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Katie: Hello, and welcome to The Wellness Mama podcast. I’m Katie from wellnessmama.com. And this episode is all about the link between your oral health and every other aspect of your health, including sort of your emotional and spiritual health. Kind of the idea that if you heal your mouth, you heal your soul. And I’m here with Dr. Sharon Dickerson, who is a pioneering biological dentist with 35 years of experience, specializing in trauma-informed care. And I feel like this is an area that’s not talked about a lot. But as a survivor of childhood trauma herself, Dr. Dickerson is deeply passionate about raising awareness of the vulnerability that patients face in dentistry and in healthcare at large. And she’s dedicated to restoring dental health and whole-body wellness by addressing the root causes of oral disease while offering thoughtful, compassionate care. And she says that nothing brings her greater joy than helping those who once believed they could never seek dental care due to their overwhelming triggers or fears. With empathy, expertise, and deep understanding of their experiences, she guides people toward healing. And she is committed to this as her mission. Let’s join her now and learn from her. Dr. Dickerson, welcome. Thank you so much for being here.
Sharon: Hi, Katie. Thanks for having me. It’s really an honor to be on your podcast.
Katie: I’m really excited for this topic and we’re going to get to go deep on it today. But to intro broadly, I feel like some people may not even be aware that what you provide to the world is something that’s possible. I know personal friends and I know so many people who have some fear about dental work and going to the dentist in general. And it seems that can be compounded if there’s any kind of trauma either related to dental work or not in the past. And so I would love for you to start off broad and maybe walk us through your personal journey and also your very, I think, unique and amazing expertise within the world of dentistry.
Sharon: Well, sure. I was really privileged to be brought up by a world-class dentist, if I had to say so, with my father. And so I grew up in the field just being around dentistry and seeing how my father related to his patients. My family had a holistic mindset about health. So that was all very positive. The unfortunate thing is that in the midst of that, in the 1970s and 80s, there was a lot of mercury filling material being used in dentistry. So I had a fairly immense exposure to that highly toxic material, just even running around the office and playing with mercury on the countertops that was in the office.
So by the time I became a young adult and I went to dental school and became a dentist, I had a great deal of mercury toxicity in my body. It took a while to sort through that and figure out what was making me feel crummy. And so I was able to figure out some doctors could help me remove that from my body. But I was stuck with being a dentist and having to still be exposed to that material and try to figure out how to manage it safely.
So that was really my entry point into what we might call holistic or biological dentistry. And so I was able to find practitioners to help me with my own toxicity. But then it was a matter of like, how do I protect my staff, myself, and my patients as we move forward with the various toxic materials in dentistry? Mercury fillings being one of them. And there are several others that I learned about that we could get into more. So that was the good and bad of my upbringing into the dental world.
Katie: That’s so fascinating. And you’re right, I’d love to delve into some of the other toxins because I feel like hopefully people have heard of mercury and understand that that’s not great for us, but that there are many others as well. And in researching for this, I came across something that you wrote about that you’ve come to understand that the mouth is a mirror of the body and the mind and that by healing our mouths, we’re not just restoring oral health, but we’re also nurturing our soul.
And before we dump into oral toxins more specifically, I would love if you could just speak to that a little bit, because like I said, before we started recording, oral health has been a pet research topic of me for so long. And I find this so fascinating, but I feel like a lot of people still don’t understand just how intricately connected our mouth and our oral health is to every aspect of our bodies and even our emotional health, like you talk about.
Sharon: Yeah, it’s taking a broader perspective, isn’t it? As far as, you know, teeth are tiny, but they’re very vital organs in our body. They have a blood supply, a nerve supply, a lymphatic supply that is connected to our entire bodies. Actually, in the embryo, when the brain is forming and the neural pathways are being developed and laid down within the whole human body, if you think of it more even just from an energy medicine standpoint or a Chinese medicine standpoint with acupuncture meridians and that kind of thing, these neural pathways are laid down and actually traverse through individual teeth into the various organ structures that actually fuel the body and are the energy source for all the internal organs.
The teeth are literally in many different ways connected to our entire body. There’s an immense amount of neural feedback from the mouth, from the teeth to the brain, giving the brain all kinds of information about our state of health, about our state of nutrition. So when it’s working well, everything’s in synchrony and it’s a very smooth pathway.
When there are toxicities or infection or materials that are a blockage or providing extra toxicity, that can actually be a disruption. And so, that’s why when we’re healing different parts of our mouth, it actually is truly affecting the entire body. And to the contrary, when there’s disease in the mouth, it is going to have an effect on the immune system, circulatory system, digestive tract, many, many metabolic functions in our body.
