Our Experience with Dr. Nunnally and His Staff

The series includes the following:

• Part 1: What is Biological Dentistry
• Part 2: The Dangers of Root Canals
• Part 3: The Dangers of Mercury
• Part 4: The Dangers of Cavitations {when wisdom teeth are pulled}
• Part 5: Our Experience with Dr. Stuart Nunnally, D.D.S., M.S

Welcome to my last post in my five-part Biological Dentistry series! So far, we have learned what biological dentistry is, the dangers of root canals, the dangers of mercury in our mouths and the dangers of cavitations and why they are important to address.

In the fifth post, I will be talking about our amazing experience with a world-class, outstanding biological dentist named Dr. Stuart Nunnally and some protocols we used before, during and after our dental procedures.

Healthy Smiles for Life

I first heard of Dr. Nunnally from one (of the many) summits I have taken. This particular one was the Autoimmune Summit that I took back in 2014 that Dr. Amy Myers was hosting. She refers all her patients to Dr. Nunnally and he spoke about a biological dentist’s view of autoimmunity. I was utterly fascinated by all the things I learned and it was at that point I realized one of my pieces to my health puzzle.

In a nutshell, I had two root canals and crowns years ago done by a conventional dentist. A choice I made that I will regret the rest of my life. 7 months after those procedures I began showing signs and symptoms of Hashimotos. Dr. Nunnally, in his summit class, helped me to understand the importance of getting these oral maladies addressed and even more importantly what type of dentist needs to do the work and how.

Why We Flew To Austin, Texas

My husband was open to flying to Austin but wanted me to see if there was someone closer that we could drive to who could do the work. I initially inquired with a biological dentist that was closer to where we live to honor my hubby. He was a driving distance of about 8 hours from our home. The problem was that after I sent my initial email and got my first response and the receptionist said they will get back to me with quotes for the procedures we needed to be done – I heard NOTHING.

The Courtesy and Organization of the Office Staff Matters!

I have seen many handfuls of doctors and dentists over the years and that is the first red flag to me! If the office staff isn’t organized or is rude, I personally think it’s a direct reflection on the doctor or dentist and will be a nightmare to deal with in the long run. I do not waste my time as it usually results in a lot of strife and stress and often times LOTS of money.

In contrast, I inquired with Dr. Nunnally’s office, in particular, Charissa, and had a response by the next day, a thorough, understandable, line itemized estimate and an open door to ask any questions I needed. In the process of planning our visit, we literally emailed back and forth at least 17 times and some of them from her (as needed) were novel in length and color-coded for better understanding. That kind of service is worth paying for! That attention to detail helped me trust that they will have the same attention to detail with the work done on my body that will affect my life forever.

It was such a blessing to be able to communicate and get my questions answered as well as feel like I wasn’t being a nuisance. I had a lot of questions since I am always my own advocate, even with good doctors, and because there were a lot of logistics to coordinate being that we were flying in, we’re both having surgeries and needed to eat paleo.

I always felt well received during the entire process. All that to say Charissa and Dr. Nunnally’s staff are truly amazing. We felt welcomed from the first email all the way to stepping in the front door of the office, going through all our procedures, to coming back for our follow-up visit three months later. They are a first-class practice and I know that it stems from the ethics and beliefs of Dr. Nunnally. Of course, he gives all glory to God. He’s a very integrous and humble man.

No Nerves Going to This Dentist

I have to say that I have never loved going to the dentist. I had great fear since I have had so many hacks work on my teeth and when I was a child one of them scarred me for life. This was the first time in my entire life that I did not have nerves going to a dentist’s office. We were in Austin and in and out of Healthy Smiles for Life for a total of five days off and on and not once did I feel that fear creep in. I think a lot of that had to do with their mission statement. If you can’t read it, it says, “We desire to please God in all our staff and patient interactions. Our mission is to delight our patients every time.” To that, I can say I looked forward to going to Dr. Nunnally’s office every time. It was a breath of fresh air knowing we were well taken care of.

I also think I didn’t have any nerves due to the acupressure that I had there and the fact that I believe they know very well how to consider the entire body holistically when treating someone’s teeth and oral cavity. That truly matters in our health and well-being and the outcome of the procedures. I felt like we were in good hands.

