Biomimetic Dentistry

A relatively new phrase in the holistic dental community is "biomimetic dentistry".

The word "biomimetic" is derived from two terms: "biology," the science of life or living matter in all its forms, and "mimic," to imitate or copy. With the advent of adhesive bonding technologies in dentistry over the past few decades, materials and techniques have been developed that allow for the minimal removal of tooth structure, followed by adhering tooth-colored material onto or within the tooth. The philosophy behind this brings new meaning to the phrase “less is more”.

Historically, when prepping a tooth for a filling, dental schools taught students “extension for retention” and “extension for prevention”. In essence, the bigger you make the cavity prep, the more likely the filling will stay in and the less likely you will get a recurrent cavity around it. This no longer holds any truth in the modern dental arena.

Nowadays, decay is removed and a restoration is bonded that both strengthens and mimics the form and color of the remaining healthy tooth. Depending upon the individual needs of a tooth, it can be repaired either with a bonding material applied directly to the tooth, or with a conservative inlay/onlay (similar to a partial crown) fabricated in a dental laboratory.

Biomimetic Dentistry: Less is more.

In these cases, crowns and prophylactic root canals can be avoided. The integrity, form, esthetics and function of the tooth, as nature intended, can be preserved. Thus, biomimetic dentistry is achieved.

5 Ways to Detox from Fluoride

“Fluoride causes more human cancer death, and causes it faster than any other chemical.” - Dr. Dean Burk, PhD

Cleansing your body of fluoride is not the same as getting rid of heavy metals such as mercury. Fluoride is not a heavy metal. It's a halide (review your high school chemistry) in the same family as iodine, bromine and chlorine. Fluoride, bromine, chlorine all bind to the iodine receptors in the body and displace iodine. So it is not uncommon to find that fluoride toxicity is associatd with iodine deficiency.

Here are some simple ways to remove fluoride out of your body daily:

Is Fluoride Making You Sick?

Fluoride is found everywhere today. Not just toothpaste and mouthwashes, but in many antibiotics, medications, and even non-stick cooking pans. I think that most of us know that it is found in many bottled waters and municipal water supplies.
The fallout from this fluoridated water supply is that it is currently in just about everything we eat or drink that has been made from these waters. There is no escaping fluoride in the modern world, and as a result, there has been a plethora of diseases associated with this fluoride overdose.

Fluoridated water from the kitchen sink

Here are the top 7 fluoride related health challenges:

NAC: A Detoxification Revelation

Replacing your mercury fillings with a dental material that is more biocompatible and less toxic, is usually the goal of the vast majority of patients that come to see me. And I applaud each of you who actually take a proactive step to do so.

The question that usually comes up afterwards is: How do I remove the residual buildup of mercury from my body tissues?

There are many simple ways to detox, and you can actually read about many of them in my book My Secrets to Regaining Health or read through my blogs to get other helpful ideas.

However there is another simple method worth exploring. The use of NAC.

NAC (N-Acetyl –Cysteine) is a natural sulfur-containing amino acid derivative found naturally in foods. It is a powerful antioxidant. It helps the body eliminate free radicals and neutralize toxins, especially heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium and lead.

My Dog Ate My Night Guard!

I am a fairly organized person. So when my night guard went missing for a few days, I was a little concerned. Usually, it is in one of 2 places, but I couldn’t find it anywhere.

So imagine my surprise when it was finally located in Celeste’s (my dog’s) secret hiding place. It was still in one piece but nicely chewed. I couldn’t put that back in my mouth.

“My dog ate my night guard!”

I’ve heard this line from patients but I never thought it would happen to me.

Avoiding Root Canal

Root canal teeth are frowned upon in the holistic community. For those in the know, endodontically treated teeth are a source of chronic low grade infection and can create a stress on the entire immune system. Statistically, it has been shown to have a correlation with autoimmune diseases and some types of cancers.

As an integrative dentist, I have had many patients come to me throughout the years looking for an alternative to root canal. Conventional dentistry says that the only other choice to root canal treatment is extraction of the tooth. And this may be true if the nerve is irreversibly infected. But for many cases, root canal can be avoided altogether.

 

Photo credit Creative Commons: Larry Shaw

An Amino Acid to Prevent Dental Disease

A recent study (published in PLOS ONE), has found that the amino acid L-arginine destroys the bacteria which cause cavities and gum disease.

L-arginine is a common amino acid found naturally in red meat, poultry, fish, soy and certain dairy products. It helps rid people’s teeth of destructive biofilms that cause poor oral health.

 Foods with Arginine

Photo credit Creative Commons:  Poultry India

Dental biofilms cause the formation of dental cavities, gingivitis and periodontal disease. According to the NIH, 92% of adults (age 20 to 64) of the American population have dental cavities; and according to the ADA, nearly 50% have moderate or severe periodontal disease.

Curing Candida Naturally

Candida (yeast) infections are on the rise; mostly due to side effects from medications, poor diet and alcohol use.

It is one of those sneaky diseases that develops over the years, presenting with symptoms that are vast and non-specific. I would have to say that over 80% of my patients have some degree of this fungal infection, many of who believe it is something else going on in their body.

Candida Overgrowth (Thrush)

Photo credit Creative Commons: MariaJosse2

Small amounts of the Candida fungus are usually present in the mouth, digestive tract, and skin of most healthy people. It is normally kept in check by other (good) bacteria and microorganisms in the body. However, illness, stress, medications and poor diet can disturb this delicate balance, causing the fungus Candida to grow out of control and create a vast array of diverse symptoms.

Here is a basic list of Candida overgrowth symptoms:

Rebuilding Bone Naturally

As a dentist, I have seen many patients with significant jaw bone loss. This is not a good thing as it is a marker for loose teeth and eventual tooth loss. Sometimes it may be associated with the usual symptoms of periodontal disease and you should  read our previous post Floss First! for further clarity. But other times, the periodontal health looks fairly normal with minimal pocketing and no bleeding.

Bone Loss around Teeth

Upon seeing this bone loss, my primary question to the patient is “Have you had a bone density test?” And if they have had one, they already know that they have a bone density challenge (osteoporosis or osteopenia). If they haven’t had one yet and they do go, it is not surprising to find that they are usually low on the bone density scale.

Mercury-Free vs. Mercury-Safe

Recently at a dental meeting, I met many colleagues who promote their practice as mercury-free. As such, they believe that they are also mercury-safe since they no longer place amalgams within their practice. Although this sounds good in theory, the reality is significantly different. These mercury-free dentists have no safety protocol in place, and as a result, are exposing their patients, their employees and themselves to a heavy load of mercury aerosol each time old amalgam fillings are drilled out.

When looking for a dentist to replace your silver mercury fillings, it is important to look for a dental office that is mercury-safe, not mercury-free.

Eggshell: The Forgotten Health Food

Tooth regeneration seems to be a big topic in the holistic dental community. As the work of Dr. Weston Price gets more popular, people are looking outside conventional dentistry for natural ways to restore their teeth.
Eggshell supplementation may very well be part of the solution. 

Eggshells and Eggshell Powder

Eggshell powder is a natural source of calcium and 27 other minerals.