Why choose a holistic dentist? Because the health of your teeth is not just about your teeth. Taking care of your whole body is part of taking care of your teeth. Everything from the materials used to repair teeth, to the food you eat can have consequences to your teeth as well as your overall health. Even exercise can play a role in the health of your teeth through reducing the stress that often manifests through holding tension in the jaw or clenching and grinding during a tense workday.
When we help our patients to make decisions about their teeth, we look at each patient’s medical history first. The medical history helps us to determine if a patient has any medical issues that may affect the health of the teeth. We look at each medication the patient is taking as well. There are many medications that can weaken teeth, particularly the class of medications known as biophospates (such as Bonova and Fosamax) which are used to treat osteoporosis. The health of the gums can be comprised by a lack of vitamins B and C, diabetes, smoking, dry mouth, mouth breathing, sleep apnea and a host of other conditions too extensive to list here. We believe that nearly all conditions of the body can be treated using holistic methods, primarily through diet and nutrition.
Holistic Approach 1: Nutrition
In our office, Dr. Strietzel stresses the diet as being the number one thing that we can take control of in order to improve our overall health. The principles behind a holistic diet include reducing or eliminating sugar (including eating too much fruit) which causes inflammation. Sugary foods and beverages can start a chain of events in your mouth, starting with feeding the bad bacteria in your mouth that increases acid and begins the process of breaking down the enamel of the teeth.
Consuming a variety of multi-colored vegetables helps to balance the microbiome leading to a healthier digestive system and a more balanced PH, which also can affect the health of your teeth and gums. Organic foods are recommended so as to avoid GMO products and foods that may contain pesticides or other harmful substances. Raw vegetables are the better option – the less cooked a vegetable is, the more nutrition the vegetable has to offer. Dr. Strietzel believes cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, are more easily digested if they are lightly steamed. Some people actually save and drink the water used for steaming, capturing any additional nutrients that may have been released into the steaming water.
Reducing or eliminating dairy (with the exception of raw dairy), grains (unless soaked, sprouted or fermented), processed foods and genetically modified products are general health guidelines that Dr. Strietzel advises to our patients. Consuming fermented foods, free range eggs, spices (especially ginger, cinnamon and turmeric, which can help reduce inflammation and naturally boost metabolism) using healthy fats such as olive and avocado oil, and mixing up the foods you eat from day to day can also have beneficial results for your overall health, keeping your body in better balance. Filtered water is recommended in order to avoid exposure to chlorine and fluoride.
Be smart with the food and beverages you give your body and your body will pay you back by being stronger, healthier and giving you happier teeth and gums.
Holistic Approach 2: Selection of Dental Materials
Our office does not use fluoride products. Dale believes that diet is more important than fluoride for preventing tooth decay. He has witnessed this first hand serving on dental mission trips, most notably was a trip to Peru, in the Amazon where only unprocessed food was consumed. Dale observed there was very little tooth decay in all ages, and there were no toothbrushes, toothpaste or fluoride being used or dental services available to them. In fact, they didn’t even know there was such a thing as a dentist! Dale attributed this positive dental health outcome to their diet, since there was no other means of prevention being used.
We believe our patients should be able to have healthier materials available to them for their restorative procedures. We utilize biocompatibility testing for patients who have particular concerns about how dental materials may affect them. This is often very useful, especially in patients who are already experiencing chronic health issues, chronic inflammation, autoimmune disorders and a wide array of other health issues that can easily be made more complicated by introducing a dental material that is not compatible with a patient’s chemical make-up. Everybody has different DNA and biocompatibility testing allows a lab to use a sample of your blood to test with 15000 different dental materials to find the material that is most compatible with your DNA. Dr. Strietzel will discuss the results with a patient and make recommendations for the healthiest options for their treatment.
It is important to us that our patients are supported in a manner that is kind, caring and informative and most of all with the overall health of our patients in mind.
