“Doc, I can’t thank you enough. I have lots of energy and my mind is clear, and I was able to return to work after a year’s absence.” Is this a patient talking to his medical doctor? No, he is talking to a dentist who practices holistic, or what I like to call Whole-Body Dentistry®. A Whole-Body Dentist recognizes the inseparable relationship between the mouth and the rest of the body. A traditional dentist is taught to look in the mouth for signs of diabetes, anemia, oral cancer, and evidence of other pathologies. This short list just scratches the surface of what can be ascertained; unfortunately traditional dental education goes no further. The whole-body paradigm for dental care makes available new treatment modalities that can benefit anyone who has had or needs dental treatment.
I have observed, over time, that dentistry can have a profound impact on the health of an individual, either in a positive or negative manner. This experience led me to understand the need for a more comprehensive approach. Below are a few of the foundational principles of that approach, which I refer to as Whole-Body Dentistry.
Man is essentially energy and a disturbance in energy that is not corrected will eventually manifest in physical symptoms. I like to call these symptoms the “voice of nature.” By removing obstacles to health and using energetic assessments and treatments like, for example, homeopathy, balance can be restored.
Everything in the body is energetically connected. Every tooth (and its surrounding tissue and bone) is on an acupuncture meridian and relates to specific organs, tissues, vertebrae, muscles, joints, etc. For example, the upper middle front teeth relate to the bladder and genito-urinary area. An infected tooth may cause a problem in these areas or, alternatively, a bladder infection may cause a front tooth to hurt. A young college girl developed a bladder infection that would not resolve with antibiotics, acupuncture, or any other type of treatment. In taking her history, I learned that all her problems began after a root canal on one of her upper front teeth. Energetic testing confirmed that this root canal was the underlying problem. Removal of that tooth resolved her bladder infection.
The body always wants to be in a state of balance or homeostasis. The goal of Whole-Body Dentistry is to remove the impediments that keep the body from reaching this balance. Mercury fillings, periodontal disease, infections (especially from the tonsils, sinuses or root-canaled teeth), poor occlusion, and toxins, in general, are among the obstacles to health.
The silver fillings that have been placed and continue to be implanted in patients’ mouths are significant obstacles to achieving optimal health. The so-called silver fillings are 50% mercury. The issue of safety when placing mercury in the mouth has been debated for almost two hundred years! Mercury is mercury and no matter what form it is in, mercury is toxic. Mercury has often been called the great imposter because it can cause just about any symptom imaginable, including asthma, neurological problems, fatigue, mental illnesses, mental fogginess, heart problems, and much more. Setting aside all the science, one only has to ask, “Why is a mercury filling hazardous before being placed in the mouth? Why can a dentist be fined and/or jailed for improperly disposing of a mercury filling once it has been removed from the mouth? Why is the mouth the only safe place to store mercury?”
Periodontal disease (PD) is the most common infectious disease in the world. The bacteria associated with periodontal disease do not remain localized in the mouth. It is important to understand that the same blood that courses through your gum tissue traverses your entire body. These same bacteria associated with PD that have been found in your mouth have also been found in atherosclerotic plaque in the heart, in brain tissue of those afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease, and in the lungs. Studies have shown a higher incidence of pre-term low birth weight babies with mothers who have PD; other studies have shown a higher incidence of stroke among those with PD. In addition to the traditional methods for evaluating PD, such as checking for bleeding and probing for periodontal pockets (an indicator of bone loss), it is equally important to use a microscope to evaluate a sample of plaque taken from under the gums. Without a microscope to check for types of bacteria and amoebae, it is difficult to assess what is happening periodontally, or evaluate the risk of other related consequences of PD.
Fluoride is a potent toxin and should not be present in drinking water or applied topically. There has never been a study to show that adding fluoride to drinking water will decrease tooth decay. Because fluoride is toxic, using it topically will help decrease bacteria in the mouth; however, there are safer ways to do this. Fluorosis (the white spots on teeth) affects about 40% of children today. This is due to fluoride’s effect on collagen. Some consider this to be just a cosmetic problem. However, does it make sense that only the collagen in the mouth is affected? What about collagen in the muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin, and bones, etc.?
The way your teeth come together (bite) is critical. Of equal or greater importance than the way your teeth meet, is the structural relationship of the upper jaw to the lower jaw. An abnormality here can cause temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD), which, in turn can affect the entire autonomic nervous system and several acupuncture meridians. TMD can cause headaches, migraines, vertigo, tinnitus, stomach symptoms, neck and/or backaches, scoliosis and much more.
Placing dissimilar metals in the mouth can create electrical currents that are hazardous to your health. Anytime different metals are placed in a salt solution like saliva, a galvanic current is created. These currents can easily be measured. High currents may disrupt acupuncture meridians, and, being located just a few inches from your brain, may affect its electrical balance. One patient, who was experiencing extreme facial pain, found relief by having a gold crown removed; it had been producing high currents which ran between it and several mercury fillings.
I believe that Whole-Body Dentistry is the dentistry of the future. Hopefully, after this brief introduction, you will agree.
Mark A. Breiner, DDS, FAGD, FIAOMT is a pioneer and recognized authority in the field of biological and holistic dentistry. He is the author of the new book, Whole-Body Dentistry®:A Complete Guide to Understanding the Impact of Dentistry on Total Health. He maintains a private practice in Trumbull, Connecticut. For further information visit www.wholebodydentistry.com or call 203.371.0300.