Have you ever walked out of the dentist having had an ‘aha!’ moment, feeling enlightened and emboldened to take charge of your health? No? Well up until recently neither had I. But after my recent visit to Clinica Peralta Silverstone this is exactly what I experienced. Let me explain.

First of all let’s be honest, no one looks forward to the dentist. Either you’re there because something is amiss in your mouth and ignoring it will no longer suffice, or it’s your regular check-up and you’re praying that all those times you’ve forgotten to floss lately aren’t going to result in a painful procedure and a bill as long as your arm.

I was due for the latter, and decided to take the opportunity to try out a holistic dentist that had been recommended to me. I had no idea how a dentist could be ‘holistic’ but had vague notions of non-metal fillings, fluoride free toothpaste, and maybe some background music of dolphin song. What I didn’t imagine was the plethora of techniques and treatments incorporated into holistic dentistry, and the fascinating concept of neurofocal dentistry – whereby teeth are not considered in isolation, but in relation to your wider body. Basically the body is treated as an indivisible unit in which all organs, systems and psyche are related through the energy meridians.

Neurofocal dentistry diagnoses and treats dental and oral illnesses at a physical, biochemical, emotional, and social level. From the standpoint of neurofocal dentistry, teeth act as energy modulators between different organs and systems.

Balancing Holistic and Traditional

At Clinica Peralta it’s not all new-age dentistry however. The pristine high spec setup tells you they invest in all the latest top-notch gadgetry and cutting edge technology. Dr Daniel Peralta has a wealth of experience across the board as a specialist in periodontics and implant surgery, with extensive experience working in neurofocal, biological, and holistic practices in Barcelona. He holds a Masters in neurofocal dentistry and neural therapy, and has completed courses in material toxicology, kinesiology and posturology. Daniel explains that there are limitations in both holistic and traditional approaches to dentistry, and that at Clinica Peralta Silverstone they aim to balance the two modalities to create the best dentistry solutions for each individual patient. For example if an x-ray is needed they will of course perform an x-ray, however they will go to greater lengths to protect your thyroid from the harmful effects of the radiation exposure. They will utilise antibiotics but will give you natural supplements to support your system whilst you’re taking them. Natural remedies supplement traditional procedures.

The Appointment

My actual appointment was a three-pronged approach. Firstly came the check-up and a good clean by Dr Daniel Peralta himself. While we’re chatting away Daniel starts to stick some odd looking silver discs on my ankles, wrists, and solar plexus. What are they? “Bioluminis Filters” he informs me. These little devices apparently capture the electromagnetic waves of sunlight and transmit them in a frequency suitable for your body to absorb, and can treat a wide range of ailments. Daniel tells me at the most basic level they will create a sense of calm in my body – just what you need when you’re horizontal in a dentists chair! To help me relax even further he dabs some essential oil on my pulse points, and it’s at this point I’m about ready to have a nap. But no – we must press on with the actual check up.

As someone who sailed through my last dentist appointment six months ago, and has never had a filling in my life I feel a bit smug thinking that the ‘check-up’ is just a mere formality. Wrong! I may not have any mercury laden fillings to worry about leaching into my bloodstream but I totally forgot about that METAL wire at the back of my lower teeth which was fitted at age 12 when my braces came off. Daniel says although not ideal, the metal in my mouth is definitely not desirable. Did you know that your saliva is more corrosive than sea water?! If you have metal in the form of fillings or wires in your mouth just imagine the degradation occurring from the constant exposure to your saliva. But this isn’t the only concern. Daniel tells me that the wires used for orthodontics are common practice to keep your teeth in place after lengthy and expensive aesthetic dentistry, and fair enough. However, like the rest of our body, the teeth are designed to move, grow, change and adapt as we age. The wire drastically inhibits this freedom. From the more alternative viewpoint this can translate into issues related to personal growth and emotional rigidity. I’m compelled to tell him to rip it out there and then. As you can see, holistic dentistry delves much further than what can be seen to the naked eye.

