MY GUM COACH
THE PERIODONTAL RESCUE COURSE
An 8 week live course
for people with gum
disease
If your periodontist / dentist has told you you have periodontal disease or you are frightened of losing teeth; this is for you. In reality you have a chronic condition that is entirely within your control. Understanding what to do about it at home might stop disease, so, listen, and look closely...with your questions answered.
‘I wish someone would just explain this in lain English’. This is the sentiment we hear most, and half the answer.
STARTS
12 August
DURATION
8 weeks live
WHERE
Zoom, From Home
First Cohort
$147.50
TAUGHT LIVE BY
Deborah Harrison
Dental Hygienist, Clinical Educator and Author
Sue Rusalen
Adult Restorative Dental Hygienist, Oral Health Advocate, Founder of Microscopic Mint Dentistry
This is education, not treatment, and it does not replace your dentist. If you have pain or swelling right now, please see someone this week rather than waiting for us.
IF YOU ARE WORRIED
The questions people are too scared to ask out loud
Being told you have periodontal disease is frightening, and most people get scared and search the internet at midnight. Here is how we would answer the questions you are scared to ask, honestly, including whether the horror-stories on the internet are true.
Am I going to lose my teeth?
We cannot answer that about your mouth, and anyone who says so without examining you is guessing. What is true generally is that periodontal disease progresses at very different rates, and that the daily conditions in your mouth are one of the few things genuinely within your control. That is what these eight weeks are about.
Is it already too late for me?
People arrive at every stage, from a bit of bleeding to advanced disease and a periodontist's referral. Understanding what is driving your condition is useful at all of them. What understanding cannot do is undo bone that has already been lost, and we will not pretend otherwise.
Will my gums grow back?
Generally, no. Gum and bone tissue do not typically regrow once the periodontium is damaged. Tissue may shrink and contour around the teeth instead, which can make teeth look longer. If regeneration or grafting is relevant to you, that is a conversation with a periodontist, and Week 7 covers how to have it.
I brush and floss already. Why is this still happening?
This is the most common thing we hear, and it is not a character failing. Effort is not the missing piece. Most people were never actually taught the techniques, and technique is only part of it: the ecosystem in your mouth, your saliva, your medications and your sleep all matter. We go through the lot.
Will I be told off?
No. There is a particular shame that comes with gum disease and it stops people asking for help, which makes everything worse. Nobody in these sessions is going to lecture you. Ask the question you have been too embarrassed to ask your dentist.
What if I cannot bear being on camera?
Keep it off. Listen, read the chat, and send your questions to us privately if you would rather. Plenty of people do exactly that for the first few weeks. Every session is recorded and waiting in your learning portal afterwards, so nothing is lost if you miss one or need to watch it again later.
HOW WE CAN HELP
Four things you thought about your gums that are actually myths
Every one of these statements is something our
clients believe. They sound plausible. They're all
false, and they're not harmless.
01
'A bit of bleeding is normal'
Bleeding gums aren't normal. Bleeding is an alarm, never routine.
02
'Mouthwashes and gruff brushing get it cleaner'
Harder brushing removes no more biofilm. It does cause recession, abrasion and sensitivity.
03
'Mouthwashes, oil pulling will sort it out'
Neither reaches the places that actually matter.
04
'What happens in your mouth stays in your mouth'
The mouth isn't separate. It's part of the whole system.
“These misconceptions keep people stuck in routines that don't address the real drivers of gum disease. When patients understand the truth, they can take meaningful steps toward healthier gums and better long-term outcomes.”
From Week 1 of the program
What we cover, and why it matters
Six things you will learn,
and what each one gives
you
Most course pages stop at the topic list. Topics are not the point. What matters is what each one actually changes for you, so we have written that part down too.
01
Dr Mark Bonner's research, methodology and protocols
You get a proven, structured protocol to follow at home, not vague advice.
You stop guessing, and stop wasting effort on things that were never going to work.
You get to trust something again, after years of trying and failing on your own.
02
The “one more thing” almost nobody tells you
There is a piece of this most dentists never mention, because there is never time.
The reason nothing has fully worked before finally makes sense.
It is not that you weren't trying hard enough. You just never had the whole picture.
03
The oral microbiome and why it matters
Gum disease is a microbial imbalance, not a hygiene failure.
This is not your fault.
