Alvin H. Danenberg, DDS • Nutritional Periodontist
December 27, 2016
Below is an allegory inferring the way the dental profession has dealt with dental disease up until now. To address these issues, I’ve written a continuing education program for dentists and dental hygienists that is unique. It details the methods of preventing and reversing dental disease, building on a perspective of primal nutrition and functional medicine. In my next article, I will discuss this 5-part, 7-hour accredited course.
But for now, the allegory:
An Allegory
Imagine a road in a busy neighborhood with many homes lining the street. And, assume that many children live in these homes with their parents along with many of their pets. The street has no posted speed limit, and many cars and trucks whiz by frequently.
Children, dogs, and cats wandered into this street, and many got hurt – some severely and some even died. The community was stunned but responded in a predictable way.
The neighborhood put up a barrier along the side of the road to prevent kids and animals from wandering into the street. But, kids and animals were able to get around this barrier and continued to get hurt or killed. More barriers were placed, but children and their pets still were able to figure out how to get around them or over them.
More barriers were erected. For a time, the extra barriers worked. They kept the children and their pets from getting into the street. But, the barriers began to breakdown, and the oncoming and speeding traffic again became a real problem.
What could be done?
No one seemed to think about the simplest and most direct solutions. Someone not from the neighborhood finally suggested:
- First, the speed limit needed to be posted at 25 miles-an-hour, and the limit had to be enforced and monitored vigorously.
- Second, parents needed to be educated about how to prevent their children from wandering into the road.
- Also, parents needed to learn how to teach their children the dangers of the street and the cars. Children needed to be shown the consequences of dashing into oncoming traffic.
- In addition, families needed to learn how to contain their animals so they would not run free in the neighborhood.
- Most importantly, families needed to demonstrate that they understood this newly-learned information to save their children and their pets from harm.
Relation to Dental Disease
Putting barriers in the way of bacteria and acids has traditionally been the way to treat dental disease. It seems that no one is getting to the ultimate causes of these chronic and devastating health problems. Understanding and removing the actual underlying causes will go a long way in preventing tooth decay and gum disease.
Beat the Beast of Dental Disease is the program that gets to the bottom of all this. It builds from the basics of biology. Just putting barriers in the way of these diseases is not the answer. Barriers have been the preferred treatment plan forever. This ineffective way of thinking must change.
Next week, I will describe my continuing education program, Beat the Beast of Dental Disease.
