Wellness Dentistry: Oral Health for Longevity with Dr. Katie To

Dr. Katie To, Biological Dentist, The Wellness Dentist

Welcome to Wellness Dentistry: Oral Health for Longevity with Dr Katie, where wellness dentistry explores oral health, preventive care, and functional medicine for listeners dedicated to whole-body wellness & the best oral health outcomes possible.  I’m Dr. Katie To, President of the IABDM (International Academy of Biological Dentistry & Medicine), founder of the Wellness Dentist Institute, and the visionary behind the Center for Wellness Dentistry. Each episode brings you expert insights on how your mouth and body work together, highlighting the essential role of oral health in total well-being.  Find out more here: https://www.thewellnessdentist.com/ In this podcast you'll discover how preventive care, integrative health, and everyday lifestyle choices create lasting vitality.  This show is for patients and practitioners who want to connect the dots between dental wellness and whole-body healing. Expect inspiring interviews, practical strategies, and a new way of looking at dentistry that empowers your health journey. This podcast is for you if you’re asking: How does oral health affect overall well-being & longevity?What is wellness dentistry and why does it matter?How does preventive oral care support total-body health?Can dental hygiene impact heart disease or diabetes?What lifestyle factors influence oral-systemic health?How does functional medicine tie into dental wellness?What daily habits improve both oral health and wellness?Why does wellness dentistry focus on root causes, not symptoms?What materials are safer for whole-body wellness in dental care?What makes integrative health different from traditional dentistry?How can I prevent systemic health risks through oral preventive care?

  1. 3d ago

    30. Why Chlorella Beats Activated Charcoal for Mercury Detox with Dr. Catharine Arnston

    For years, activated charcoal has been the default recommendation for anyone going through amalgam removal or heavy metal detox. It works, but it doesn't discriminate. It pulls out the good with the bad, leaving people dehydrated and depleted of the electrolytes their body actually needs. Dr. Katie's practice ran on activated charcoal for decades, until she found a cleaner way. Episode overview: In this episode, Dr. Katie sits down with Dr. Catharine Arnston, founder and CEO of Energybits, to talk about the real story behind spirulina and chlorella and why they've become part of Dr. Katie's safe mercury removal protocol. Dr. Catharine's path into algae started 17 years ago when her sister was diagnosed with breast cancer and told to eat an alkaline diet with no real guidance on what that meant. Her research led her to spirulina and chlorella, two of the most studied and nutrient-dense foods on earth, and she's spent the years since building a company around sourcing them the right way. What you will learn: Why chlorella pulls out heavy metals, glyphosate, and mold without stripping the minerals activated charcoal takes with itHow algae farming actually works, and why where and how it's dried changes everything about its nutritional valueThe specific protocol Dr. Katie's practice uses before and after amalgam removal, and why timing it around sleep mattersKey themes: Real food versus supplements, and why bioavailability changes the entire conversationWhat clean sourcing actually looks like when a product absorbs everything in the water it grows inDetox support that goes beyond the mouth, including gut health, sleep, and energyDr. Katie's perspective: We used activated charcoal in this practice for years because it was the only trusted option we had. But watching patients get dehydrated from something that was supposed to be helping them never sat right. Once we found a source of chlorella clean enough to actually trust, the shift was immediate. This is the kind of thing I want every biological dentist to know exists, because our patients deserve better than a workaround. Links: energybits.comWatch for Dr. Catharine Arnston's upcoming book, Love Your Health to Bits (October 2026, Amazon and Audible)IG 📱  @energybitsGuest bio: Dr. Catharine Arnston is the founder and CEO of Energybits, a company built around medical-grade spirulina and chlorella grown and dried without high heat to preserve their nutrient profile. She started the company 17 years ago after researching alkaline nutrition for her sister during breast cancer treatment, and has since worked with physicians, cardiologists, and biological dentists to bring algae-based detox protocols into clinical practice. For Dentists If you're building or renovating a practice with a wellness-first patient experience in mind, this conversation gives you a real framework for getting the workflow and sensory design right from the start. Explore CORE membership to build the full system around it: wellnessdentistinstitute.com/core-membership For Patients Curious what a truly whole-body dental experience feels like, not just looks like? Join Dr. Katie's free webinar: https://go.drkatieto.center/register Connect with Dr. Katie: 🌐 thewellnessdentist.com 📱 @drkatieto Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only.  Information discussed is not intended for diagnosis, curing, or prevention of any disease and is not intended to replace advice given by a licensed healthcare practitioner.  Before using any products mentioned or attempting methods discussed, please speak with a licensed healthcare provider.  This podcast disclaims responsibility from any possible adverse reactions associated with products or methods discussed.    Opinions from guests are their own, and this podcast does not condone or endorse opinions made by guests.  We do not provide guarantees about the guests' qualifications or credibility. This podcast and its guests may have direct or indirect financial interests associated with products mentioned.

