The Mindful Dentistry Difference

The mantra of functional dentistry is a commitment to the health of the individual as a whole.  I consider it my privilege to help others – body, mind & spirit.  I work hard to listen to my patients in order to understand the big picture with their overall health goals and well-being.

The approach I take is looking for a root cause of my patient’s dental problems and seeing the bigger picture of how oral disease affects the overall body and vice versa. I look at each patient as a whole and do our best to assess the well-being of the entire body as well as the mind. It is well known that various factors such as stress, diet, sleep quality, breathing patterns, energy levels, hormones, and life style choices can have a significant effect on oral health. Assessing and addressing them early on helps me treat my patients for long-term health and well-being.

For example, when someone comes in with a broken tooth, the first step is to repair the tooth and get my patient out of pain as soon as possible. The next step is to understand why the tooth broke to begin with: high risk of cavities? night time grinding? bite interferences? mineral deficiencies? Once we understand the cause, we have a better chance of preventing the problem from occurring again in the future.

This approach to oral health might initially take longer because we evaluate risk factors, discuss medical issues, talk about diet, nutritional deficiencies, and recommend supplements, measure oral pH, evaluate breathing and assess the risks of sleep apnea and mouth breathing, look at family history, assess inflammation orally and systemically, etc. Once we uncover and then address the underlying causes of oral dis-ease, we are able to come up with prevention strategies that not only help our patients avoid the need for future dental work but also improve the overall wellness and quality of life.

In keeping with functional dentistry, all of the work in our office is made from the safest, biocompatible materials. We work with probiotics and personalized supplements.