Northern Virginia Area Whole Health Family Dentistry

The mouth is the gateway to the whole body.  A poor diet hurts overall health, and so do painless bleeding gums, silent root canal infections, teeth grinding, clicking jaw joints, snoring, and sleep apnea.  Any of these oral factors can lead to a myriad of whole body symptoms. 

Whole Health Dental Care is a new wellness model advanced by Felix Liao, D.D.S.

Whole Health aligns the mouth with mind & body, nutrition, science, daily routines, and healthier habits.  Whole Health Dental Care attends to teeth, gums, jaws, bite, and their many connections to the whole body.  Total health needs the following from the mouth:

• Alignment of head-jaws-bite-neck so the brain and pituitary gland can function optimally
• Breathing free of snoring and sleep apnea from obstruction by the tongue
• Circulation free of dental infections and periodontal inflammation.
• Diet and nutrition sensible and balanced enough to sustain the whole body long term

Alignment of dental bite with head and neck is foundational to wellness.  Distortions in the head-jaws-bite-neck postural chain can pinch nerves and block cranial-sacral rhythms.  Before age 12, uneven cranial (skull) bones lead to dental crowding (or spacing),misaligned dental bite, and Temporo-Mandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ).  After age 12, permanent teeth lock in cranial distortions.  Once growth stops, dental-cranial misalignment perpetuates headaches, slipped discs in TMJ, neck-back pain, depression, chronic fatigue, PMS, low thyroid, and more (read more: Dental Distress Syndrome).  These symptoms “routinely normalize when dental (TMJ) distress is eliminated,” states Dr. A. Fonders, author of Dental Physician. Dental-Cranial Alignment has been left out of health care in too many cases for too long.  For testimonials from our patients, please click TMJ-Dental-Cranial Distress.

Breathing is the difference between life and death.  Snoring and sleep apnea come from the tongue blocking the throat partially or completely.  The tongue is often pushed into the throat by narrow jaws, crowded teeth, collapsed bite from teeth grinding or extractions.  No medication or surgery can help the many morbid medical conditions stemming from oxygen deprivation in sleep, including sudden death, stroke, traffic fatalities, diabetes, and fatigue.  Oral appliances work by positioning the lower jaw forward during sleep, thereby keeping the tongue from the throat. In mild-moderate cases, oral appliance therapy is therapeutically comparable to C-PAP machine, and a happier alternative to sleeping in separate rooms. Learn more (click  here: link to Snoring – Sleep apnea, Gum Disease).

Circulation can bring healing, or spread infections.  Controlling inflammation from gum infections is now proactive medicine.  Science has confirmed that silent periodontal infections (under gums) are associated with heart disease, stroke, pneumonia, diabetes, and premature birth with low birth weight (http://www.ada.org/public/topics/oralsystemic.asp). 

Periodontal disease is the world’s leading infectious disease, while cardiovascular disease is America’s leading cause of death.  Both share a key feature: inflammation.  Cardiologist Paul Ridker’s 2008 research that while cholesterol medications alone can reduce cardiovascular death by 25%, the gain jumps to 79% when anti-inflammation is added (http://plum.tv/aap/keynote/).  For a new FDA-approved method to control gum inflammation effectively at home with in-office care, click www.PerioProtect.com

Diet and nutrition is how the body is fueled to perform by day and renew by night.  The mouth is strategically located on top of the respiratory and digestive tracts.  The mouth can feed the body with ingredients for wellness, or with infections for illness.  Whole Health Dental Care connects patients with smart eating, lifestyle habits, and like-minded health professionals for diet and nutritional advice.

The mouth can be the source of illness, or wellness.  Whole Health Dental Care removes dental-oral cofactors behind systemic illness, and aligns patients with natural wellness.  For your Whole Health Dental Evaluation, please call 703-385-6425, or Contact Us for any questions or concerns.