genesis dental hygiene care

30/10/2025

12/10/2025

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“From Tooth to Toxin: How a Rotten Tooth Disrupts Your Lymphatic System”
By Bianca Botha, CLT, RLD, MLDT

(This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your health regimen.)

A rotting tooth—whether from decay, abscess, or chronic infection—is more than just a painful dental problem. It becomes a silent systemic threat once it activates and overwhelms your lymphatic system, your body’s natural drainage and defense network.
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If left untreated, that one tooth can send waves of inflammation, toxins, and bacteria through the head and neck lymphatics, overloading lymph nodes, weakening immunity, and even contributing to systemic inflammation.

Let’s explore how a bad tooth can disrupt your lymphatic harmony—and why early intervention is key.

Understanding Dental Decay and Infection

A “rotten” tooth is typically the result of:
• Dental caries (cavities)
• Pulpitis (infection of the tooth pulp)
• Dental abscess (pus pocket at the root)
• Periodontitis (gum infection spreading to bone)

Once the infection penetrates the dentin or pulp, bacteria multiply rapidly, and the immune system is activated to contain it.

How the Lymphatic System Responds

The oral cavity is densely connected to the regional lymphatic network, especially:
• Submental lymph nodes (below the chin)
• Submandibular lymph nodes (beneath the jaw)
• Cervical lymph nodes (along the neck)
• Tonsillar and pharyngeal lymphoid tissue

These nodes and vessels drain toxins, bacteria, dead immune cells, and inflammatory cytokines away from the oral region and deliver them to larger nodes for filtering and immune processing.
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When a tooth becomes necrotic or infected, the lymphatic system is immediately tasked with:
• Transporting inflammatory mediators (IL-1, TNF-α, prostaglandins)
• Recruiting immune cells (macrophages, lymphocytes, neutrophils)
• Draining bacterial waste products and dead tissue
• Preventing the spread of infection to surrounding tissues or the bloodstream

What Happens When Lymph Gets Overwhelmed?

If the infection is persistent, the lymphatic system becomes congested or overloaded, leading to:
• Lymphadenopathy (swollen, painful lymph nodes)
• Sluggish lymph drainage
• Toxin accumulation in nearby tissues
• Increased risk of systemic inflammation
• Chronic fatigue, brain fog, and facial puffiness
• Spread of infection via lymph or blood (bacteremia)

Chronic oral infections have been associated with:
• Endocarditis (heart infection)
• Rheumatoid arthritis exacerbation
• Autoimmune flare-ups
• Increased CRP (C-reactive protein) and inflammatory markers

Medical Terms to Know 🧠📚
• Odontogenic infection: An infection originating from a tooth
• Periapical abscess: A localized pus pocket at the apex of a tooth root
• Lymphadenitis: Inflammation of a lymph node, often from infection
• Lymphostasis: Impaired lymph flow due to blockage or overload
• Biofilm: Protective layer bacteria form to evade immune clearance

Why One Tooth Affects the Whole Body

Because the oral lymphatics are a direct route to the bloodstream, what starts in the tooth doesn’t stay there.
In fact, oral pathogens like Porphyromonas gingivalis and Streptococcus mutans have been found in:
• Atherosclerotic plaques
• Alzheimer’s brain tissue
• Joint synovial fluid in arthritis
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Signs Your Lymph System Is Reacting to a Dental Infection
• Swollen glands under your jaw or ears
• Achy neck or jaw tension
• Headaches, especially at the base of the skull
• Fatigue or flu-like symptoms
• Facial puffiness or “fullness”
• Chronic sinus pressure
• Bad breath (halitosis) and metallic taste

Lymphatic Support for Dental Infections
1. Get the source treated – See a dentist for X-rays and drainage or extraction
2. Manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) – Stimulates detox in the head, neck, and clavicle areas
3. Hydration – Keeps lymph moving efficiently 💧
4. Warm compresses + castor oil packs – Reduce node inflammation
5. Oral probiotics + antimicrobial rinses – Support microbial balance in the mouth
6. Anti-inflammatory diet – Reduces immune burden 🍃
7. Sleep with your head elevated – Enhances drainage from the face and brain
8. Deep nasal breathing – Stimulates vagus nerve and lymphatic tone

Fascinating Facts 💡
• The lingual tonsils at the back of your tongue drain into the same lymph chain as your infected molars
• 70% of your immune system is linked to mucosal surfaces—including the mouth
• One infected tooth can increase inflammatory markers like IL-6 across your whole body
• People with chronic gum disease are twice as likely to develop cardiovascular problems

Final Thought

A rotten tooth is not just a dental issue—it’s a lymphatic emergency in slow motion.

