TOTAL CARE DENTAL & WELLNESS PRESENTS
The Complete Guide to Holistic Dentistry
The ultimate guide to holistic dentistry to help patients correctly (and confidently) make decisions about their dental and overall wellness care.
Dr. Michelle's Journey to Holistic Dentistry
I wasn’t always a holistic dentist. I was trained to be a traditional dentist like many of my family members. I actually come from a family of dentists.
My father has been practicing for nearly 40 years and because he loves dentistry—it has been his hobby as well as his profession! Three of my younger brothers and I grew up observing this passion and decided to follow in his footsteps.
I too grew to love this profession and thought I would work for four decades or more years, just like my dad. Then my health issues started.
It was nothing big at first—just some little digestive problems.
I thought it probably had to do with what we were eating. As a busy mom of four young kids, I realized our entire family could benefit from some dietary and lifestyle changes.
I started reading and researching, I wanted to start slow and do it correctly. We started with green smoothies for breakfast. I had to pay my kids to drink them for the first month—but, guess what? The habit stuck.
I was blown away by this whole new way of eating and looking at food. It wasn’t just about calories or yumminess, it was about how we wanted to fuel our bodies. I couldn’t get enough of this new diet!
My Natural Health Journey Began
I continued to learn and implement things over time and started to see changes in the health of my entire family.
The kids didn’t get sick anymore; my husband dropped 10 pounds; most of my digestive issues went away. Things were looking up, but it wasn’t all better.
I continued having some nagging digestive issues, and more concerning—I was having numbness in my right arm and hand.
Many doctors and chiropractors later, no one had any answers for me—then my memory started to slip.
I’ve always had an excellent memory, and I felt like my brain was filled with fog. What was going on??
I Was Ready to Quit Dentistry
I needed to find the answer to solve the very serious issues going on in my life, so I continued to learn about nutrition, and eventually ventured into alternative health. I became a Therapeutic Nutritional Counselor to learn more.
I tried everything including…
- Muscle testing
- Energy work
- Biofeedback
- Acupuncture
- Infrared saunas
- Supplements
- Homeopathy
- Essential oils
- Massage
- Superfoods…
…and on and on. No changes.
It was tough to get out of bed each morning, let alone put on a happy face for 20-30 patients each day. I was depressed, couldn’t remember things, had no energy and was ready to quit dentistry.
I Had Mercury Poisoning.
“Have you looked into mercury poisoning?”
This is what a dental colleague asked me after I told him about my issues.
At first, I didn’t know what he was talking about—I hadn’t placed a mercury filling in over 10 years! (The dental profession calls them “amalgam” or “silver”, but any non-gold metal filling is 50% mercury).
He then explained to me the real problem with mercury is not when you place the filling, but when you try to remove it.
Since I was removing mercury filling all the time at my practice, it led me to wonder—could they be causing the health problems happening to myself and my patients? The kind of health problems I had yet to find an explanation for?
This question led me down a path of fierce exploration – I had to learn everything I could about Holistic Dentistry.
What I Learned By Studying Holistic Dentistry
Through my intense studies, I learned there are a lot of myths and controversial subjects in dentistry—and most people are either far on the alternative side or far on the traditional side.
I couldn’t find many that ventured toward the middle.
Most dentists were either too strident, too enraged, too frustrated to be objective—they have a “they are out to get us” mentality that I don’t relate to, ignoring all that is good in the traditional dental model.
They were too quick to ignore strong evidence that practices we accept as “standard of care” are outdated, and have proven to be harmful, or even potentially toxic or dangerous.
After the years and mountains of research, I found myself somewhere between these two sides on most issues, while always believing that the mouth and teeth had a real connection with the rest of our body (and vice versa).
What You Can Expect From This Guide on Holistic Dentistry
Some of the books I’ve read on Holistic Dentistry and natural health are over an inch thick. Even I didn’t want to read them . . . and I’m a dentist!
So this is an easy-to-read, easy-to-follow, honest guide to holistic dentistry. The information in this guide is not the results of research studies in an isolated lab—these are my results that came from day-to-day practice with people just like you.
Everything I share here saved my health and my career. I hope they can help you too.
What You’ll Learn in this Holistic Dentistry Guide
Believe it or not, I don’t love fixing teeth. I’d much rather prevent problems before they start! In this holistic dentistry guide I’ll show you how you can naturally protect and heal your teeth.
I’ve organized The Complete Guide to Holistic Dentistry in a way that is a best-read start to finish… Though you can jump around, it will be most helpful for you to read the chapters in order.
When people hear that I’m a “Holistic Dentist”, they picture something like lava lamps and healing crystals . . . there maybe some of you (Don’t worry, I won’t ask you to raise your hands!) who may not even know what the word “holistic” means.
In writing this chapter to clear the air and finally nail down what a holistic dentist is (and what it isn’t)
In this chapter we’ll tackle the big controversy: What causes cavities?
You know the standard answer – Brush your teeth and stop eating sugar and you won’t get cavities. This isn’t wrong, but it’s not the whole story. Read this chapter to find out what REALLY causes cavities and the steps you can take to prevent them.
What’s better than getting a cavity fixed? Making sure you never get one to start with! In this chapter I’ll show you how you can protect your teeth by feeding them the proper nutrients.
(HINT: There’s more to it than just avoiding sugar)
Dental amalgam is a common material used to fill cavities caused by tooth decay. Over the years, concerns have been raised about the use of amalgam fillings because it contains mercury. This topic affects a large majority of the population and stirs up a lot of debate. Check out this chapter to learn the truth about “silver amalgam” fillings.
There’s a good chance you or someone you know has a root canal. The question is, are they safe? Is it the best option? What are the alternatives?
This chapter will outline exactly what a root canal is and if it’s the right choice for your tooth (and your health).
If the area where a tooth is removed doesn’t heal properly, a hole persists in the bone. The hole is called a cavitation. These cavitations contain dead or dying bone and microbial infections.
If you’ve had your wisdom teeth removed (or any other tooth) there’s a chance you have a cavitation. Read this chapter to find out what they are, and if you should be worried about them.
If you look closely at the word “biomimetic” you’ll see the root of the word is “mimic”. This kind of dentistry mimics a natural tooth and replaces it with something as close to nature as possible.
In this chapter, we’ll discuss biomimetic dentistry and the goal of returning the tooth to its original strength, function, and esthetics.
If you choose to have your tooth removed, how do you replace it?
A dental implant is one option — and in this chapter we’ll show you everything you should consider when looking into dental implants.
The gums cover and protect the teeth and jaw bone, and keep bacteria and other invaders from getting into the body. They can be damaged and cut, infected, and get diseases just like your skin. If the gums are damaged or diseased, they can’t do a very good job of protecting what’s below and inside. Read this chapter to find out how to avoid gum disease and make sure your gums and the rest of your body stays healthy.
This is a step that has been shrouded in secrecy and voodoo. Some books and reports I’ve read claim that all dentists know how to heal teeth, but that we are keeping it a secret so we can continue to make money off our unsuspecting patients…
I’m being facetious, of course, You can heal teeth, and it’s not voodoo. Read this chapter and get the simple facts about reversing tooth decay.
Many questions surround your first visit to a holistic dentist. In this chapter, we walk you through the typical first office visit, from the initial appointment forward so you can have an anxiety-free experience from start to finish.
