Biological Dentistry

Biological Dentistry Services

Biological dentistry describes a philosophy where there is a more holistic approach to oral health and primarily cares for patient’s health and safety.

A whole-body dentistry approach will help to minimize the impact of the dental treatments, always seeking the safest and least toxic way to accomplish specific treatments that suit the individual needs of each patient.

To achieve that, I follow and respect the guidelines and recommendations of the Institute of Functional Medicine and the protocols of the IAOMT.

I often work in conjunction with other complementary healthcare practitioners such as kinesiologists, chiropractors and osteopaths.

​Consultations can be held in English, Portuguese and Spanish.

Biological dentistry services

MERCURY FREE AND MERCURY SAFE

SAFE AMALGAM REMOVAL - SMART

BIOCOMPATIBLE MATERIALS

PERIODONTAL DISEASE

ORAL MICROBIOME PROFILE TEST

DENTISTRY FOR CHILDREN AND DEVELOPMENT

NUTRITION DENTISTRY

RESET- JAW MUSCLE RESETTING TECHNIQUE

OROFACIAL MYOFUNCTIONAL DISORDERS (OMDS)

BREATHING PROBLEMS

SWALLOWING

SLEEP DISORDERS

Ana Vilas Boas Sousa Surwald Dentist

The word of our head doctor

“My mission is to bring safe, biocompatible, holistic and ethical health care to people through her expert knowledge of biological and holistic dentistry and dental nutrition. I am a mercury-free, mercury-safe and biological dentist.”

Dr. Ana Surwald

Biological and Holistic dentist, head doctor

Safe Amalgam Removal - SMART

The IAOMT protocol recommendations for amalgam removal are known as the Safe Mercury Amalgam Removal Technique (SMART).

For more information, please follow the link:​ https://iaomt.org/resources/safe-removal-amalgam-fillings/

“Mercury-free” is a term with a wide-range of implications, but typically refers to dental practices that do not place dental mercury amalgam fillings.

“Mercury-safe” typically refers to dental practices that use safety measures to limit or prevent mercury exposure, such as in the case of removing previously existing dental mercury amalgam fillings and replacing them with non-mercury alternatives.

“Biological” or “Biocompatible” dentistry typically refers to dental practices that utilize mercury-free and mercury-safe dentistry while also considering the impact of dental conditions, devices, and treatments on oral and systemic health, including the biocompatibility of dental materials and techniques.

safe-mercury-amalgam-removal-technique

Dental Biocompatible materials

As biologically-minded dentists, I work to maximize strength, durability, comfort and aesthetics, always seeking to minimize toxicity, immune reactivity and galvanic stress.

For some, the effects of dental materials on their health can be significant. Today we are exposed to thousands of potentially toxic substances that didn’t exist 50, or even 20 years ago and every year more are added to the list. The effects on health of man-made substances vary from person to person. Some may not be affected, while, for others, the same substance may be toxic and elicit a harmful reaction.

The source of these substances ranges from what is put into the food we eat, to household chemicals, pesticides, toxic substances resulting from the manufacturing process, auto emissions, and products and materials used in medical and dental treatment.

I seek to use the safest and more biocompatible materials. I offer BPA free composite fillings and other metal free options like e-max crowns or on-lays, trinia dentures, clear acrylic dentures and ceramic implants.

Biocompatible-materials

Periodontal Disease

Bleeding gums (gingivitis) is the earliest stage of gum disease. Gum disease is a chronic condition that’s difficult to treat. It’s also linked to health problems such as heart disease and type II diabetes. Bleeding gums are a sign of systemic inflammation and oral flora imbalance. Decreasing inflammation and balancing the oral and your gut microbiomes, alongside good oral hygiene measures, may be the key to a cure.
This can stop the immune imbalance that causes bleeding gums. I offer a Naturopathic Dental Assessment that can support bleeding gums and periodontal disease. The Oral Microbiome Profile test can add important information and will help to monitor oral dysbiosis.
Periodontal-Disease

Dentistry for children and development

We all want our children dental health to be great for life. We dread the day they have toothache or need a filling or getting braces. ​With the right approach, children dental health doesn’t have to be a chore! ​Children dental health begins during pregnancy and birth.
​The correct steps can ensure baby teeth are off to a great start:​

  • An oral exam for the newborn with a lactation and breastfeeding check;
  • A diet that focuses on foods to promote skeletal development, strengthen their teeth, prevent cavities and avoid braces.
  • Dentistry for children should be about getting to the root cause of their problems.
  • The aim should be about prevention and eating the right foods for healthier, straighter teeth and ultimately for a better health.

Dentistry-for-children

Have any questions? Call us now!

+440 742 303 63 50

+440 742 303 63 50

Have any questions?
Call us now!

