It is often surprising to find out just how unfriendly we are to the environment that we live in, especially when you consider that we only have this one planet! Some of the practices that humankind has got into the habit of doing are very destructive, and have such a practical cost on the climate and the environment that it is a wonder that we ever conceived of them at all – and the fact that we are still doing them really boggles the mind. Many people believe that as individuals there is not a lot that they can do in order to change things and turn them around, but you would be surprised at just what an amazing difference you could make by just altering one thing. Take your teeth for example.
We all know that it is vital that we keep our teeth clean and healthy for as long as possible, because just like our planet, they can be pushed to unhealthy levels sometimes and when that happens, that it is. Despite all of your attempts to brush your teeth twice a day, and floss once a day, sometimes there is very little that you can do in order to prevent infection within your mouth. If you have a decayed tooth, you will need to consider talking to your dentist about your options, and the trouble is that not many dentists out there are accustomed to considering what is the best option for you and for the planet when it comes to your teeth.
An exception to that rule is Dr Paige Woods, an excellent biological dentist who runs her own dental practice in San Diego. Her holistic dental training has taught her that not only the patient before her should be considered as a whole unit, but also the planet that she lives on should be considered as a whole – and something that she can have a very real and tangible effect on. That is why when Dr Paige Woods is faced with a patient who has an infected tooth, she does not always reach for the antibiotics. In some cases that is simply not practical, and not the best course of action for the patient, especially if the tooth is long gone beyond repair. The best thing would be to either take it out completely, or scrape out the infected area and give it a filling – and this is where Dr Paige Woods comes into her own.
Unlike traditional dentists who would happily give a patient a mercury filling, a substance that is so poisonous that it can cause blindness, deafness, madness, and eventual death, Dr Paige Woods would rather use a more natural approach. This means not using toxins, and therefore not throwing away the left over toxins down the drain to start poisoning the planet itself. This is often a revolutionary suggestion to many dentists, and those who are not holistically training will often consider this madness – but from the point of view of dentists such as Dr Paige Woods and others, it makes perfect sense.
The greenest way to look after your teeth, after all, is to make sure that not only you are happy with the treatment that you are getting, but also that the planet does not have to suffer either. It is this dual approach that has led so many dentists to holistic dentistry in the first place, and the more that they study it, the more that they realise that they should have been doing this for a long time. However, there is no time like the present: why not see what holistic dentists are in your area?
More about the author’s San Diego dental practice at http://sandiegodentist.org
