. preventing both decay and gum disease.

Scientific studies have linked poor oral health to cardiovascular disease and also an increased risk of low birth weight in babies.

In this episode, we talked about:

Laura had a summer job with a periodontist in Johannesburg and became intrigued with the way he practiced. This led her to a dental hygiene course in London
Dental hygiene appointments have a supportive role that can help to combat the fear associated with dentistry that affects many people
Parents can bring their babies and children in to appointments to help to normalise the experience, and promote dental hygiene from a young age
The mouth is a private, personal space and should be honoured
Dental hygiene for self-care
Oral hygiene and whole-body health
The mouth is a gateway to the body
“Everything that keeps you alive comes through the mouth”: communication, expressing love and nutrition
When there’s a lack of confidence around the mouth, it impacts emotional health
The first teeth are formed in the first trimester
Inflammation as a form of attack that takes the body into a state of ‘fight and flight’. The most common place for inflammation is the mouth
The mouth connection through to the gut microbiome
Laura recommends first brushing without toothpaste, in order to taste trapped food, as well as to sense when and where the gums are bleeding
Taking care of the teeth and mouth can be done in a meditative way
The relationship of the teeth to various organs- so cleaning the teeth can be a whole-body act of self-care
Mindfulness practice improves the grey matter of the brain. Eg notice how you are standing, breathing, how you grip the brush etc.
The word brushing suggests the need for scrubbing or sweeping when actually it’s about pressure on the gum-line
You should see the bristles splay to the shape of the tooth and the gums going slightly paler with the massaging pressure
The health of the gums is affected by nutrition and cleanliness of the mouth
The tooth is part of the skeletal system
Neem is a common tree that is used for its cleansing action on the teeth
The mouth is regarded as extremely important in Ayurveda
Smiling produces endorphins
Cleaning the tongue with a tongue cleaner or soft toothbrush
Oil pulling with coconut or sesame oil is a useful Ayurvedic practice
An individualised regime would be prescribed based on one’s constitution, e.g. bone structure, skin type, food preferences etc
Homeopathy and mouth care
Tooth grinding and the suppression of emotion and expression
Tooth grinding and drug use eg crystal meth or cocaine
The controversy of fluoride use in water and dental products
Kinesiology for testing what your body needs
The mouth has its own microbiome and harsh products shouldn’t be used
A small brush head is needed for the inner surfaces and the back of the mouth
The ubiquitous Hollywood smile - teeth come in different colours
The temporo-mandibular joint and the whole spine
Cleaning between the teeth/ interdental cleaning with dental floss, interdental brushes or water picks