A Comprehensive Guide to Holistic Dentistry and its Benefits

What is Holistic Dentistry and How Does it Work?

Holistic dentistry is a branch of dentistry that focuses on the whole person and their oral health. It is a philosophy that focuses on the individual’s physical, mental, and spiritual needs.

It is not enough to just focus on the teeth and gums because it can lead to other health problems. A holistic dentist will give you a comprehensive exam and provide you with information about your mouth, teeth, gums, bite, jaw joints, sinuses and more. They will also give you recommendations for your diet, exercise habits, stress levels and more.

The Importance of Dental Hygiene for our Teeth

Dental hygiene is an important part of maintaining good oral health. It is the process of keeping your mouth clean and free from disease. There are many things you can do to improve dental hygiene, such as brushing and flossing your teeth.

Bacterial plaque is the sticky, colorless film that builds up on teeth and around the gum line. Plaque contains bacteria that can lead to tooth decay and cavities, as well as gum disease.

Why a Holistic Approach to Dental Care is so Beneficial for us?

The holistic approach to dental care is important for us to maintain oral health and prevent cavities.

A holistic approach to dental care is a way of looking at the whole mouth, from teeth cleaning, toothbrush, and dental flossing. It is not just about brushing your teeth twice a day but also about taking care of other parts of your mouth, such as the tongue or gums.

6 Ways in a Which Holistic Dentist Can Improve Your Health & Overall Wellbeing!

Holistic dentists are the dentists who believe in the importance of oral health, and they have a holistic approach to dental care. There are many benefits of holistic dentistry, some of them include:

  1. Preventative Dentistry
  2. Oral Hygiene
  3. Nutritional Counseling
  4. Dental Health Education
  5. Cosmetic Dentistry
  6. Oral Cancer Screening

Schedule A Personalized Consultation Today!

Call our holistic dentist at (619) 464-2801 to schedule a free consultation with Dr. Stephan Chan! We can discuss all the different possibilities and see what option is best for you. We treat patients in La Mesa, Santee, Lakeside, Mission Valley, El Cajon, Hillcrest, Tierrasanta, and throughout San Diego County.

Pros & Cons of Zirconia Dental Implants

  • Zirconia is the only feasible option for a patient looking to have dental implants but is concerned about metal-free dentistry. This inert material can be an excellent choice for people with known metal allergies or sensitivities.
  • Zirconia implants are more aesthetically pleasing, eliminating the risk of dark lines around the gingival region.
  • In the beginning, they were only available as a one-piece dental implant, but introducing two-piece zirconia dental implants allows abutments to be fully customized, creating the best outcomes.
  • zirconia implant could be healthier for the soft tissue because it retains less plaque and calculus than titanium implants.
  • Zirconia has excellent flexural strength and is known to be superior to other ceramics in resistance to fracture. It is a desirable choice for implant and holistic dentist due to its material being white in color, having low thermal conductivity, and a low modulus of elasticity.
  • Studies show zirconia dental implants are good or even better than titanium in terms of osseointegration. This finding is due to the high level of contact between the dental implant and the jawbone, allowing the bone to fuse tightly with the implant, resulting in osseointegration.

Cons Of Choosing Zirconia Implants

  • Low-temperature degradation could potentially result in the material’s mechanical properties degrading, reducing the material’s strength, density, and toughness. There haven’t been a significant amount of clinical studies on the long-term success of these products.
  • Aseptic loosening causes a majority of the recorded failures for two-piece dental implants. Due to minimal research into two-piece zirconia dental implants, some physicians may prefer one-piece dental implants. Still, you need to consider the limitations of these systems.
  • Additionally, positioning a zirconia dental implant in a less-than-optimal location could negatively affect the material’s physical properties.
  • Single-piece zirconia implants also require a load-free healing period. This load-free healing period can sometimes be tricky to achieve in specific clinical situations.

Overall, clinical studies show the cumulative survival rates of the zirconia implant is equal those of titanium dental implants.

Contact SmileHaven Dental Center Today!

