If you’re like most modern health care consumers, you’ve heard a lot in recent years about the advantages of taking a holistic, proactive approach to wellness. Holistic medicine is an approach to healing that considers the whole person instead of just the issue at hand, and it often involves the promotion of noninvasive techniques and treatments. If you’ve always been a bit squeamish about going to the dentist, you’ll be glad to know that holistic dentistry is available in Santa Monica, CA. Here’s what you need to know:
Holistic dentistry advocates the practice of preventive measures designed to promote optimal dental health. The principle tenets include making good nutritional decisions for the purpose of maintaining overall good bodily health as well as prevent and possible reverse the progression of degenerative oral disease, the avoidance of using traditional dental prosthetic materials that contain toxic materials, such as mercury in amalgam fillings and BPA-based sealants, and the avoidance of using fluoride in both topical or ingested forms. All practitioners of holistic dentistry are graduates of accredited dental programs and follow the same course of study as their counterparts who practice traditional dentistry — the major difference between the two is the overall approach.
The Holistic Philosophy
Holistic dentistry operates on the principle that a mouth-body connection has a significant effect on dental health. For instance, when traditional dentists see a patient for the first time, they generally ask for a comprehensive dental history, while a holistic dentist will ask for a complete medical history. Patients will also be asked about their general lifestyle and dietary and exercise habits. This information is used to craft a customized care plan for each patient instead of using cookie-cutter formulas.
One of the main characteristics of holistic dentistry is the use of materials that have been deemed safer for use in the human body than their traditional counterparts. For instance, because commonly used dental sealants and other plastics contain Bisphenol A (BPA), which can mimic the effect of estrogen on the body and consequently result in a potentially dangerous hormonal imbalance, holistic dentists use alternative sealants. They also recognize that even though fluoride may have benefits concerning overall dental health, it also has the potential to cause harm if patients become overexposed to it. Because it’s already present in the majority of municipal water systems, holistic dentists tend to use this substance sparingly. Holistic dentists also tend to recommend the use of natural dental care products over their chemical-laden counterparts.
Please feel free to schedule an appointment with us or contact our office with any questions you may have if you’d like to know more about how a holistic approach to dentistry can help you achieve the best possible dental health.