What is holistic dentistry? Holistic dentistry (at least the way Dr. Kelly Blodgett practices it) is when you look at the whole person and all of the systems in the body rather than treating the symptoms. When we look at most conventional dentists, you will be treated with a symptom-based approach (just like all conventional medicine). For example, if you have a cavity, they fill the cavity and send you on your way. They may recommend reducing certain foods (but most likely not). Fast forward to your next appointment, you have another new cavity, and the process is repeated. A more holistic approach would take into account what is creating the environment in your mouth for decay (a cavity) to occur and how you can minimize that. A holistic approach to dentistry also takes into account your whole health history from whether or not you were breastfed, how you breathe, your diet throughout your lifetime, stress/trauma, and so much more.
When I had Dr. Blodgett on the are you menstrual? podcast, we dug into all of this! Here are some of the topics we discussed below.
Cavities are extremely common and something that most people will experience in their lifetime. They are often considered normal, but what could a cavity be telling us about our health? When a cavity arises, we want to look at what has changed for this person and their health overall.
A few areas that Dr. Blodgett emphasized when it comes to addressing and reversing cavities:
Understanding what is causing the decay in the first place.
This is typically some source of acid that could be coming from food or beverages. The goal is to look at any nutritional changes that have occurred recently and then figuring out how to reduce/remove it. This could also have to do with digestive and gut health since that will impact our saliva and our saliva impacts our teeth.
Evaluating any heath changes.
This can be nutrition related, digestion/gut health, hormonal changes (puberty, pregnancy/postpartum/menopause/birth control), and new supplements/medications. Especially medications that reduce saliva, which is essential for a healthy mouth. Have you made any nutrition changes? That could be adding in a food/drink you don’t normally have but it could also be after eliminating something. The first one that comes to mind is dairy since it is rich in fat soluble vitamins that support oral health. If you’ve been struggling with reflux, constipation, loose stools, or had other changes in your digestion/gut health that is important to note and take into consideration. Taking into account hormonal changes such as going on or coming off hormonal birth control, pregnancy/postpartum, menopause, etc. can all impact the blood flow to the teeth, which changes the amount of nutrients our teeth get.
Creating an individualized approach.
Using the information you learned in the first two steps to create an individualized approach and experimenting to find what works best for you. One of my favorite things about this conversation with Dr. Blodgett is how he doesn’t have a ton of hard and fast recommendations. It all goes back to what will and will not work for someone based on who they are and their health history. Many different therapies can work for different things, it’s about finding the right one for YOU. A few therapies he talks about are things like oil pulling and how if you don’t mind the practice of swishing the oil for 10 minutes twice a day, it can work really well for some people. Others may do better with a waterpik or another therapy. It’s more about finding what you can be consistent with than what is perfect.
Ozone is created when two oxygen atoms combine to form the oxygen molecule that we breathe in. Dr. Kelly Blodgett describes an example of this as when lightening strikes and we smell the scent that is in the air from the moisture and rain it has that particular smell that comes from ozone. When the energy drives through the atmosphere, some of the oxygen atoms split. You then end up with free oxygen atoms. Some of those with combine with an O2 to make it O3, which is energetically unstable, but it is biologically compatible except in your lungs and your eyes. This is ozone, the magical and completely natural therapy that can be transformational for oral health. Ozone is also used for many other health issues to fight infections, digestive/gut health issues, and detoxification support.
Dr. Kelly Blodgett describes ozone as the following:
“Ozone is an oxidant and is also referred to as an oxidizer or a substance that accepts an electron from another substance and is then reduced. It also adds an oxygen atom to the compound being oxidized. Bacteria, parasites, viruses, and fungi have very few (or even no) antioxidant enzymes in their cell membranes. This is in contrast to our body’s healthy cells which are full of antioxidants! Because of their makeup, pathogens in your body are very vulnerable to oxidants- like Ozone! Oxidants destroy the cell membrane of the pathogen and disinfect/sterilize the body. The best part? Ozone leaves NO TOXIC BY-PRODUCTS. As Ozone breaks down, only water and oxygen remain.
Biofilms are colonies of microorganisms that grow on solid surfaces. In the world of dentistry, plaque, carious lesions (decay), and gum diseases (periodontitis) are all very common biofilms. Unfortunately, traditionally destroying and removing a biofilm without damaging the surrounding tissue was difficult. However, recent research concluded that ‘the regular delivery of antibiofilm agents may be an effective strategy for treating biofilms, especially if these agents include oxidative agents that dissolve the biofilm matrix.’
The use of Dental Ozone can be a powerful tool in the fight against gum disease and tooth decay!”
Ozone For Oral Health
Dr. Kelly Blodgett specifically uses ozone for the following:
Did you know root canals are one of the most commonly performed dental procedures? This makes sense since over 95% of people will experience tooth decay in their lifetime. That tooth decay will often lead to an infection inside the pulp of the tooth. This is where the nerve and blood vessels are located and from there, the majority of people are recommended a root canal and not given any other options.
Dr. Kelly Blodgett is so great at explaining what leads to a root canal and other options. Number one is understanding what is causing the decay like we discussed earlier. Dr. Blodgett explains in one of his blog posts on root canals that “the average person has over 100 different varieties of bacteria living in their mouth at any given time.” Most of these are harmless and others are actually good for us. How do these bacteria impact decay? When bacteria eat, they convert sugar to acid and if those acids build up it can start to eat away at the enamel of our teeth. This leads to tooth decay and eventually cavities.
Dr. Blogett explains that this can lead to a root canal recommendation if the decay is not caught earlier enough and reaches the dentin layer of your tooth. “While enamel is the hardest substance in your body, dentin is much softer and much more easily damaged by acid. Once tooth decay advances beyond the dentin, it reaches an inner layer of tooth known as the pulp. The pulp of your tooth contains the nerves and blood supply for your tooth. Infections in the pulp of your tooth are both very painful and very dangerous.”
The top treatment for this type of decay is a root canal. Here’s how Dr. Blodgett explains the process of a root canal:
The major drawback of root canals is the fact that it is impossible to remove all dead tissue and bacteria inside a tooth during a root canal. This is why Dr. Blodgett says that all root canal-treated teeth are infected. He goes on to explain:
“The bacteria that is left behind then thrive in this anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment. Your immune system then has to continue fighting off chronic infection. As you can see, it can be a real drain on your immune system and your body. Remember that your body is a series of connected systems and if they’re not working in harmony, the result is less than optimal health.”
If you want to learn more about root canals and alternatives, please go follow @blodgettdentalcare. The amount of information Dr. Blodgett has on his Instagram alone is amazing. He’s very passionate about root canals and what we can do instead/how to recover from them.
If you enjoyed learning about holistic dentistry, make sure you listen to the podcast episode with Dr. Kelly Blodgett here!
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