Next topic of discussion is that capped tooth of mine. After sustaining a smashed front tooth and subsequent root canal from a particularly horrific bike accident at age eight, I had a cap that had been replaced about three times. Going back to the meridians Daniel asks me if I’ve ever had any issues with my left foot, knees, or periods – all of which are related to the front left tooth. All of the above!

We go over a few more noteworthy observations about my mouth, and with the check-up complete Daniel performs a thorough clean and polish with a clay and oil blend that he tells me does a fantastic job of removing stains.

Face Massage and Bite Correction

Phase two – in comes Sofía Roses Rotger. Sofia has over 15 years experience practicing dentistry, and is a specialist in treating bite/oclusion and posture alignment. Daniel gives her the run down on my dental history and she starts feeling and massaging my jaw and face. She tells me to relax my jaw into my bite so that she can assess the contact points. Something’s not right. My version of a ‘relaxed’ jaw clearly is still very tense. More feeling around and I’m told my fake front tooth is disturbing my natural bite. I had inherently known this since I got it replaced about five years ago but I didn’t realise the negative implications. My neck and shoulders have been chronically tight for many years despite regular massages, yoga, and what I would consider to be a relatively stress free lifestyle. Could the teeth clenching and incorrect bite be causing this? It appears this could indeed be the case. Not to worry, I am given a few options to get my jaw (literally) back on the right track.

Kinesi –what?

Lastly I am led into another treatment room to meet kinesioligist Patricia Yang. Kinesiology is an alternative and holistic therapy that involves the study of movement and how muscles act and coordinate in the body. At Peralta Silverstone kinesiology is utilised as a complementary therapy to identify weaknesses in the body and organs in need of support. Patricia whips around my body as I lie on a massage table, asking me to maintain certain positions while she introduces some resistance. Some positions are super stable and others are very weak. From this quick assessment she identifies an issue with my right hip, the right side of my neck, and tells me she think my kidneys could be in need of some support. With a few manipulations and the use of a nifty chiropractic tool she treats the imbalances.

Finally she takes a bunch of mustard seeds and tapes them to various spots on my right ear (yes, you read that right – mustard seeds). I’m instructed to leave them there for a week if possible, as it’s some sort of Traditional Chinese Medicine acupressure remedy. The theory, According to TCM, is that the ear hosts acupressure points that correspond to each part of the body. When you stimulate a point, the flow of qi or vital life energy returns to the related organ or area, allowing healing to take place.

Mind Blown

As I bid adieu to Dr Peralta and his host of therapists who have given me the once over, I feel like my mind has been blown. Why had I not heard of holistic dentistry?! Why aren’t all dentists holistic?! I feel the need to spread the word of my discovery immediately.

So what have I gleaned from this unique experience? Well for starters what’s going on in your mouth has much wider implications on your whole health picture than I had previously realised. Conventional dentistry techniques may effectively treat pain and give you some nice looking pearly whites – but getting to the root cause of why issues in the mouth occur, and treating this alongside the symptoms will have a much more beneficial and long term effect on your health and wellbeing. I’m most definitely adding holistic dentistry to my arsenal of regular wellbeing treatments!

CLINICA DENTAL PERALTA SILVERSTONE

Foners 6, 2 B, Palma
07006, Palma, Illes Balears, Spain

608 672 639 / 971 465 161
www.clinicadentalps.com
info@clinicadentalps.com

Written by Ché Miller

About the author Ché has always had a passion for hospitality having completed a conjoint Bachelors Degree in International Business and Hospitality Management. She has spent the last 15 years working in the hospitality industry. This passion led her to working in a premier health retreat in Australia in her twenties. There she found the knowledge she gained there inspired her to start living a healthier life. Now Ché loves to combine her two favourite things, hospitality and wellbeing. She scours the island for the best nourishing restaurants, products and services. Ché has been living in Mallorca since early 2017, having moved from her home in New Zealand. She absolutely loves the energy of the island and everything it has to offer. Ché’s other interests include ashtanga yoga, boxing, reading, writing, and really good coffee.