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Are you a holistic/biological/environmental
dental practice?
What does this mean in your day-to-day
practice?
What is it like to come to your office
as a new patient?
Is it necessary to get x-rays?
Do you see patients of all ages?
Will you accept my dental insurance?
What will it cost to have my dental work done?
Does biocompatible dentistry cost more?
Do you replace amalgam fillings?
What is amalgam? What does that word mean?
Is the mercury in my fillings safe?
I have health problems. Could exposure
to dental materials contribute to these problems?
Do you perform root canals? Why are root
canals controversial in holistic health circles?
What is a cavitation? Does your
office perform cavitational surgery?
Are you a holistic/biological/environmental
dental practice?
We seek to be. But these terms suggest vastly different things
to different people, so this question deserves a more detailed
answer. Dentistry today offers more than ever to the health
conscious person. It has progressed through multiple stages
of understanding and benefit to the patient:
- Tooth focused: My tooth hurts. I want it fixed. I want
it out. Or, my tooth doesn’t hurt, therefore I’m
ok.
- Mouth focused: I want my teeth to work together, so I
can chew comfortably and have a great smile:
- Health focused: I want a strong immune system. My mouth
is the entry point and first stage of my digestive tract.
A comfortable mouth and bright smile are just some of the
benefits of excellent dental health.
Fortunately for today’s dental patient, each level
of understanding has both surpassed and incorporated the previous
stage. Today’s dentistry promotes comfort, strength,
function, beauty and health. This is the mission of our practice.
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What does this mean in your
day-to-day practice?
We support a patient’s right to seek and receive complementary
health care, integrating the most up-to-date Western medical
knowledge with that of other therapies and disciplines. None
of this suggests that a dentist, however holistic he or she
might be, can take the place of your other health practitioners.
Instead, we strive to be an active, contributing member of
your health care team, supporting your dental needs. In sum,
we believe that the mouth is connected to the rest of your
body, and it really is important to your health and well-being.
We emphasize the use of highly biocompatible and environmentally-compatible
dental materials, including non-metals and high grades of
dental gold. For example, we do not use mercury-amalgam fillings
or nickel crowns. We support our patients who wish to get
biocompatibility testing to further refine the selection of
materials, in coordination with patients’ other health
care practitioners.
Our office is fully equipped with digital x-ray technology,
with greatly reduces exposure to patients. Our system also
eliminates the need for x-ray chemicals that empty into wastewater
and can pollute and harm young fish.
Cosmetic dentistry and amalgam-free dentistry often overlap.
After all, no one promotes amalgam or nickel as the most beautiful
or natural-looking dental materials. Higher grade materials
are often prettier. However, there is more to dental health
than beauty. As in architecture, form follows function, and
your good health is the essential foundation.
When removing old dental materials from the mouth, we strive
to protect our patients, staff, and the environment. We follow
the protocols and procedures of the International Academy
of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, as well as those of the Occupational
Health and Safety Administration, in our handling of old amalgam
and other materials. We isolate teeth with a rubber dam, and
carefully cut the materials away from the tooth. We use a
cold water spray to reduce vaporization, high-volume suction,
and powerful air cleansing technology. We employ the most
advanced equipment to prevent even small traces of old fillings
from escaping into the environment, and all of the scrap is
recycled regularly. This helps to protect our community’s
water and wildlife, as well as people.
Finally, we believe that the care of your health is more
than just a purchase you make. On a fundamental level, it
is a team effort between the patient and all of his or her
caregivers. We seek to work with you and to understand and
respect your uniqueness, realizing that one size does not
fit all. We seek to actively involve you in your care, placing
a priority on giving you information and helping you to make
your best dental decisions. We take an integrative approach,
continually seeking to learn, not only from experts in dentistry,
but also other fields such as environmental medicine, internal
medicine, toxicology, and microbiology. We recognize that
older sciences such as acupuncture also speak to connections
between mouth and body. There are many examples. Some of the
herbal products we use are highly regarded by mainstream dentistry.
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What is it like to come
to your office as a new patient?
