Health-Centered Dentistry
The philosophy of dentistry practiced at Origin Dental Wellness is often called Biological Dentistry, meaning that we believe that your oral health is not independent of your overall health.
We believe that the health of the mouth very strongly impacts and affects the health of the body.
This is a more holistic approach to dentistry, understanding that the dentistry needs to be approached in such a way to provide beneficial overall health as well. For this reason, I like to call it health-centered dentistry.
Health-centered dentistry focuses on the underlying causes of the resultant oral health problems. For example, tooth decay is one of the primary focuses of any dental office.
However, the health-centered approach focuses on the why of the tooth decay, through nutritional counseling and patient awareness, in order to address the underlying cause.
Of course the resultant cavity is addressed. However, what caused the cavity? Too much exposure to sugars in the diet? Too many acidic foods (aka processed foods) creating an acidic environment in the mouth? Eating too often, not allowing the mouth to return to a neutral state in order for tooth enamel to remineralize?
These are just a few of the questions that should be discussed and answered in order to prevent future tooth decay. However, making the appropriate changes also has a beneficial effect on your overall health. Too much sugar in the diet leads to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Too many processed foods lead to leaky gut, immunocompromised states, chronic inflammation, and obesity. So if we can address the root cause of the dental decay, we can also address your overall health and therefore well-being in a very positive way! That’s fantastic!
Dental cavities are just one example of many issues in the mouth related to overall health.
Periodontal disease has been proven to be related to cardiovascular disease as well as diabetes.
Infections in the jawbones related to a dying or dead tooth have been proven to burden the immune system beyond threshold levels, resulting in diseases as frightening as cancer.
The presence of mercury fillings has been proven to be related to neurodegenerative disorders. The microbiome in the mouth is intimately associated with the microbiome in the gut, which is the basis of the immune system.
These are just a few of the many relationships that the mouth has with the overall body, and therefore the overall health.
Health-centered dentistry focuses on the patient as a whole person. Our desire for our patients is a beautiful mouth that is a window into a healthy body.