The following article was written by Julissa Objio, in completion of requirements to become an IABDM Certified Biological Office Manager. Congratulations, Julissa!
Learn more about our certification programs.
There are several natural approaches for treating an oral cavity effectively and with excellent healing results. The approaches range anywhere from flossing to ozone therapy.
As the office manager at a biological dental practice, the most common patient question I hear is, “What makes a biological dentist different from conventional?” There are many reasons: We safely remove mercury. We don’t place amalgam. We’re able to test patients for material sensitivity. We don’t use fluoride. We offer allergy testing.
However, it all starts with being well informed, knowing what’s available to us and where to find it.
In my position, we’re not entirely exposed to all the details and healing aspects of every service we offer simply because we don’t have the same one-on-one interaction with patients that dentists, hygienists, and dental assistants have. However, having now taken the IABDM’s Biological Dentistry 101 course and reading the study guide links provided with the exam, I was able to further educate myself. I am so very fortunate and grateful to have had the opportunity to take this course, because now I can pass along this information to patients, readers and even friends and family members, so they too can have the advantage of knowing what natural options are available to treat their dental concerns for a healthier, happier self, without exposure to unnecessary radiation and painful procedures that don’t get to the root of the problem.
I will start by mentioning a couple of the most common ways to naturally take care of an oral cavity, then jump into some new holistic methods and options that not many people are familiar with:
- Regular check-ups. Along with brushing and flossing, regular dental checks-ups are necessary, but doing your part by brushing at least twice per day and flossing once a day is a great start for home care. Flossing and brushing help remove plaque, which can cause gum disease, and biofilm, which can turn into tartar and cause gingivitis and periodontitis. When biofilm is left on the surface of the tooth and gum line, this this bacteria gets pushed into your gums and into your bloodstream.
- OralID. This is an electronic device that emits a blue light into the oral cavity and is used as an oral cancer screening method. It’s important for a dental care provider to examine your mouth for lesions and abnormalities, as the tongue is associated with many organs in the body and can be a good indicator of whether they are working properly.
- Avoid fluoride. Unlike Western Europe; which is 97% fluoride-free, the United States needs to take precautions because our water is still fluoridated, and our health products are, too. Fluoride is a neurotoxin and can cause cancer, weaken bones and teeth, cause gastrointestinal poisoning, lower your IQ, impair your kidneys and thyroid, and many other very serious health issues. One natural approach is to buy organic foods, as processed foods contain fluoride, as well as to use fluoride-free toothpastes, water, salts, and even black and green tea.
- Oral DNA. There are about eight different kinds of dental DNA tests that can test for periodontal disease, determine increased risk for periodontal disease, HPV-related oral cancers, sexually transmitted diseases of the oropharynx, and more. With this test, patients have to swish with a gluten-free saline solution for about 30 seconds, and it collects free-floating DNA samples of bacteria, which are then sent to a lab for testing.
- Oil pulling. This is a method in which you swish an organic edible oil such as coconut or sesame oil around your mouth for about twenty minutes. This method can kill oral bacteria, reduce inflammation, and help with dry mouth, and halitosis.
- Probiotics. As a supplement, these can be found in the form of a lozenge or pill and help reduce oral pathogens and halitosis by promoting good bacteria.
- EAV Testing. EAV is an energetic test that utilizes the body’s acupuncture meridians (energetic systems) to communicate with the body. It is thought that each meridian follows a pathway to organs in the body, which has a strong correlation with issues such as root canals performed on specific teeth that cause imbalances in the body. EAV testing can be very beneficial to the patients because it can determine if a particular tooth is causing a specific organ to fail, for example, or cancers.
- Safe Mercury Removal. The IAOMT calls it “SMART” (Safe Mercury Amalgam Removal Technique), and the IABDM calls it the “PROTECT Protocol.” These practices ensure that mercury is removed from a patient’s mouth with in a way that minimizes exposure to the patient, dentist, and staff. Vitamin C and chlorella are two options to help detox your body of mercury by taking it before and after mercury removal. Once you are scheduled for your first mercury removal, the dentists will have you rinse with activated charcoal before and after the procedure, use a rubber dam to isolate the tooth and keep mercury particles from interacting with oral tissues, provide clean air via a nasal mask that will prevent inhalation of mercury particulates, use an external air suction which will ensure mercury particles and mercury vapor inhalation does not occur, and use an ionizer to protect patient and staff from mercury vapors. Protective gear such as paper drapes are also used to protect the patient and dental staff, an air purifier removes mercury particulate from the surrounding air, and a mercury separator keeps mercury from being released into the environment. Your naturopath or functional medicine doctor can assist in determining the best aftercare to further detox your body of mercury by way of excretion.
- Metal Toxicity Testing. Tests such as the Mercury Tri-Test uses hair, urine, and blood samples to measure the levels of mercury in your body. With the proper guidance of a naturopath or functional medicine doctor, we can help create a treatment to help you detoxify and naturally remove mercury from your body.
- Compatibility/Materials Testing. Compatibility testing is a good option if you have a high sensitivity to materials and are prone to having allergic reactions. This compatibility test can determine what filling, crown, denture, cements and even bleaching materials you may be allergic to and should avoid having used in your mouth.
- PRF. Platelet rich fibrin, or PRF, contains growth factors that help stimulate soft tissue healing. In this method. After blood is drawn from a patient, it is then placed in a centrifuge which separates the plasma found in the blood. The PRF is then placed in the extraction site, which promotes faster healing.
- Ozone. Ozone therapy involves the injection of a mixture of oxygen and ozone in the form of a gas. It can be injected into the skin, jawbone, muscles, neck, and other associated structures. The benefits of ozone are that it can kill bacteria, fungi, parasites, viruses, cleanse wounds, and even desensitize a tooth.
In summary, I recommend all these natural approaches be considered because they have been tested and proven to help increase our oral health. Biological dental practices can offer many of the above mentioned options – or recommend someone who can provide other treatments that are still safe and natural. These options are becoming increasingly more accessible to everyone and should be considered when the need for a natural approach in the oral cavity is desired.
I strongly believe in all these methods and encourage everyone to continue their research and education for a healthy lifestyle!