Patient Resources

Recommended Products and Why . . .

This is a list of products and books that Dr. Casey Jones is constantly recommending and why she likes them. She practices dentistry with the WIDIOM Rule (Would I Do It On Myself) that she learned in her Dawson Academy training and she recommends products in the same way. These are simply recommendations both of the products and one place that you can go to buy them. You ultimately get to decide what is best for you! Full disclosure, she does receive a small incentive on some of these if you choose to use the links below to try them.

Xlear Nasal Spray is something I have used with my entire family! Xyltiol is a natural sugar that I had used for years in gums and mints to help reduce a person’s risk for cavities. I love it in a nasal spray because studies have shown that xylitol blocks bacterial adhesion of bacteria and viruses while keeping the airway hydrated, reducing swelling in the nose and sinuses, helping to wash away pollutants and allergens, and keep the airway hydrated helps open the airway by reducing swelling. Use as directed on the bottle, and I usually recommend drinking a glass of water after using it. If you want to try it, you can often find it at your local drug store. If you prefer to order it on Amazon, here’s a link to take you directly to it. https://amzn.to/3V4fp3Y

REMplenish has created a myofunctional therapy nozzle (Myo-Nozzle) that strengthens the tongue and airway while doing something that you already do.every day . . . drink water!  The only way that you can get the water from the bottle is by pushing the tongue up to the roof of the mouth, which is what we want, and what can literally strengthen the tongue muscle to increase its tone and prevent it from falling back into the airway as much when you fall asleep and everything relaxes.  They even have a child version now. Want to give it a try?  Go to their website https://remasteredsleep.com/ for more information and use the code WELLNESS10 to save 10% on your order! You get to decide whether the water bottle, straw, or Myo-Nozzle alone is the best fit for you. I do not receive any incentive from you choosing to purchase this product . . . I just believe in the product.

The Hoberman Sphere is a fun tool to help teach mindful, functional breathing as it gives a tangible, visual to focus on was you inhale and exhale. You expand the sphere as you breathe in just as the lungs expand filling with air as you inhale and collapse the sphere as you breathe out. It is a great visual because you really want to think of breathing in three dimensions meaning that as you breathe the ribs, belly, and back expand and collapse. I often tell people to picture a jelly fish as they learn to breathe with their diaphragm or main breathing muscle because that gives you that same 3-D imagery. The link is just one example of what you could choose to purchase. Happy shopping! https://amzn.to/3R8ItWU

Myotape is an excellent way to try taping your mouth closed at night to promote nasal breathing at night. It goes around your mouth reminding the lips to close instead of going across the mouth so that there is nothing to prevent you from opening your mouth if you need to. It comes in 3 sizes (small, medium, and large) and can be used during the day or at night in kids even as young as 4 years old. Even if you are only breathing through your mouth at night, that is one-third of your life and can be affecting your overall health. Your nose was exquisitely designed to warm, humidify, filter, and disinfect the air . . . your mouth does not perform any of these functions. Using this tape can help you keep your mouth closed and breath through your nose even when you are asleep. Nasal breathing can prevent mouth snoring, improve oral/dental health, improve sleep apnea and support CPAP therapy, and improve sleep quality. Do NOT tape your mouth closed if you have an upset stomach and may vomit, if you have consumed alcohol or sedatives, have severe nasal congestion, have a severe heart condition, or have severe breathing problems. Always only do what you are comfortable with. It comes in 3 sizes and you can order on Amazon or directly from the company that designed it using the discount code. The links are here for you to explore. Child size: https://amzn.to/3yK6Aox Teen/Medium: https://amzn.to/3UZHcCy Adult/Large: https://amzn.to/3X7CGEG OR from The Oxygen Advantage Website Directly where there are options for MyoTape for Beards and for adorable patterns for kids https://oxygenadvantage.com/product/myotape/#a_aid=drcaseyjones Use the coupon code breathebetter5 to save 5% on your order.

