When a patient is trying to select a dentist, which is the better choice? A Holistic Dentist with the training, commitment, education, skill, and orientation to take into consideration a dental patient's entire health and well being? Or a Cosmetic Dentist, with the training, commitment, education, skill, and orientation to be able to provide a patient with the most aesthetically pleasing smile possible?

While there is much discussion on the subject, my position is that the answer is both.

When it comes to choosing between Holistic Dentistry and Cosmetic Dentistry, patients should insist upon having their cake and eating it too. Not that I'm advocating eating too much cake – but seriously, the marriage of Holistic Dentistry and Cosmetic Dentistry really is the perfect match. Patients looking for a Holistic Dentist, and patients looking for a Cosmetic Dentist, really should be looking for both.

Ideally, Holistic Dentistry and Cosmetic Dentistry really should be two sides of the same coin. When combined, patients receive the best that modern dentistry has to offer. The following will give patients a deeper understanding of how Cosmetic Dentistry and Holistic Dentistry work together harmoniously

One aspect of Cosmetic Dentistry is to create beautiful, natural looking restorations that give the patient the most pleasing smile possible. However, in addition to reaching our goal of making a smile that looks spectacular, we also need to ensure that the restorations are comfortable, long-lasting, and biocompatible. A Cosmetic Dentist who is also holistically trained may choose not to use certain materials available for use in restorations. For example, we opt not to use silvery mercury fillings or most metal restorations in our practice.

There are also times in Cosmetic Dentistry when a patient needs to have their old silver mercury fillings removed for any one of several reasons – sometimes the reason is that there is decay under the filling, or perhaps the tooth is broken. Sometimes a patient will decide to remove their old silver mercury restorations for cosmetic reasons, or based upon his or her belief system about their choice of dental materials, or upon the advice of their medical doctor. It is especially beneficial at those times to be working with a Cosmetic Dentist who is also holistically trained.

In our office, any time a patient is removing their silver mercury fillings – or other old restorations made of controversial materials – we use strict isolation techniques to ensure that the patient is not exposed to debris or vapors during removal of the old fillings. Using innovative isolation techniques such as a rubber dam with resin microseal combined with high-powered suction and an oxygen mask over the patient's nose, helps protect the patient against exposure.

Using a rubber dam with resin microseal allows the dentist to remove old restorations without any concerns about leakage of materials into the patient's mouth. After placing so many rubber dams, you get to where it becomes second nature to secure the rubber dam. It only adds a few more minutes to the treatment time. The use of rubber dam and microseal also makes the patient more comfortable because the patient's tongue isn't in the way.

Also, since the rubber dam eliminates bacteria and saliva, it allows for better restorations. Typically, when doing a filling, a dentist is working against the tongue being in the way, and constantly fighting the collection of saliva and water in the mouth. The rubber dam is easier on the patient, too, because they are not getting a choking sensation from the water and saliva in the back of their mouth. These advantages are critical in treatments like root canals, old restoration removal, and new restorations. Between keeping the tongue, water, and saliva out of the way, and creating a much cleaner environment, rubber dams have many benefits for the patient being treated by a Holistic/Cosmetic Dentist trained in their proper usage.

Dental Materials Compatibility can also be a concern for patients with reaction concerns to certain dental materials, and a holistically trained Cosmetic Dentist can choose materials that are most biocompatible, and do Materials Compatibility Testing, such as a blood test, when necessary to determine any potential sensitivities. The blood test is carried out by a medical doctor, who draws blood from the patient and sends it to a special lab. The droplets of blood are added to various dental materials to determine whether or not an antibody antigen reaction occurs – indicating whether that patient might have a sensitivity to a particular dental material.

Just as patients searching for a Cosmetic Dentist can benefit greatly from finding a Cosmetic Dentist who is also a Holistic Dentist, the same thing is true approached from the other direction. Patients seeking a good Holistic Dentist will do well to find a Holistic Dentist who is also a Cosmetic Dentist.

Holistic Dentists who are also trained in Cosmetic Dentistry are in the unique position of being able to offer their patients the best alternatives to restorations made of silver mercury or other controversial materials. Porcelain and composite restorations are excellent choices in the majority of cases.

If a Cosmetic Dentist wants to make a porcelain inlay, onlay, veneer, or crown, or use porcelain bonded filling to restore a tooth, we undergo extensive training. Such training encompasses issues like maximizing the strength of the restorations to the tooth, choosing the material that would make the best restoration, learning how to bond the restoration to the tooth so that it doesn't cause sensitivity, and making sure the restorations are long-lasting, don't leak over time, and also look good. All of these techniques fall under the mantle of Cosmetic Dentistry training. Yet, these are important techniques for a Holistic Dentist, as well.

When all is said and done, the Cosmetic Dentistry “toolbox” contains many things that are highly beneficial to a Holistic Dentist. If I am a Holistic Dentist and I don't have Cosmetic Dentistry training, and I want to replace an existing crown with a new restoration, I might not have the training necessary to work with the superior dental materials available for restorations today.

So, have your cake and eat it too! Just remember to brush – and floss – afterwards.