What is holistic dentistry?

It focuses on how oral health affects health and vice versa. Dentists who practice holistic dentistry treat dental conditions after considering the physical and psychological health of the patient.

How are holistic and biological dentistry different from conventional dentistry?

Holistic dentists are simply general dentists who use holistic techniques during their diagnosis and treatment planning. However, there are many differences in the protocols, materials, and treatment options.

Holistic and Biological Approach

General dentists essentially only diagnose and treat the conditions in the head and neck area including teeth, gums, jaws, and the jaw joint. Yet, holistic dentistry is enriched by the fact that every part of the body is interconnected and therefore, it concentrates on health for diagnosis and treatment planning.

Use Different Treatment Methods

Traditional dentistry almost completely relies on evidence-based scientific information where they practice only scientifically proven treatments like fillings, root canal treatments, braces, dentures, implants, and improvements in brushing, flossing etc.

It may also try to help patients with different treatment modalities like:

It may sound controversial but holistic dentists don’t perform root canal treatments as they believe they are not safe for the general health of the patient.

If you consult a holistic dentist to solve your gum problems, he will not only treat the gums but also will direct you to a nutritionist to analyse and improve your nutritional deficiencies which might have flourished the dental condition. He will also emphasise the relationship between gum disease and diabetes for you to have a better understanding of the importance of maintaining your dental hygiene to avoid non-communicable systemic diseases.

They use natural materials

Holistic dentists use only bio-compatible materials for dental treatments. In simple terms, they use natural ingredients that cannot affect the body by any means. So, before using certain materials, a holistic dentist will perform a bio-compatible test to check whether there’s any harmful reaction to the substance.

Unlike traditional medicine, holistic remedies are all natural.

• Herbal mouth wash instead of chlorhexidine mouth wash for gum disease
• Herbal toothpaste instead of chemical toothpaste for daily dental care
• Propolis that is produced by bees to fight infections in place of loads of antibiotics
• Composite fillings rather than Amalgam fillings that contain toxic mercury
• Clove oil for toothache instead of painkillers

They say “No” to Amalgam

Amalgam is a silver colour material that was used a lot to fill cavities. Regardless of many pros of Amalgam, containing Mercury is considered a major drawback for the material. Even though Mercury fillings are approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and backed by The American Dental Association (ADA), holistic dentists refuse to use Amalgam considering they are harmful. Mercury is a heavy metal and there is a rare chance of intoxication of Mercury if overdosed over time. However, there is not enough proof of Mercury toxicity caused by Amalgam fillings so far.

They recommend replacing the existing Mercury fillings with Composite fillings if necessary. Composite fillings come in different shades to match the natural tooth colour and they are resins that are not harmful to people according to available research.

Holistic dentistry questions the use of Topical Fluoride

Traditional dentistry always emphasises the importance of fluoride for caries prevention and reversing the initial mild caries. General dentists advise using fluoridated toothpaste and fluoridated water to maintain regular fluoride intake.

Whereas, only some holistic dentists act in favour of topical fluoride application.

What are the benefits of holistic dentistry?

Unfortunately, there are very few known and researched facts about the field of Holistic dentistry. So, the safety, efficiency and long-term effects are not fully known yet. More research is necessary to decide which is the best. However, a lot of people prefer this approach as,

• It uses natural materials
• It focuses on your entire health
• You can choose mercury-free and fluoride-free therapy
• It has alternative treatment modalities that you can choose according to your preferences and under consultation
• It may be an eye opener to identify potential future diseases and conditions
• It may enrich the quality of life by improving your mental health

What are the cons of holistic dentistry?

There are few drawbacks to Holistic dentistry.

• It might not be suitable for people with a history of dental decay or caries because of the Fluoride-free approach. It may increase the risk of future decay.
• It may be unsafe to use other chemical drugs along with herbal medicine as some herbal remedies might interact with certain prescribed drugs.
• As holistic dentists don’t support root canal treatment, they might recommend you remove the tooth. So, it’s better to choose traditional dentistry in the case of a dental emergency to save the tooth when possible.
• Still, there is not enough evidence to decide whether holistic remedies are suitable for children. It’s better if you bring your child to a dentist who has specialised in paediatric dentistry if you want to choose a holistic approach for your kid as they have specialised in treating children.
• It’s not clear if it’s safer to use for people with chronic illnesses.

So, it’s best to choose traditional dentistry in such situations.