I also love the atmosphere of their office. It has that southern charm and was very cozy and comfortable, not sterile and cold. They offer organic coffee and tea to all their patients and extremely comfortable leather couches to sit in.

Another plus is that (except for the mercury removal) the spouse was always welcome to come into the dental room to hang out and learn what was going on. *That is also a very important aspect of a good dentist. In my opinion, if they have something to hide they don’t generally allow another person into the dental room for a procedure.

I hope by now my point is received that visiting a dentist is more than the actual work being done or the cost. Please consider this when you go to your next dentist! There are a lot of aspects to evaluate when choosing a dentist – even a biological one.

Protocols and Procedures That Were Different Than Conventional Dentists Offices

Aside from the warm welcome and sweet smiles we became accustomed to every day, we did have several other aspects of our visit that were very important and made choosing Dr. Nunnally’s office very easy. If you haven’t read any of the other posts in this series then I’ll need to give a quick snapshot of the procedures we had done. I also highly recommend going back and reading all four posts in this series of five so that you can understand why we chose to have these pieces to our health puzzles addressed.

The Dental Procedures We Had Done

• Steve had four cavitations cleaned out,  mercury removed in four teeth and filled with compatible materials, and one front root-canaled tooth removed and splinted with a new compatible tooth.
• I had two root canaled and crowned molars completely removed and cavitations cleaned out.
• We both opted to have our teeth sent off to a pathology lab as well.

What Day One Was Like

Meeting Dr. Nunnally

On day one we were welcomed into the office and barely had to wait at all in the waiting room. They knew who we were when we walked in. We met the sweet front office manager named Karin and she guided us around. We ended up in a beautiful conference room to watch a few videos regarding what was up and coming for us and then Dr. Nunnally himself came in to chat with us. He was in no hurry and I think we met with him for a half-hour or so. He even chatted with us a lot in the hallways. Honestly, we felt like we were his only patients and that he wanted to stay with us the whole day. It was nice to get to know him first in a comfortable room, not the dentist’s chair. It was also nice to talk about personal lives as well and the dentistry stuff coming up. What a way to put a patient at ease.

Bacteriology Slide of Each of Our Mouths

After our initial meeting, we convened in a dental exam room. Steve went first and then I went next. At this point, we had a full check-up to see that we were well enough for the upcoming surgeries. During this time Dr. Nunnally took a specimen off of each of our teeth to examine under the microscope. The importance of this is to confirm that we don’t have any spirochetes or pathogenic anaerobes on the outside of our teeth. Those can cause harm to the gums, heart, and brain.

Thankfully we were clear and didn’t have any of those. It was so interesting to look into the microscope to see what Dr. Nunnally was seeing. Absolutely fascinating! Dr. Nunnally also does biocompatibility testing. This is usually done prior to the dental procedures. Biocompatibility testing is done to see what dental materials are compatible with each of our unique body chemistry. It’s a simple blood test that can help to be sure what is going into your body will not trigger any inflammation.

First Day of Acupressure

After our meeting, the ever so gracious Jane Belancio, who was our acupressurist, took Steve back for his first treatment since he was going to have all of his procedures the following day. It was so fun because I was able to go back to and learn so much about the art of healing touch. This was a facet of our visit that is different than a conventional dentist and even some biological dentists don’t use acupressure to aid in healing as well as calm nerves. I love that Dr. Nunnally uses this technique. What’s not to love about being covered with a clean, warm blanket with soothing music in the background all while receiving acupressure for therapeutic benefits? I love that some of the techniques we learned, we have been able to come home and use on our kids and ourselves! It was such a blessing and Jane was such a precious lady.

Goodie Bag and Transmix

The day before each of our procedures, after our appointment with Jane, we were given a goodie bag. It had instructions for after surgery, an extremely soft toothbrush for brushing 24 hours after surgery, pickling salt which was good for rinsing the mouth out gently at least 12 hours after the procedures and some tablets of Transmix which is a bioavailable supplement from Dr. Huggins protocol to aid in bone healing to be taken the day before, the day of and the day after the surgery.

