What Are the Benefits of Holistic Dental Care?

In recent years, holistic care has become a bit of a buzzword in the healthcare industry. But this term is much more than simply a trendy new saying; it’s a commitment that healthcare professionals make to helping you achieve the fullest, lifelong wellness and health. If you are currently looking for a new dentist, you might have heard about holistic dental care. If you’re wondering if there are any benefits to choosing a holistic dentist over a traditional dentist, read on to find out more about how a holistic approach will help you maintain dental health for longer and achieve the healthy, stunning smile that you deserve.

The Difference Between Traditional and Holistic Dentistry

To get a better understanding of the holistic approach, it’s important to understand the difference between holistic and traditional dental care. Traditional dentistry tends to have more of a ‘drill and fill’ approach and treats any negative symptoms affecting your dental health with the aim of preventing reoccurrence. On the other hand, holistic dentistry focuses on treating the systems rather than the symptoms and works to eliminate any problems and symptoms from occurring in the first place by focusing on the underlying problems that are causing any negative symptoms in your mouth. It provides dental care that aims to avoid any adverse effects on your overall health and wellbeing. So, what are the benefits of holistic dental care?

Minimally Invasive Treatments

A holistic dental approach is often the best opinion for nervous or anxious patients. While it is just as focused on modern and high-tech treatments as is traditional dental care, a holistic dentist aims for an approach that is as minimally invasive as possible and considers your entire wellbeing rather than only focusing on what’s going on inside your mouth. Pure Dentistry is a holistic dentist Brisbane that is focused on helping you avoid any unnecessary long or painful procedures that might damage your overall wellbeing or cause you psychological distress. They use state-of-the-art treatment options including advanced x-rays, high-tech dental implants, laser treatments and more. For more information from Pure Dentistry on whether holistic dentistry is worth exploring, follow the link.

Uses Non-Toxic Materials

Traditional dentistry typically uses amalgam (mercury) filling materials and other potentially toxic substances when treating dental issues that can have a negative impact on your overall health and wellbeing. On the other hand, the holistic approach to dentistry will always use materials that are biocompatible and non-toxic to ensure that the treatment does not have any potentially dangerous effects on the rest of your body.

Focuses on the Root Cause

Unlike traditional dentistry which tends to focus quite heavily on only the symptoms that are going on inside your mouth, a holistic dentist will treat you as a whole person and focus on the root cause with the aim of preventing symptoms from reoccurring in the future. Unfortunately, many traditional dentists don’t get to know their patients beyond only their dental health and therefore fail to provide a more individual level of care. By looking at your health from all angles, holistic dentistry can take a more preventative approach and prioritize looking beyond the symptoms to find the underlying cause.

Produces Long-Lasting Results

Whether you are concerned about improving your dental health or fixing cosmetic issues, holistic dentistry provides a balanced approach to both the form and function of your mouth and considers both these factors carefully when developing an individualised plan for your dental care. Crooked, damaged or missing teeth can affect your quality of life and knock your self-esteem, but achieving teeth that look perfect won’t help if they are not functioning correctly. Holistic dentistry allows you to achieve the best cosmetic results by helping you take control of both your dental health and overall wellbeing.

Compatibility Testing

Not everybody is going to respond the same to different filling materials and other dental treatments, but traditional dental care doesn’t always take this into account and instead uses the same materials for everybody. On the other hand, holistic dentistry does not overlook the effect that a certain material might react with your body before they go ahead with a procedure. Before you undergo a filling, a holistic dentist will conduct a biocompatibility test to determine how your body is likely to react and figure out the best choice of material for your filling.

Correct Previous Treatments

Most people will have existing amalgam or silver fillings that were fitted during a previous treatment conducted by a traditional dentist. However, now that there is more understanding around the harm that mercury can do to the overall health and wellbeing of your body, a holistic dentist will be able to correct these treatments. Most holistic dentists recommend that you have any old amalgam fillings removed and replaced with safer, non-toxic filling materials that are a much lower risk to your health.

Reduced Use of X-Rays

X-rays are common practice in traditional dentistry and although they can be helpful, they can also leave the patient exposed to potentially harmful radiation. Holistic dentists focus on your overall health and wellbeing, therefore the use of x-rays tends to be limited in order to limit your exposure. If an x-ray is absolutely necessary, a holistic dentist will typically opt for a digital x-ray which is around 50% lower in radiation.

Fewer Painkillers

If you are looking for a more natural approach to managing pain after a dental procedure, a holistic dentist can help you to achieve this. A holistic dentist will avoid turning straight to a prescription pad after each procedure and will instead take a whole health approach, which may include finding more natural remedies and treatments to help you manage pain after a dental procedure. While painkillers tend to be increasingly prominent in the dental care industry, the holistic approach allows you to explore alternative options.

Whether you are a nervous patient looking for a dentist with a greater understanding of how procedures affect your mental health, want a more natural approach to your dental care, or want a dentist who focuses on preventing rather than treating your symptoms, holistic dental care has many benefits.

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