Amalgam-free dentistry

For the last 150 years, dentists around the world have used Mercury as a major component of so-called Silver Amalgam fillings. Being a cheap malleable and toxic heavy metal mercury is more poisonous than lead, cadmium, and arsenic. According to the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, a non-profit scientific research organization amalgam continuously leaks a dangerous vapour which is a neurological and reproductive toxin and has been linked to numerous diseases including chronic fatigue, cancer, ADHD and Alzheimer’s. As a result, many countries have banned the use of mercury fillings altogether. Despite evidence to the contrary the American Dental Association continues to claim amalgam fillings are safe and even prohibits dentists from sharing the dangers with patients.

The dentists who practice holistic dentistry thoroughly believe in the possibility of mercury toxicity. Hence, they avoid using mercury fillings to restore the cavities.

Interestingly, now you can experience safe amalgam-free dentistry under the consultation of our experts at “The London Specialist Dentist Clinic.”

What are the alternatives available for amalgam?

Composite Resins

Composite is one of the most commonly used alternatives to silver fillings. It is a white, metal-free resin material that has been proven to be biocompatible. Unlike amalgam, composite is better to improve your esthetics as they come in a series of shades to match your natural tooth colour.

Glass Ionomer Cement (GIC)

GIC is another type of white filling that is mostly used as temporary fillings. GIC releases fluoride over time and helps reverse initial caries.

A lot of preparation of the tooth is needed for proper retention of amalgam whereas resins and GIC chemically adhere to the tooth structure. Thus, they are more conservative than amalgam fillings.

Can you replace amalgam fillings?

Of course, you can. Another treatment that holistic dentists offer, is the safe removal of existing mercury fillings.

It’s important to remove amalgam safely without accidental ingestion. So, dentists take a lot of precautions to prevent accidental ingestion of amalgam particles into the patient’s body. The dentist ensures better isolation of the amalgam-filled tooth with a rubber dam. Sometimes they might put charcoal or chlorella to help absorb whatever might try and get past the rubber dam. They always try to remove the filling as one block avoiding breaking it into little pieces. High suctions and saliva ejectors help remove the filling particles if dropped into the mouth during the procedure.

Holistic dentists use special air scrubbing machines to eliminate mercury vapour from the dental office. They are basically air purification units which are inbuilt into the wastewater system to filter the mercury safely out of the office.

What are the benefits of amalgam-free dentistry?

1. Safer

Amalgam-free dentistry opens many healthy alternatives to choose to improve your dental health. It ensures that your teeth will be filled with bio-compatible materials that can cause no harm to your body.

2. Better esthetics

As amalgam is silver-coloured and bulky it has a poor appearance. Silver fillings might make someone smile less. Current alternatives for Amalgam come in a variety of tooth-coloured series. Therefore, now you can always have an esthetically accepted filling.

3. Fewer future caries

Even though amalgam is strong it tends to crack and leak infectious bacteria into the tooth. It increases the risk of having caries around the filling. However, most other materials nicely bond to the tooth structure and prevent leakage reducing the potential dental infections.

So, contact London Specialist Dentist Clinic today to receive your amalgam-free treatment or become free of amalgam.

What is white dentistry?

Do you like a bright white smile too? Then, here’s everything you need to know about white dentistry.

White dentistry allows you to have the perfect smile you’ve always wanted. In the past, we only gave attention to improving the looks of our front teeth. However, today you can reform every tooth in the mouth and recreate your smile.

White dentistry includes any dental treatment related to white colour or close to natural tooth colour,

• White fillings
• White veneers
• White porcelain crowns
• Teeth whitening

White fillings

A filling is a better solution for decayed teeth. Unlike unaesthetic silver amalgam fillings that were used in the past, dentists use white colour fillings now to restore the teeth. Composite resins and Glass Ionomer Cement (GIC) are the most commonly used white fillings in modern dentistry. They are very aesthetic sometimes even better than the natural tooth colour. Composite is one of the best white colour materials to build up broken teeth.

White veneers

Veneers are thin white shells to cover the front surface of your teeth. You can receive veneers if,

• you are not happy with your natural teeth
• your teeth are chipped off, cracked, or broken
• you have gaps in between your teeth
• your teeth are discoloured

Veneers improve the appearance of your teeth enhancing your confidence and self-esteem.

White crowns

When your teeth are grossly broken down or carious and unrestorable your dentist might recommend having a crown to improve the aesthetics and functions without removing the teeth unnecessarily. Most often you have to have a crown after a root canal treatment. There are different types of crowns available depending on the materials used. Metal, porcelain, porcelain fused to metal (PFM), gold and zirconia are the most commonly used crowns.

While porcelain and zirconia crowns are completely white, the porcelain fused to metal crowns covers the front surface with a white shell and the back is metallic silver. All these three crowns are the best alternatives to restore your teeth.

