HOUSTON — What began as a major dental procedure involving 17 extractions has turned into an unusual recovery story for Houston entrepreneur and Absolutely Amazing Alkaline H2O founder LaMont Gilbert.

And according to Gilbert, even the dental professionals following his recovery were surprised by what they saw.

Gilbert underwent surgery on August 7 after dealing with extensive dental problems and infection. Seventeen teeth were extracted during the procedure.

He weighed approximately 275 pounds on the day of surgery.

The days that followed were anything but ordinary.

Gilbert says that although he was prescribed pain medication, he did not actually receive it until six days after surgery.

During those first six days, he says his recovery routine consisted primarily of prescribed antibiotics, soup and hydration.

But it was what happened at his follow-up appointments that caught everyone's attention.

DAY SEVEN

At his seven-day follow-up, Gilbert returned to his oral surgeon to have his recovery evaluated and his stitches removed.

According to Gilbert, the surgeon was impressed enough with the progress of his healing that he recommended moving forward with five dental implants.

The recommendation came much sooner than Gilbert expected.

Gilbert says the surgeon then asked him to contact his general dentist, Dr. J. Carlos Garcia, while he was still in the office.

The surgeon knew Garcia was scheduled to examine Gilbert several days later and wanted his opinion on the recovery before proceeding.

THEN CAME DAY NINE

Gilbert arrived for his appointment with Garcia expecting another routine evaluation.

Instead, he says the conversation became another remarkable moment in the nine-day journey.

According to Gilbert, Garcia told him:

“You have such miraculous healing ability. I have never seen it.”

Garcia subsequently discussed moving forward with the next phase of Gilbert's implant process.

For someone who had undergone 17 extractions only days earlier, the development was significant.

THEN THE CONVERSATION TURNED TO WATER

Gilbert is not simply a dental patient.

For nearly a decade, he and his wife, Orvella Gilbert, have built Houston-based Absolutely Amazing Alkaline H2O™, a bottled alkaline-water company recognizable by its signature blue bottles.

Gilbert says hydration had remained a constant throughout his recovery.

His routine during the initial days consisted of his prescribed antibiotics, a largely soup-based diet and the water he already drinks daily.

During his appointment, Gilbert and Garcia discussed the water and Gilbert's recovery experience.

Before Gilbert left the office, he says Garcia ordered five cases of Absolutely Amazing Alkaline H2O.

Gilbert is careful not to characterize his experience as scientific proof that alkaline water caused his accelerated recovery.

Instead, he says he is documenting exactly what happened.

The surgery happened.

The photographs are real.

The follow-up appointments happened.

And two dental professionals personally examined his recovery.

What role hydration—or any other individual factor—played in the speed of that recovery would require medical evidence beyond one person's experience.

But Gilbert says the experience has given an already deeply personal business an entirely new meaning.

A BLUE BOTTLE WITH A NEW CHAPTER

Absolutely Amazing Alkaline H2O was already Gilbert's business.

Now, he says, the product has become part of one of the most personal stories he has ever shared publicly.

Gilbert documented the journey with photographs from before surgery, during the procedure, immediately afterward and throughout the following nine days.

Rather than simply telling people about the transformation, he decided to show them.

Seventeen teeth.

Nine days.

Two dental professionals.

One documented journey.

And one familiar blue bottle that was there throughout it.

Gilbert summed up the experience in the closing words of the video documenting his recovery:

“This is a true story. No names were changed to protect the innocent.”

Sincerely,
The Waterman™

— SOUTHSIDE SIGNAL