You can stop carrying the quiet guilt and embarrassment you have been bringing into every dental visit.
04
Correct oral hygiene technique and products
You will know exactly what to buy, and exactly how to use it.
No more wasted money, wasted time, or second-guessing yourself in the toothpaste aisle.
The effort you are already putting in finally shows results, instead of feeling like it is going nowhere.
05
Live Q&A: ask us anything
You can ask your real question, live, to someone who will actually answer it.
You do not have to sit alone with “am I going to lose this tooth”, googling it at midnight.
The fear gets smaller the moment someone actually looks at it with you.
06
Personal support, The whole way through
Someone checks in on you, every week, for eight weeks.
When it gets hard around week 3 or 4, you are not tempted to quietly quit alone.
You actually finish it, and finishing is what changes the outcome.
What we're actually offering
Our mission, plainly
“Oral hygiene care is one of the most powerful skills you can learn. It gives you the knowledge to make informed choices, ask the right questions, and work alongside your oral health team with confidence, not from a place of fear or confusion, but with clarity and understanding.”
We mean every word of that, particularly the part about fear. We're not going to frighten you into buying something. Fear is a terrible motivator, and it wears off in about a week.
What we want is for you to understand what's happening. People who understand why they have periodontal disease take an active role in their own health. That's the whole thesis of this program, and it's the reason it runs for eight weeks.
So the questions that actually matter
What's living in my mouth, and why does it matter which organisms they are?
What tipped the balance in the first place?
What conditions do they need, and how do I change those conditions?
What's my saliva doing? My sleep? My stress? My medication?
What's happening in the rest of my body, and how is my mouth connected?
What can be measured, what can be tested, and what do the tests tell me?
Those are eight weeks of questions. Not a post. Not a comment. Not a PDF. So we built it for eight weeks.
THE PROGRAM, WEEK BY WEEK
Every week, honestly
Eight live sessions on Zoom, one a week, plus a pre-recorded technique module in Week 3. Both of us are there. You can ask questions and get an answer about your own situation. That's the entire point of being live instead of handing you a bunch of DIY videos.
01
Basic oral health foundations
What plaque and calculus actually are, and why the difference matters
The gum sulcus, and what a periodontal pocket actually is
How periodontal disease progresses, stage by stage
The diagnostic tools and what the millimetre measurements mean
The warning signs you can pick up at home
02
Understanding the oral microbiome
The ecosystem, not a list of germs
Why total bacterial elimination is the wrong goal
What tips an ecosystem from healthy to pathogenic
Where protozoa, parasites and fungi fit
03
The Oral BALANCE Protocol™: the practical one
Part one is pre-recorded, so you can rewatch it as often as you need
Floss-first C-curve technique, and why the order matters
Interdental brushes: dipping, sizing, the spaces floss misses
Modified Bass technique at 45 degrees: the wiggle, the roll, the pressure
Part two is live: the products, the dilutions, the full protocol demonstrated
04
Expectations, reactions and preventing reinfection
The die-off response: why some people feel worse before better
Sensitivity: what the tubules are doing, and things that help
Why gum recession isn't always gum disease
How to store your toothbrush and water flosser
Minimising recontamination: your partner, children, pets, coffee machine
05
Nutrition, healing and lifestyle
Nutrition, and what a good diet actually is
Saliva: what it does, and what to do when there isn't enough
Dry mouth, hydration, fibrous food, night breathing
The medication check: common drugs that quietly reduce saliva
Stress and cortisol, clenching and grinding, and sleep repair
06
Oral health and whole-body health
What inflammation is, and what happens when it becomes chronic
The associations with cardiovascular disease and diabetes: what the research says, and just as importantly, what it doesn't
Periodontal inflammation and its association with systemic disease
Working with your whole healthcare team instead of three separate silos
07
Advanced gum health and diagnostics
Phase-contrast microscopy: what you can actually see in a live sample
Microbiome testing: an honest look at what each test can and can't tell you
Saliva testing and implants
The exact questions to take to your next dental appointment
When a periodontist is the right call
08
Your healthy gums for life plan
Morning and evening routines built around your life, not ours
Habits that survive contact with reality, not habits that survive a week
Your weekly review system, and building your oral health team
PRACTICAL DETAILS
How the eight weeks run
STARTS
Wednesday 12 August 2026
WHen
Wednesdays 8:00 am AEST, live on Zoom, one session a week for eight weeks
WHOS THERE
Both Deb and Sue, every live session
LENGTH
One hour, with time for questions about your own mouth
WEEK 3
Two parts. The technique module is pre-recorded so you can rewatch it. The protocol session is live.
