Holistic medicine is based on the premise that the body is one unit and how you treat one aspect of that unit has an effect on other aspects. Holistic dentistry is based on the same notion that what affects the mouth affects the body, and vice versa. If infections of the mouth affect the rest of the body, then dental problems can be seen as causes of other aches and pains as well.
Holistic dentists take off from this premise to consider the impact of dental health in greater depth. For instance, they might discuss nutrition as it affects dental health and include alternative therapies, such as homeopathy, in their practice: treat your gums non-surgically, use antibiotics sparingly as they can disrupt the body, eschew root canals because of concerns about infection, try to use biocompatible dental restoration materials.
A number of these practices have led to some controversy. With root canals the root of an infected tooth is removed and replaced with a filling material, usually gutta percha (a form of rubber). This preserves the tooth structure helping to leave the bite intact. A holistic approach to this procedure would say that, while it may be wonderful to save the tooth structure, infection could remain deep in the socket and the bone. This would then be harmful to the overall health of the person.
Another area of importance to holistic dentistry concerns amalgam fillings. These are the commonly used "silver fillings" which contain mercury. Currently mercury thermometers are being collected and exchanged in many municipalities. Mercury gas meters are being replaced. In all these instances, mercury is enclosed and does not touch the body at all. The concern is that the mercury can leak out or that breakage can expose it.
Mercury is very damaging to the human body and it does not evaporate. It is not biodegradable in landfills. But most of us have it in our mouths, subjected to heat, cold, sweet and acidic foods and saliva. We chew on it daily.
Most holistic dentists would say that mercury is certain to get into other parts of the body, given its location and the function of the mouth. They can cite countries which have banned its use in the mouth and studies which show the harm it can do.
Traditional dentists sometimes say that amalgam has been processed so that mercury can't leak out. Usually, however, they say that so little does get into the body that it can do no harm.
Looking at the issue from a holistic point of view, the holistic dentist would respond that the body is already under assault from, for example, pesticides and air pollution (which also contains heavy metals). Do we really need to add mercury to the list?
There often is a major advantage to the holistic dentist, however, when it comes to tooth restoration - looks. While amalgams are flexible and relatively cheap, the fashion is for tooth restorations to look like the original tooth structure. Here the holistic dentist might have the advantage because he or she will have to be up to date in the use of the newer biocompatible restorations.