At SmileHaven Dental Center, we provide patients with a complimentary dental implant consultation to discuss the best course of treatment as well as the benefits of zirconia dental implants on your overall health and wellness. Call our La Mesa dental team today at (619) 464-2801 to schedule your metal-free dental implant consultation with Dr. Stephen Chan. We treat patients with Zirconia metal-free dental implants from La Mesa, Tierrasanta, Santee, Mission Valley, El Cajon, Hillcrest, downtown San Diego, and from many areas throughout San Diego.

Can I Get Dental Implant Treatment If I Have Metal Allergies?

Many of our patients wonder if they can still get dental implant treatment even if they have a metal allergy or sensitivity. Yes, anyone with an allergy to metal can get dental implants.

Usually, dental implants are made of pure titanium or titanium alloy, which are biocompatible with the bone and stimulate bone growth and attachment to the implant. These metals are similar to those used in orthopedic knee and hip replacements.

At SmileHaven Dental Center, we offer a metal-free dental implant and dental crown option for patients with metal allergies. During your free implant consultation with Dr. Stephan Chan, we will discuss the benefits of Zirconia Dental Implants, the metal-free alternative to traditional dental implants.

How Do Metal Allergies Affect Dental Implants?

The metal utilized in dental implants is extensively tested. As a result, the FDA has approved it as a safe medical-grade material. However, metal allergies can stand in the way of getting traditional dental implants.

Did you know that 13% of people are sensitive to nickel, chromium, or cobalt? These metals have the highest possibility of metal allergy. Metal allergy is suspected when there is chronic inflammation or rash around the implant site. Although not entirely unheard of, dental materials have a low chance of side effects.

Dr. Stephen Chan uses the highest quality, state-of-the-art metal-free dental implants, known as Zirconia or Ceramic dental implants.

Suppose you’re concerned about a potential metal allergy before getting dental implants. In that case, your physician can perform a skin test or allergist to ensure the implant’s safety to your body.

Zirconia: An Alternative to Traditional Dental Implants

I always take precautions upfront, so patients can avoid adverse reactions to dental implant treatment. However, there are many ways to ensure that even patients with metal allergies can undergo safe and effective dental implant placement.

An excellent alternative for patients with metal allergies is a Zirconia dental implant. Some of the benefits include:

  • Inert, with a low risk of an allergic reaction
  • Strong
  • No corrosion
  • Hygienic – less plaque accumulation
  • Aesthetic – white material; no metal casting that can darken the gum; good for anterior restorations

I consider numerous factors when recommending the right kind of implant for you. Unfortunately, not all providers offer the option for Zirconia dental implants, and I’m glad to have this option available for La Mesa patients who can not tolerate metals.

Schedule A Personalized Consultation Today!

Call our dental team at (619) 464-2801 to schedule a free consultation with Dr. Stephan Chan! We can discuss all the different possibilities and see what option is best for you. We treat patients with Zirconia dental implants and crowns in La Mesa, Santee, Lakeside, Mission Valley, El Cajon, Hillcrest, Tierrasanta, and throughout San Diego County.

10 Warning Signs of Poor Blood Circulation

To function properly your body circulates more than five quarts of blood to deliver oxygen, nutrients, hormones, regulate your PH, and support essentially every cell, organ and process in your body. Here are some warning signs of poor blood circulation.

ULCERS, SWELLING, DISCOLORED SKIN, VARICOSE VEINS, NUMBNESS & TINGLING start to develop in your hands, feet and legs. It is important to address this early as infections and nerve damage can result.

HAIR LOSS AND WEAK NAILS – Dry brittle hair and nails are a clear sign that your body isn’t getting the right amount of nutrients into them.

WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEM –Your body’s ability to detect and fight off pathogens and remain healthy will also be affected by a slower blood flow. You may pick up illnesses much easier and last longer because of the sluggish antibodies. You may find that wounds and injuries take much longer to heal.

COLD HANDS AND FEET – When your blood flows at the optimal speed it helps to keep your body temperature at a healthy and comfortable level. If your circulation is poor, the process of regulating temperature is interfered with. This causes chilly feelings, in areas with a lot of nerve endings like hands and feet.

