Recently, there has been a growing trend to reject certain aspects of modern medicine in favor of natural remedies. While there is plenty of controversy to debate in that topic, today we’ll look at the benefits of what they preach, while cautioning some of the detriments.
Walking the Natural Line
Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet
At the heart of this Natural Renaissance is the whole food, plant-based diet. This diet rejects far more than just the processed food at the grocery store, it pretty much removes everything after the produce section. Those who adamantly follow this diet go so far as to remove even plant-based extracts, such as oils, in addition to all dairy, meat, fish, and more. They argue that what is added is the vital nutrients that your body needs, which can be found in leafy green vegetables. This has become something of a pharmaceutical alternative, as the complete lack of processed sugars and fats serves as a suitable treatment for ailments such as adult-onset diabetes and even some cancers.
The Alleged Dental Downfalls
While our Missoula dentist loves the added nutrients and subtracted sugars and acids found in this diet, we do caution taking the successes found in some aspects of health care treatment alternatives and applying them to everything. Many whole food, plant-based diet blogs and prolific characters have taken to extrapolating their findings to apply to dental care, citing the dangers of fluoridation and other alleged modern dentistry downfalls. This is worrisome because the successful treatment of one medical ailment doesn’t necessarily indicate a positive impact on everything; in fact, we’ve come a long way from when penicillin was prescribed for almost any ailment.
Moderation
The dentists of today are trained in far more than just administering x-rays and the common dental tropes, but are experts at identifying problems with teeth that could become dangerous for your oral health and entire body. Regardless of your lifestyle choices, regular visits to the dentist to have your teeth checked, listening to their advice, and asking questions as to why things have been prescribed is all we can ask. Ultimately, it is up to the patient to choose the treatment they are comfortable with based upon their fears, concerns, and beliefs; the dentist’s role is to recommend and administer treatment. We encourage you to change your diet for the better, but ask that you don’t allow your diet to take complete control your health care choices.
Contact Our Missoula Dentist
Our dentist is always happy to talk treatment best practices with his Missoula patients; if you feel like you’d like to know more about the benefits and risks talked about by those you subscribe to, then be sure to reach out our office today. Either way, be sure to schedule regular appointments to maintain your dental health.