Teeth whitening

Teeth whitening has gained much popularity these days as it greatly motivates and improves your sociability. This can be done either as in-office therapy at the dental clinic or at home. In-office teeth whitening also helps in improving your dental hygiene by effectively removing all the plaque and calculus around the teeth.

What are the benefits of white dentistry?

• Improves the aesthetic. You can get a new radiant smile with white materials.
• Effectively conceal artificial dental work so you don’t need to hide your smile anymore.
• Enhances self-confidence and self-esteem. You can actively participate in social work without any embarrassment.
• Immediate results. No need to cancel events on your dental appointment day as you can go to the event straight after the t
• Safer: The materials used in white dentistry are considered healthier than other materials. Especially, the use of Amalgam is debatable due to its potential toxicity. Whereas the alternative fillings are biocompatible.

Try out white dentistry to bring back your lost smile into life. Contact London Specialist Dentist Clinic today to allocate your valuable time for consultation with one of our experts. Let’s change your smile in a better way.

The advantages of the ceramic zirconia dental implants

Although the titanium dental implants are still the gold standard among other types of the dental implants, white Zirconium di-oxide implants offer improved aesthetics, functionality, and enhanced strength by fulfilling both clinician’s and patient’s expectation with confidence.

What are the advantages of the natural ivory-coloured zirconia implants

Zirconia ceramic implants would not shine through the thin gingival biotype giving a grayish discolouration. This implies that unlike titanium dental implants they do not require a minimum 2 mm of the mucosal or gum thickness to camouflage the metal Titanium.

Compared to the titanium implants, the blood circulation within the zirconium peri-implant soft tissue is alike the gum around the natural teeth. Improved blood supply and circulation flow implies enhanced soft tissue integrity and health hence treatment results.

Zirconium implants offer high material density, hardness, fracture resistance tensile strength and modulus of elasticity.

They are corrosion-resistance ceramic implants, and most of the clinical studies suggest that the peri-implant soft tissue around zirconium are completely inflammation-free.

They have low plaque affinity results in low risk of inflammation.

They have high success rate and osseo-integration comparable to the titanium implants.

The improved surface characterized e.g., design, materials and restorative concepts, is correlated with a high success rate of up to 98% similar to that of titanium implants.

The improved and prevailed surgical and prosthetic protocols and the resultant clinical evidence for predictability and success, have increased the awareness and acceptance for ceramic zirconium implants in the field of implant dentistry.

We are certified holistic and biological dentistry

Our holistic and biological dentists are SMART certified by the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT), leaders in science-based holistic and biological dentistry.

Amalgams are known to leak mercury into the bloodstream. Over time, this can cause heavy metal toxicity — impacting your immune system and causing symptoms like exhaustion, brain fog, and muscle weakness.

Instead, we use mercury-free, biocompatible alternatives such as BPA-free composite (tooth-coloured) fillings which have superior aesthetic results and are longer lasting.

For the removal of the existing amalgam fillings, we follow the strict SMART protocol set by the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (iaomt.org).

Another important aspect of safe amalgam removal is that each person needs to be assessed individually, and the removal plan must be tailored to work for their needs. Before embarking on a course of mercury amalgam removal, it must be stressed that, if you are under treatment by your doctor or hospital physician, or if you have a condition or symptoms which have not been investigated, you must consult him/her first, before going ahead with either the treatment or the nutritional supplementation.

We also try to carry out all our treatments with minimal invasion, which makes holistic dentistry a popular option for those who are especially nervous.

Together with you, we will work to ensure your diet and lifestyle create an optimal environment for your teeth, gums, and immune system. In addition, we will consider your physical and emotional health when treating oral issues, so your treatment is incredibly personal to you.

We understands how tooth decay and gum disease have connections to chronic illness and oral chemicals that may impact your immune system and a weakened microbiome and will look to find better healing methods.

Dr Nora Cumiskey is SMART- Certified holistic dentist by The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT).

Dr Nora is a fully qualified dentist with a special interest in holistic and biological Dentistry. She focuses on dental treatments that consider whole body health, rather than focusing on just the health of the mouth. It will involve a more comprehensive look at how your oral health can impact the rest of your body, and how your lifestyle could be impacting the health of your mouth. 

Dr Nora is very passionate about and conscious of your overall health; in that aspect she provides a different perspective on your care to what you can expect to find in general dental clinics. We do not use amalgam (silver) filling material, that is approximately 50% mercury, a highly polluting neurotoxin.

FAQs: Common Questions Patients Ask About Holistic & Biological Dentists