TIRED/EXHAUSTED – When blood flow is slowed down, it restricts the amount of fuel delivered to your muscles. With less oxygen and nutrients fueling your muscles you’ll feel tired much quicker. Many experience shortness of breath, sore muscles, and less endurance during daily activities.

ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION (ED) – Men experience an insufficient amount of blood flow in the reproductive organs. It becomes increasingly difficult to perform sexual tasks and may eventually stop completely.

CHEST PAIN – Less blood flowing to the heart, causes shortness of breath, and a tight feeling of pressure in the chest and arms. The heavy feeling will come and go randomly and can mimic indigestion. Something not to be ignored as it may lead to a heart attack.

LIVER/KIDNEY FAILURE-The liver and kidneys are the filters of waste for the body. Toxins build up in these organs without proper blood flow and damage occurs to these vital organs. Since the kidneys regulate your fluids you retain it and can lead to abdominal swelling.

POOR MENTAL FUNCTION & SLEEP PROBLEMS – The brain relies heavily on blood flow to function properly. You might feel less focused and unable to concentrate. It can negatively affect sleep and your short- and long-term memory.

As you can see, poor blood circulation can affect your body significantly. While treating the symptoms can bring some relief, it’s best to address the root cause of the problem and improve your blood circulation.

Practicing Good Oral Hygiene

Practicing good oral hygiene is the key to maintaining excellent overall health – for patients of all ages! Parents must introduce proper oral care early in a child’s life, as early as infancy. Parents are responsible for ensuring their children brush and floss every day, and we encourage them to lead by example.

In recent years, bacterial inflammation associated with gum disease has been linked to chronic health problems, such as stroke, coronary artery disease and premature, low birth-weight babies. Yet there are a number of things you can do to help protect your teeth and your overall health. Visiting your dentist at least twice a year allows us to thoroughly clean your teeth, and dental exams give us the ability to evaluate any potential problems (i.e. cavities, gingivitis, etc.) before they become more serious. We are also able to recognize whether a patient is getting proper nutrition, maintaining a proper oral hygiene regimen and whether there are any growth or development problems.

To ensure you and your family are practicing good oral hygiene at home, be sure to:

  • Brush at least three times a day using a non-fluoridated toothpaste
  • Floss daily
  • Eat a well-balanced, healthy diet
  • Stop smoking
  • Discontinue the use of smokeless tobacco products

By following these steps, you can help prevent common problems, such as cavities, gingivitis, gum disease, oral cancer, as well as prohibit the development of more serious diseases that affect your overall health, including heart disease and diabetes.

Caring for Braces

If you wear braces, caring for your mouth is vital to loving your smile when they come off. Patients with braces who fail to brush and floss daily run the risk of prolonging treatment and developing unhealthy teeth. Dr. Stephen L. Chan, a holistic dentist in La Mesa, CA, helps patients with and without oral devices care for their teeth.

4 Tips for Keeping Clean With Braces

These four steps can help you maintain good oral hygiene while wearing appliances.

  1. Use an interdental brush. Begin cleaning your mouth with an interdental brush before using a regular toothbrush to gently remove debris underneath and around braces and wires.
  2. Clean your teeth after every meal, ideally four times a day. It is fine to use non-fluoride toothpaste, as fluoride can irritate gums. Brush for at least two minutes.
  3. Floss daily. Floss threaders can simplify cleaning of dental appliances.
  4. Finish with a rinse of water and a final rinse with an antiseptic. Rinses with tea tree are natural, effective oral treatments.

An experienced, reliable pediatric dentist who practices holistic dentistry, such as Dr. Stephen L. Chan, helps children learn good oral hygiene habits.

Do you have Low Blood Circulation?

From the day you were born your body has worked constantly to circulate more than five liters of blood through your body. Your arteries and veins are like highways for blood transportation. This helps your organs function, delivers nutrients and hormones, regulates your PH, and contributes to essentially every bodily process. Like highways, they require maintenance and care to function properly.