3M micropore tape is an excellent way to try taping your mouth closed at night to promote nasal breathing. Even if you are only breathing through your mouth at night, that is one-third of your life and can be affecting your overall health. Your nose was exquisitely designed to warm, humidify, filter, and disinfect the air . . . your mouth does not perform any of these functions. Using this tape can help you keep your mouth closed and breath through your nose even when you are asleep. Nasal breathing can prevent mouth snoring, improve oral/dental health, improve sleep apnea and support CPAP therapy, and improve sleep quality. All you need is a small piece placed vertically on the lips. I typically recommend the sensitive skin type and putting it against your clothes a few times to make it less sticky. When used in this way, it comes off easily and you can still breathe out of the corners of your mouth if you need to. Do NOT tape your mouth closed if you have an upset stomach and may vomit, if you have consumed alcohol or sedatives, have severe nasal congestion, have a severe heart condition, or have severe breathing problems. Always only do what you are comfortable with. Here is just one example of what you could try https://amzn.to/4531aB3 . . . I recommend putting the piece vertically so that you can still breathe out of the sizes of your mouth if you need to, folding down the sides so it is easier to remove, and putting it against some cloth to make it less sticky if you need to. This is the method that James Nestor recommended (see the link to his book below).

Mute Nasal Dilators can be used to help keep the nose open while sleeping and may reduce nasal snoring and improve nasal breathing. Each side can be adjusted individually. Watch the video at https://mutesnoring.com/how-to-use/ to learn how to fit them and how to wear them. Under the Professionals Tab you can even download the Fit Guide if we did not already check which size would be recommended or if you just want to check yourself. Mute Nasal Dilators come in small, medium, and large. You can also order the variety pack to determine which one works best for you. This could be used with mouth taping with MyoTape or 3M micropore tape to help promote nasal breathing. Again, only do what you are comfortable with. If using something like this helps you to breathe through your nose, you may want to consider seeing an ENT as well and we can discuss that more. They come in small, medium, and large. This link takes you to a sample pack with one of each so you can find what works best for you: https://amzn.to/4531aB3

Breathe Right Strips can be used to help keep the nose open and promote nasal breathing at night. It may even help prevent nasal snoring and can be used with mouth taping with MyoTape or 3M micropore tape to help promote nasal breathing. So many versions of this, and you can pick this up at many drug stores. This link is just one option https://amzn.to/4c26FSJ

MyoMunchee is a myofunctional tool that can be used to strengthen the jaws and establish nasal breathing. It comes in various sizes and can be ordered directly by the patient! As a society we are growing smaller jaws due to softer diets and other factors. Myofunctional therapy and breath re-training (like physical therapy for the tongue and airway) is often used to complement its use and we can tell you more about that (watch the “Try This” videos or just ask us)! The little finger-like projections also massage the teeth and gums and as a small added bonus, can sometimes clean the teeth and gums as your do your exercises (chewing on it). We are not suggesting this replaces your toothbrush and floss, but we think it is a pretty cool added feature and in someone with dexterity problems, could be a great tool to help with this as well. I am not connected in any way with the company and do not benefit from you ordering this appliance from them, but I have used it myself and with patients, and if you want to try it, here’s the link to explore getting one! https://myomunchee.com/shop/

The OptiO2 Sport™ is a great tool to help you learn to breathe through your nose with correct tongue posture.  Not intended for protection during contact sports and not intended to be slept in.  Myofunctional Therapy and Breath Re-training are still recommended, but this may be worth trying to support your efforts. If you want to check it out and see if it works for you, click on this link to get free shipping. http://optio2labs.com/drcaseyjones

Boka Toothpaste is an excellent alternative to fluoride toothpaste because it used nano-hydroxyapatite which is essentially what the teeth are made of to repair them. NASA developed it for astronauts in 1970 because they were losing bone and tooth density without gravity and it has been used in toothpastes in Japan for over 40 years. It can help reduce tooth sensitivity and sometimes even whiten teeth. Best of all, it tastes delicious and there are multiple flavors to choose from. My entire family loves it . . . including my kids! This is our favorite flavor . . . https://amzn.to/4bSqpIu . . . you can also choose to order this directly from their website at www.boka.com where they often have discounts and you can choose to sign up for subscriptions (I am not connected with their website and do not benefit from you choosing to do this, but I have chosen to do that for my family).

I wish that Platypus Orthodontic Flossers existed when I was a kid and had braces. I remember using the floss threader to go under the wire for each tooth, but not every kid has the patience for that! This has a thin, flat side that fits between the teeth without damaging the wire creating ease, and hopefully making it so more people floss while in braces. Flossing is still the best way to remove the plaque and cavity-causing bacteria from between the teeth and gum disease-causing bacteria from the space between the tooth and the gums (think of it like the space between your finger and your finger nail . . . that space needs to be cleaned, too)! Brushing is important (especially where the pink joins the white or where the tooth joins the gums), but brushing alone is like washing your hands without washing between your fingers at all . . . you miss a lot without using floss! https://amzn.to/3wYqdZn

Books

I love books, and if you do, too, here are a few that you may want to pick up . . .

