In my six years of periodontal education, this condition was never discussed. As a primer, a periodontist deals with the supporting structures of the teeth—the gingiva (gums) and bone. The term “periodontics” literally means structures “around the tooth.”
With a combination of poor oral hygiene, diet, and lifestyle, the gums can become inflamed, which can result in deterioration of the underlying supporting bone. Periodontists try to create a healthy oral environment that can keep the teeth for a lifetime.
A woman presented with cramping or pain in her gingiva. It was off and on, but in her mind, it was real. Unlike some other doctors, I believed the patient.
She visited many dental providers, the best of the best in Philadelphia, for this unusual condition. The bottom line was that no one could even begin to offer a solution.
Becoming desperate like most of my patients, she paid me a visit. If I could possibly help, I knew that the answer had to lie in the function of the craniosacral fascial system.
I know that the fascial web connects every cell of the body, including the gingiva. Since she had a good 120-second brain cycle, I felt the answer was probably in a tight and/or distorted fascial web.
I wondered if strain in the web from one area of the body could be pulling on the gums. When she separately held the three painful areas on her gums, her trunk went through different twisting motions.
That indicated fascial strains from her trunk were pulling into her three painful gum areas. I had seen this phenomenon before, with trunk fascia pulling into the eyes, teeth, tongue, and other cranial structures but never the gingiva.
After I spent the first visit releasing these strains, she said, on the second visit, the areas were much improved but not 100%. A few days after the second visit, she called and thanked me because the pain was gone.
As a note, earlier in my career, I felt that receding healthy gum tissue exposing a root could be fascial strain from the mucosa, cheek, or body pulling on it. Periodontists were not on board with that explanation and probably would not be open to this one. Pioneering new concepts is not easy.
Dentistry needs to get with the latest in patient care. Gillespie Approach Training is a great tool for any bodywork professional.
