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Beware of Dental Tunnel Vision By Mark A. Breiner, DDS


canals, cavitations, and temporomandibular joint dysfunction. However, this does not mean that everything must be addressed in every patient. Patient education is vital, and treatment must be in concert with their desire for health, aesthetics, and function.


D


Too often I see dentistry going through phases which I call the "All-Aboard Syndrome" dictated by insurance reimbursement, ways to increase productivity, and in all fairness, the desire of the dentist to do what they think is in the best interest of the patient. I too was not immune to this syndrome. After the army, when I entered private practice, I immersed myself for the next five years in the study of occlusion (the study of how the teeth and jaws come together) and full mouth rehabilitation. I learned that everyone needs "an ideal oc- clusion" and consequently when I had my mercury fillings removed, I had extensive gold restorations placed for the "perfect occlusion." Today, knowing better, I could have achieved the same result with conservative composite restorations, which would have required re-


entistry is essential to a person's wellbeing. One has to have an outstanding immune system to overcome poten- tial problems in the mouth such as mercury fillings, root


moving much less tooth structure. However, back then, many of us were getting "all aboard" with the concept of ideal occlusion which required extensive dentistry.


Laser Scaling


Another "all-aboard" phase is that almost everyone needs full mouth deep scalings (removal of tartar and tissue below the gum line) at a fee of $1500-$2000. Many courses are offered to increase your income with this approach. I believe this has come about because there is excellent insurance reimbursement for this pro- cedure. I can't tell you how many patients whom I have seen who were advised to have this procedure and when I examined them, the microscopic slide of their plaque was excellent, and they had no periodontal pockets. All they needed was routine prophylaxis and some home care instructions.


Mercury Filling Removal In addition, another "All- Aboard" phase that is growing now


involves mercury fillings. Patients are becoming more aware of the dangers of mercury in the mouth, and when patients ask their dentist about removing them they are told, "Sure, I can do that!" Here, are two problems: the dentist is completely ignorant on the sub- ject and removes the mercury fillings without any precautions to protect the patient; or the dentist has some "training" in the safe removal and believes that as long as oxygen is adminis- tered, and a rubber dam used, all will be well. To safely remove mercury fillings, much more is involved. Removal of just mercury fillings is reducing the source of mercury, but then the other heavy metals and toxins – not just mer- cury – must be removed from the body.


As a pioneer in this field, I feel that many holistic dentists become trapped in tunnel vi- sion. They think that that every health problem


54 Natural Nutmeg - 10BEST Awards/Essential Living Guide


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