Close Your Mouth by Patrick McKeown is a short, simple read for people that want to stop asthma, hay fever, and nasal congestion using the Buteyko Clinic Method. I have trained with Patrick McKeown in this method, and have seen the results of these exercises in myself and others. https://amzn.to/4e65Ie8

The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown is for anyone interested in learning more about how they can use breathing to improve their health and stamina with exercise. Most of use are breathing more air than we need without even noticing it, and this chronic “overbreathing” (otherwise known as chronic hyperventilation) is making our bodies work harder than they need to and can contribute to problems such as anxiety, sleep issues, asthma, obesity, and more! Even elite athletes can be chronically overbreathing, and this book can help you understand why it is a problem and what you can do to begin to correct it. I have trained with Patrick McKeown in this method, and have seen the results of these exercises in myself and others. https://amzn.to/4c3a8Ao

The Breathing Cure by Patrick McKeown is an extensive guide with simple exercises to develop new breathing habits that can help improve your health and discusses asthma, children’s breathing, COVID, dental health, diabetes, high blood pressure, insomnia, panic disorder, resilience, snoring, sleep apnea, and more! As he states, “Breathing impacts every aspect of health – sleep, digestion, movement, mental wellbeing, disease, and recovery . . . it is an extraordinary resource with life changing potential. And it’s simple, free, and available to everyone.” You can easily go to the sections that affect you’re the most if you are not interested in reading the over 400 page book cover-to-cover. I have trained with Patrick McKeown in this method, and have seen the results of these exercises in myself and others. https://amzn.to/4bGGlxM

Atomic Focus by Patrick McKeown includes simple breathing exercises and so much more that can help you develop resiliency as you improve your focus and concentration. Stress is a part of life, and this book can help give you the tools to manage your stress and quiet our overactive minds. I have trained with Patrick McKeown in this method, and have seen the results of these exercises in myself and others. https://amzn.to/45ddr64

The Dental Diet by Dr. Steven Lin goes beyond the usual thought of oral health being related to our overall health and explores dental health as the foundation of physical health using his foundation as a functional dentist to reshape our perception of dental disease. He merges nutritional and dental science to provide a “dental diet” that helps create a balanced oral biome. The book not only includes recipes, but it also includes some breathing and exercises for the mouth. The explanations are fantastic and easy for anyone to understand. https://amzn.to/4bYQC8e

Brave Parent: Raising Healthy, Happy Kids Against All Odds in Today’s World by Dr. Susan Maples is your extensive guide on how to raise a healthy child these days. It explains why we should be making these decisions that often go against what is commonly happening in today’s society in easy to understand terms. I dog-eared multiple pages, underlined key parts, and wrote in the margins . . . even with saying most of this stuff to patients all the time. I asked my husband to read it, too! https://amzn.to/3Vnn6Dw

The 8-Hour Sleep Paradox by Dr. Mark Burhenne is something I recommend that people read all the time because it challenges the stereotypical view of what sleep apnea looks like. It acknowledges that often people do not even realize that they are suffering from disrupted sleep and even young, fit females can suffer from sleep disordered breathing. It is short, easy to understand, explains signs and symptoms to look for, and helps the reader to be able to advocate for themselves to get the resilient, quality sleep their body needs. https://amzn.to/3Kq4e0x

Gasp: Airway Health, The Hidden Path to Wellness by Dr. Michael Gelb and Dr. Howard Hindin discusses the causes of so many problems regarding sleep disorders, relapse following orthodontics (crowding after treatment with braces), and so much more! It clearly explains why proper breathing is so important for a person’s overall health and will open your eyes to problems in your own airway or your child’s airway that you may not have even known to look for. https://amzn.to/3R5eIGr

Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic by Sandra Kahn and Paul R. Ehrlich is an excellent resource and such an interesting read. It even tells the story of a child who got a gerbil for a pet and because he was allergic to that pet, he developed nasal congestion and started to mouth breathe, which changed his growth patterns of his jaws. It even talks about why posture while eating (essentially good manners) matters for developing jaws. A huge help in understanding why it is so much more than crooked teeth, it is the development of the jaws, and why it matters. Just because something is common (children “needing” braces) does not mean it is normal. https://amzn.to/3X5Q6B9

