Using Homeopathy as Part of a Holistic Dental Solution

Alla Aver, DDS, may be a dentist by profession, but that doesn’t mean she limits her work to just teeth. Her Glenview-based practice, A Center for Dental Healing, is a biological dentistry practice where she adopts a humanistic, whole-body approach with every patient, young and old. According to Aver, as a biological practitioner, also known as “wholistic” (whole-body) or “natural”, she takes into account her patient’s overall health to guide her treatment plans. “The mouth is an organ, it is the only organ you can see—it helps me recognize what is happening inside a patient’s body,” says Aver. “It’s like a window that helps us see things that aren’t always visibly obvious.”

Wholistic dentistry goes beyond simple repairing what is visible, like filling a cavity. Aver digs deeper to understand a patient’s medical health issues. A recent example was when a patient complained about bleeding gums. Generally, bleeding is caused by buildup of plaque, tartar or certain medications. In this case, this patient had none. Aver began asking her questions about her overall medical and emotional health. She discovered the patient was suffering from an emotional trauma, which could impact her health. Aver gave the patient Staphysagria, a homeopathic remedy that is a diluted version of a plant, and within a week the woman's oral health began improving.

Aver finds that dental homeopathy is not only effective, but safe. Several successful homeopathic remedies are commonly used by holistic and biological dentists like Aver, including Arnica Montana, Hypericum Perforatum and Phosphorus, which are used for swelling, bleeding and inflammation caused by trauma. Other remedies, such as Aconite, Gelsemium and Coffea Cruda, are used for dental anxiety and nervousness. Remedies such as Hepar Sulph, Staphysagria and Mercurius Solubilis can be used for tooth and/or gum infection and drainage.

Inflammation is the body’s natural defense mechanism to trauma. “Prescription pain medications work on the brain by deceiving our perception of localized pain and do nothing to heal the wound,” says Aver. “Homeopathy does not mask the symptoms; it works on triggering the body’s natural healing process.”

Another treatment therapy Aver uses that is relatively new to the United States is ozone dental therapy. Used in dentistry for decades in Europe, it’s only now being introduced to the U.S. and Aver is among the few practices that offers it to her patients. Ozone dental therapy does not require local anesthesia, drilling or filling and yet can be successful in treating tooth decay and periodontal disease naturally as well as manage teeth sensitivity. Even better, says Aver, it doesn’t have any side effects like many other treatment therapies that involve pharmaceuticals.

One of the reasons Aver is drawn to holistic dentistry and using homeopathic solutions in her practice is because that’s how she lives her life and how she’s raising her three young daughters. Her goal is to educate her patients about the importance of overall health and how oral health plays a significant role in whole health.

Just as important as helping her patients get and stay healthy is the need to employ safe protocols in her practice. This includes safe amalgam removal, using BPA FREE fillings and sealants, biocompatible dental materials and using organic products in addition to adopting a whole-body preventative care approach.

 

A Center for Dental Healing is located at 1300 Waukegan Rd., in Glenview. For more information, call 847-998-5100 or visit GlenviewSmiles.com and Facebook.com/drallaaverdds.

Megy Karydes covers sustainability, travel, health and more for national and local magazines. Find her at KarydesConsulting.com or @megy on Twitter.