Between sessions
Weekly home activities, the Gum Health Scorecard, and the handouts for that week
Joining from overseas
Every session is recorded to your portal, so the course works in any timezone. Check the times below before you enrol, because some are unsociable.
COURSE INCLUDES
What comes with it
Eight live Zoom sessions with dental professionals who respect, but also question, the norm
The Week 3 technique module, pre-recorded, so you can rewatch the demonstrations as many times as you need
Weekly home activities and hygiene exercises that are practical, not passive
The Gum Health Scorecard: an 8-week tracker for bleeding, swelling, colour and odour
The BALANCE™ Decontamination Protocol, written out and demonstrated
The Product Guide: what to buy, what to avoid, where to get it
The FAQ handout, and the oral microbiome quick-reference card
We should be straight with you
The protozoal side of periodontal disease management isn't yet part of mainstream periodontal guidelines. It is, however, an evidence-informed, adjunctive approach that works alongside conventional periodontal therapy. It does not replace your dentist.
What this program is not
It isn't a replacement for chairside professional dental care or treatment. Week 8 is literally about building your dental support care team. If you're looking for permission to stop going to the dentist, this is the wrong place.
Before you decide
What is achievable
There's a version of this brochure that promises to reverse your gum disease. We're not writing it, because it isn't true.
Understanding what's actually driving your condition, instead of guessing
Slowing periodontal disease progression, and protecting what you still have
Doing the right things rather than more things
Noticing changes early, instead of years later
“Gum and lost bone tissue don't typically regrow once the periodontium and bone are damaged. Tissue may instead shrink and contour around the teeth, making teeth appear longer.”
HONEST DISQUALIFICATION
Who this isn't for
We'd rather you didn't join us than buy the wrong thing. Please don't enrol if :
You have severe swelling or pain right now
That needs an urgent appointment, not a course. Please go and see someone this week. We mean this.
You want us to replace your dentist
We won't. Week 8 is about building your dental care team, not leaving it.
You want a silver bullet that works while you do nothing
The protocol is a daily habit, two or three times a day, for weeks.
You want a guarantee your gums or bone will grow back
Nobody can give you that, and we've told you that already.
You're not willing to hear things you don't want to hear
Some of what we teach contradicts what you've read online. We teach what the evidence supports, and we tell you where the evidence stops.
Our guarantee
Consistency · Education · Technique · Trust the process
We guarantee that we'll turn up, and educate you like you've never been educated before. Do the work. Turn up to the sessions, use the Scorecard, follow the protocol.
The only guarantee is education. That education and information, when implemented, is where the results come from. Our goal is to provide current, evidence-based education and the confidence to ask informed questions, so you can make empowered decisions about your care.
WHO'S TEACHING YOU
Two passionate dental hygienists, one vision
Deborah Harrison
Dental Hygienist, Clinical Educator and Author
35 years in the dental industry
Bachelor of Health Science, majoring in public health
Qualified Dental Hygienist and Therapist
Founder of the Bleeding Gums / Recession community
Trained in Dr Mark Bonner's decontamination methodology; 8+ years using it clinically
“I'm not here to promise quick fixes. You don't need perfect. You just need consistent, informed action.”
Sue Rusalen
Award-Winning Dental Hygienist, Oral Health Advocate
40 years in the dental profession, Australia and internationally
Founder of Microscope First Dentistry, and a dental practice owner
Introduced microbiome testing and phase-contrast microscopy into over 60 dental practices
Has trained hundreds of clinicians in microscope use and biofilm assessment
International speaker and clinical educator
“Look beyond simply cleaning and polishing teeth, and understand the impact of the oral microbiome and its connection to overall health.”
“Although we come from different backgrounds and experiences, we share the same vision: to help people better understand their gum health through education, science and practical home care.”
HOW TO JOIN US
Learn with us three ways: recorded, live in a group, or one to one.