It was really important we used these things because one of the protocols Dr. Nunnally uses to speed up healing and virtually eliminate infection is what’s called PRF (Platlet Rich Fibrin). This is where our own platelets are spun from our vials of blood that was taken. Then in the “holes” in the areas cavitations were cleaned or teeth were extracted the platelets are placed there. This is ingenious if you ask me. God made our bodies to heal and so why not use our own platelets to heal it? If we swished too hard, drank from a straw, brushed too hard then we ran the risk of these globules falling out before they had a chance to form a barrier and start the healing process.

Steve’s Big Day – Day Two

On our second day, Steve was scheduled for all his procedures. He underwent IV conscious sedation, in which he didn’t feel any pain, but still could follow directions as well as be brought to the bathroom if necessary with supervision. When it was my turn I was very thankful for this sedation and that they didn’t use Nitrous Oxide. The reason for this is since I have the MTHFR gene mutation, I would be at risk for death if I was given nitrous! No thanks! Don’t get nitrous if you have the MTHFR SNP’s mutated!

Steve also began with IV Vitamin C which also boosts the immune system as well as aids the detox pathways to purge any bacteria or heavy metals out of his body. Oral vitamin C does not do the same thing. In fact, it can actually hinder the effectiveness of IV conscious sedation.

During his procedure, since this was the day before my surgery, I also went in for an hour of healing touch (or acupressure.) Boy was that relaxing! I could have stayed in there all day! I also got to know Jane a bit more and she is truly a gem. It was such a pleasure to meet her.

When Steve’s procedures were done and he was more “awake”, along with his IV vitamin C that was still going, they took him for more acupressure with Jane. This truly was a blessing to be able to have this done because it immediately helps that parasympathetic state to kick in and aid in rejuvenation and relaxation after such trauma in the oral cavity. Each time we had acupressure it was for one hour.

At the end of this one, Jane made both of us (I hadn’t even had anything done at this point surgically) an all organic smoothie and she had told me to bring my collagen in and she would add it to the smoothie. We both ended up with huge cups full of a delicious smoothie. What a treat!

After acupressure, we were free to go. We went back to our hotel on the lake and rested the rest of the day. It was such a sweet feeling knowing that I was able to take care of my husband during his recovery and get some much-needed rest for myself too. Dr. Nunnally personally called Steve later that evening to make sure he was doing ok and gave him his cell phone number in case Steve needed to call him back.

My Big Day – Day Three

On the day of my extractions, I had much the same excellent experience as Steve. The IV conscious sedation, the IV vitamin C, acupressure for an hour and another wonderful organic smoothie for both of us! My procedure was quicker than Steve’s which was nice for him. He was doing well that day and didn’t have any swelling. At the same time my procedure was happening, Steve had another dose of IV vitamin C and then went in for his last acupressure time with Jane and I am convinced this is one of the wonderful protocols that helped Steve and I heal so quickly and have no infections or problems afterward. This is me in acupressure right after my surgery. A Godsend! I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Jane. It was so nice not to be rushed out of the office once the procedure was done. There seemed to be so much time for relaxing. That is something I have never experienced in a dentist’s office – ever. I also received a personal phone call from Dr. Nunnally himself later that evening. He really cares and it showed.

Day Four – My Follow Up

This day was really a follow-up for me. It was my day for another acupressure treatment with another amazing smoothie filled with phytonutrients and gut and bone healing collagen protein. I also had my last dose of IV vitamin C to promote further healing and continue to keep that immune system in action as well as further detox my body from those nasty anaerobes that were in my supposedly “sterile” root canals. Wait until I tell you about the bacteriology report!

This was truly the best dental experience we have had in our lives. It was such a treat to be able to fly to Dr. Nunnally and be treated like kings and queens!

Follow Up – Where We Are Now (a few months later)

Steve and I continued to heal. The areas where my back teeth were are fully filled in now with my gums and bone and Steve continued to heal very quickly. His cavitations were now clean and regrowing bone, he no longer had mercury or any metal in his mouth and he finally had a front tooth that felt like a real one instead of that darn root canal crowned tooth.

I was relieved mentally not to have any more metal in my mouth. Even though it wasn’t mercury, it was an alloy of nickel, copper, and more, and that caused major problems for me. I was also relieved (as he was) to have all that bacteria in those areas cleaned out with Ozone so that they could stop wreaking havoc on our health.

Steve had amazing results during the three months before we saw Dr. Nunnally again for our follow-up appointment. His body began to regulate heat better (brain function), anxiety lessened, he started sleeping better and the extreme fatigue and brain fog he would have some days never appears anymore. The mercury vapors were affecting him so much! Praise the Lord we were able to get that removed!