Katie: It makes so much sense to me. And I’ve anecdotally heard from friends, for instance, who had a root canal that had gotten infected and they didn’t know it. And they started having all of these weird health symptoms. And when they had the root canal removed and not properly, I guess, cleaned or however that’s handled, their health changed drastically. Like their sleep changed, their resting heart rate. Like it was incredible.
Sharon: Absolutely.
Katie: And I would guess that even on a smaller scale, it doesn’t have to be something as extreme as like a root canal that’s turning into an abscess. But even like small scale exposure, because like you talked about the mouth being so connected, can make a big difference. You mentioned mercury. Can you walk us through what are some of the other common toxins that someone might encounter in the oral health world that we might not be aware of?
Sharon: Yeah, just on the mercury side, it is just a very potent neurotoxin. And it does have an effect when we get micro-dose exposure through these dental amalgam fillings. Another one, you’ve already alluded to the root canal issue. And root canals are kind of a touchy subject because the good thing about root canals is people can get out of a toothache type of pain. And the specialists that do that kind of work are very skilled. They have an intricate skill set to help people get out of pain. But the problem with the root canal side is that then the nerve supply and blood supply to that tooth is disrupted. It’s actually removed.
So this tooth doesn’t have any good immune system left and different types of bacteria and other microbes will settle into that, all the micro-anatomy of that dead tooth. And many of these are sulfur-containing compounds that are very neurotoxic. They’re like mercaptans and thioethers that will become part of, well, they’ll get into the bloodstream and trigger the immune system.
So what you’re saying about some friends who’ve had root canal problems and it sometimes takes a while to uncover different things that are affecting why they’re not feeling well. But it can be very dramatic if somebody has a root canal tooth and they decide to have it removed for different reasons. And I have actually my own story, probably too long to share on this podcast, but I’ve had that health experience myself and it’s very dramatic. Sometimes it’s almost immediate when that toxic load is removed.
A couple other things that people don’t think about are many times even metal crowns in your mouth. Sometimes they look gold, but a lot of white crowns that might have been done 20 years ago have a metal substructure. These metals have things that can be triggering of our immune system and that people can be allergic to, like nickel and gold and silver and strontium and palladium, things that really aren’t innate to our body. And that can actually have an effect on our moods and our anxiety levels just because of the chronic immune system that it triggers.
And probably even just the little metal retainers that people have from their orthodontist might have put that to make sure their teeth don’t move and they’re bonded into their mouth. Those are usually nickel or aluminum that can be a disruptor.
So then we talk about fluoride. That’s more in dental oral health products that’s another toxic material that affects neural development in children. Results in lower IQ if it’s at too high of a level, can disrupt thyroid function. So it’s kind of a whole different world when you look at, if you decipher through each individual type of material that dentistry has been using to see how it could be negatively affecting someone’s overall metabolic function.
Katie: Yeah, the fluoride piece was a big one for me when I had thyroid issues in the past. And actually avoiding that was part of my sort of intro into researching oral health and how I kind of started really deep diving into this in the first place.
Sharon: Yeah.
Katie: I’m guessing people may be wondering, especially we talked about the root canal part a little bit. Often root canals are recommended or people are told by their dentists they need a root canal.
Sharon: Yes.
Katie: I know there’s a lot of nuance there and obviously probably very personalized to the patient. But are there any generalities that are helpful for someone in navigating if they’re told they need a root canal and/or are there alternatives they can consider? What do you typically recommend?
Sharon: So you’re right. You’re exactly right, Katie. It’s a very individual decision. To me, what’s most important is that everybody has proper informed consent about what are the benefits and what are the risks of any of the options. So for sure, a root canal has many benefits. And like I said, as far as alleviating immediate pain. But there are some risks long term that I think just that people need to understand. That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t choose to have a root canal at the moment.
But if you’re not going to have a root canal and there’s an infection in the tooth, the other option is to have the tooth extracted. So it is a big decision. And in our biological dental world, replacement teeth are on the rise. It’s happening more and more and more when people choose to have root canal teeth extracted. In ceramic implants are I think, a very viable option in terms of being a biocompatible replacement for a tooth. It’s like a ceramic implant that goes into the jawbone that your dentist can put a crown on and stay away from all metals and all biotoxic materials. So that’s something my patients and I talk through on a regular basis.
Katie: That’s good to know there are alternatives. And it seems like this has come a long way, even probably since when I was a kid, or certainly since my parents were young, as far as availability of much safer alternatives. How do you, in your practice, navigate that? Are you able to completely avoid most of the really toxic ones and use safer alternatives now that they exist?
