Wellness Dentistry for Oral Health & Functional Medicine

In this episode we’re welcoming Dr. Cheng Ruan. From a young age, he was introduced to a holistic approach of medicine. His mother practiced Eastern Medicine, including acupuncture and herbs, while his father’s career focused on research. Early on in his education, he learned that medicine itself is not sufficient alone to treat every issue. When working with patients, it’s crucial to first understand what health looks like for them. This success criteria can be used to create goals they can work towards. Dr. Ruan recognizes that a part of his job is to simply coach his patients so that they can make their own decisions.  Rather than offer medications as a first line of defense to his clients struggling with mental health issues like anxiety, he encourages them to consider their unmade decisions. It’s important to explore how our experiences actually impact our mental health and the other measures we can take to remedy mental health issues. Dr. Ruan enjoys working with dentists on airway dentistry—without it, he cannot practice on the brain and mental health, as the healing potential of these systems is linked. Periodontal disease, and the organisms that harbor within, is powerful enough to change your posture and/or cause migraines.  All patients are perfect the way they are made, and Dr. Ruan emphasizes this. Recognizing compensation mechanisms in patients can help you adjust them and potentially support dealing with even the most chronic issues. Everyone exists in their own reality, and honoring that allows you to truly help them.   Katie To Dental Wellness Center website: https://www.katietodds.com  Katie To Dental Wellness Center on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katietocenter

In today's episode we’re welcoming Hamid, a patient who courageously transitioned from traditional to holistic dentistry. Hamid's dedication to understanding the root cause of his symptoms, undertaking detoxification, and ensuring his adrenal health before his cavitation surgery is so inspirational. We delve into his detailed preparation, highlighting the role of local anesthesia, biomodulation, ozone, and laser pulse therapy in ensuring a comprehensive surgical procedure.   Hamid stresses the importance of taking high-quality liposomal vitamin C prior to surgery, and the benefits of receiving an IV infusion afterward. Talking about post-surgery recovery, Hamid explains the crucial role of consuming nutrient-dense foods. He shares his experience of having minimal swelling after surgery, an achievement he attributes to his detailed preparation, consumption of antioxidant smoothies, and the use of digestive enzymes.   Next, we talk about the role of detoxification and colon health in maintaining overall well-being. Hamid explains the benefits of a localized homeopathic remedy during his recovery, the importance of eliminating caffeine, and his inclination towards natural remedies post-surgery.   We explore the concept of a top-down approach to healing, beginning with the environment and sinuses, then dental, and eventually gut health. Hamid's journey, close to nine years of learning and investigating the root causes of his health issues, underlines why this is the best approach.   Finally, we reflect on the significance of preparing oneself mentally and physically for post-surgery recovery. Hamid provides further insight on the importance of taking a holistic approach to healing, the advantages of local anesthesia during surgery, and what the ideal diet looks like post-surgery.    

Today we dive deep into the life and wisdom of Dawn, a vital member of our practice and a guru in team dynamics, hiring practices, and the essence of continuous learning. Dawn shares her philosophy of focusing on an individual's character rather than their credentials; a practice that has significantly contributed to our team's success. She also stresses the importance of continuous education and active participation from all team members.   We explore Dawn's personal wellness routine, including her commitment to holistic health balance through hydration, regular exercise, and continuous personal development. It’s interesting to see how her wellness practices directly impact her professional growth. She also talks about the benefits of functional chiropractic care and naturopathy, based on her personal experiences.   Dawn shares some insights into life balance, the importance of self-care, and how it shapes our overall well-being. As a team leader, online teacher, and coach, Dawn’s journey offers valuable advice on maintaining health while juggling multiple roles and responsibilities.   We receive tips from Dawn on living a healthier life and creating a more balanced lifestyle, emphasizing the importance of taking time for oneself and exploring different activities to relax and recharge.    Ending the episode, I’m grateful to have had this conversation with Dawn. Her wisdom on team dynamics, hiring practices, and holistic wellness is so insightful. She reminds us to focus on personal growth before technical skills. Before leaving, Dawns gives a preview about the upcoming course she is developing that will offer guidance on managing roles in wellness practices.  

