Building Health at the Root: A Systems-Based Voice in Bye Ol’ Dentistry

For over two decades, my work has been guided by one central question: what truly improves the quality of a human life? That question has shaped my personal healing journey, my academic path, and my professional focus across nutrition, lifestyle medicine, trauma recovery, and preventative healthcare systems. It is also what led me to join “Bye Ol’ Dentistry,” the Lolli Brands Entertainment documentary that reframes dentistry as a foundational pillar of whole-body health rather than an isolated specialty.

“Bye Ol’ Dentistry” explores how oral health intersects with breathing, inflammation, neurological function, and long-term vitality. Through lived experience and expert insight, the film challenges outdated models that treat symptoms in isolation and instead promotes biologically informed, systems-based care. My role within this movement reflects a commitment to addressing root causes and building structures that make health sustainable.

A Personal Health Crisis That Sparked a Lifelong Inquiry

My journey began in childhood with severe gastrointestinal issues that conventional medicine could not fully explain or resolve. That early struggle revealed a critical truth: when foundational health is compromised, every other dimension of life becomes more difficult. Healing did not come from medication alone, but from understanding the body as an interconnected system responsive to nutrition, environment, mindset, and daily habits.

That systems-based awareness deepened during college when burnout, substance use, and concussions forced me to step away from school. What felt like failure became a turning point. I immersed myself in studying inflammation, recovery, nervous system regulation, and the cumulative impact of daily inputs on long-term health. That season redirected my life toward prevention and root-cause medicine.

Academic Foundation in Lifestyle and Preventive Medicine

I graduated cum laude from the University of Florida, studying theology and physiology with a minor in nutritional sciences. I later earned a Master’s degree in Nutrition, Healthspan, and Dietetics from the University of Southern California. My capstone project, presented at Cedars-Sinai, documented how lifestyle medicine and plant-based nutrition reversed chronic disease and prevented surgical intervention. The research reinforced my belief that modern healthcare often intervenes too late, focusing on management rather than prevention.

Bridging Systems Across Clinical and Community Health

Professionally, I have worked in elite clinical environments, concierge physical therapy practices, corporate wellness programs, medical missions, and community health initiatives. Whether supporting professional athletes or underserved youth, I observed a consistent pattern: symptoms were treated while systems were ignored. Breathing, sleep, nutrition, movement, and nervous system regulation were rarely addressed together, despite their profound interdependence.

My exposure to airway health brought clarity to this gap. Proper breathing and restorative sleep are prerequisites for cognitive function, metabolic health, emotional regulation, and longevity. The mouth, jaw alignment, tongue posture, and airway influence oxygen delivery, stress response, inflammation, and even developmental outcomes. Oral health is not separate from systemic health; it is central to it.

Scaling Airway Health Through Infrastructure and Education

This understanding led me to join Dr. Ameet Trivedi and Airway Health Austin, where I help build the operational infrastructure that allows the clinic to focus on patient care while expanding access and education. Our work supports airway-focused healthcare professionals through branding, operations, staffing, community building, social media strategy, and patient education. The goal is to make airway health a societal norm rather than a niche specialty.

Dentistry as a Foundation for Long-Term Vitality

“Bye Ol’ Dentistry” reflects the same systems-based philosophy that has guided my career. Biological dentistry challenges the outdated model that treats the mouth in isolation and instead asks more comprehensive questions. How does this affect breathing? Sleep? Inflammation? Longevity? When dentistry evolves beyond symptom management and embraces biology, it becomes one of the most powerful preventative tools in healthcare.

I joined this film because it tells the story that needs to be told through lived experience and transformation. It demonstrates that dentistry is no longer just about repairing damage, but about building vitality. At my core, I am a builder. I build systems, communities, and pathways that make healthy living easier by default. Whether through airway health, lifestyle medicine, or regenerative community design, my purpose remains consistent: improve the collective quality of life by addressing root causes rather than chasing symptoms.

Long term, that vision extends beyond clinics into regenerative neighborhoods where healthy food, movement, multigenerational connection, and preventative care are integrated into daily life. “Bye Ol’ Dentistry” represents a signal of where healthcare is heading, and I am honored to contribute to a movement that begins with the mouth and expands outward to the whole human system.