As a Natural Dentist I have found that fluoride in the drinking water does not reduce tooth decay. That’s a myth. It’s a strange situation we’re living under when our water is fluoridated, yet clearly dangerous.  It is also a big problem for people with kidney problems, where there’s dialysis that uses the water that poisons. It’s very toxic. Some people drink a lot more water than other people. Compare the dosage of fluoride that an athlete drinks (who may drink twice as much water) or that of a child (who drinks a lot of water with a small body mass) to that of an average adult?

The whole idea of putting toxic fluoride in public drinking water is totally wrong and contrary to all pharmacology and the way medicine should work.

We have warnings that children’s formula should not be made with fluoride in a drinking water. Well, what are we going to do if our community water is fluoridated? It’s just poison. It’s a strange question. But if we’re going to put fluoride in the drinking water, why don’t we put arsenic? They’re both toxic.

Our water should be clean and pure-not toxic!

So exactly what is so bad about fluoride? The fact is that fluoride is a very toxic element. It poisons the body. The body can’t develop proper enamel when it’s present. It can’t grow and get proper cartilage, and fluoride severely affects the brain in a developing child and lowers the IQ. These are from large population studies.

 Fluoride is a very poisonous thing. There’s no minimum daily requirement for fluoride. You do not want it in your body. Mother’s milk does not have fluoride in it, but we’re getting more of it in our environment and so it’s a big question to ask. There’s fluoride in the toothpaste, and we know when children brush their teeth, they invariably swallow some of the toothpaste.  Right on the toothpaste box, there’s a little warning that if a child swallows more than a pea size amount, that you should call Poison Control.

Fluoride goes to the stomach and mixes with the hydrochloric acid present there. It changes to hydrofluoric acid. Hydrofluoric acid is very bad. The child gets a tummy ache and comes to you and says, “Mommy, I have a tummy ache,” before bed. Well, it’s very possible the child does. So remove access to fluoride for children.

“Does fluoride stop tooth decay?” that is very questionable. If it does, the risks may outweigh the benefits.

So if it’s important to you, and I think it should be, at Layton Dental, we have our own patented technology to make sure the water is clean and sterile.

If you tend to avoid dental checkups due to anxiety or fear, you are not alone. Many people associate going to the dentist with painful shots of Novocain, noisy drilling, tooth scraping, and other uncomfortable procedures. When they sit in the dental chair they see a scary array of sharp instruments. For this reason many people skip dental checkups. This is unfortunate, because dental health is vital to overall health. But now your holistic or natural dentist offers sedation dentistry, which opens the door to pain-free dental services.

 Sedation dentistry allows you to experience comfortable dental care in a stress-free environment. Safe and painless, sedation dentistry involves taking one or two small pills before your dental appointment. You are awake and responsive, but very relaxed and less aware of time passing. This is also called Conscious Sedation, and when you’re in the care of your natural dentist the experience is pleasant and almost dreamy.

Safe and Natural Treatments 

Even for short visits, sedation dentistry may be the answer to your anxiety. Your holistic dentist can accomplish a great deal of your treatment in fewer appointments. This is great if you need a lot done, because often it can all be taken care of in one visit. Your dentist can help you get the dental care you need in a comfortable stress-free, friendly, and supportive atmosphere. Most patients who have used sedation dentistry love it, and many want to use it for all their future care.

Who Will Benefit from Sedation Dentistry?

Patients who are most likely to benefit from painless dentistry provided by their holistic dentist include those who:

- Fear the dentist or dental treatment

- Have difficulty getting numb

- Previous traumatic experiences

- Gag easily

- Fear needles or shots

- Have sensitive teeth

- Need complex dental treatment

- Hate the sound of the drill

- Have limited time to complete dental work

- Avoid smiling because they are embarrassed about their smile

- Need longer visit for smile makeovers or major restorative procedures.