Patients often say, "This is the most thorough dental exam I have ever had!" As the word holistic suggests, we strive to be thorough. We request that you complete a detailed dental and overall health history before your visit, so we can review it ahead of time. We start by getting to know you and finding out your dental goals and concerns, and what is most important to you. We then use digital radiography and close-up photography to look at your mouth and teeth in great detail. We examine the mouth and bite as a whole. The doctor may recommend additional diagnostic procedures for some patients. You are unique, and your needs and goals may differ from the next person’s.
The next step is to review the findings, photographs and other digital images with you. In a process of co-diagnosis, we can arrive at a treatment plan. In many cases, in order to give this process our best attention, we will schedule an additional consultation visit for this part of your initial examination. This gives the doctor an opportunity to review the records and think through the various options for achieving your goals. And it gives us a chance to discuss all of your concerns, helping you to arrive at a dental health strategy that works for you.
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Is it necessary to get x-rays?
Like you, we want to minimize your exposure to electromagnetic
radiation. This is why we have installed a fully digital x-ray
system. Our x-rays require much less exposure compared with
the traditional film x-rays, which we do not use. Please be
aware that a thorough dental exam is really not possible without
x-rays. Much of the mouth’s anatomy lies below the surface.
This isn’t to say that all disease can be seen on x-ray.
However, many, many times x-rays reveal actively occurring,
damaging disease processes, where there was no other indication.
Also be aware that you can reduce your x-ray exposure substantially
with prompt diagnosis and treatment of tooth decay and other
infectious processes. A healthy, stable mouth requires far
few x-rays than a mouth with active disease.
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Do you see patients of all ages?
Our office is equipped to serve people with adult dentition.
We begin accepting patients at age 12, and these slots are
reserved for the children of our adult patients.
We also enjoy caring for the parents of many of our adult
patients. Our senior patients currently range up to age 96.
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Will you accept my dental
insurance?
Through long experience, we have found that insurance carriers
are much more responsive to you, their client, than to us,
a third party which provides them with no revenue, and with
whom they have no real relationship. Thus, all of our patients
pay directly for their care at each appointment, and patients
with dental benefits are reimbursed by their carriers. We
will be happy to provide you with appropriate forms that you
can file to receive your reimbursement. As an added benefit
to our patients, the great majority of whom do not have dental
insurance, this procedure helps to keep our fees lower. We
are saving the salary of an insurance and billing coordinator.
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What will it cost to have my dental
work done? Does biocompatible dentistry cost more?
The type of dentistry we strive to offer is a bit like organic
food. It costs more to produce than if we skipped the extra
steps. Still, we practice thrift in many other ways, which
enables us to keep our fees in the same range as other area
practices that also strive to provide exceptional, not average,
care.
Costs for dental care can vary quite a bit from person to
person, because needs vary considerably in different situations.
There also may be a range of treatment options for you to
select from, now or in future stages of care. After the examination
described above, we will discuss your options and, with your
input, arrive at a treatment plan. At that point, we usually
can estimate costs very closely.
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Are payment plans available?
Yes. People who need dental work frequently get financing,
in order to establish a comfortable monthly payment. This
is also a great help in containing the costs of dentistry,
because prompt care can greatly reduce the risks of additional
complications. Our office works with two financial carriers
who are professional and pleasant to work with, and who also
work with many other area dental offices. You may apply for
a range of financial options, including both short- and longer-term
payment plans.
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Do you replace amalgam fillings?
All general and restorative dentists replace amalgam fillings.
Like anything else that experiences wear and tear, amalgam
fillings eventually do wear out and have to be replaced. And
many patients today are electing to replace them anyway, as
a cosmetic or environmental choice, or upon the advice of
a physician.
The question then becomes, how to replace old fillings and
with what? In our office, biocompatibility is a primary consideration
in the hundreds of steps that occur in the process of dentistry.
We follow the protocols of the International Academy of Oral
Medicine and Toxicology, a scientific organization that promotes
biocompatibility in dentistry. There are many hundreds of
choices of replacement materials available today, including
a variety of metals and tooth colored materials. Additional
information is included above.
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What is amalgam? What does
that word mean?
