Practice Philosophy

Our goal is to provide dentistry that enhances your overall health and improves the quality of your life. We see our role as a partner in your health helping you make informed decisions. We emphasize treatment that integrates the best of traditional and alternative approaches. We are dedicated to finding new approaches that are less invasive and more biocompatible. We seek to serve in a holistic context, and bring goodwill, compassion, and integrity to our relationships.

A focus on health

Health is commonly seen as simply the absence of disease, and disease is seen as the body failing. When we look at it like that, disease becomes all-important. A practice that just treats disease is not really a health-care practice, but rather a disease-care practice. We see it differently here. We see health as the natural state of life. We all have a force—a spiritual force—that constantly works toward balance and healing in our lives. One seems healthy when all aspects—one’s spirituality, mind, feelings, and body—are living in harmony. Disease is only the healing force taking the body to extreme measures in an attempt to balance some poor choices we have made. If we see disease as the body’s way of alerting us to our poor choices, we can find a friend in disease. If we only treat the disease and disregard the choices or conditions that lead to it, we can be sure of another disease outbreak later. It is a matter of natural law.

Context

So do we treat disease? Yes, but in the context of health and healing. We work with and trust the healing force, and provide the kind of treatment that is most compatible with it. Trusting the healing powers of the body means minimal and less invasive treatment. It means using materials that are compatible with life. It means taking the fewest X-rays needed for a thorough diagnosis. It means not treating conditions that are healing on their own. And it means a judicious use of medications. We try to treat disease in the largest context we can. If you are willing to look for causes of disease we can explore physical, biochemical, dietary, and emotional factors with you. We also seek to work in concert with your other health care providers—traditional and alternative. We honor the way you have found to connect with the healing force and seek to cooperate with your highest intentions.

Hygiene

Study after study shows the importance of good hygiene. Our world-class hygienist will introduce you to the concept of Biofilm Management.

Biochemistry

In one sense, the body is just complex biochemical interactions. It is possible to identify both the healthy and the not-so-healthy interactions. It is also possible for you to change your chemistry through nutrition, supplements and lifestyle choices. That means working with the needs of the body, giving it what it needs and removing what it is struggling with. For more information see Health Realities and Back to Basics.

Toxicology

It has been demonstrated to my satisfaction that many dental materials and procedures can be toxic. We can test for your unique allergic reaction profile and determine which of the thousands of dental materials works best for you.

Occlusion

The chewing muscles are strong. If your teeth don’t fit together correctly those strong chewing muscles can cause the jaw-joints to displace, teeth to break and tooth-supporting bone to weaken. Not to mention that the muscles themselves can get sore and cause headaches. The bite and muscle forces can be harmonized and stabilized.

Restoration

Restoring your teeth to their original function and appearance can prevent much unnecessary infection and pain, and can prevent the collapse of the bite.