The eight week group program is the main thing we do, and it is the one we would point almost anyone towards. The recorded Foundations Course is there if you would rather read yourself in cheaply first. A private hour is there if you cannot wait for a cohort, or would rather not be in a group at all. We would rather you chose accurately than expensively.
All prices are in Australian dollars. Our first cohort is our founding group, and we have taken 50 per cent off the eight week course for everyone who joins it. The discount is already applied below, so there is no code to enter.
COURSE
COURSE - FOUNDATIONS - SELF PACED
The 3 part Foundations course
Three recorded introductory sessions. Watch them in your own time, as often as you like. For the person who wants to understand the basics before committing to anything bigger.
What your gums are telling you
Why good habits sometimes aren't enough
Why it is not just bacteria
Includes the Gum Health Scorecard and a research summary
$17
ONE TIME
PREMIUM COACHING - 8 WEEKS - LIVE IN A GROUP
Founding group · 50% off · includes the $17 course
8 Week Periodontal Rescue & Reset Course
Eight weeks. Eight live Zoom sessions with both of us, plus the pre-recorded Week 3 technique module. Every question you have about your own mouth, answered in session. Our inaugural group pays half.
8 live 1-hour Zoom sessions, on Wednesdays
Every session recorded and added to your online portal
Protocol, Product Guide and FAQ handouts
The pre-recorded Week 3 technique module
Weekly homework and the Gum Health
Scorecard
The $17 Foundations Course is included
Next cohort starts (cohort date). .
$147.50
ONE TIME
LIVE - ONE ON ONE
Private 1-1 session with Deb or Sue
If you can't wait for our next cohort, or you're really shy and just time poor, you can work with Deb or Sue in a personal private session. Just you, nobody else. Availability depends on the hours we have free.
One hour, conducted via Zoom
Availability depends on the hours we have free
Entirely about your own situation
$297
per 60 minute session
On the word “cure”
Some people refer to the Bonner Technique as a “total cure”. We do not. We have experienced and witnessed outstanding results when people follow the protocol, and we welcome further research.
Before you enrol, please read our Terms & Refund Policy. In short: a full refund any time before your first live session, no refund afterwards because the teaching has been delivered, and a free transfer to a later cohort if life gets in the way.
After you enrol
What actually happens once you've paid
Nobody enjoys paying for something online and then wondering whether it worked. So here is the sequence, in order, with the timing spelled out. If any step doesn't happen when it should, email us and we'll sort it.
01
A receipt from Stripe
Your card statement will show MY GUM COACH. Keep the receipt: it has your payment reference on it, which is the fastest way for us to find you if anything needs sorting out.
02
Your welcome email
This confirms which program you've joined and includes your login for the learning portal, where the recordings and handouts live. If it hasn't arrived within a few minutes, check your spam folder first, then email us and we'll resend it.
03
Your Zoom link and Week 1 Handouts
Ready before the cohort begins, along with the Gum Health Scorecard so you can record your starting point. The same Zoom link works for all eight Wednesdays, and it stays in your portal so you cannot lose it.
04
Access to the three recorded sessions
Your welcome email includes your portal login. Watch them whenever suits, as many times as you like. There's no schedule to keep up with and nothing expires.
05
For a private session
We reply with the hours we have free and you pick one. If none of them work, tell us and we'll keep looking. Sessions are one hour, on Zoom.
06
You can reach us directly
Write to us at any point and it comes to Deb and Sue, not to a support desk. There are two of us and we answer our own mail.
Still confused on something? Email us [email protected].
Before you click please read our Terms & Refund Policy linked at the bottom of this page.
The above scheduled items only start once you've read our Terms & Refund Policy.
“You don't need perfect. You just need consistent, informed action.”
You can also join our Facebook community to connect with other members, ask questions, and stay up to date with the latest announcements
Deborah Harrison, Dental Hygienist
Sue Rusalen, Dental Hygienist
DISCLAIMER
This program is education. It does not diagnose, treat or cure any condition, and it does not replace the advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by your dental or medical professional.
Individual results will vary. This protocol is designed to support healthier gums and a more balanced oral microbiome through education and consistent home care, but no specific outcomes can be guaranteed. Success depends on many factors, including the severity of the condition, overall health, consistency with the protocol, and ongoing professional dental care.
The protozoal and microbiome-focused approach described here is evidence-informed and adjunctive. It is not currently part of mainstream periodontal guidelines.