Six-Foot Tiger, Three-Foot Cage: Take Charge of Your Health by Taking Charge of Your Mouth: Holistic Mouth Solutions for Sleep Apnea, Deficient Jaws, and Related Complications by Dr. Felix Liao, DDS talks about what he called “Impaired Mouth Syndrome.” As a society we are growing smaller jaws due to softer diet and other factors. This often means that the “cage” or what I often refer to as the “garage” (the jaws) are too small for what he is calling the “tiger” and I refer to as the “car” (the tongue). If there is no room for the tongue to live up in the roof of the mouth, it can cause lots of issues and this book does an excellent job of explaining those. https://amzn.to/4c2JqYQ

Tongue-Tied: How a Tiny String Under the Tongue Impacts Nursing, Speech, Feeding, and More by Richard Baxter, DMD, MS is a fantastic resource. It is dense, so often not one that I recommend reading from cover to cover. A comprehensive approach to explaining “tethered oral tissues” or tongue and lip ties. https://amzn.to/3KpZM1W

The Dental Distress Syndrome by A.C. Fonder, B.A, DDS is not one I typically recommend for patients because it is very technical at times. So many fascinating things in this book including talking about how forward head posture can pull the entire body out of line and reduce vital lung capacity by as much as 30%. How our teeth fit together matters . . . it can even affect out posture, the way we breathe, and so much more. This book was originally published in 1990 according to the copy that I have, so these are not new concepts, and since I learned them, have changed how I approach dentistry. Apparently this is out of print, and has limited availability, so I cannot find a link to share . . . sorry!

When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress by Gabor Mate. I started a conversation with one of the life-coaches I worked with by saying . . . “this may sound crazy, but I believe that my body says ‘no’ when I won’t.” He told me that that did not sound crazy and recommended that I read this book. I am often recommending that others read it as well. https://amzn.to/3wYKQ7F

A Few Words from the Chair: A patient speaks to dentists by David Clow is a must read for any dentist. At one point I was not sure that I wanted to be a dentist anymore. Dr. Jay Wise had recommended this book to me already before that, and when that time of my life came, this book came to mind. I picked it up and read it again and even contacted the author directly to tell him how it changed my life and restored my faith in what dentistry could be. https://amzn.to/4bJNoWC

Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo was suggested to me at a time right when I was about to be redirected. Is a such a fun read with so many fantastic insights and I use that phrase all the time because “everything IS figureoutable!” https://amzn.to/4bIC6Se

Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking by Jon Acuff made me laugh out loud at times! I know I am not the only one that has an inner dialogue going on in the background. The fact of the matter is that this voice can be loud, and it is often not true. I loved reading this book, and am often checking in to see what soundtrack I have playing. If you want to check it out for yourself . . . https://amzn.to/4bImazr

Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy makes a lot of sense. Her “fake it until you become it” story still sticks out in my mind and I bet you could even find a video on it online, but if you want to hear about that an so much more, you could choose to give the book a read. https://amzn.to/4bYn6zq

A Liberated Mind: How to Pivot Towards What Matters by Stephen C. Hayes opened my mind to a completely different way of thinking. His “run towards the dinosaur” story is what sticks out to me. I have/had spent so much of my life trying to avoid the said and the uncomfortable, which is impossible. Running towards the hard, and sitting in the uncomfortable will not stop my from reminding you to remember to smile and dance and to look for the blessings, but it softened my outlook and allowed me to see things a little differently. I even named my mind Penelope while reading it! https://amzn.to/4c3a8Ao

The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life’s Perfection by Michael A. Singer was recommended to me by someone and came right at a time where I finished it just before an event in my personal life that forced me to surrender. I believe that I read it for a reason, and although I admit that I still have to remind myself of its principles often, my life is more enjoyable and easier when I let go of the outcome. https://amzn.to/3RayVKO

Atomic Habits by James Clear has helpful insights that can be implemented immediately like attaching new habits to established ones. I use this with my patients all the time as I try to find something they do daily which they can attach myofunctional therapy and breath re-training exercises to for example. If you are interested in learning how to make small tweaks that can lead to big changes in your life, this is a must-read for you! https://amzn.to/3V8d34d