I have not had outward dramatic results like Steve has but as I said before, I am very relieved to know that I have the bacteria and metal out of my system. It is one of the things that caused my Hashimoto’s in the first place and now that trigger is gone. I suspect it will take a while for things to get back into balance for me. The good news is that I have not had any autoimmune flare which can often come with the trauma of having a procedure like this done. Praise God!

Pathology and Toxicology Reports

You can see some of the strains of bacteria levels were almost off the charts. Everything in red is an overgrowth of the toxins in those tooth areas that were supposed to be “clean!” When we had our surgeries Dr. Nunnally sent our teeth off to a DNA toxicology lab to test the kinds of bacteria in them.

Because this post is so long already I think I need to save the details for that for another post. However, I can tell you that we both had many pathogenic strains of bacteria in our teeth that can cause brain damage, cardiovascular damage, renal and liver damage and more. It was so validating to get these reports back and see just how much bacteria was lurking silently in those root canals and cavitations.

This is something important to remember – neither Steve nor I had any pain in any of the areas that had the bacteria in them. What we had was a silent infection.

This is something that conventional dentists don’t understand or believe in yet we have the scientific proof that these were havens for bad bacteria that could literally cause us to have Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Heart Disease and more down the road.

3 Month Follow Up

We flew back to Texas after 3 months of healing for a follow-up appointment. Steve had to have an area below his splinted tooth filled in. They told us this upfront because as the gum heals it reduces in size a bit and the tooth needs to be filled in so there is no gap. He also had to have his bite adjusted a bit where they replaced the mercury fillings and of course, a checkup to see how he had healed.

I went in for a cone beam scan which is a unique 3D scan for my mouth. It’s kind of like a CT scan but for your mouth. It was so cool to look at my entire mouth, sinuses and oral cavity in a 3D version. I have never seen anything like it. The point of this was to determine if I would be ok to have implants in the areas where my teeth have been removed and see how much bone has grown back. I can have implants but have opted out of having them for now. For one, because we are not millionaires, for two and more importantly because I think the trauma of adding something foreign to my body, even though it would be compatible, could cause an autoimmune flare and that’s the last thing I need. And three, because I have a wisdom tooth back there (thankfully I never had mine out) and it could come in and then I would be able to get a compatible, non-metal bridge to fill in that area. I am fine as it is and have no issues which is a total blessing. It was fun to go back to Austin and see our favorite biological dentist again too!

Logistics of Traveling, Eating Paleo, and Keeping our Bodies Primed to Have These Big Dental Procedures.

The last thing I wanted to share with you was how we managed to stay Paleo and stay healthy while flying to our dentist. When we first arrived in Austin we made sure to book a hotel with a kitchen. We shopped at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods and spent an entire morning cooking food for the week that we would need. There was a smoothie place in Marble Falls that Dr. Nunnally directed us to but nothing else compatible with my diet. We stayed at the Hampton Inn on the lake in Marble falls and got a quiet corner room with a refrigerator. Also, while we were in Austin prior to driving the hour to Marble Falls we made sure to hit up all the good places to eat like Picnik (we bought broth there for the week), True Food Kitchen and 24 Diner. During our stay, we also used many of our favorite essential oils like Frankincense for cell support and help in healing, our detoxifying blend that is so gentle and other oils like our favorite grounding blend as well as lemon, grapefruit and lavender and a calming blend that we love so much and clove to help with good oral health.  We bought Epsom salt at Whole foods and took detox baths with essential oils while we were at our hotel too. We also brought lots of books and spent time getting a lot of R &R. Rest for healing is imperative. Thank you for joining me on this journey with biological dentistry. It has been extremely effective for our family and I am so thankful we were able to find the best biological dentist out there with a like mind who was able to help us further progress forward in our healing journeys.

The entire experience was a blessing and we wish Dr. Nunnally and his amazing staff well. We also wish he lived near us! If you need to have any dentistry done, I highly recommend seeking out a biological dentist. I have to say that it will be very hard to go back to a conventional dentist after this. My husband and I both feel like from this point on we will only see biological dentists – Lord willing! Find a biological dentist close to you here!

Cheers to great oral health!