August 15, 2001 – Still in its infancy, holistic dentistry still had a say at the Academy of General Dentistry’s annual meeting in New York City in early August. David Shuch, a private practice dentist in Augusta, New Jersey, presented the four main approaches used by professionals interested in alternative therapies. Contrary to what one might think, he did not tackle the very controversial subject of mercury amalgam, but rather nutrition, dental occlusion, tooth / organ correspondence and homeopathy.
Regarding nutrition, David Shuch mentioned in particular vitamin C and coenzyme Q10 which are used to treat gingivitis and periodontal disease. Holistic dentists are also very interested in anything that can improve dental occlusion (the closure of the jaw and the contact of the teeth with each other), but not for the same reasons (improved chewing and aesthetics ) than their orthodox colleagues: a malocclusion can, according to them, cause migraines, pain in the lower back or other problems which do not seem, a priori, to be related to the teeth.
In a similar, but more surprising vein, David Shuch spoke of the correspondences between the teeth and certain organs, for example, between the kidneys and the bladder and the four upper incisors. He also presented six cases of patients whose health problems were resolved by taking these correspondences into account. The holistic dentist also uses homeopathy, in particular to stimulate the immune system of his patients.
Holistic dentistry is not just about healthcare. It encompasses the atmosphere of the dental practice as well as a personalized relationship with the patient. David Shuch rejects “productivism” and prefers, in particular, to treat one person at a time, a point that his patients greatly appreciate, according to him.
The holistic dentist himself admits: these approaches are still very marginal. For example, the Holistic Dental Association, located in Colorado, has only 150 members in the United States, including a few in Canada, but says it receives about 100 calls per month from people looking for a holistic dentist.
Françoise Ruby – PasseportSanté.net
From Intelihealth News Service – August 7, 2001
