The Raglan Chronicle caught up with Meliors Simms also known as the Holistic Tooth Fairy to learn about her recently published book, The Secret Lives of Teeth, and her approach to oral health.
You describe yourself as a natural oral health coach, also known as the Holistic Tooth Fairy. I’m fascinated. Can you explain to us what this unique role involves?
People mostly find me when they are searching for holistic health information online and find my website. I meet with my coaching clients on Zoom from my home in Raglan. They can be based anywhere in the world but mostly live in Australia or the United States. Generally I attract people who are already familiar with a holistic approach to general health, and want help applying that philosophy to their teeth and gum issues.
I work with many of my clients to avoid unnecessary dental procedures with improved nutrition and herbal remedies. We might fine tune their oral hygiene habits. I do a lot of work helping people with relaxing and energising their jaws, to stop clenching and grinding their teeth which can lead to serious dental and periodontal issues.
I also help folks have better experiences with necessary dental procedures. Some of my clients might not have been to the dentist for years, maybe even decades. I’ll coach them through finding and booking in with a good local dentist and to overcome any fears or resistance to getting care.
A lot of my clients choose to work with me because they want to understand the emotional or spiritual meaning of their teeth or gum issues. Stress and trauma have a huge, yet mostly unrecognised, influence on oral health both in your current circumstances and through your family history.
How and why did you come up with the idea to publish a book?
I’ve always been a writer of short stories, poetry, zines and a blog about making art. I grew up in a household dominated by my father’s small publishing company and prolific authorship, so I was very familiar with the ins and outs of writing and self-publishing. Even before I started the Holistic Tooth Fairy, I was being asked to write a book about holistic oral health but I decided to start small with a blog and newsletter when I began coaching eight years ago.
By far the most common search that brings people to my website is for the ‘spiritual meaning’ of a particular symptom or part of the mouth, as there’s very little information available anywhere on this topic. It’s the most interesting aspect of my work as a coach, where I’ve developed a unique system of Tooth Archetypes. The Tooth Archetypes are a user-friendly way to work with the psychic strengths and social vulnerabilities of each individual tooth. There were zero publications in English that focused in on the metaphysical anatomy of the mouth, and I had something original and useful to offer, so I decided to start there with my first book.
What kind of feedback have you had about the book?
The Secret Lives of Teeth has been received really well, from even before publication, with a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, and then steady sales on Amazon and my website since launching in May this year. It recently won a Bronze Medal in the Global Book Awards 2023 (in the Health Mind and Body category).
How long have you been living in Raglan and what is your story on how you landed here?
I’ve been visiting Raglan beaches since I was a little kid so it’s always been a magical destination for me. I finally moved here from Hamilton early in 2020 as I’d been thinking about making the move for a while but the first lockdown was the catalyst. I decided that if I was going to have to be stuck at home, I wanted to be able to walk out of my door into some beautiful nature every day and to be part of a close-knit community in alignment with my environmental values.
What community groups are you actively involved with?
The first thing I did when I moved to Raglan was join Raglan Timebank through the Whāingaroa Environment Centre, as I’d been a very active member in the Hamilton Timebank. Then I got involved with Crop Swap and now I’m one of the Guardians.
My latest community involvements are with the Repair Cafe where I offer visible mending on clothing and at Raglan Community Radio where I’m recording the audio book edition of The Secret Lives of Teeth.
How can our readers get hold of a copy?
You can buy the paperback edition locally from Zinnia, Well Read Books or get the ebook on my website www.holistictoothfairy.com. It’s also stocked in the Raglan Library.
