In 1987 when I became a dentist, I was excited that I could take people out of pain with fillings and root canal treatments and restore their teeth with crowns. I was excited that I could take away their bad breath and bleeding gums and gum disease, or pyorrhea as it was called then. I could examine peoples mouths and check for oral lesions. I could play with tools and materials, and I had a Dr. in front of my name! Life was good
I am a product of tough nurturing. When I completed my fathers dentures, my dad declared, You may have gotten an A on the denture you made for me, but to me, you are a bad dentist. As you might imagine, I was shocked, and hurt.
Why dad? I asked. I tried so hard and your denture fits you so well. You are able to eat everything and the dentures dont even fall out of your mouth. I rambled on, trying to convince my father I deserved his approval.
Since then, dentistry has been a lifelong process of learning. I have kept my mind open to different concepts of diagnoses and treatments and spent many hours learning these methods.I learned how straight teeth begin from malaligned cranial bones and imbalanced jaw joints. I learned how different dental symptoms are related to sleep and breathing disorders and also how trauma from chewing can cause loss of teeth if the forces are not directed correctly. I learned comprehensive periodontal care. My experiences treating people since then have taught me that inflammation has a very powerful role to play throughout our body and inflamed traumatized muscles can cause a lot of systemic issues. I learned to believe that the whole body is connected!