What is Low Blood Circulation?

Somebody with poor blood circulation receives insufficient amounts of blood to certain parts of the body. Plaque buildup and other factors slow the blood down and limit the effectiveness of transportation to the legs, arms, heart, and other important areas.

There are several life habits, medical conditions, and behaviors that make you susceptible to this. Smoking, pregnancy, unhealthy eating, and weight gain are just a few.

Poor circulation affects people of all ages. If left untreated can cause serious damage to your brain, heart, liver, kidney and limbs. It’s most common in elderly people but should be taken seriously at any age.

The Symptoms

Poor blood circulation is a danger because of its silent nature. It can be easy to overlook in its early stage and only found once it has worsened. The following symptoms are common indicators of a weakened circulatory process.

  • Leg Ulcers, Swelling, Discolored Skin, Varicose Veins, Numb and Tingling: Someone with poor circulation might notice these beginning to develop near their hands, feet and in their legs. It is important to address as nerve damage will result.
  • Hair Loss and Weak Nails – One of the clearest signs that your body isn’t getting the right amount of nutrients circulating is within your hair and nails. Many have dry brittle hair and nails, and experience hair loss.
  • Digestive Issues – Slow blood flow causes all the processes to be slowed, decreasing the processing of nutrients for the needed by the body.
  • Weakened Immune System – Your body’s ability to detect and fight off pathogens and remain healthy will also be affected by a slower blood flow. You may pick up illnesses much easier because of the sluggish antibodies. You also might find that wounds and injuries take much longer to heal. If poor circulation interferes with the kidneys it can lead to abnormal swelling.
  • Cold Hands and Feet – When your blood is flowing at optimal speed it helps to keep your body temperature at a healthy and comfortable level. If your circulation is poor, the process of regulating temperature is interfered with. This causes chilly feelings, usually in areas with a lot of nerve endings like the hands and feet.
  • Exhaustion – When blood flow is slowed down, it restricts the amount of fuel delivered to your muscles. With less oxygen and nutrients fueling your muscles you’ll feel tired much quicker. Many experience lack of breath, sore muscles, and less endurance during daily activities.
  • Erectile Dysfunction – Men with poor circulation might experience an insufficient amount of blood flow in the reproductive organs. It becomes increasingly difficult for them to perform sexual tasks and may eventually stop completely.
  • Chest Pain – Less blood flowing to the heart, causes a tight feeling of pressure in the area surrounding it. The heavy feeling will come and go randomly.
  • Liver Kidney Failure – The liver and Kidneys are the filters of waste for the body. Toxins build up in these organs without proper blood flow causes damage to these vital organs which negatively affect your health.
  • Poor Cognitive Function – The brain relies heavily on blood flow to function properly. You might feel less focused and determined throughout the day. Poor circulation may also affect the effectiveness of your short and long term memory.

As you can see, poor blood circulation can affect your body significantly. While treating the symptoms can bring some relief, it’s best to treat the source of the problem and your improve blood circulation.

How to Improve Blood Flow In Your Body?

Here are some tips and suggestions that can make a big improvement to your blood flow and improve blood circulation:

  1. Exercise whenever you can to boost your circulation. Get into the habit of finding activities you enjoy doing, as any type of physical activity that gets your blood pumping is good.You can walk, bike, run, swim or do anything else that you like. If your circulation is already poor, start by doing some gentle exercise and move on gradually to something a bit more challenging.
  2. Stretch – Make sure to get up every hour to stretch your body or exercise for 3-5 minutes. This is especially important for people who sit at the desk all day and don’t have the habit of walking around. You can try doing little arm circles, touch your toes with your hands or have a short walk. It’s important not to stay too long in one position and take regular breaks.
  3. Massage – Like exercise, increases circulation by stimulating blood flow in the area being massaged. Many times certain parts of your body are tight and tense and you may even have inflammation. By massaging these muscles, you release natural occurring toxins within the body and achieve better blood circulation. You can add to the massage essential oils diluted in a carrier oil, such as rosemary essential oil which is good for circulation problems. Other good essential oils to promote circulation are cypress, ginger and peppermint.
  4. Elevate your legs – Elevating your legs is a good way to increase circulation and relax at the same time, and it gives you a break from standing for extended periods of time.
  5. Healthy eating – Eat healthy foods and avoid unhealthy foods. Eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats (found in fish, olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds). Avoid consuming processed foods, foods rich in sugar or salt, and foods rich in unhealthy fats such as trans fats. You can also have a look at my article about the best foods to prevent clogged arteries. Also eat spicy foods, such as cayenne pepper, garlic and ginger, as they increase your body’s temperature, which increases blood flow.
  6. Ginkgo biloba – There are also a number of herbs which have been shown to improve circulation, such as Ginkgo biloba that can promote healthy circulation. It is a versatile herb that strengthen memory and improves circulation. The University of Maryland Medical Center mentions that laboratory studies have shown that ginkgo improves blood circulation by opening up blood vessels and making the blood less sticky. Ginkgo is available as liquid extract, tablets, capsules or dried leaf for preparing a tea. It can take 4 to 6 weeks to see any effects from ginkgo. Always consult with your doctor before taking any herbal remedies especially if you already take medications for circulatory problems.
  7. Drink enough water and reduce caffeine and alcohol consumption – Staying hydrated during the day is essential for the organs to perform their daily functions. When you drink enough water, oxygen levels in your blood increase, leading to better circulation and improving your overall health.Most experts recommend consuming 8-12 glasses of water a day. It’s also beneficial to reduce caffeine and alcohol consumption. Watch out for these warning signs that tell you that your body is lacking water.
  8. Circulation Therapy  – There is a new holistic FDA Class 1 technology which enhances blood flow. It uses a biosignal which increases blood flow to allow more oxygen and nutrients to flow through the whole body naturally. This increased blood flow also enhances removal of waste products that the body produces.

Schedule a BEMER Therapy Session >

Surprising Toxic Materials Used For Dental Purposes

Most patients assume that dentists use safe materials in their mouths. However, this is usually not the case. In the United States today, many dental materials in common use contain toxic materials that might surprise, even shock, patients, including:

  • Mercury (a toxin)
  • Nickel (a brain toxin)
  • Heavy metals (such as cadmium and aluminum)
  • Chloroform
  • Formaldehyde
  • Fluoride (a potential carcinogen)

Why are these dangerous toxic materials used for dental purposes? Many dental professionals rely upon certifications or assurances from academic or dental governing bodies, which may be more concerned with the profitability of the field than the health of the individual patient. If your dentist does not know what materials are in their dental materials (or is unwilling to tell you), schedule an appointment with our office, Smilehaven Dental Center. We strive to use dental materials that demonstrate only the highest level of bio-compatibility with each individual patient, which is why we employ a wide spectrum of bio-compatibility tests to ensure that the materials used in your dental restorations are ideally suited for you.

Focusing On Total Health

Many people have become more concerned and aware with what they put in their bodies and how their decisions affect their health. At Smilehaven Dental Center in San Diego’s La Mesa area, we couldn’t agree more! For patients seeking an approach to dental healthcare that takes the whole person into account, biocompatible dentistry offers many benefits – and the entire team at Smilehaven Dental Center is here to help.

Avoid Dental Dangers E-Book

10 Questions to Ask Your Dentist

by Dr. Griffin Cole, DDS, NMD, MIAOMT

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Expert Talks: Let’s Talk About Oral Health

Enjoy learning from these expert talk transcripts pulled from the thousands of talks in the HealthMeans library!

Raising Cavity-Free Kids
Carla Atherton, MA, FDN, TNC with Will Revak

Functional Dentistry: Recognizing the Signs and Symptoms of Oral Inflammation and Toxicity
Deanna Minich, PhD, CNS, IFMCP with Mary Ellen Chalmers, DMD

Cure Tooth Decay: Remineralize Cavities and Repair Your Teeth Naturally With Good Food
Sean Croxton with Ramiel Nagel