Holistic Dentistry

We are able to enhance and improve your dental experience using Aromatherapy with Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade (CPTG) essential oils. At the Smile Center Peoria, we use essential oils to calm our patients, clean the air, and create a wonderful relaxing aroma.

So, what are essential oils?

Essential oils are naturally occurring, volatile aromatic compounds found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of plants. Not only do they give plants their distinctive smells, essential oils protect plants and play a role in plant pollination. These essential oils are distilled from the plant for our benefit and have been used since the Egyptian times.

In our practice, we diffuse calming oils to modify the negative emotional response associated with the traditional aseptic smell of many medical facilities. Calming is not just a state of mind, but rather a complete physiologic response. The individual who is nervous and distraught will almost always have elevated blood pressure, pulse, and breathing as well as sweaty or clammy skin. These factors contribute to not only an unpleasant work environment for the staff, but to a poor patient experience as well. By diffusing essential oils, we can watch these physiologic conditions change before our eyes. We invite you to experience it for yourself!

Ozone is O₃, a tri-atomic oxygen molecule and is as safe as oxygen when properly administered.

When medical-grade pure oxygen is passed through a corona discharge generator, pure ozone is generated. Ozone can be used in a liquid form (ozonated water) or gas form. When ozone gas is filtered through pure olive oil, it forms an ointment (ozonated olive oil).

Atmospheric O3 quickly conjugates with atmospheric pollutants. Due to this unique characteristic to bind with pollutants, ozone levels are able to measure pollution levels. Ozone is not hazardous; rather, ozone binds with pollutants found in our atmosphere.

The negative charge on ozone searches for and neutralizes anything with a positive charge. “Bad” cells including bacteria, viruses, cancer cells or free radicals typically carry positive charges on their cell membranes. “Good” cells will typically have anti-oxidants on their cell membranes and will deter surface oxygenation.

This type of therapy is used for:

• Periodontal disease – Flushing ozonated water below the gum line and/or ozone gas into the supporting tissues can be used to treat periodontal disease.
• Decay – Ozone kills bacteria that cause cavities and because it is a gas, it diffuses and permeates areas below the gum line, into the grooves of teeth and will eliminate bacteria on contact. After ozone therapy effectively eradicates bacteria, a filling can be placed. Sometimes, no filling or restoration is necessary if the area is not too deep.
• Sensitivity – Ozone gas administered to a sensitive or demineralized area on the tooth can harden compromised tooth structure and effectively eliminate sensitivity.
• Safety – Ozone does not have any contraindications with other medications, therefore cross-reactions are not a concern at all. You cannot be allergic to ozone, because you cannot be allergic to oxygen.

According to the American Academy of Oral and Systemic Health, 80% of Americans over the age of 35 have some form of gum disease. Unfortunately for many of these patients, traditional therapies and improved homecare alone have not been enough to resolve this. What else can be done to effectively treat gum disease, then?

Introducing the High Risk Pathogen Test.  This simple, yet highly accurate test is one of the newer services we offer as part of our efforts to improve our patients’ overall health, not just the health of their mouth. There is a direct connection between oral health and overall health, meaning if the mouth is not healthy, then the body will not be healthy either. Oral bacteria can travel into the bloodstream, potentially putting the whole body at risk.

The High Risk Pathogen Test analyzes a saliva sample for the top 5 bacterial pathogens that cause patients to be at high-risk for infection, inflammation, and gum disease. These bacteria also put patients at higher-risk for serious health problems, such as Alzheimer’s Disease, heart attack, stroke, cancer, and diabetes. Increased chances of adverse pregnancy outcomes including preterm birth and low birth weight have also been observed in patients with these oral pathogens.

The saliva test is the first step in helping to decrease the harmful bacteria found in the mouth, thus also decreasing the risk of more serious health conditions. Once the results of the saliva test are sent to us, we can get patients started on the best course of treatment possible to help eliminate the bad bacteria while at the same time encouraging the growth of beneficial bacteria.