Sharon: Yes, we are, actually. It’s kind of, it takes some continual evaluation of the materials we’re using and the processes we’re using. As you mentioned, more and more research comes out, but we are able to restore teeth without some of the most toxic materials we know about, like fluoride, BPA is another one that’s often in some of the tooth colored composite restorations. And there are products that don’t contain BPA.
And probably for me, the biggest factor is if a patient wants to have the mercury fillings removed, it’s really critical that that is done in a way that protects the patient and the doctor and the staff. So there are protocols that a dentist can go and learn through different organizations to handle that material in as safe as possible of a manner. Because the last thing you want to do is mobilize that toxin and cause an immediate immune reaction for the patient and then to have chronic exposure on the part of the dental team.
So, yeah, it’s kind of fun and exciting, I think, to be doing this dance with, okay, we have to get in there. We have to restore things. We have to fix cavities. We have to deal with oral infections. What’s the most supportive of that person’s body that we can use as far as materials and processes? It’s kind of fun.
Katie: And I love from researching you for this episode that it seems like you take a very root cause approach, which I love. It’s not like a symptom-based wait till there’s a problem and then treat the problem. But it seems like you also really delve into root cause. Again, I know there’s personalization with probably every mouth being different, but are there any kind of root cause beneficial things we can all sort of adopt as habits or learn and integrate into our lives that are helpful in sort of avoiding a lot of these problems, avoiding getting to the cavities beyond what maybe someone may have heard about just avoiding sugar? Like, are there other root cause things we can do to help support our oral health?
Sharon: Well, there absolutely is. I think, a couple of things. One is, yes, as you said, all the things that support a healthy lifestyle are going to be applicable to the dental world, of course. The best nutrition you can afford, the most nutrient-dense foods.
But I think it’s important if people are really trying to optimize their health to have some good assessment besides just how they’re feeling because there are a lot of things that can be in the oral environment that could have chronic exposure that can add up over time. And remember, toxicities are part of our world. So the oral environment adds to our total load.
So I think it’s really helpful to go see a biological dentist and just really understand what is in your mouth, what are the possible potential risks for toxicity down the road or currently evaluate for oral infections. Sometimes they are kind of subclinical. The patient may not have sensitivity or be feeling it. So there are great assessments like a three-dimensional code beam radiograph that many biological and other dentists would have in the office now that give a much broader view of all the teeth and all the root structures that can identify if there’s any oral infection.
And then proper oral hygiene. It’s great to have a good hygienist who’s helping you and coaching you through exactly how to care for your mouth and to just really get engaged with that. Sometimes I think people, if they don’t have pain, they go on autopilot and sort of forget that this really requires some meticulous care on a daily basis. It doesn’t take long, but in two or three minutes, you can really ensure your oral hygiene and keep bacterial load to a very minimum. So just having a really good engaged dental team, minding all your health risks and your health practices, I think supports your oral health.
Katie: I’m curious if you are a fan or not of practices like oil pulling. And if so, if there’s any guidelines you give people around how to do that most effectively.
Sharon: You know, oil pulling is really popular as kind of an online, almost a biohack. And I do think it has some benefits. It’s going to dampen some of the microbial load. My concern with it is that sometimes people think that’s the treatment. So if they’re having decay problems or gum disease problems or inflamed gums, they have bleeding gums, they’ve been told they need some dental support for that. There’s not really a way that oil pulling is going to actually be treatment for that.
But as a daily practice, yeah, I think it has some benefits. The thing that I think we’ve learned is, I remember back when it was first kind of popularized, people thought they had to rinse for 20 minutes. That’s a lot to ask for a lot of people. I think now we’re saying five to seven minutes is adequate. And coconut oil is a good one. Some people add some sesame oil. This is all just part of different techniques to try to dampen the overall toxic microbe load. It’s a good tool.
Katie: Got it. So it can be helpful for as a daily practice, supporting the oral microbiome and all that, but not in a replacement for anything if you’ve got an issue going on, that makes complete sense.
Sharon: Exactly. Yep.
Katie: Okay. I would love to also talk about the trauma-informed side of this, because like I said, I know a lot of people have a lot of fear of going to the dentist. In fact, I’ve seen some lists that that’s actually like pretty high up there on top fears for a lot of people. And I would say I don’t have an extreme fear, but I did have a traumatic experience with getting a tooth pulled as a kid that made me leery of going to the dentist for a long time.
And I love that you, first of all, that this exists, that there is a possibility of trauma-informed dental care. I would guess maybe people haven’t heard of that. So can you walk us through what makes that different, what that looks like, and kind of just explain how that exists in the world for people who maybe have not heard of it and might benefit from that?
