General

Kissable Mouth, Healthy Heart

~ lac239

Everyone produces that sticky, bacteria-laden film on their teeth called plaque. If it is not brushed and flossed off within 24 hours, it hardens into a cement-like substance known as tartar. Tartar cannot be brushed or flossed off, but needs to be removed by a dental professional. Left unchecked, plaque can harden – a problem that sets periodontal (or gum) disease in motion.

Gum disease is an inflammation of the gums that affects the bone that surrounds and supports the teeth. “Gingivitis” is the earliest and mildest form of gum disease. Left untreated, it can progress to severe periodontitis, the most advanced stage of periodontal disease. The gums become loose and inflamed around the root of the tooth, creating a pocket that gradually deepens. Eventually, infection and inflammation can cause the tooth to loosen and possibly fall out.

Just as gum disease causes inflammation of the gums, heart disease is associated with inflammation of the heart’s arteries. Despite extensive research on the connection between periodontal disease and a person’s health, many health professionals still dispute there is a direct connection, claiming shared risk factors, such as smoking or an unhealthy diet, may explain the association.

Despite the ongoing debate, key studies have shown that periodontal disease, or periodontitis, increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attacks.

In a European Journal of Preventive Cardiology study, researchers found that among nearly 16,000 people, those with tooth loss and bleeding gums were more likely to have cardiovascular risk factors, including higher levels of blood sugar, high blood pressure, artery-clogging LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, and obesity.

In a report published by the American Heart Association, researchers found that periodontitis significantly increased the risk of a heart attack, even after adjusting for different factors in patients such as smoking, diabetes, and other factors. Known as “PAROKRANK” (“Periodontitis and its relation to coronary artery disease”), the study comes from Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden. After researchers controlled for smoking, diabetes, education, and marital status, individuals with periodontitis had a 28% increased risk of their first heart attack.

Brushing your teeth and flossing can prevent and even reverse an early stage of gum disease. If your dentist or hygienist says you have gingivitis, ask for a brushing and flossing demonstration to make sure you’re doing them correctly. And ask your dentist how often you should come in for teeth cleanings. Sometimes, more than twice a year is necessary to improve your oral health.

Hidden Epidemic

~ lac239

Hidden Epidemic: Silent Oral Infections Cause Most Heart Attacks and Breast Cancers, by Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD

A new Netflix movie, Root Cause, has been receiving a wide range of online reviews. The movie details a man’s 10 year search for the underlying cause of his chronic illnesses. As he discovers, root canals and oral infections contributed greatly to his illnesses.

Online reviews range from thought-provoking to critical, to dismissive, many commentators bemoaning the “lack of scientific evidence” to support the radical allegations made in Root Cause. However, there is scientific evidence showing the link between root canals and multiple health issues, as provided in a new book from Dr. Thomas Levy.

Dr. Levy is a board-certified cardiologist and a bar-certified attorney. After practicing adult cardiology for 15 years, he began to research the enormous toxicity with much dental work. He has written eleven books, with several addressing the wide-ranging properties of vitamin C in neutralizing all toxins and resolving most infections, as well as its vital role in the effective treatment of heart disease and cancer. Others address the important roles of dental toxicity and nutrition in disease and health. His eleventh book, Hidden Epidemic: Silent Oral Infections Cause Most Heart Attacks and Breast Cancers, was published in September of 2017.

Dr. Levy’s book, as the title states, discusses the research showing the link between infections in your mouth, gums, jawbones, and sinuses and chronic disease, especially heart disease and cancer. Significantly, the statements made in Hidden Epidemic are supported by extensive research, all of which is listed as references in the book for its readers.

To answer the critics of Root Cause, Dr. Levy’s book provides all the supporting documentation to show the harm caused by root canals. Watch the movie – read the book. Read the supporting studies. Arm yourself with key information before going to the dentist.


The Dangers of Sugar

~ lac239 ~ 1 Comment

Traditional advice has been that too much sugar causes cavities, however, this simple mantra is not only misleading – it also ignores the impact sugar has on your overall body health.

Candy, cookies, cakes, and any other variety of sugary desserts, even starchy, refined carbohydrates such as chips, bread, pasta, and anything made from white flour breaks down quickly in your body to simple sugars, causing higher dental and health problems. Carbonated soft drinks are an absolute no-no because not only do they contain a high amount of sugar, they also contain phosphorous and carbonation which breaks down the enamel on your teeth.

However, sugar doesn’t just attack the tooth from the outside of your mouth – eating too much sugar attacks the composition of your teeth from the inside as well.  Dr. Weston Price was a Canadian dentist who was a pioneer in researching the relationship between nutrition, dental health, and physical health.  He studied diverse native diets of natural, unprocessed, and organic foods, with very little sugar except for the occasional bit of honey or maple syrup. He contrasted this with the modern Western diet (particularly flour, sugar, and modern processed vegetable fats). Twenty-five years of research showed that the natural diets promoted healthy oral health while the Western diet did not, and in fact the modern Western diet promoted deformed dental arches crooked teeth, more cavities, and more chronic and degenerative diseases.

The Sugar Industry has long known of the dangers of sugar, but has not been forthcoming about the actual impact it has on your health. When the doors closed at the Great Western Sugar Company in Colorado in 1976, they left 1500 pages of internal documents exposing how the sugar industry used Tobacco-style tactics to dismiss negative healthy claims against their products. Discovered by Dr. Cristin E. Kearns, assistant professor at UCSF School of Dentistry, in 2016, Kearns and her colleagues published a paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine detailing the Sugar Industry’s decades-long manipulation of the nutritional research of sugar. Kearns also partnered with science journalist and author Gary Taubes to write the expose “Big Sugar’s Sweet Little Lies.” Kearns’ story is told in the Canadian documentary, Sugar Coated, (available on IMDb).