  2. Jul 19

    29. How a Dental Office Can Be Designed to Calm Your Nervous System with Julia Kappler

    Most dentists design their office once and live with it for years, without ever asking why certain rooms feel tense, why patients seem anxious the second they sit down, or why the team feels drained by 3pm even on a normal day. In this episode, Dr. Katie To sits down with Julia Kappler, CEO of Kappler Group and fourth-generation leader of an 80-year family design and millwork company, live at the Beyond Biohacking Conference, to talk about what's really happening underneath dental office design. Why This Episode Matters Julia's company has spent decades inside healthcare spaces, and her perspective goes far beyond paint colors and cabinetry. She and Dr. Katie get into how a space affects the nervous system before a patient ever opens their mouth, and why so many practices are still built around workflows nobody has questioned in decades. What You'll Learn Why design is about more than what you see, and how sound, smell, and visual experience shape how safe or anxious a patient feelsThe real story behind why instrument washers "fail" in most dental offices, and the overlooked fix that has nothing to do with the equipment itselfHow to protect your vision when building or renovating a practice, so cost-cutting and outside opinions don't quietly erode what you set out to buildWhy workflow inefficiency doesn't just slow a practice down, it accumulates in the body of every team member who works thereThe three daily wellness practices Julia relies on to stay grounded while running a global design companyKey Moments Julia shares her personal path into healthcare design, shaped by growing up in a family business and a lifelong fascination with psychology and the brain. She and Dr. Katie talk through the real differences she's observed moving from Germany to the U.S., particularly around regulation and water quality standards most American practices have never questioned. The conversation moves into a story about her instrument washer, an example that says everything about how dentistry tends to remove a problem instead of asking what's actually causing it. Dr. Katie's Perspective Dr. Katie connects Julia's design philosophy directly to her own experience building a wellness-based practice, pointing out that a beautiful space means nothing if the person running it isn't practicing what they preach, and that patients can feel that the moment they walk in. For Dentists If you're building or renovating a practice with a wellness-first patient experience in mind, this conversation gives you a real framework for getting the workflow and sensory design right from the start. Explore CORE membership to build the full system around it: wellnessdentistinstitute.com/core-membership For Patients Curious what a truly whole-body dental experience feels like, not just looks like? Join Dr. Katie's free webinar: https://go.drkatieto.center/register Connect with Dr. Katie: 🌐 thewellnessdentist.com 📱 @drkatieto Connect with Julia Kappler: 🌐 kapplergroup.com 📱 @kapplergroup Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only.  Information discussed is not intended for diagnosis, curing, or prevention of any disease and is not intended to replace advice given by a licensed healthcare practitioner.  Before using any products mentioned or attempting methods discussed, please speak with a licensed healthcare provider.  This podcast disclaims responsibility from any possible adverse reactions associated with products or methods discussed.    Opinions from guests are their own, and this podcast does not condone or endorse opinions made by guests.  We do not provide guarantees about the guests' qualifications or credibility. This podcast and its guests may have direct or indirect financial interests associated with products mentioned.

  3. Jul 12

    28. Mercury Detox After Amalgam Removal: What Your Dentist Never Told You with Dr. Atousa

    Most patients leave the dental chair after amalgam removal and expect to feel better quickly. What they don't expect is two months of flu-like symptoms, fatigue, and a body that seems to be working harder than it did before the fillings came out. Nobody prepared them for that, and in most cases, nobody warned them it was coming. This episode is that conversation. Dr. Katie sits down with Dr. Atousa, a biological dentist, founder of Airway First Approach, and the Colorado Dental Wellness Center, who had her own mercury amalgam fillings safely removed right in Katy, Texas. She came back to share what happened after, and it's one of the most honest, grounded accounts of post-amalgam recovery you'll hear from a clinician who became her own patient. Why this episode matters The safe removal conversation, protocols like SMART, biological materials, proper PPE, has grown considerably over the past few years. But the detox conversation that follows hasn't kept pace. Patients are going through removal without a roadmap for what their body will do next. Dr. Atousa's story gives that roadmap a human face, and her perspective as both a dentist and a patient makes it land differently than anything you'll read in a clinical guide. What you'll learn in this episode Dr. Atousa walks through her full journey, from preparing with a naturopath before the procedure to working through Dr. Daniel Pompa's multi-phase cellular detox program. She explains why she struggled to sweat at first, what that revealed about her detox pathways, and how two weeks off over the holidays became the reset her body needed to open things up. She shares the daily practices that made the biggest difference, weekly bone broth, sauna, red light therapy, BEAMER sessions, breathwork, hiking, and why cutting seed oils was the move that showed up on her liver scan four years later as a complete reversal of her fatty liver diagnosis. She also talks about what she now notices in her own patients going through the same process, why some feel nothing at all and others feel like they have the flu for weeks, and why rushing the detox timeline does more harm than going slowly through each phase. Key moments in this conversation The "bucket" analogy Dr. Atousa uses to describe what it felt like when her body finally had more room to process, and why that image captures something no clinical explanation quite does. The moment she realized she had never really sweated, and what her detox coach told her about what that meant for her lymph and detox pathways. A fatty liver diagnosis four years ago, despite never drinking and eating what she thought was a clean diet, and how seed oil elimination changed her next liver scan entirely. Why Dr. Atousa says her compassion for patients went to a completely different level after going through removal herself, and how that changed the way she practices. Her vision for Colorado Dental Wellness Center, designed from the ground up to include airway screening, whole-body intake, and recovery modalities right inside the practice. About Dr. Atousa Dr. Atousa is a biological dentist, founder of Airway First Approach, and owner of Colorado Dental Wellness Center in Colorado. She is an IABDM and IAOMT-aligned practitioner whose approach to patient care starts with airway screening before diving into traditional dental assessment. She designed her new facility specifically to support the whole-body healing process her patients go through before, during, and after biological dental treatment. Follow Dr. Atousa on Instagram: @dratousa.s Follow Colorado Dental Wellness Center: @coloradodentalwellnesscenter Resources mentioned in this episode IABDM: iabdm.org  IAOMT: iaomt.org Connect with Dr. Katie Join Dr. Katie's free patient webinar and take the first step toward whole-body dental wellness:  👉 drkatieto.center/register 🌐 thewellnessdentist.com  📱 @drkatieto Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only.  Information discussed is not intended for diagnosis, curing, or prevention of any disease and is not intended to replace advice given by a licensed healthcare practitioner.  Before using any products mentioned or attempting methods discussed, please speak with a licensed healthcare provider.  This podcast disclaims responsibility from any possible adverse reactions associated with products or methods discussed.    Opinions from guests are their own, and this podcast does not condone or endorse opinions made by guests.  We do not provide guarantees about the guests' qualifications or credibility. This podcast and its guests may have direct or indirect financial interests associated with products mentioned.

