I was going to go into pediatric dentistry. I had the grades, I had the board scores, I had everything. But when I was taught pediatric dentistry at the state school I went to, it was very surprising and eye-opening to me that this is how we do dentistry for children. I’ve taken a lot of traditional dentistry and taken it out of my treating of children and added my holistic dentistry.
The Practices I Refuse to Use
Never Hold Down a Child
We don’t ever hold down a child. We will make psychological problems and make that child an adult that doesn’t go to the dentist. And everyone needs to go to the dentist to have care.
Studies show that physical restraint techniques, including papoose boards, can cause lasting psychological harm to children and lead to dental phobia that persists into adulthood. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry acknowledges that restraints “may physically injure children and even compromise their respiratory functions; they may also harm children psychologically and lead to dental phobia.”
Parents Always Welcome in the Room
The only thing the child knows is their parents. They’re not to be alone with the dentist without the parents in the room. All of my operatories, that’s a fancy name for our dental chairs, have chairs. I have families of five and 10. I have sister sitting on the end of the chair while brother is getting his filling done. That is fine. The whole family and the comfort level of my patient in the chair is important. And if their family being there is part of that, that’s fine.
Traditionally in dentistry, we were taught when you take a child to do treatment on a child, you never want the parent in there because they’re going to mess it up, ask a bunch of questions, make the patient more anxiety-driven. I found that that is false. The only person in the room that is in charge is you. And if you’re in charge, then things will not go badly.
I’ve had parents say some really crazy things and I say, “Mom and dad, we may not say that. This is my patient. We’re not going to be scared. It’s not going to hurt. I’m going to talk about the treatment I’m doing. You’re going to stand there and be supportive and tell Johnny he’s doing a great job.” And they get it totally. I said, “Otherwise, you’re going to have to leave because you’re going to make my patient nervous and I don’t want my patient nervous.” And you know, and they fall right into line. They know I’m the expert. They know I know what’s best for their child.
Research consistently shows that parental presence during dental procedures can actually reduce children’s anxiety when properly managed. Modern behavior management techniques recognize that parents can be valuable allies in creating a positive dental experience, contrary to older philosophies that excluded them from treatment rooms.
The Materials I Won’t Use
Formocresol in Baby Root Canals
A root canal for a baby tooth is done differently than a root canal for a grown-up tooth. But oddly, a root canal for a baby tooth uses formocresol, which is of extreme toxicity and should not be placed in anybody’s mouth. When I learned dentistry and was taught to do baby root canals on baby teeth, the formocresol I poured out would eat through the cup that I poured it into. If it can burn a hole through the cup, then I don’t want to put it in somebody’s mouth.
Formocresol contains formaldehyde, which is classified as a probable human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and multiple health agencies. The material has been shown to be “genotoxic in vitro, inducing mutations and DNA damage in cells from a variety of organisms, including humans.” Many dental professionals now consider formocresol “therapeutically outdated” and recommend alternatives.
There are some materials that we use today to fix the nerve, to kill the nerve, to make the nerve not alive, so it won’t infect the body and won’t get inflamed. I will not put those in somebody’s mouth. There are other ways to treat teeth that need root canals for baby teeth.
No Fluoride for Children Who Will Swallow It
Some people want children to have fluoride. Some people don’t. Holistically, I think children swallow a lot of the fluoride we put in their mouth. So, it’s for your teeth, not your belly. We do not use fluoride on children if they’re going to swallow it.
Mercury Fillings Are Off the Table
The easiest filling to do in the mouth with the materials that we have is a mercury filling. It’s an amalgam filling. It can get wet. And guess what kids do? They move around and they lick all the time. And so, wow, we could do a filling and we wouldn’t have to worry about it being dry. Let’s use mercury. We’re putting a component mercury in a child’s mouth when they’re developing that is full of toxicity. I will not do that. And I was taught that in dental school.
The FDA now specifically warns against mercury amalgam fillings for certain high-risk populations, including children under six years old. Mercury amalgam fillings contain approximately 50% mercury by weight and continuously release small amounts of mercury vapor. Studies have shown that “children with dental amalgam compared to those without” have significantly higher mercury levels in biological samples. The developing nervous systems of children may be particularly vulnerable to mercury exposure, making alternatives like composite resin fillings a safer choice despite higher costs.
The Bottom Line
So those are things I’ve given up and changed.
The transformation from traditional to holistic pediatric dentistry is about recognizing that children deserve the same respect, safety considerations, and gentle care that we would want for our own family members.
When I see families of five and ten crowding into my operatory to support one child, or when I watch a nervous three-year-old calm down because mom is holding their hand, I know I made the right choice. Traditional dentistry taught me how to treat teeth. Holistic dentistry taught me how to treat children.
