What is Holistic Dentistry
 The health of your mouth can say a lot about your overall health, and a dentist may be the first person to spot signs of health problems. Your mouth provides valuable information about the status of your entire body, including your nutritional status and level of stress. The incorporation of Holistic Dentistry into our daily practice has been a great benefit to our patients.
While traditional dentistry focuses only on areas above the neck, holistic dentistry looks at the patient as a whole system. It is an alternative approach that focuses on the use of non-toxic restorative materials for dental work, non-surgical periodontal therapies to treat gum disease, low radiation, minimal X-rays, and emphasizes the unrecognized impact that dental infections may have on a person's health.
Stress, nutritional deficiencies, diabetes, or infection can show up as disease in your gums or jaw bones. Only a dentist can diagnose the existence and severity of gum disease. People with gum disease have been shown to have a higher prevalence for getting a stroke, heart disease, and pregnant women with gum disease are seven times more likely to give birth to premature babies.
Every patient that enters our office is given a comprehensive examination, which includes a thorough evaluation of the gums and bone around each tooth. If evidence of gum disease does exist, it is usually treated comfortably and without surgery. Treatment is combined with nutritional supplements and herbal mouth rinses that will improve the condition of your gums almost immediately.
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A person's overall health also influences the strength of a person's teeth. Proper nutrition is an important part of maintaining healthy teeth. It is generally recognized that tooth decay results from bacteria in the mouth. The bacteria produce a harmful acid, which can dissolve teeth. A lack of calcium in the diet or an irregularity in the parathyroid gland, which regulates the amount of calcium in the body, can contribute to the breakdown of once healthy teeth by decreasing their resistance to these acids.
The goal of dentistry has been to develop materials that simulate natural tooth structure as closely as possible in its strength and appearance. Over the past few years, there has been growing concern about the potential health hazards associated with toxic materials, such as mercury, in materials used in dentistry. In addition these "mercury" amalgams expand and contract creating a space for bacteria to enter a tooth. This increases the chance of developing cavities, or cracks in the teeth which can lead to pain, sensitivity, fractures, a need for root canal treatment, or even, the loss of teeth. Recent advances in dentistry have given way to a growing number of options in repairing teeth. Instead of these "silver" fillings we take pride in placing tooth-colored, mercury-free fillings and high-quality porcelain inlays, onlays and crowns. These materials are bonded to the tooth surface, restoring the tooth back to 100% of its original strength and beauty.
It is important to mention that Holistic Dentistry does not replace good dental practice, but merely complements the traditional techniques and high quality of service that Smiles On Broadway has provided to the community for two decades.
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