Dear Dr. Keyes,

After a lifetime of caring for my teeth exactly as dentists and periodontists had advised — brush and floss three times a day — my mouth was a mess. In early January 2004, two well-respected periodontists in San Diego said I needed extensive gum surgery to treat bleeding and receding gums, deep pockets, and oral bone loss — and soon! "Have surgery now, or risk losing your teeth" was their dire vertict. That sent me fleeing the chair to search for a better alternative. A dental hygienst friend of mine (Sheila Wolf, "Mama Gums" - www.mamagums.com) referred me to another hygienst who is a proponent of your anti-microbial, non-surgical methods for treating periodontal disease. I read the hygienist's book several times from cover to cover. As I read the book, my Bachelor's degriee in Microbiology hit me upside the head and said "Of course! Kill the bugs, solve the problem!"

In late January 2004, I found a new periodontist who was willing to work with me to heal my mouth without surgery. The periodontist performed four-quadrants of root planing followed by antibiotics, and I began a rigorous home-care regime that I developed after reading the hygienist's book. My periodontist and dentist, both skeptical when I embarked on this journey to solve my oral problems non-surgically, were astounded by my rapid progress from bleeding gums, deep pockets (not the financial kind), and bone loss to healthy tissue, mostly normal pockets, and halted bone loss. My periodontist declared the danger of losing my teeth over and assured me I would not lose them if I kept up my regime.

Fast-forward almost four years later...we moved to Oregon. My new dentist and his hygienist were so complimentary about my homecare and the condition of my oral tissues and teeth. Of course, they know I am using your method. They took extensive "new-patient" x-rays that told the story dramatically when compared with films taken before I began anti-microbial homecare. The new x-rays show no more bone loss — not a bit! Now that's a testimonial considering the damage that had been done before I knew about and applied your method.

Thank you, Dr. Keyes, for your amazing work and for continuing your crusade against oral bugs. Speaking of bugs, it's time to brush my teeth.

1/15/08 update - All my pocket depths have improved to 1s, 2s, 3s, and just a few 4s! No bleeding, nice tight tissues all around the teeth. My hygienist could not believe she was looking at the same mouth that appeared in my 2004 dental and periodontal records.

Best regards,

Elizabeth Olson