Facts About Mild Oral Sedation

Sedation dentistry works effectively for mild to moderate fear. It’s safe! The patient takes one or two sedative pills prior to their visit, and then they just relax. They will have very little memory of the procedure. The mild sedation may last for several hours after taking the pills. It is effective for procedures such as porcelain crowns, cosmetic veneers and dental implants. Patients need a companion to drive them to and from the appointment.

Ask your Encinitas holistic or natural dentist about sedation dental treatment and find out if it’s right for you.

Have You Ever Been To A  Holistic Dentist ?

Are you looking for a safe, natural dentist? Below are six things you should find in biocompatible and holistic dentistry.

1. Mercury Removal. A natural dentist follows the concept of safe mercury filling removal. Mercury should not be placed in anybody, and your dentist should be ready to safely remove these unsightly, toxic, and destructive tooth fillings. Any dental office can remove old silver/mercury fillings, but doing it the right way to avoid toxic exposure to mercury is very important. The tooth should be protected from the rest of the mouth and with a special high volume vacuum system both the patient and the entire office are protected from mercury exposure. This is so important for everyone!

2. Biocompatible Dental Materials.  The second goal is to provide metal-free dentistry. Biocompatible means that the dental restoration materials are the closest to natural or non-reactive as are available. These fillings, crowns, and bridges look and feel so natural that you can’t tell they aren’t your own natural teeth. They strengthen the teeth and even extend their life.

3. Environmental Office. Creating a healthy environment is the third goal. The holistic dental office should be designed and built with every effort to make it safe and non-toxic. From the wallboards to paint and carpet, everything needs to be selected to eliminate harmful chemicals and fumes and make it a clean and safe environment. The holistic dentist’s office is a no-fluoride and no-mercury zone.

 4. Low Radiation. Remember those old-fashioned lead blankets and how the hygienist would hide while taking your x-rays? Times have changed. New state-of-the art digital x-rays provide a low radiation dose which is less than one-tenth of traditional film x-rays. The dentist’s comprehensive computer system can send images directly to your insurance company or a specialist by e-mail.

5. Clean Water. Look for a biocompatible dental practice that uses a patented water system treated with colloidal silver to deliver bacteria-free water to every chair. The purified water the hygienist uses to clean your teeth should be highly ozonatedto promote healthy gums.

6. Highest Quality. Dentistry is a craft. The most important goal of any natural dentist is to provide the highest quality of care. Don’t settle for assembly-line dentistry. Look for an artistic drive for perfection that guarantees excellent results with handmade restorations from the dentist’s own in-house lab and personally developed techniques. Everything they create for your mouth must bear their desire to create for you the most healthy and cosmetically pleasing result that will serve you well for many years.

Misaligned or crooked teeth are not only unsightly, but they can lead to health problems. What is the best way to get the smile you want? Traditional wire braces can straighten your teeth and improve your health, but they are unattractive and difficult to keep clean.  There are many choices today to enhance your smile but none works as effortlessly as Invisalign. Your holistic or natural dentist may recommend the Invisalign retainer system for patients who can benefit from having improved teeth alignment.

Invisalign is the modern way to straighten crooked teeth. The retainers are made from clear, nearly invisible smooth plastic, and are custom-made especially for you. They are removable, so you can live your life normally and still have clean teeth that are being straightened practically invisibly. The treatment consists of a series of non-toxic aligners that you switch out about every two weeks. This system is custom-made for your teeth so you know you will end up with the perfect smile, and most people won’t even be aware that you are wearing them.

 Give Yourself a Better Smile!

Do you have a special occasion or event coming up? It’s not a problem with Invisalign, because you can just take the retainers out and then effortlessly put them back in later. It is also perfect for your busy schedule. There are fewer visits with the dentist than with traditional braces, and there are no restrictions on what you can and cannot eat because you simply take them out to eat.

When properly fitted by your authorized holistic or natural dentist, Invisalign retainers can gently and gradually move your teeth to the proper position without using metal brackets or braces. You’ll smile more often!