Your body does everything it can to fight off oral infection, but it needs help. If the drainage system is blocked, inflammation rises, toxins build, and the immune system wears down.

Honor your lymph. Heal your mouth.
Because health starts not just in the gut, but also under the tongue.
🦷💧💚

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29/09/2025

There is something to be said about seeing your inflammation. It is a great motivator.

29/09/2025

16/04/2025

This is a great heart health interview.
Highlights: Oral status and cardiovascular heatlh at minutes 36:45 - 40:48
If you are on Statin drugs, llisten to the entire interview.

Have you ever wondered if certain foods might be secretly impacting your health? Dr. Steven Gundry reveals the hidden dangers of lectins, proteins found in e...

14/04/2025

A MUST listen!!
Commercial toothpastes and rinses are part of the problem. If you aren't seeing a Holistic Dental Professional, ( such as myself 😉) you will never know the difference. I've been speaking of the dangers of 'the big name' oral products for 14 yrs, and more specifically of the benefits of Nitric Oxide for 3 yrs now through the need to nose breathe and not mouth breathe.
The specific oral health segment is from minutes 38:29 to 1:01:38. He speaks as I have for over 14 yrs.....no fluoride, no root canals, no mouthwash, and what happens to your health and effects on Nitric Oxide. when used. I did not know about what he says starting at minute 1:00:33

Dr Nathan Bryan is a renowned nitric oxide biochemist, entrepreneur and author, who has researched nitric oxide for the past 18 years and made many seminal d...

28/03/2025

Certified!! There are many avenues to become an Orofacial Myofunctional Therapist. And as I have done since the spring of 2022, can Practice without being certified. Few Academy's offer Certification. The Academy of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy is in many people's opinion and literally from around the world, are the cream of the crop.
It took a lot of work, but I am now a Certified Orofacial Myofunctional Therapist through the AOMT.
🥰

26/03/2025

New logo getting ready to launch!
As I offer clients so much more in my Dental Hygiene Practice in terms of information, education and certifications I've achieved since I first opened in 2008, it was time for a refresh and a tagline which represents the true connection I preach about one's oral health and function, and one's total health.

Thank-you Willow Graphix & Co. for coming along side me to capture the essence of what it is I love to do.

08/03/2025

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1150077932945022

Send a message to learn more

06/02/2025

The two 'big' ones in this list are products I've been urging my clients and anyone else who would listen to get rid of for decades.

29/01/2025

🌟 Vendor Highlight: Genesis Dental Hygiene Care 🌟
Discover how your oral health connects to your overall well-being! At the Women’s Wellness & Self-Care Expo, you’ll have the chance to meet Nicole Brunelle from Genesis Dental Hygiene Care.
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As a Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) of 40 years, and a Holistically Practising RDH for 13 of those years, I've not only learned much about oral health but also how one's oral health status, common dental procedures, and airway (breathing style) can and will have an impact on overall health.

At Genesis Dental Hygiene Care, I speak a lot about nutrition, lifestyle, the pros and cons of common dental treatments, and the need to breathe properly. All these areas will impact how you feel and go about your day, the discomfort you may be experiencing, and your best health outcomes.

I look forward to meeting you and answering your questions at the Expo. I love sharing how the mouth, such a little part of the body, when functioning at its best, has such a great impact on your overall well-being.
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Stop by Nicole’s booth to learn more and gain valuable insights into the connection between your mouth and your health. Your wellness journey starts here! 🌿

📅 Save the date: March 1
📍 North Simcoe Sports and Rec Centre Midland, 572 Lens Self Blvd
🎟️ Free Entry | Upgrade your experience with Women’s Wellness Sessions: $20/ea or $50/3

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🔗 Click on "Tickets" to reserve your spot in up to 5 Sessions

📧 Contact Laury at laurydruryrhn@proton.me

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03/12/2024

A clean and healthy mouth helps keep overall inflammatory markers at bay. The unhealthier your mouth, moderate to heavily bleeding gums, bone loss, infected teeth and root canals) the more overall systemic inflammation one will have. And we know systemic inflammation is not a good thing.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39006721/