"Say Ahh" is a new documentary film that is the brainchild of Dr. Gary Kadi, the chairman of Partners in Complete Health, the organization behind the film.
"Say Ahhh" is the first film about oral health, and how it truly affects health care in America. It presents the story that the answer to America's health problems is right under our noses, right inside our mouths, and it showcases the unsung heroes of the medical industry — dentists and dental teams.
Yes Virginia, There will be a movie about dental floss
“Say Ahh” follows the true stories of six families as they discover the real-life impact that their oral health is having on their lives. The families include a single mom who was diagnosed with Stage IV mouth cancer, a young mother who underwent back surgery and became paralyzed from the waist down, and a man who underwent four-way coronary bypass surgery, only to suffer a major heart attack four years later. The documentary asserts that these tragedies could have been averted or decreased with the intervention of complete and proper oral health care.
The message? The mouth and body are connected, and the source of getting people to achieve and maintain good health can be found in the mouth.
“This movie is quite personal for me," Dr. Kadi said. "Growing up in a family where both my parents had gum disease, I’ve supported the businesses of dental offices for years. What I witnessed is many dental professionals as the unsung heroes of health care — arresting health complications through proactive and preventative treatment rather than reactive. With this approach, these medical professionals are saving lives and money and creating a solution to our health care situation.
"I've been following and researching dental and medical trends over the past five years, and have consciously watched for innovators in and outside of dentistry who are working with proven, scientific-based preventive care modalities and who understood the impact of the mouth on the body and the mouth's connection to the heart, brain, and overall body," Dr. Kadi continued. "Due to my commitment to the future of health care and the importance of the oral-systemic connection, by the time I decided to make 'Say Ahh,' I already had in mind the perfect group of experts who would end up contributing to the film and the movement. From there it took us about 18 months to complete the project."
The documentary is available on YouTube. The popularity of YouTube proves that people are interested in gathering as much relevant information as possible in the shortest amount of time, and the roughly one-hour documentary format seemed a perfect fit for sharing the message of "Say Ahh."
Dental professionals can easily share the link with their patients via their website or practice newsletter. They can play the video on their waiting area televisions, or simply tell their patients about the video when they talk to them about valuable oral health resources.
Partners in Complete Health is in the process of creating "Complete Health Moments" (working title) as well, which will be one- to three-minute clips of information gathered from the experts of "Say Ahh" during filming, and are meant to be distributed through social media, allowing the message of Complete Health and the oral-systemic connection to go viral.
For details about the film and how to host a screening in your community, visit www.sayahhthemovie.com.