Improve Your Dental Health

Your mouth is like the gateway to your body. Your teeth and gums can say a lot about your overall health and how well you take care of yourself. Straight teeth and a good bite can improve your health. Teeth that are improperly aligned or crooked are more prone to gum disease or periodontal disease. The gums can be swollen or red because the teeth are crowded or too far apart. If left untreated in the mouth, bacteria can cause tooth decay and gum disease. This condition can also lead to sores, bleeding gums, bad breath, and even possible tooth loss. The American Dental Association has done studies that show infections in the mouth can lead to other more serious conditions like heart disease, stroke, pneumonia, and possibly diabetes.

When teeth are straightened using Invisalign, it helps the gums grow snugly up against the teeth, which is one of the best defenses against periodontal disease. Straight teeth help make oral hygiene easier and more effective, reducing the likelihood of these consequences. Your holistic or natural dentist knows that a healthy mouth can contribute to a healthy body

Your Encinitas Holistic Dentist Talks About Dental Implants 

Are you missing one or more teeth? Do you think you don’t really need to replace it because it’s in the back or it’s too expensive, or you just don’t want to bother? Concerned about the cost and about your dental insurance? Here are a few facts that might change your mind.

The problem can be significant. Those with missing teeth or dentures aren’t able to chew effectively and tend to favor areas of their mouth to eat with. This interferes with proper digestion and assimilation of nutrition. Missing teeth and dentures also cause bone loss in the jaw from the missing tooth area, which in turn causes the cheeks to sink in with increased wrinkles in the face and eventual deformity. The remaining teeth in the mouth will move to try and fill in the space. They will lean back or forward into the empty space. The opposing teeth – those directly above or below the missing tooth – will extrude or “grow into” the empty space, making the alignment of the bite off which can cause facial and jaw pain or headaches.

 Cosmetic Dentistry

The answer may be natural cosmetic dentistry provided by a qualified holistic dentist. Dental Implants are a great choice for missing teeth and for denture placement and support to keep the jawbone intact, the alignment of your bite in its proper place, and a host of other great benefits. In one study, people with implants under their dentures were able to increase their chewing force by up to 300%, being equal to those with all their natural teeth. In many cases, treatment can be covered by your dental insurance. Benefits include:

Improved appearance.  They look and feel like your own teeth and they are made to fuse with your own bone so they are totally natural in appearance.

Improved speech. With poor-fitting dentures, the teeth can slip within the mouth causing you to mumble or slur.

Improved comfort. Because they become part of you, implants provided by a qualified holistic dentist can eliminate the discomfort of biting and chewing even with dentures.

Easier Eating. You are able to eat your favorite foods with confidence and without pain.

Improved self-esteem. Dental implants can give you back your smile and help you feel better about yourself.

 Improved oral health. Because nearby teeth are not altered to support an implant like they are for a bridge, more of your own natural teeth are left intact, improving your long-term oral health. Individual implants also allow easier access between teeth, improving oral hygiene.

Durability.Dental Implants are very durable and will last many years. With good care, many implants last a lifetime.

 Convenience. You have the confidence of a permanent solution for missing teeth. They also can eliminate the need for messy adhesives or continual realignment to keep your dentures in place.

Many people don’t realize what an amazing difference dental implants can make in their lives. Filling those empty spaces in your mouth not only improve your appearance and self-confidence but are good for your overall health and well-being. An implant-supported denture is stable and easy to chew with. As a San Diego holistic dentist, using only safe, natural materials, can make your dentures healthier and feel more comfortable.

 Mercury Fillings Are Highly Toxic

A mercury filling is a toxic mercury implant in the body. No one would allow a lead filling to be placed. But the bad secret is that mercury is more toxic than lead, and much more toxic because it easily turns to vapor and is absorbed into the body. It can cross the blood brain barrier and go right to the brain. It is claimed by proponents that once liquid mercury is mixed with the powdered silver mixture (silver, tin, copper and a trace of zinc) it is encapsulated and can no longer evaporate or cause any problems.  Currently there are several studies from many different countries that have identified the ability of mercury to slowly leach out of the tooth with these kinds of fillings and into your systems. Dr. Layton has himself reproduced part of the studies by placing a mercury vapor detector in some one’s mouth with mercury fillings; the reading was many times greater than the established safety limits for mercury vapor exposure. Every time you drink liquids especially hot ones, or chew food, small amounts of mercury are being released into your body. Fillings five years old have been shown to contain only 28% mercury which means that most of it has already been released into your body. The danger is that mercury is cumulative in the body and the build up in the tissues is irreversible for some. The consequences can be manifest in many ways as scientific research continues to find more and more links to health issues.  Mercury toxicity or poisoning is outside the scope of dentistry and is more appropriately diagnosed in the medical profession. But there is too much evidence to continue such a practice.

