Our thanks to the office of Houston biological dentist Dr. Bill Glaros for letting us republish his essay on our blog. You’ll find the original post here, on his office’s blog.

What Is a Biological Dentist?

By William P. Glaros, DDS

A Biological Dentist is a licensed dentist who uses the greatest elements and practices of conventional dentistry, who also has a great appreciation of and gives consideration to the relationship of teeth and oral health to the entire body.

Some of the elements and practices of conventional dentistry we use include many wonderful and effective dental materials. The difference is that in our practice, we test dental materials for each biological patient to determine which material is suitably compatible for them. We use very few – if any – metal products to minimize galvanic reactions between different metals.

Reportedly, 50% of dentists in this country do not place mercury amalgam fillings. That’s a good start. As a rule, Biological Dentists avoid amalgam out of concern that the filling is a continuous source of mercury vapor at levels that can exceed those considered hazardous in non-dental environments.

We are interested and active in protecting our patients, our planet, and our dental team. So we have trapping systems in our office to prevent mercury from being dumped into the public water supply after it’s removed from teeth. During removal, we protect patients with drapes over their bodies, protective surgical caps on their heads, a healthy alternative air source, modified removal techniques to minimize exposure, and multiple air filters and purifiers in treatment rooms. Our team wears protective HAZMAT-type masks, eye protection, and non-latex gloves that we change immediately after the mercury fillings have been removed and we have washed our hands with cold water.

Beyond these mercury-free and mercury-safe practices, Biological Dentists believe that there are relationships in the body that make sense according to principals of acupuncture. This is one reason why we’re also concerned about keeping dead teeth – root canal treated teeth – in the mouth. Because we also know from scientific research that these teeth can be a source of anaerobic and other toxic bacteria that spread throughout the body, Biological Dentists question the value of root canal treatments and retaining such teeth with respect to their impact on health.

Though this communication is not meant to be exhaustive or instructive, a critical element not yet addressed is the importance of detox and nutritional support for each patient. Best care practice warrants every patient to be working with a health care provider with whom they share beliefs and who is appropriately adept at this service. (There, that feels better.)

The patients that seek the care of a Biological Dentist are the same people who seek organic foods, who are concerned about consuming GMO foods and farming, who believe putting fluoride in public water supplies is ineffective and wrong, who are concerned about the thimerosal (mercury) used as a preservative in vaccines.

Our patients are the best in the world. We love them. They seek our care because we pay attention to elements and issues that make sense to them.