In essence, holistic dentistry is the application of modern dental techniques and materials with consideration for how the techniques and materials affect the rest of the body. Conventional dentistry views the mouth as isolated from the body. The “mouth mechanic†sees a hole and fills it. The more developed holistic dentist considers other issues for example the toxicity, allergercity and electrical nature of the replacement materials.
Historically dentistry has developed with a pronounced focus on the physical level. Many people acknowledge that humans concurrently operate on a physical, electrical, mental and spiritual level. Although we function on these levels, we usually think of disease as being a physical problem for example a sore shoulder. What we often do not consider is that the physical disease can be caused by another level, for example a rigid belief can create a neck problem. Because disease could be caused on multiple levels healing or restoration of health should therefore take place at the appropriate level(s) to be successful.
Therefore, a physical disturbance will not be successfully treated just at the physical level. It will be symptomatically treated but the cause still remains. It will then commonly be experienced elsewhere in the body for example imbalances created by hormones in foods can affect the ovaries and prostrate glands. Electrically these are linked to the knees. Should the resultant knee problem be suppressed with corticosteroids, the hip will often follow perhaps several years later. Instead, appropriate dietary changes and neural therapy of the ovaries, prostrate and knee would frequently achieve spectacular results as they work to the correct levels.
What’s the difference?
The concepts briefly outlined above underpin the philosophy of a holistic dentist. When holistic dentists apply any type of technology they consider the effects on multiple levels. This consideration means that they must continually ask what is the real cause and not mistake physical manifestations for underlying cause in treating disease. Additionally practitioners should be aware of that what they do can create problems on other levels. We know that disease on a physical level can be traced to disturbances on other levels that happened many years before, they just take time to manifest physically. Many conventional dental procedures create physical disturbances several months later and are therefore almost never connected to the real cause. For example poorly healed wisdom teeth extraction sites often create lower back pain, heart palpitations and/or angina. The real cause lies in the jaw. The connection is rarely made and much time and effort is wasted treating the symptoms via the heart or back. The holistic dentist may either prevent the problems with their technique or effect a remedy to an extant problem.
Holistic practitioners often choose to avoid some procedures or technologies conventionally employed. The most obvious material to avoid is the silver mercury amalgam fillings. This creates problems with the toxicity of mercury and the allergic potential of the inorganic silver, tin, copper, zinc and other trace metals also contained. These are mainly physical level problems. On an electrical level, two different metals in a salt solution (saliva) creates electrical currents. Having different metals in the mouth can create profound disturbances in the body’s’ ability to electrically regulate itself. Frequently, in our surgery, we measure currents 2000-3000 times those normally found in one’s body. Additionally I have noticed that many of the asymptomatic people often get unexpected benefits from the removal of amalgam. The most common is improved short-term memory and resolution of sinusitis. It often strikes me that most people think they are unaffected by amalgam. The reality perhaps is that they are operating below their potential but because it was placed so long ago they see their current health status as normal.
Root canal therapy is also often avoided as a treatment for dead teeth. It is a fact that no tooth can be sterilized. All dead teeth are infected. That being so they release toxins and also create electrical disturbances. They all have chronic inflammation around them. So called “successful†root canal treatment really only reduces the infection to a subclinical level (that which we cannot perceive). A holistic approach recognizes that just because something is not felt it is of no consequence. Most of our thoughts and 99.9 per cent of our body’s’ processes happen unconsciously and it is ridiculous to suggest that they are of no significance because we are unaware of them. We would therefore recommend to extract the dead or root filled tooth as the preferred treatment if total health is an important consideration. Fortunately modern dentistry allows for the replacement of teeth that can often be better than the original.
A holistic dentist may also choose to use various complementary therapies such as homoeopathy. Homeopathy is particularly effective to help teeth and gums repair after treatment and also significantly reduces post operative pain. Talking to many holistic dental practitioners you tend to notice they are eclectic and perhaps a little rebellious. They take in useful technologies from where ever they find them. Some utilize electro-acupuncture diagnosis, using soft lasers for a broad range of problems. This ability to look outside convention and to take in what is useful from anywhere is a huge benefit. There is so much knowledge available now and excessive specialization can severely limit its spread. Practitioners who talk to and borrow from others of different professions I believe are at an advantage and offer more services to their patients.
Holistic dentistry is at the edge of what will probably be conventional in years to come. We should not forget that until the advent of modern dentistry most people were missing several front teeth by their early 20s. Most people spent several months every year with toothache as extractions were dreaded. The good old days of dentistry never existed in the past, they are here now and getting better all the time.