Sharon: Oh, absolutely, Katie. This is definitely a passion of mine. And I’m sorry you had that experience as a young person. And when I think about what we’re actually asking of people when they go to the dentist is actually quite remarkable in the world of health, in healthcare. The oral cavity is an extremely sensitive environment. The nervous system innervation to our mouth and our facial structures is really immense. So it’s also therefore very sensitive.
So any kind of pain or stimulation in the oral environment can be very intense. And we’re asking people to just open up their body, open their mouth, lie back, be completely vulnerable, usually to somebody they don’t know all that well. And just submit without typically any sedation. And then the dentist is literally going to be performing various types of microsurgery.
That in itself, I think, just warrants a huge amount of respect for that dynamic. And when people have had experiences that weren’t supportive, maybe their emotional health wasn’t managed well. So their dentist was mean. Somebody just wasn’t very gentle or kind. That can, in my opinion, make an imprint psychologically and emotionally that is very difficult to overcome without some additional support next time around.
So in my practice, I’m very aware of that. And so when somebody comes in, and it might not even be dental-related, Katie, it could be other trauma in their life that just makes it very vulnerable to, to lie back and open your mouth. So, it just takes some extra time to really get to know somebody and understand, you know, they don’t even have to tell you what happened or where it happened, but that they have trepidation and that it’s difficult for them to, I guess, submit.
And to just respect that it might take slower steps, one step at a time, build trust through conversations, through other more, I guess, less invasive forms of touch. There’s a lot of things I can discern just on the outside of the mouth with the TMJ and the head and the neck and the way their jaw is functioning. And sometimes maybe that’s all we do on the first visit. And help them realize there are ways to overcome it with proper support and acknowledgement of that past trauma. Usually we can get through it. It just takes a little bit more time.
Katie: And I can only imagine, even as you were explaining that, how just working with someone who has that mindset and who’s so like aware of the patient experience probably makes a tremendous difference in their comfort level. And like you said, their ability to trust and want to be in that vulnerable position and know that they’re safe there and that you’re on their team and that scary experience is not going to recur. Especially, I can imagine if those things happen when someone’s very young, those feelings can be so anchored even before necessarily the cognition and the memory of it. And so that can be really tough, I bet.
Sharon: Yeah, it can be. And I think it takes a whole team approach too. Even on the first phone call, my team is very aware that some people have this. And it can be such a barrier to their moving forward with their oral care, which is a catch-22 because then people avoid it, problems in their mouth get worse.
And the other compounding factor that I notice is that if they have this kind of anxiety about their dental history, they’re maybe even shy about their own oral hygiene. They just feel like this is a yucky part of their body and it’s full of anxiety. So they kind of avoid it all the way around. And then they get to some pretty severe problems that are even more difficult to address and to treat.
So part of my mission is to help people really start to value their mouth and learn in stepwise fashion ways that they can engage and feel comfortable with their mouth, learn how to care for it, take some steps that starts to elevate their esteem about their mouth and start reconnecting with this incredibly vital part of their body. It’s like some people disassociate almost and become disconnected and want to just ignore it until there’s a problem they can’t ignore. So helping people through that is actually really gratifying to me and my team.
Katie: That’s amazing. Well, you briefly mentioned TMJ, and we’re going to get to do a whole other episode on that particular topic. But I know you have a resource related to that, so I will link to that in the show notes. But for today, if someone is hearing how your approach is so different, and they maybe resonate with being in a place where they know they have stuff going on in their mouth, they’ve been afraid of dentists their whole lives, are you accepting new patients? Where are you located? And can people work with you?
Sharon: Yes, we’re in Denver, Colorado, and we do offer a free 15-minute phone consultation with my administrative team. That’s really just a chance to sort through really what’s going on for people and discerning if our practice is a good fit for them, or maybe there’s another resource that we’ll direct them to. I love being in a collaborative effort with colleagues around the country and with different allied health care professionals. And my team is really well versed on kind of discerning that.
And I think probably one of the best resources is our website. You mentioned you found a few resources on there, but we’ve put a lot of time and effort to try to make what’s on there and the different articles and blogs of valuable content for people. So I think it’s sharondickersondds.com. And even if just to learn some things, I encourage people to go to the website.
Katie: Awesome. Well, I will link to that in the show notes for any of you listening on the go. And stay tuned because we will get to do a follow-up episode. I’m excited to learn about TMJ. But Dr. Dickerson, for today, thank you so much. This was so fascinating. I’m so grateful for your time.
Sharon: It’s my pleasure. Thanks, Katie.
Katie: And thank you for listening. And I hope you will join me again on the next episode of the Wellness Mama podcast.
If you’re enjoying these interviews, would you please take two minutes to leave a rating or review on iTunes for me? Doing this helps more people to find the podcast, which means even more moms and families could benefit from the information. I really appreciate your time, and thanks as always for listening.
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