A Different Kind of Dentistry Excerpts: Holistic dentists take a whole-body approach to dental care–an approach enthusiastically embraced by a growing clientele, and largely rejected by the conventional dental establishment. Like alternative medical practitioners, holistic dentists approach care in ways that depart from conventional treatment, employ methods culled from other complementary approaches and reject some traditional procedures — especially root canals and the installation of amalgam “silver” fillings — they perceive as being potentially harmful or downright dangerous. And as it was with the chiropractors and acupuncturists who preceded them, their progressive perspectives are not looked upon kindly by the establishment. The American Dental Association (ADA) declined to comment for this story, instead pointing to a policy statement on its Web site: “‘Unconventional dentistry’ is defined as encompassing scientifically unproven practices and products that do not … conform to generally accepted dental practices or ‘conventional’ methods of evaluation, diagnosis, prevention and/or treatment of diseases, conditions and/or dysfunctions relating to the oral cavity and its associated structures … The dental profession advocates an evidence-based approach to oral health care that requires the judicious integration of systematic assessments of clinically relevant scientific evidence …” But alternative practitioners insist that there’s scant science behind some of the standard procedures of conventional dentistry, as well as a long history of problems and health complications caused by some conventional dental treatments. They can also point to plenty of research that supports their own pioneering work and articulate the need for progress in a profession that they suggest has been mired in traditions that have not always served the best health interests of its patients. “All dentistry should be evidence based,” says David Kennedy, DDS, past president of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, which promotes scientific research on biocompatible dentistry (basically, the avoidance of toxic compounds in dental materials). “Dentists think they are doing evidence-based work when they get out of dental school. But unfortunately, dental schools just teach ADA dogma.” The Whole-Body Connection The basic tenets of holistic dentistry are simple: Dentistry should do no harm, and dentists must look at the mouth, teeth, gums and jaws as integral parts of a larger, whole-body system. Holistic dentists see the mouth as more than just a receptacle and processing station for food. Indeed, the health and structural integrity of the mouth both influence and are influenced by everything else going on in the body — from skeletal mechanics to nutritional biochemistry. Read more: experiencelife/article/a-different-kind-of-dentistry/ The Danger of Mercury/Amalgam Tooth Fillings vacfacts.info/the-dangers-of-mercury-amalgam-tooth-fillings.html
Posted on: Sun, 29 Jun 2014 18:44:20 +0000
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