National Oral Health Month - Revolutionizing dental care through wellness integration

#trustdentistryagain

There’s a familiar story we hear again and again. Someone avoids the dentist for years, until pain finally forces them into the chair. By then, the experience feels overwhelming, stressful, and costly. It’s a cycle most of us know too well.

We understand this because we’ve heard it countless times. And we believe this story can change. This September, as South Africa marks National Oral Health Month, we invite you to be part of this story with us. A story where dentistry feels good, does good, and helps you live well.

Oral health is more than teeth

Mills, Berlin, and Levin (2023) write about improving patient well-being as a broader perspective in dentistry in the International Dental Journal, an official journal of the FDI World Dental Federation. They argue that oral health is tied to one’s quality of life, affecting oral function, overall health, self-perception, social acceptance, and social interaction.

The story we are writing at Trust Dentistry shifts the narrative from dentistry feeling like something you have to get through, to something that could add value to your life. We do this not just through advanced technology or beautiful spaces, but through a deeper commitment to people, to purpose, and to wellbeing that extends far beyond the chair.

For example, dental diseases such as dental caries can cause pain, impaired chewing, reduced appetite, sleep disturbances, and reduced daily performance.

They can also lead to edentulism, impacting speech and facial shape, which affects one’s psychological well-being and confidence during social interactions, self-perception, stress levels, feelings of depression, isolation, and frustration.

A holistic, wellness-focused approach

A comprehensive oral health assessment should include keeping track of habits and life changes or challenges. Some of these include pregnancy, nail-biting, bruxism, smoking, alcohol intake, sleep apnea, diet, and psychological conditions.

By having broader consultations, these lifestyle aspects can be monitored and allow for referrals to other health professionals, improving patient well-being. This interprofessional communication is essential because there is often overlap in the condition itself. For example, bruxism can result from stress, indicating a deeper psychological problem. An intraoral device, such as a nightguard, can prevent tooth injury and the consequences of bruxism, but would not solve the fundamental problem.

Trust Dentistry aims to incorporate these aspects: our dental professionals will assist with managing general health, continuity of care, and increased social, psychological, and mental health. These aspects are intertwined and will help dental professionals treat the whole individual to better patient well-being.

Dentistry touches so many aspects of life: from the way we eat and speak, to the way we feel about ourselves in a room full of people.

We are opening our doors soon in Cape Town, and we have created a space where oral health is central to overall wellbeing; a space to #trustdentistryagain.

Mills A, Berlin-Broner Y, Levin L. Improving Patient Well-Being as a Broader Perspective in Dentistry. Int Dent J. 2023 Dec;73(6):785-792. doi: 10.1016/j.identj.2023.05.005. Epub 2023 Jun 19. PMID: 37344242; PMCID: PMC10658438.