Cosmetic & Family Dentistry of West Michigan Has A New Name!
What is in a name? In the name Healthy Life Dentistry, it is a lifetime of commitment. It is also a lifetime of education. I have spent nearly all of my 55 years being a student. Consequently, I have spent most of my adult life discovering how dynamic and interconnected the human body is. All the way up to and through dental school, I just wanted to be a dentist. Pure and simple, I wanted to care for my patients’ oral health.
Fast forward nearly thirty years, I never dreamed that optimum oral health could also save lives. No one knew oral bacteria traveled throughout the body. More astonishing yet, no one knew oral bacteria could cause a heart attack or stroke, two of the leading causes of death in the United States. We certainly did not know a simple saliva DNA test could predict, with a high degree of probability, if a person is genetically predisposed or bacterially in danger of heart disease, stroke or periodontal disease. One of the body’s highest indicators of chronic inflammatory disease (such as Cardiovascular Disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, certain cancers and even diabetes) is the presence of periodontal disease.
Regarding diabetes, few conditions hinder the body’s ability to fight inflammation and/or infection as aggressively as diabetes. That is why we offer a simple in-office finger-prick blood test. In six minutes, we can find a person’s A1C reading. An A1C reading provides us a 2-3 month average blood glucose level. With this information, we can determine whether a person is diabetic or may become diabetic in the near future. With permission, we communicate this information to our patient’s physician in order to establish a team approach to health care, to ensure optimum health and overall wellness. At Healthy Life Dentistry, we also discuss diet, exercise, and weight control for not only optimal oral health, but also to look better, feel better and live longer. We strive to help our patients feel better about themselves.
For nearly my entire life, I just wanted to be a dentist. I never dreamed that, through dentistry, I could help people become healthier and live longer. What is in a name? Come see why Healthy Life Dentistry says it all.