Today I am joined by Dr. Emily Letran who is here to talk about becoming a high-performing professional and why the secret is not doing it all. Dr. Letran is the best mom in the world. This is important to think about when describing yourself. Not what your job is, but who you are. When you work with a patient, it isn’t just about the physical health, it’s the spiritual and mental health as well. Understanding your core values and setting your daily intention is what is important, along with support to prevent burnout. Ask yourself if you are happy every day. Check-in with yourself. Did you make a difference? You can’t help others before taking care of yourself and being happy. What is your goal outside of work? Find your clarity. When Dr. Letran works with clients, she helps them to find theirs. It’s about living a guilt-free existence and achieving your goals. High performers are clear, productive, and courageous. You need that combination of traits; without courage, you cannot enact your ideas. It’s important to keep challenging yourself and not let complacency set in. Project your passion to others and bring them with you. Create consistency in the pursuit of your goals. The little things make the big changes. Ask yourself who your role model is and whose role model you could be. Think about how you can change someone’s perspective. Think about the words you use when talking to others and how you could be influencing them. Demonstrate empathy, and give grace and forgiveness to others and yourself. Remember to be authentic.   Contact Dr. Letran: www.dremilyletran.com    

My guest today is Dr. Teresa Scott, who is my partner, mentor, best friend, and CE. Teresa is going to share her story and discuss biological dentistry. When Teresa’s daughter was born, she was allergic to every commercial formula available. She was very sick and doctors wanted to put her on the medical formula, but Teresa felt that it was not the right way. After finding the idea of homemade baby formula from the Weston Price Foundation, Teresa wanted to know more. Weston Price is considered to be the father of biological dentistry. He studied the 14 longest-running civilizations to see what they had in common and found they all had diets rich in saturated fats, probiotic foods, and low in sugar. The Weston Price Foundation has 3 different recipes for homemade baby formula, and it was clear that Teresa’s newborn was immediately doing better. After living this life along with her family, Teresa saw improvements in her children’s health. She came to realize that she couldn’t continue to practice dentistry the way she was. She needed to help her patients differently. It took time and research, but now Teresa works to mentor others who want to become biological dentists. Everyone has an individual experience and health journey. Teresa is a stage 4 cancer survivor, and she didn’t do chemo. She was given a year to live and a one percent chance of survival. Apart from focal radiation, all of her treatment has been holistic. For Teresa, her experience with conventional medicine has led her to outside the box thinking. If you want to start biological dentistry, the entry point is simple: take it one step at a time. Learn and keep an open mind to new information.

In today’s episode I am joined by Francis Horning, a biological hygienist, coach, and trainer. Francis has been certified for 37 years and in that time has become a trainer for other hygienists and an impassioned speaker. Francis graduated in 1984, and while she was studying, she had the opportunity to shadow a hygienist in actual practice and learned more about the biological side of things than she had at school. From then on, she knew she wanted to know more about the biological side of being a hygienist and where that could take her. It’s about full-body health and wellness for patients. One of the things that are most concerning to Francis is finding spirochetes in a patient’s mouth, which are often found in the brains of Alzheimer’s sufferers. Her job not just about scaling teeth, it’s about removing organisms that can cause systemic inflammation. As part of cleaning with a biological hygienist, the pH level of your mouth will be taken, samples of plaque from under the gumline will be examined, and medical-grade ozone water will be used in the process. They will look for both good and bad bacteria and explain what both types do. Francis also discusses how to use probiotics and the benefit of good nutrition for your oral health. Biological dentistry is about including the mouth in the whole wellness picture for a patient. It’s about finding solutions for patients, finding root causes of problems, and treating them so that the problem stops reoccurring. It isn’t just a cleaning, it is a collaborative process between hygienists, dentists, and patients.

Today I am welcoming nutritional periodontist Dr. Al Danenberg who teaches methods of supporting a robust immune system. He stopped practicing clinically in 2018 when he was diagnosed with cancer and given a maximum of six months to live. This set him on a path of learning more about the immune system. Al rejected chemotherapy and created 10 unconventional protocols to support his body and immune system. It was going well until August 2019, when he took a serious fall and severed some bones. This eventually landed him on narcotics in hospice, and at that time he was ready to die. Through extenuating circumstances, he ended up back at home with his wife. With her encouragement, he returned to his cancer protocols. By following through and staying dedicated to his protocols, he would eventually be found cancer free. What you eat influences the bacteria in your mouth, and the balance of the bacteria in your mouth plays a huge role in your dental health. It’s important to have a higher ratio of healthy bacteria to unhealthy bacteria. It’s also important for dentists to remember that what’s going on in your mouth is an indicator of what’s going on in the rest of the body, especially the gut. When it comes to nutrition, a lot of studies are flawed, especially those regarding animal-based diets and red meat consumption. So long as they are grass-fed and the meat is unprocessed, it is completely healthy for you. Animal-based foods contain highly absorbable nutrients that would need to be supplemented if not consumed through your diet.