Oral Microbiome Profile Test

It’s an oral health and microbiome profile that uses quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) to provide an accurate, reliable and quantifiable measurement of microbiota abundance.
The profile detects: abundance of commensal bacteria, abundance of caries-associated bacteria and abundance of periodontitis-associated bacteria.
Oral-Microbiome-Profile-Test

Nutritional dentistry

When we talk about nutrition, we usually think of “diet,” and the bewildering selection of diets that have been proposed for health, energy, weight loss, etc.
We can also think about certain unifying, whole-body goals of nutrition that will enable the body to heal, excrete toxins, and feel healthy. Any of the specific diets can work for some people some of the time, as long as they support these overall goals.
Nutritional-dentistry

RESET- Jaw muscle resetting technique

Philip Rafferty developed a TMJ technique called RESET that enables to balance the muscles and ligaments. Over 80% of the electrical messages from the brain to the muscles and back to the brain are affected by the TMJ.
Even a fractional imbalance of the jaw muscles may cause confused electrical messages to the other muscles. By relaxing the jaw muscles, the Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is correctly reset.
RESET- Jaw muscle resetting technique

Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs)

Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs) are disorders of the muscles and functions of the face and mouth. According with IAOM (International Association orofacial myology), OMDs may affect directly and/or indirectly:

  • Breastfeeding;
  • Facial skeletal growth and development;
  • Chewing;
  • Swallowing;
  • Speech,
  • Occlusion;
  • Temporomandibular joint movement;
  • Oral hygiene
  • Stability of orthodontic treatment
  • Facial aesthetics and more.

Most OMDs originate with insufficient nasal breathing or with oral breathing.

Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders-OMDs

Breathing problems

The importance of breathing is often overlooked. Yet imbalances in the way we breathe affects body chemistry and blood pH, the first step in all diseases. Ideally, we should breathe through our nose with our tongue resting on our palate. Our nose is designed to filter, warm and humidify the air we breathe. Dysfunctional breathing can have a huge impact on your sleep and it therefore affects your general health. If we breathe through our mouth, our breathing is dysfunctional. Our upper and lower jaws may not develop to their full potential, the air will not be filtered, our bodies may be more acidic and our posture can also be affected.

We swallow around 2000/day ideally with the tongue resting on the roof of the mouth. In this way our upper jaw may develop to its full potential with enough room for our lower jaw and for all 32 teeth that nature has provided us. Mouth breathing or dysfunctional breathing affects whole-body health. Other symptoms such as migraine and headaches then may appear. In holistic dentistry, it is important to look at all factors that may cause pain and/or stress symptoms. Sleep is often a major factor that should be taken into account.

Breathing problems

Deep breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which induces the relaxation response. There are many different breathing practices that will accomplish this, but the following technique is very powerful and easy to perform.

1.Sit up straight.

2.Place the tip of your tongue up against the back of your front teeth. Keep it there through the entire breathing process.

3.Breathe in silently through your nose to the count of four.

4.Hold your breath to the count of seven.

5.Exhale through your mouth to the count of eight, making an audible “whoosh” sound.

6.That completes one full breath. Repeat the cycle another three times, for a total of four breaths.

You can do this 4-7-8 exercise as frequently as you want throughout the day, but it’s recommended you don’t do more than four full breaths during the first month or so of practice. Later you may work your way up to eight full breath cycles at a time. The benefits of this simple practice are enormous and work as a natural tranquilizer for your nervous system.

Myobrace® is designed to deal with these incorrect myofunctional habits by teaching children to breathe through their nose, rest the tongue correctly in the roof of the mouth, swallow correctly and continue widening the jaws so they grow to their full and proper size. This results in sufficient room for the teeth, allowing them to come in naturally straight and often without the need for braces.

The Myobrace®System is a preventive pre-orthodontic treatment that focuses on addressing the underlying causes of crooked teeth, often without the need for braces or extraction of teeth, unlocking natural growth and development.

Treatment is best suited to children aged 3 to 15 and involves using a series of removable intra-oral appliances that are worn for 1-2 hours each day plus overnight while sleeping.

Swallowing

“Correct swallowing depends on a proper relationship between muscles of the face, mouth and throat.”

When a person swallows normally, the tip of the tongue presses firmly against the roof of the mouth or hard palate, located slightly behind the front teeth. The tongue acts alongside with all the other muscles involved in swallowing. The hard palate, meanwhile, absorbs the force created by the tongue.
Because a person swallows 500-1000 times a day, improper swallowing can cause a variety of problems. But it is actually the resting position of the tongue that does the most damage because it is more constant. Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) eliminates many of the causes of swallowing abnormalities and improper rest posture of the tongue.
Swallowing

Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB) and Mild to Moderate OSA

SDB acts as major contributors to a range of health problems. In addition to having a negative impact on mood, energy levels, ability to regulate stress, behavioural problems and emotional well-being, severe sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnoea, have been associated with the causes of life shortening events such as heart disease or stroke.

SDB characteristically occurs when the flow of air through the nose or mouth is obstructed during sleep. While this airflow obstruction is typically caused by relaxation and poor muscle tone around the throat and jaws, there are many underlying causes of SDB. The most common of these are chronic mouth breathing, poor diet, obesity and poor development of the jaws. Additionally, orthodontics with extractions can exacerbate breathing issues.

Recent research has shown that myofunctional therapy may reduce the symptoms of sleep disordered breathing (such as snoring), and ameliorate mild to moderate OSA (obstructive sleep apnoea). When functioning and used properly, the muscles of the tongue, throat and face, can reduce obstruction to the airway.

 

With myofunctional therapy, a patient can regain the joy of eating, speaking, breathing, and even sleeping more soundly. Cosmetic improvements can help restore confidence and self-esteem.

Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB) and Mild to Moderate OSA