Now, you might consider oral health and natural health as two separate topics. However, holistic health is coming to the fore in the current era and this is bringing dentistry and naturopathy into holistic harmony for some in the profession. The push toward this is coming from the discoveries being made in medical research about the importance of oral health to systemic conditions within the body more generally. The whole idea of artificially demarcated borders between health specialities is coming under question, as to whether it truly serves us well. Dentistry and naturopathy are merging in the practice of some dental practitioners, as they seek the best outcomes for their patients.

Can Dental Care Incorporate Naturopathic Understanding For Better Patient Outcomes?

For many years, complementary or alternative medicines were frowned upon by the medical establishment. In fact, they went out of their way to denigrate them as quackery and you can still get some in the professions with this attitude. In truth this was borne out of competitive market forces wishing to expunge the competition from the healing sector. The older forms of medicine and healing were actively slurred and condemned as backward and akin to witchcraft in some extreme cases. Slowly, this has been changing, however, and a begrudging respectability has emerged for some forms like naturopathy. Yet bringing dentistry and naturopathy into holistic harmony is next level in this regard.

What Can Naturopathy Offer Oral Healthcare?

The principles underpinning naturopathy offer a more understanding and less invasive approach to things. The modalities like nutritional counselling, herbal medicine, and detoxification can provide a rich basis upon which patients can make positive changes to their lifestyles, which may be negatively impacting their oral health. Rather than just performing dental procedures, which remove the immediate problem but go no way to preventing it happening again, this harmonising between two healthcare professions can offer something more. Human beings need to make changes to their lives and it will not magically happen on the say-so of their dentist’s one-off urging. The coming together of these two distinct practices give added weight to areas not normally endowed via the basic training to become a dentist. This is not to devalue the exceptionally high standards of dental training in this country, rather it can be an enhancement to an already impressive level of healthcare.

Acknowledging Respective Skillsets & Expertise

I think it is important with such additions that acknowledgement is given and communicated to both healthcare pathways and their respective expertise. In the past, some have been threatened on this basis and the resulting negativity has been the outcome, which hasn’t helped anyone, least of all their patients.

“At its core, dental care is concerned with the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases affecting the oral cavity. While conventional dentistry has made remarkable strides in restorative and surgical interventions; it often operates within a compartmentalised framework that views the mouth as separate from the rest of the body. However, emerging research underscores the profound link between oral health and chronic systemic diseases, including cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders.

Naturopathy, on the other hand, is a holistic discipline that prioritises the body’s natural ability to heal itself. Naturopathic principles focus on identifying and addressing the root causes of disease rather than merely treating symptoms. These principles align seamlessly with modern dentistry’s growing emphasis on prevention and the understanding that oral health is deeply connected to overall physiological function.”
– Dental News

Fundamentally Different Approaches

The fundamental philosophical difference between allopathic medicine and alternative medicine has been their attitudes toward the body’s ability to heal itself. Modern medicine has been typically about the imposition of an outside agency, either in the form of surgery or pharmacology, that cures or manages the health issue largely independent of the patient. In contrast to this approach, Naturopathy seeks to facilitate the body’s own inclination to heal itself via lifestyle changes, subtle therapeutics and dietary inputs.

The dramatic clash comes when a patient is at that stage when it is too late for these natural prompts and only severe intervention via allopathic medicine will save this person’s life. The critics of alternative medicines always focus on these life and death instances but the truth is that for 95% of the time most of us are not in these emergency situations. Thus, bringing Dentistry and Naturopathy into holistic harmony can for the most part be a win-win for most people when we are not facing an emergency situation. Knowledge of natural health principles serve oral care patients well post-operation too with their healing.

The Future Of A More Holistic Form Of Dentistry

We are already witnessing the transformation of dental clinics into mini health spas. Mood lighting and sound. Natural therapies to assist patients with pain management. An overall realignment of ambience within clinics from stark white surgeries into softer spaces that enhance the healing process. These environments are more conducive to a range of special needs like autism and those on the spectrum. Disability-friendly dental clinics are the way forward for a society wishing to make itself more inclusive for all Australians.

Why should these folk have to be excluded from the brilliant standards of dentistry available in this country? Great leaps are being made by the dental profession down-under and progressive patriotism should see this only continue.

“With the global dental market projected to grow from $41.03 billion in 2025 to $87.65 billion by 2032, 2025 is shaping up to be a transformative year for the dental industry. Explore the most significant 2025 dental industry trends shaping the future of dentistry this year, offering insights into how these innovations are elevating the standard of care across the field.”
– Sky Tale Group

Deepening The Oral Care Messaging

The next thing to fix is making sure more folk can afford to be treated in these wonderful day spa dental clinics. A trip to the dentist is becoming a combined natural health counselling session in some instances. This can help plant deeper roots in the looking after oneself health stakes. Learning to appreciate your natural teeth and, therefore, assisting in their longevity within your oral cavity is a life lesson well worth taking on board. Naturopaths are wonderful health counsellors and if some of that can be incorporated into the dental clinic visit then it can only benefit the oral health of the nation.

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