Historically, Western medicine has treated the mouth as if it were separate from the rest of the body. “As dentists, we’ve always been looked on as the ugly stepchild of medicine,” Malterud says. But that is starting to change.
“I think there’s a huge groundswell that’s occurring within the dental community, and people are starting to understand that we as dentists are a gateway to overall systemic health,” he adds.
In 2022, the American Dental Association made it official policy to support and encourage collaboration and treatment discussions between dentists and their patients’ primary healthcare providers. A growing number of dentists now use tools to evaluate and treat the oral microbiome to help mitigate a range of issues, in the mouth and beyond.
“There are now more than 10 salivary diagnostic companies that I can order tests from, and they measure from five to 29 different pathogens that are most commonly associated with oral disease,” Thompson says.
As with gut-microbiome testing, there’s still much to learn about how specific microbes correlate to specific conditions, he adds. “We’re still gaining understanding about what the pathogens all mean and how they interplay with each other. That’s going to be unraveling for years to come.”
As the knowledge continues to develop, integrative dentists have gained access to a range of insights and tools to help restore balance to a disrupted oral microbiome. These also help to support overall health.
“Sometimes the first step is having teeth removed to resolve an infection site,” says Barnett. “But sometimes we need to look at all the other inflammatory factors that may be going on, as well as [a patient’s] nutritional status, to get them into a healthy-enough condition to respond well to a dental procedure.”
Other techniques include using a hydrogen peroxide solution under the gum line to kill harmful microbes in periodontal pockets that toothbrushes and floss can’t reach. Some dentists are treating patients who have dysbiosis with prescription antibiotics or herbal antimicrobials, depending on the severity of the condition. They’re also using ozone therapy, which targets anaerobic bacteria with concentrated oxygen, to eradicate pathogens.
More On Your Mouth
After the gut, the mouth contains the most diverse microbial community in the body. As a result, the oral microbiome has a significant influence on your overall health. Learn how to take care of it at “Everything You Need to Know About the Oral Microbiome,” from which this article was excerpted.
The post What Is Oral-Systemic Dentistry ? appeared first on Experience Life.
https://experiencelife.lifetime.life/article/what-is-oral-systemic-dentistry/
#loseweight #weightloss #weightlossjourney #fitness #diet #healthylifestyle #healthy #health #motivation #weightlosstransformation #nutrition #one #losewe #ght #workout #healthyfood #fatloss #transformation #loseweightfast #fitnessmotivation #gym #onediet #healthyeating #fit #healthyliving #cwp #getfit #slimmingworld #exercise #bhfyp