Last year, the American Lung Association reported that California had the worst air quality in the United States. The Bay Area was ranked 6th as the most polluted metropolitan area. Santa Clara County in particular received an ‘F’ for the quality of its ozone levels. Despite these results, the news isn’t all bad. In fact, the ALA also reported that the county’s numbers are improving. Local and state legislature is making it possible for Santa Clara County to see and breathe a clean atmosphere. And despite struggling ozone levels in the air, ozone is proving to be an effective therapy in holistic dentistry because it’s a natural element that works effectively at cleaning up oral pollution.
Natural Elements that Clean Up Bad Bacteria
Ozone therapy is an activated form of oxygen. While regular oxygen molecules contain two atoms, ozone contains three, making it an unstable molecule. Unstable molecules react especially well with other organic molecules, like those that make up oral bacteria. As a gas, ozone can penetrate to parts of the tooth where tools can’t reach, like a ninja assassin.
Oral bacteria in plaque and tartar create acid that breaks down the enamel of your teeth. As the enamel breaks down, it causes teeth to become susceptible to damage and decay from cavities and disease. Applying ozone to teeth that show early, minimal signs of decay, can kill the bacteria, effectively preventing potential cavities and other effects of decay.
Why Ozone Is a Holistic Health Treatment
Much like the ozone layer in the Earth’s atmosphere, our mouths are one part of an interconnected whole. The Earth and our bodies are healthiest and function at their best when all aspects are working properly together. That’s why Top Down Dental’s approach has made a commitment to providing ozone treatment, a holistic dentistry method. Ozone treatment meets all three of holistic dentistry principles.
Rather than introducing foreign or nonbiological elements to our mouths, holistic dentistry aims to first leverage the body’s natural processes to heal itself. One of the methods for achieving this is to leverage its natural resources as well. Ozone as a natural gas kills bad bacteria through natural biological reactions, which allows our bodies to better utilize the minerals in our saliva to repair tooth enamel and reverse decay. Allowing our bodies to naturally function and repair themselves follows the principle of holistic dentistry that acknowledges whole-body health.
Finally, holistic dentistry is committed to using materials that are biocompatible or bio-inert. Ozone’s impacts are limited to the treatment area. It doesn’t cause systematic effects, making it a highly biocompatible approach.
Ozone is having immense impacts on our lives both in environmental pollution and in the progression of holistic dentistry. Fortunately, improvements are being made in both areas, allowing Santa Clara residents to live in a healthy environment and with healthy bodies. To learn whether ozone therapy will be an effective treatment for your condition, please call (408) 354-5600 today for an appointment with San Jose holistic dentist Dr. Nancy Nehawandian at Top Down Dental.