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According to Maryland State Dental Board regulations I am legally obliged to include that the official opinion of the State Board (and the ADA) is that there are: "no legitimate peer-reviewed studies that support a link between mercury amalgams and ill health and that there may be risks involved in amalgam removal". |
[1] My real name is.... well, Dr. Goldman. Michael C. Goldman to be exact. I have enjoyed practicing dentistry in the Baltimore - Washington, DC area since graduating from U of Maryland's dental school in ...ugh...1968 ....at the age of 12. Would you believe 18? Somehow I didn't think you would. I'm really not that old. That picture of me was actually taken 10 years from now..... Would you believe 5 years...?
Here's a recent unsolicited testimonial photo from a satisfied patient:
To be truthful, I did not take this photo; it was taken by Julie, my chairside dental assistant.
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[2]
Philosophy of Practice...a healing environment
Whenever two people come into relationship with good intention and purpose a healing environment is created for both of them. In such a relationship the patient and doctor become equal partners helping each other toward physical and spiritual balance .
W
hile we must work with our physical bodies, we are also free to come from a place where we acknowledge a larger existence. That shift in perspective can change the experience from that of traditional healthcare to one of working together to heal our lives while on a physical level some symptom of dis-ease is being eased.****
But to just talk about the "alternative-ness" of my dental practice would be to give you the wrong slant on it. Very simply, we work hard to make dental care as comfortable and gentle - yes, even as pleasant - as we can......
A TV is recessed into the ceiling right above you as you recline in the treatment chair. It can be turned off if you prefer, or as most of our patients do, you can pick from a menu of calming... even meditative... video tapes of concerts, nature, shows, etc. ( some bring a favorite of their own)........ You control the volume level of the video's soundtrack in your headphones....... The chair gently vibrates (or not, as you wish) for a full body relaxation massage......... You may be offered homeopathics or essences to help calm and relax........and more....
Why do I provide this? Is it a gimmick? No.... The idea is very simple and scientifically sound. We humans have the mixed blessing of only being able to focus our attention on one thing at a time. So, if all there is to focus on is dental treatment...you guessed it! The whole time nothing but dental treatment... On the other hand if your senses are pleasantly overwhelmed with positive, pleasant sensations --. your hearing, your seeing, as well as your body feeling -- then your attention is continually pulled away from the dental sensations. So at the end of one hour's dental treatment, you may have only focussed on it for five minutes....or maybe not at all!
So, as much as I would like to believe a visit to the dentist (this dentist) is easy and - fun ---- I know it's the hardest thing in the world for many people. For others it may be fairly easy, but for most it's somewhere inbetween. Everybody can well use a little help....and kindness.
One of the most satisfying experiences I have in dentistry is that of helping a dental-phobic patient turn - blossom ! - into a relaxed and self-satisfied patient and friend.
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There surely is a lot of rhetoric out there about what's holistic and what's not. Basically, we all want and need to be treated with kindness. That's a very simple idea and yet seems elusive in its application. Trendy new techniques are not the answer...at least not by themselves.
Some of the new and trendy ideas (like mercury-free dentistry) are gaining support as evidence mounts in their favor. Some ideas have little evidence, but somehow just feel intuitively right. But application of technology - whether it's traditional western medicine or alternative care needs to be done with heart.
Otherwise all we have is technicians. What we need is closer to the idea of healers. What is best to my thinking is a blend of the two, technician- healers. To blend the two is to function with the mind and heart, rather than just mind or heart.
Attempting to take the best of what western and eastern approaches to life and health have to offer seems to me the paradigm that is emerging. But it's just as easy to get puffed up and stuffy about eastern ideas as about traditional ones. Truth always is simple.
The Dalai Lama has stated that his religion is kindness. I think that says everything! So it is, to me, in my field - dentistry - that if I can treat people with simple kindness that is 95% of what's important. The rest, the appropriate technology, will naturally flow from that mindset....
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In my practice we use a combination of traditional dentistry and alternative approaches where we can. In some cases our belief in alternative ideas leads us to limit or modify traditional technique. Some major examples are that we do not use mercury ("silver" amalgam fillings are 50% or more mercury), and that while I do root canal treatment, I have modified the way I do it because I think some important and very possibly legitimate issues have been raised about traditional root canal treatment.
You will find more detailed info about these and other topics by clicking the "Topics/Info" button below.
My own training includes some basic understanding and capability in Homeopathy and Cranial Osteopathy (Cranio-Sacral ), and Reiki. Two of my staff have also been trained as Reiki practicioners. And I constantly learn from my patients, a large portion of whom are involved in providing or receiving a wide range of alternative healthcare services in the Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia area and beyond.
I am affiliated with DAMS (Dental Amalgam Mercury Syndrome), a lay network of individuals interested in getting out the word about how they feel they have been adversely affected by mercury toxicity. (phone: try 800-311-6265).
IAOMT is another great organization (Inernational Association of Oral Medicine and Toxicology). It is a network of professionals - physicians, dentists, other healthcare providers and research scientists dealing with toxicity issues ....
IAOMT Mission Statement: "to promote the health of the public at large by examining and compiling scientific research relating to the BIOCOMPATIBILITY of oral/dental materials to insure their informed use in clinical practice."
PPNF (Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation) is another great organization. PPNF is all about increasing our knowledge of what's healthy and what's not. A lot of their material deals with nutrition and also with issues of what may be toxic to humans that we come in contact with in the food we eat, as well as substances we come in contact with. Dental materials like mercury (used in "silver" fillings) is a big issue. Certain aspects of root canal treatment have been questioned. I support PPNF in its fine non-profit work.
These organizations are daring and dedicated. What they promote flies in the face of established authorities, often placing them on the hotseat of controversy. They are committed and believe what they say. Time will prove them right or wrong, but to me, what they say is mostly compelling and makes sense. Even if they are only partially correct, they raise warning flags for us where others are not even noticing evidence of potentially huge dangers!
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