Today I am welcoming Dr. Svetlana Usherenko, an expert in airways dentistry for both children and adults. Dr. Usherenko is here to discuss how the airway can affect the growth and development of our children and how airway health supports a healthy life. When her eldest son began having issues with allergies, blocked sinuses, and underperforming at school, Dr. Usherenko began looking into what could possibly be causing this disruption in his life. The real wake up call came when his allergies suddenly left him temporarily deaf. This led to a realization that her whole family had compromised airway issues. Genetics definitely plays a large role in having compromised airways, but it isn’t the only factor. Our environment, diet, and even how we move can impact our airways.  Breathing is a large part of the overall puzzle that creates our health and wellness picture, but we have to look at every little piece to know the full story. Dr. Usherenko believes in patient education and for patients being their own advocates when it comes to their health. If you aren’t happy with answers you are or aren’t getting, look elsewhere. There is no one answer when it comes to airway health; it needs to be a collaborative approach between disciplines and specialists to complete that puzzle. Do not be afraid to ask questions. If you have concerns about your children, there are some basic things you can look for. Can your child breathe through their nose at all times? Is it hard for them to eat and breathe at the same time? Sometimes behavior can be a factor, and often sleep problems can be behind it.

In today’s episode I am joined by Dr. Dawn Ewing. She is an expert in biological dentistry, the Executive Director of the IABDM, and my personal naturopath and healthcare provider helping me on my wellness journey. Dr. Dawn started out in dentistry as a dental hygienist and became involved heavily in the conventional world of dentistry, even being appointed by the Governor of Texas to serve on the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners for 2 years.  For Dr. Dawn, dentistry just wasn’t exciting her anymore and she began participating in emergency medicine, which helped to reframe her perspective while exposing her to naturopathic and complimentary medicine. Since then, Dr, Dawn has achieved a Ph.D. in Integrated Medicine and is now on a mission to help people understand how dental health can affect their overall health. With Covid, there was a rise in people trying to join and present themselves as Certified Biological Dentists due to the uncertainty surrounding dentist visits and how the virus was spread. This has led to greater restrictions and stipulations in order to become certified. Dr. Dawn wants you to remember that not everyone can be a biological dentist. It is costly for the practice and for patients, and takes time and expertise. Dr. Dawn practices biological compatibility in order to make sure that whatever is placed in your body won’t cause an adverse reaction. People don’t realize that any foreign material in your body can cause a health issue and it is often overlooked by doctors and dentists alike. Your body and immune system are unique. Seek out an office that understands the tooth/body connection that can help you if you are having problems. Find out more: Website: http://drdawn.net/ Email: [email protected]

In today’s episode I am going to take you through my own survival story and journey to wellness. I am sharing this experience to inspire others that are going through chronic health problems with no answers. Born and raised in Vietnam, I moved to the US in my teens and went on to study biology at the University of Texas. Later, I met my best friend and future husband in dental school. Trying for our first baby took longer than we thought it would, but then the opportunity to start my own practice presented itself and we became distracted. When I was least expecting it, I fell pregnant. After our son was born, I began to experience severe dandruff. No conventional cures seemed to work. A visit to a doctor revealed that I had mercury poisoning. I went through chelation therapy to flush out my system, but as the treatment went on, I developed painful rashes and swelling. I tried antihistamines to no avail. I was having allergic reactions to so many things, and discovered my B12 levels were low and my vitamin D levels were extremely low. What I learned from my experience is that you can’t return to your previous habits. Wellness is a lifelong journey, and it requires changes. Physical activity, clean eating, and taking care of your mental and emotional well being are vital to personal wellness. Now, my son has also been diagnosed with mercury poisoning and we are teaching him the same values while working to keep his health at an optimum level. This is your health, and you have to take control - no one else can do it for you. There is hope ahead of you. Find out more: https://www.thewelnessdentist.com