The world is changing at an unstoppable speed, and so is dentistry. In the last 15 years, we have witnessed not just progress but a revolution in connecting teeth and periodontal tissues with the body.
Traditionally, this was not the case. At the end of the 20th century, there were serious and good attempts in this direction, but unfortunately, they did not carry clear scientific confirmation, despite the fact that natural logic demands clarity in this connection. Fortunately, due to massive investments in science, scientific technology has also advanced, and the field of ‘medical dentistry’ is returning at full and unstoppable speed. Thus, the mouth is no longer just teeth that we treat in one way or another with drills, but an ‘organ system’ located in the head.
The question immediately arises whether, for you who need dental care, it still makes sense to divide it into general and specialized dentistry? For your understanding, it is first important to understand why we speak of an ‘organ system,’ which will then make it easier and more conscious for you to decide whom you truly need.
We invite you to watch an excellent cartoon about what happens in the mouth. Teeth and the mouth are featured from the 24th minute onward.
At the same time, with the confusion surrounding the names of different types of dentistry, it can sometimes be very difficult to understand what the difference between integrative, biological, and conventional dentistry actually is. The question is whether, in these modern times of flourishing approaches, materials, and technologies, we dentists are really so strongly divided. You’ve surely heard terms like biological dentist, integrative dentist, functional dentist, and others. These terms are often used around the world; for example, biological dentistry is very popular in German-speaking countries, functional in the U.S., and integrative in the Romance-speaking world. For us, this ‘categorization’ in modern dentistry is unnecessary. Knowledge needs to be combined, and such selfless collaboration is what we need in these modern times.
Yes, it’s the team that makes us excellent. Research and development have brought us, as humanity, so far that today, an individual cannot ‘stand and endure’ alone. It is the heartfelt and dedicated work of the team that propels us forward. Those who know us are aware that we are an institution that is extremely advanced scientifically and technologically, and since we have been lecturing about our work worldwide, we have come to realize that we are a world-class institution. A special thanks goes to our existing guests (patients), who have trusted our work for 11 years. We currently have about 15,000 open files, and a good 70% of our visitors come to us through word-of-mouth recommendations. Without you, there is no us, and we offer our sincere and heartfelt thanks for your trust.
In considering the direction of medicine, which in reality is only one—meaning that the division into Western, traditional, etc., is, in our opinion, misplaced—we have prepared the above diagram. On the horizontal axis is the strictness of the approach, whether it is purely 'Western' or purely alternative, and on the vertical axis whether it understands human health broadly or narrowly. It is important to emphasize that this does not speak to whether something is good or bad, but rather about the perspective it has. In fact, modern medicine is all of this, a combination of all four quadrants.
If we return to dentistry, as you can read, we have divided it into four categories that are more understandable for you. The first are infections of the periodontal tissues and the tissues inside the tooth caused by infections; the second are inflammations that occur without infection and connect the ‘dental’ bone and the immune system; the third are the materials used, primarily bioceramic; and the last is the structural-functional system, which deals with the physical and psychological effects on chewing, clenching, and grinding of teeth, and the related pain.
What are the key therapies, then?
The above division makes sense both in the initial conversation during your first visit and in the planning of diagnostics and, consequently, treatment. Today’s times allow that, after a carefully planned treatment phase, you can be free from major interventions for the rest of your life. Of course, regular check-ups are mandatory, and proper oral hygiene is essential. However, constant problems can come to an end, and we can confirm this with more than a decade of experience. We invite you to watch the videos and read through the individual sections to see for yourself the long-term sustainability of this approach.
Each area is handled by a selected dentist and their team. We are organized so that the team consists of the dentist, their assistant, and the receptionist. In the case of prosthetic treatments, a dental technician is also involved. We place great emphasis on communication, as it always proves to be crucial for ensuring that comprehensive care runs smoothly. Your visits occur in phases: during the first visit, we have a conversation and conduct basic diagnostics, which includes photographs of your mouth and X-rays. Depending on the severity of the issues you have, and those additionally discovered via X-rays, we either immediately prepare a care plan or suggest further diagnostic methods. Once the complete algorithm for your rehabilitation is ready, we meet in our so-called concept room, where we present the course of therapies to you. Everything is explained in more detail in the individual sections, and we invite you to explore them.
How does what happens in the mouth spread throughout the entire body?
If we are already talking about the impact of the mouth on the development of modern chronic diseases, we must ask how bacteria, inflammatory mediators, and materials spread throughout the body.
1. The first and most obvious pathway is through saliva. A person produces 1 to 1.5 liters of saliva per day, which is rarely spat out but rather swallowed. Everything present in the mouth is in the saliva, such as bacteria found in periodontal pockets, metal particles, etc. It has been shown that there are fewer bacteria in the saliva than in the actual periodontal pockets or ‘granulomas’ that have penetrated the bone and drain into the mouth. However, every day, continuously, in a process called chronic, these bacteria slide down with saliva, like on a slide, into the stomach and from there into the intestines. The most harmful ones can even survive stomach acid and influence a variety of diseases in the intestines, including oncological diseases.
2. The second, also very obvious, is through the blood and lymph. The body constantly drains tissues, and the immune system successfully clears harmful factors either in the lymph nodes or the blood. In theory, harmful agents could reach distant tissues via this pathway, but it turns out that the body’s defense here is quite strong.
- The third pathway is likely something no one has considered, and it is probably the least protected. This is through the extracellular matrix, where the previously mentioned harmful agents travel through a network of collagen, hyaluronic acid, fibronectin, and several other molecules surrounded by a ‘water gel.’ This gel is originally intended for the movement of substances from the blood vessels to the cells and for the removal of endogenous harmful waste from the cells to the excretory organs—primarily the liver and kidneys. This space is also called Pischinger’s space. You can read more about it at this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_environment.
How do the mouth and teeth contribute to the chronic diseases of modern times?
The diagram above, in the green fields, shows the 8 main causes in the modern world for the development of most diseases that affect humans today. We have specifically marked the areas where the mouth and teeth are problematic.
MAHA
Slovenska cesta 54, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija, Europe
Tel. +386 51 248 888
email: info@maha.clinic
Mon, Tue, Wed: 8:00 – 15:00
Thu: 12:30 – 20:00
Fri: 8:00 – 13:30
© Copyright 2024 – Maha / made by visualbraingravity