Sierra Centre - Bio-Compatible Dentistry

The term "Biocompatible" or "Biological" Dentistry is being used for a whole new paradigm of dental care. Traditional dentistry has typically followed a problem-oriented model, focusing on individual problems with individual teeth. When we do this, the whole body, and the whole person, often get overlooked. At Sierra Dental we believe that your teeth are just one part of your entire dynamic of wellness. We believe that everything is connected and that disease or breakdown in the mouth can affect what is happening in the rest of the body.

Evidence is growing that traditional dentistry, however well intentioned, may have been contributing to health problems. What has been overlooked is attention to concerns about how various dental materials and techniques may affect overall health. Biocompatible dentistry aims at optimal health for the whole individual. All materials and techniques are chosen because they are compatible with your health.

A great deal of concern has surfaced in the last two decades about materials used in dentistry that may be toxic and or have negative effects on the body. Is there really cause for alarm? Different dentists and practices have developed different beliefs around amalgam. In an attempt to be fair and honor others beliefs we are sticking to the facts. Here is what we know for sure, there rest is up to YOU to ask and decide for yourself.

1. We know that materials for “silver” fillings arrive at a dental office in a bio-hazardous container. We also know that when we remove a “silver” filling from a patients mouth, it must be contained in a bio-hazardous container and shipped back to a toxic disposal facility for special disposal. Therefore the only safe place for this material to be stored seems to be in the human mouth.
2. Amalgam is a mixture of mercury, silver, copper, and other metals. It is approximately 50% mercury. Although there is clear and irrefutable evidence that mercury does escape from this unstable compound, it is still widely used by the majority of American and Canadian dentists.
3. Holistic practitioners have been known to diagnose a patient with amalgam fillings without even looking in the mouth. Furthermore, some can even tell their patients which teeth have amalgam fillings based on the referring points and other issues in the body that are turning up as symptoms.

Sierra Centre - Naturopathic Dentistry

Naturopathic medicine, also known as holistic medicine or even biological dentistry, acknowledges the wide-ranging causes of illness and potential effects of treatment on our bodies.

In holistic dentistry, we seek to understand the underlying causes of dental problems, and to understand the relationships between your dental health and the overall physical health of your entire body.

Examples

• Nobody can deny that metal amalgam fillings reinforce and repair decayed teeth. But they contain mercury. So to fully understand how they affect our bodies as a whole, we must understand the wider-ranging problems that are caused by the introduction of mercury to the body.
• Holistic dentists have a slightly different approach to straightening the teeth and aligning the bite. Besides straightening the teeth we also focus on the face, head and neck muscles, and TMJ, to create a correctly aligned bite so that weight and jaw pressure is distributed ideally  throughout the mouth.

Our goal is not just to provide you with a beautiful smile and straight teeth, but also to do it in a way that is functionally sound and won’t cause other problems in your body. For this reason, we only use the safest, most natural materials in our dental work; and all of our work is done with your overall health in mind.

Sierra Centre - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a condition causing persistent fatigue that lasts for at least six months (or longer) and isn't due to another medical condition (e.g., hypothyroidism). It was initially thought that CFS only affects highly educated young adults who are "high achievers" or career-oriented professionals. It is now known that CFS affects people of all ages and from all walks of life.

CFS is about two to four times more common in women than in men. It is associated with extreme and prolonged fatigue that isn't relieved by rest. People with CFS experience persistent tiredness so severe that it prevents them from working, exercising, and enjoying normal quality of life. CFS is a poorly understood condition and there is no clear consensus about its diagnosis and treatment.

CFS is also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) or chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS), as it's called in the United States.

Dental Concerns

Oral manifestations of CFS can include Sjörgren’s syndrome, temporomandibular disorders, and fibromyalgia (myofascial pain). Furthermore, many of the medications prescribed to manage CFS can induce a variety of oral side effects, most commonly xerostomia. Routine and elective dental treatment, including periodic examination should be up kept but we will be aware of our patients energy levels when scheduling appointments.. This may include scheduling appointments for times when the patient is likely to feel well, and limiting elective treatment plans to procedures that are manageable for the patient. Consultation with the patient’s physician may be indicated for extensive reconstruction procedures, oral surgery or periodontal surgery.

Causes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

CFS is only just gaining acceptance as a "real" medical condition. Until recently, many people suffering from CFS symptoms were brushed off as psychiatric cases or were told "it's all in your head."

We don't know exactly what causes CFS, but it appears to be triggered by many different factors. Viral infections, genetic predisposition, environmental toxins, and immune reactions and chronic stress are all considered possible causes of the disorder. The persistent tiredness was once attributed to a virus called the Epstein-Barr virus (this virus is responsible for mononucleosis) but the link remains scientifically unproven and is no longer considered a potential cause.

Recent research has focused on abnormalities in the levels of certain hormones, specifically cortisol (the stress hormone) and the female sex hormones. No one knows exactly what causes the regulation of these hormones to be affected in CFS.

For some people, surgery, a head injury, or other traumas may trigger CFS. Some medications including benzodiazapines, beta-blockers, sedatives, antidepressants, and excessive use of antibiotics can cause significant fatigue.

It's likely that not one single factor is responsible, but rather a combination of factors. Physical or emotional stress seems to make CFS worse. However, further research is needed to figure out its causes and to better understand this puzzling condition.

Symptoms and Complications of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Extreme fatigue that lasts at least six months is the hallmark symptom of CFS. People are constantly exhausted and feel that their stamina is continuously low.

Other symptoms include:

• mild fever
• sore throat
• tender neck with swollen lymph nodes
• decreased ability to concentrate – “foggy brain”
• muscle weakness and joint pain
• headaches

Problems with concentration and memory often occur. A person might have mental lethargy, impaired short-term memory, or the inability to concentrate to the point where regular activities are disrupted. Other symptoms such as gastrointestinal problems, sleep disorders, or abnormal body temperatures are also commonly reported.

Symptoms may be severe enough to interfere with work performance, leading to sick leave and extended periods of bed rest. The symptoms of CFS can last for several years. However, they're usually at their worst in the early stages of the illness. Symptoms tend to reappear during times of emotional and/or physical stress.

Sierra Centre - Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is considered a soft tissue syndrome characterized by chronic musculoskeletal aches, pains, and stiffness that occur primarily in muscles and their attachments and are also associated with specific sites of exaggerated tenderness called trigger points. To date, no clinical biochemical serologic inflammatory immunologic or structural pathologic findings have been consistently implicated in the fibromyalgia syndrome. It occurs primarily in women and is seen very commonly by doctors who practice rheumatology.

The pain of fibromyalgia consists of a diffuse aching or burning and is sometimes accompanied by muscle spasm or muscle tightness. It varies from day to day and sometimes changes location, becoming more severe in some parts of the body that are most used, for instance the face and jaws and feet. This is the reason why almost all patients with fibromyalgia have a TMJ and facial head and neck pain component along with the diffuse body component of fibromyalgia.

Sometimes the pain of fibromyalgia can be so intense that it interferes with normal activities of daily living, including work activities. Also, the fatigue of fibromyalgia varies amongst different people and it can range from just a vague tired feeling to a complete exhaustion of flu-like illness. Most of the time, FMS is not fatal but it is certainly a very debilitating and depressing disease.

There are estimated almost 8 million Canadians & Americans who have fibromyalgia and the condition exists worldwide and seems to be most prevalent in adult women, although it can occur in children, the elderly, and in men.