holistic dentistry

dentistry /den·tis·try/ (den´tis-tre)

1. that branch of the healing arts concerned with the teeth, oral cavity, and associated structures, including prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease and restoration of defective or missing tissue.

2. the work done by dentists, e.g., the creation of restorations, crowns, and bridges, and surgical procedures performed in and about the oral cavity.

---

holistic dentistry  dental practice that takes into account the effect of dental treatment and materials on the overall health of the individual.

operative dentistry  dentistry concerned with restoration of parts of the teeth that are defective as a result of disease, trauma, or abnormal development to a state of normal function, health, and esthetics.

pediatric dentistry  pedodontics.

preventive dentistry  dentistry concerned with maintenance of a normal masticating mechanism by fortifying the structures of the oral cavity against damage and disease.

prosthetic dentistry  prosthodontics.

restorative dentistry  dentistry concerned with the restoration of existing teeth that are defective because of disease, trauma, or abnormal development to normal function, health, and appearance; it includes crowns and bridgework.

---

holistic dentistry,

dental practice that takes into account the effect of dental treatment and materials on the overall health of the individual. Especially important are the use of nonamalgam restorations and the replacement of existing amalgam with non-mercury-containing materials.