To learn more about how sugar affects your health, check out SugarScience.org.

Resources:

Price-Pottenger Organization

Big Sugar Buried Evidence to Hide Sugar Harms, Mercola.com, December 6, 2017

Sugar Industry and Coronary Heart Disease Research; Kearns, Schmidt, Glantz, (JAMA Internal Medicine, November 1, 2016).

Sugarscience.ucsf.edu/

Sugarcoateddoc.com

The Case Against Sugar, Gary Taubes

The Body/Tooth Connection

~ lac239 ~ 1 Comment

Ongoing research is proving that oral health has an impact on your overall general health. For instance, there are studies showing that gum disease has been linked to health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, premature births, and other conditions.

Essentially, poor oral health translates to germs and toxins that, when unchecked and left to roam your system, can inflict serious damage and cause body-wide inflammation. Your mouth, as the gateway to your body, is constantly being infiltrated by these invaders – all of which can seep into your bloodstream, cells, tissues, and organs. Your mouth is not a closed system!

Not only is your mouth under assault from germs and toxins, common dental procedures like root canals can cause deadly bacteria to enter the body, multiply, and cause infection unless dentists take certain precautions. Even materials used in dental procedures such as mercury or fluoride can be toxic to your body.

Additionally, Holistic Dentistry (sometimes called Biological or Alternative Dentistry,) recognizes that each individual tooth in the mouth correlates to a specific organ or body part. Holistic dentistry integrates modern science with the meridian system utilized in Chinese Medicine, and the Qi (pronounced “tchee”). In a living organism, Qi is the energy that circulates within the body through meridians that intersect all parts of the body. For instance, in acupuncture, needles are inserted into specific points on a meridian system that also corresponds to every organ and body part.

Your teeth are key points on the meridians, both energetically and physically. If there is currently a problem with a specific tooth or if there have been problems in the past, that tooth is directly connected to another place in the body, such as the heart, the kidney, the breast, the prostate, the neck, etc.

The body has five meridians, and each tooth corresponds to one of the meridians and a separate part of the body. To further explore the Tooth Meridian chart, click here. Click on the individual teeth to learn about its relationship to the rest of your body.

Suggested resources:

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission or other compensation if you click through and make a purchase.

*Whole-Body Dentistry: A Complete Guide to Understanding the Impact of Dentistry on Total Health, by Mark Breiner, DDS

* I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

** I receive no compensation from these websites but I highly recommend and endorse them.

Are Those Pretty White Composite Fillings in Your Mouth Safe?

~ lac239 ~ 10 Comments

Some patients believe they are “safe” because they have white “composite” fillings. Mercury is the most toxic of all materials placed in patients’ mouths, but even “white” fillings can contain metals or other materials that can damage a patient’s health.  For that reason, holistic dentists will run biocompatibility tests to determine materials that work best with each patient.

Biocompatibility tests are also advisable because a patient can have an actual allergy to dental materials that may be placed in your mouth. This is different than metal toxicity – some people are allergic to some metals and can have an allergic reaction completely different than reactions caused by metal toxicity.

Most traditional dentists don’t believe in or simply don’t know about biocompatibility testing and they will not test you to see if the materials they use will cause a reaction when placed in your body. This is also true of many dentists advertising they are “mercury-free”; they may not use mercury in the fillings they place but they may also not test to find out the materials right for each individual patient. Your dentist should at least advise that you be tested for potential allergens prior to even placing a filling.

Making sure your dentist does not use mercury fillings, properly removing any mercury you have, and making sure the materials placed in your mouth are right for you is an important step in maintaining your overall good health, helping to prevent serious health issues, or helping your body to heal from any current health issues you may have.

About Me

~ lac239

As one of the top holistic dentists in the country, as well as a Doctor of Integrative Medicine, I have traveled extensively, sharing my knowledge on the many complex dental health cases that involve not just the mouth, but also the whole body. My focus is on restoring patients’ overall health and well-being through many holistic techniques (including avoiding root canals, eliminating heavy metals, using biocompatible dental materials, and much more). I’m also experienced in performing oral surgery using a holistic approach and I am a Fellow in the International Congress of Oral Implantologists.

In addition to being extremely dedicated to holistic dentistry, I am also involved in the industry as a whole. I have served as:

  • Past President of the International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine
  • Assistant Professor Emeritus of Capital University
  • Accredited Member of the International Academy of Oral Medical Toxicology
  • Named in Tom McGuire’s book about AHIMA: Learn How the Top 20 Alternative Doctors in American Can Improve Your Health
  • Member of the Holistic Dental Association
  • Professional Member of the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation
  • Pioneer in the Cause to Ban Mercury in Dentistry with Consumers for Dental Choice
  • Founding member of the Institute of Natural Dentistry

I graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio Dental School in 1983. In my continued quest to enhance the dental services I provide, I graduated from the Capital University of Integrative Medicine in Washington, DC in 2002 with a Doctorate in Integrative Medicine, where I received the President’s Research Award for my research into the use of ultrasound technology to detect cavitational lesions within the jawbone. I remain committed to giving my patients the most up-to-date, comprehensive dental treatment available, and to giving my readers the same knowledge and resources to pursue fulfilling, healthy lives.