 You may have also heard that removing silver/mercury fillings can be dangerous too. A heavy amount of toxic mercury is released from fillings in the mouth while being removed. Since drilling these fillings out of our teeth can unavoidably create a short-term high exposure to mercury vapor and particles that can be inhaled and absorbed into your system, many precautions are recommended.

1. Ask for a rubber dam, a protective latex sheath placed over the tooth. This prevents swallowing any mercury vapor or fragments while being removed.
2. Check to make sure the dentist uses a high volume suction or vacuum system to whisk away all the mercury vapor.
3. You can also ask for a nasal oxygen mask if you will feel more comfortable about not breathing any vapor.

In Dr. Layton’s office we’ve actually tested the air around the patient and chair during the process and found no evidence of mercury or mercury vapor because of the effective vacuum system he installed in his office. Our patients and our Dr. and staff are not exposed to any mercury vapor during the removal process.

Clinically dentists have repeatedly heard that same story from patients in their dental chairs, who have found that when they started getting their mercury fillings removed in an office that didn’t protect them; they got sick to various degrees and sometimes for months. They were probably mercury poisoned! That is why Dr. Layton is a holistic or natural dentist and has built his office around the concept of being a safe mercury removal office.

 Mercury Fillings Expand As They Age

The second secret is that mercury fillings expand, like water when it freezes, as they age and this can chip, split, crack and break the teeth. That is the reason for most crowns in peoples’ mouths! The amalgam expands because it corrodes, and metal corrosion always takes more space than the original metal. You might be familiar with how rust under a car’s paint will lift the paint. Corrosion can expand many times the original metal volume.

That is why the motto of the holistic dentist is, “Save your teeth, get the mercury fillings out.” Get them replaced before they crack and break your teeth and you have to get a crown or lose the tooth. If the tooth splits down the middle it has to be pulled. If a portion of the tooth breaks off, it can be saved with a crown. Conservatively, before the tooth breaks, the mercury filling can be replaced with a tooth colored, bonded, porcelain composite filling, and the tooth is saved. Or an all porcelain onlay or crown can be needed. Notice that it is more conservative to just replace the mercury filling; it saves all the rest of the enamel and tooth. If the tooth breaks and requires a crown, the whole tooth has to be reduced or in other words, the enamel ground off of it, for the crown to fit properly and protect the tooth. So “Save your teeth, get the mercury fillings out.”

One more problem – mercury fillings corrode because of electrolytic corrosion. There are electric micro-currents between different metals in the mouth. Like a tiny battery your silver/mercury fillings can generate electrical currents when bathed in fluid, like your saliva and continues to corrode the filling.  A battery is basically two dissimilar metals with an electrolyte between them. Saliva is the electrolyte, and so electrons flow between the differing electronegative potentials of metals. That is why if a crown with metal in it is placed over a tooth with residual silver/mercury filling in it, you might see a darkening in the gums around it, a metal tattoo. The tattoo is there because the mercury ions carrying the charge drop out of the electrical circuit into the tissues where it builds up and creates a darkening or as I like to call it, the mercury tattoo.

Here at Layton Dental your good health is our primary concern and we do everything we can to assure you that you are getting the high quality excellent care that you deserve. Concerned about your mercury fillings? Come see Dr. Grant Layton and have them safely removed and beautifully replaced.