The silver-colored filling material commonly called amalgam
is a mixture of metals used to make dental fillings. It contains
about 50% mercury, 35% silver, 13% tin and 2% copper. In a
general sense, the word amalgam is defined as any alloy containing
mercury.
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Is the mercury in my fillings
safe?
This is a controversial and disputed subject, and to be fair,
we must acknowledge that honest, ethical and well-educated
people may strongly disagree with each other in their answers
to this question. We are among those who have concerns, especially
for people who may have high sensitivities to chemicals and
metals. There are strict regulations to govern the handling
of dental amalgam, both before it is placed in the mouth,
and after it is removed. Citing its long history of use, the
American Dental Association says it is safe and stable when
mixed into a filling material.
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I have health problems. Could
exposure to dental materials contribute to these problems?
That question is beyond the scope of a dental degree or dental
license. If you suspect that you are experiencing an environmental
illness of any kind, we strongly recommend that you see a
physician whose practice encompasses these types of questions.
Environmental toxins of many kinds are widespread in our environment.
Any related health problems would be complex, warranting methodical
and skilled attention to the body as a whole.
As a general dental practice we strive to keep abreast of
the fast-growing body of scientific studies about the biocompatibility
of dental materials. This endeavor does not give us the medical
expertise to evaluate systemic conditions in the individual
patient. Our role is to support you as the dental caregiver
on your team of health professionals. Optimum dental health
is undeniably a factor in whole health. We will strive to
help you follow your physician’s recommendations.
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Do you perform root canals? Why
are root canals controversial in holistic health circles?
Our dental practice is restorative and preventive in nature.
We generally refer root canal treatment to specialists in
that field. These doctors, who are called endodontists, receive
two or more years of training beyond general dental school
in treating disease of the tooth roots.
Root canal treatment is generally advised when a tooth becomes
irreversibly inflamed, painful and/or infected. This may occur
due to infection, decay, trauma, or even wear and tear on
the tooth. The procedure involves removing the inflamed/infected
nerve from the tooth root and then placing a filling into
the canal. This can enable the patient to keep the tooth for
many more years. However, sometimes the procedure fails to
eliminate the infection. Re-treatment or other surgeries may
be necessary. Because there is a risk of failure and infection
can persist, some holistic practitioners recommend against
even trying root canal treatment. They believe that removing
the entire tooth is more thorough and definitive. However,
opinion on this subject is divided. It is important to know
that extraction of teeth is also an imperfect solution that
may also involve serious consequences. And, it is important
to consider that the prognosis of individual teeth varies
greatly, depending on the circumstances.
When it comes to root canals, the best scenario is prevention
and/or early treatment of dental decay and periodontal disease.
Nobody really desires root canal treatment or to lose a tooth.
On the other hand, most adults do face this decision. When
this occurs, some of our patients choose root canal treatment,
while others choose extraction and some form of tooth replacement.
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What is a cavitation? Does
your office perform cavitational surgery?
Cavitation is a frequently used term for a NICO lesion, which
stands for neuralgia-inducing cavitational osteonecrosis.
The textbook, “Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology,”
by Neville, Damm, Allen and Bouquot, defines it as a necrotic
lesion in the jawbone, which is usually associated with facial
pain. While the cause is unproven, it is thought that such
a lesion may form at the base of an infected tooth or in an
extraction site that didn’t fully heal. Like root canals,
cavitations are a controversial subject. Mainstream dentistry
considers them to be rare. Some practitioners believe they
are more common and may be linked to problems with overall
health. Diagnosis is sometimes made by panoramic x-ray, although
the lesion may not show up on an x-ray. Some advocate a newer
type of ultra-sound scan called “Cavitat” as more
thorough diagnostic technique. Surgery into the jawbone is
generally the prescribed treatment, although a few practitioners
inject the sites with medicaments.
Our practice is restorative in nature, focusing on rebuilding
the mouth after dental disease or surgery and preventive care.
We generally refer complex surgeries to a specialist. For
more information on cavitations, you may wish to refer to
a book by Wesley Shankland, DDS, http://www.drshankland.com,
called “Face The Pain.”
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