+Grant Layton

The natural solution feels like real teeth and looks like real teeth. Natural is the most biocompatible, which means that the body does not react to it. Many times when a metal crown or bridge is in your mouth, the gums will pull away and that ugly metal rim shows. With natural restorations this does not happen. Today’s all-ceramic crowns and bridges are structurally built better and stronger without metals, and they definitely look better.

Advantages of a holistic dentist

The composite porcelain used for fillings is the most biocompatible available. These porcelain fillings are much better than silver/mercury fillings, which are constantly releasing mercury vapor, which is extremely toxic. Even more unnatural is that as the dark mercury fillings get old they corrode and expand like freezing water, which breaks teeth. This is the most common reason for crowns today. Mercury fillings are like “training wheels” for crowns. Porcelain fillings are more natural in that they bond to the teeth and hold them together. They are tooth colored and are almost invisible in the tooth. A natural practitioner will recommend not waiting for your mercury fillings to break your teeth, but rather replacing them now and saving more of your natural tooth structure.

Creating a healthy smile

Holistic dentistry also means a more healthful treatment. The hygienist should use ozonated water for disinfecting and irrigation while cleaning your teeth. The ozone water should be made fresh every morning. No toxic chemicals should be used during your cleaning. The dentist’s hygiene department should use a whitening system consisting of a peroxide gel that is fluoride free. Fluoride should never be ingested and is definitely not a product that a natural dentist should use.

A microscope slide can be used to identify oral bacteria. This is commonly used in periodontal cases where a patient may have bleeding gums or red and swollen tissues. The dentist can look in the microscope with you and target the problem. After targeting the problem, your dentist will work with you to eliminate any harmful bacteria and get you back to optimal dental health while avoiding gum surgery.

Everything in the holistic dentist’s office has been carefully chosen to be as biocompatible as possible.

What Is It and When Does It Occur?

Dental fluorosis is a defect in the enamel that takes place during the formation of the permanent tooth, usually from the time of infancy to six years of age. This results in mottling of the tooth, which shows up initially as white spots, progressing into permanently stained, brown, and pitted teeth. The enamel in its weakened state now becomes subject to decay, thus leading to the formation of caries or cavities.

Overexposure can also occur when children are given formula, juices, soda and sport drinks that contain or are mixed with fluoridated water. Have you ever noticed the warning label on fluoridated toothpaste? It may say that swallowing of toothpaste can cause stomachaches in young children. Excessive consumption of fluoride can cause the immediate effects of abdominal pain, excessive saliva, nausea, and even vomiting.

What can you do to be sure your children have minimal exposure? Since the damage in tooth development occurs between the ages of six months to six years when the permanent teeth are developing, children in this age range should be monitored for their intake of fluoridated products. Juices can be a hidden source of fluoride if they were processed in an area with fluoridated water.

Scientists Speak Out About Fluoride

Many researchers and scientist are coming to the conclusion that fluoridated water is harmful and not healthy for the body. Not only can teeth suffer from over fluoridation but skeletal fluorsis can also become a concern from long-term exposure. Here is what some leading dental scientists have said:

“One of the recommendations I’ve made is, because we now know that fluoride doesn’t need to be swallowed, that the public has to be informed. They should be told that it doesn’t work by swallowing it.”- Dr. Hardy Limeback, National Research Council Panelist.

“As far as I can see, there’s no doubt that the intake of fluoridated water is going to interrupt basic functions of nerve cells in the brain, and this is certainly not going to be to the benefit of anybody.”- Dr. Robert Isaacson, National Research Council Panelist.

“Fluoridation is against all modern principles of pharmacology. It’s obsolete. I don’t think anybody, not a single dentist, would bring up this question in Sweden anymore.”- Dr. Arvid Carlsson, Nobel Laureate in Medicine (2000).

Find a Holistic Dentist

In addition to avoiding fluoridated water, an important step is to look for a natural dentist who does not recommend or use fluoride on any of their patients. The chemicals that are used in water fluoridation and other products are not safe for human consumption and have no place in a biocompatible, holistic dental practice. Look for a dentist who uses more natural, safe products that are more effective in reducing tooth decay and are not toxic to the body.