  4. Jul 5

    27. Root Canals, Hormones, and the Symptoms Nobody's Connecting, with Dr. Jessica Peatross, MD

    What if the symptoms you've been chasing for years, the weight gain, the sleepless nights, the hormonal chaos, the autoimmune flares, were connected to something sitting quietly in your mouth? That's exactly the kind of question Dr. Jessica Peatross, MD built her entire practice around. And in this episode, she and Dr. Katie go deep on the thread that conventional medicine keeps dropping: the relationship between your dental health, your hormones, and the symptoms nobody's been able to explain. Dr. Jess is a functional medicine physician who made a decision that most doctors would never consider. She surrendered her California medical license rather than practice medicine in a way that violated her values. What followed was two years of uncertainty, a fresh start in Florida, and ultimately a thriving virtual practice where she now works alongside a team of physicians trained in her methodology. Her story is one of the most honest accounts of what it actually costs to stand by your clinical integrity, and what's possible on the other side of that choice. This conversation covers a lot of ground, but it keeps coming back to one central idea: the body is a connected system, and when you treat it in pieces, you miss the picture. In this episode, you'll learn: Why Dr. Jess checks for silently infected root canals on every mystery patient intake, and what she's found hiding behind symptoms like infertility, lupus, and unexplained autoimmunityHow each tooth sits on a meridian connected to an organ system, and why dental health belongs in every functional medicine workupWhy nervous system regulation has to come before any detox protocol, and what happens when practitioners skip that stepWhat Dr. Jess's daily non-negotiables are, and the simple sweating practice she says is one of the most underrated detox tools available to anyoneDr. Katie brings her own lens to this conversation too. As a biological dentist who came to wellness dentistry through her own mercury toxicity, she knows firsthand how the mouth can quietly drive systemic illness in ways that take years to surface. Hearing a functional medicine physician validate that experience, and describe biological dentistry as one of the tools she relies on most for her hardest cases, is the kind of cross-disciplinary conversation that doesn't happen often enough. If you've been told your labs look fine while your body says otherwise, this episode is worth your full attention. Connect with Dr. Jessica Peatross, MD 🌐 drjessmd.com 📱 @dr.jess.md 📅 Book a discovery call: drjess.health/wellness-plus-book Ready to go deeper with Dr. Katie? Join her free patient webinar and learn how whole-body dentistry could be the missing piece in your health journey. 👉 drkatieto.center/register 🌐 thewellnessdentist.com 📱 @drkatieto Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only.  Information discussed is not intended for diagnosis, curing, or prevention of any disease and is not intended to replace advice given by a licensed healthcare practitioner.  Before using any products mentioned or attempting methods discussed, please speak with a licensed healthcare provider.  This podcast disclaims responsibility from any possible adverse reactions associated with products or methods discussed.    Opinions from guests are their own, and this podcast does not condone or endorse opinions made by guests.  We do not provide guarantees about the guests' qualifications or credibility. This podcast and its guests may have direct or indirect financial interests associated with products mentioned.

  5. Jun 28

    26. 93% of Americans Are Metabolically Unhealthy, Here's What That Has to Do With Your Mouth with Ben Azadi

    Keto Flex releases July 21st, 2026!  Go to: ketokamp.com/metabolic-freedom What if the fatigue, the stubborn weight, the brain fog, and the chronic inflammation you've been told are just "part of getting older" are actually one problem with one root cause?  That's what metabolic expert and bestselling author Ben Azadi has spent 18 years proving, and in this episode, he sat down with Dr. Katie live at Dave Asprey's Beyond Biohacking 2026 Conference in Austin to talk about all of it. Why This Episode Matters 93% of American adults are living with some form of insulin resistance right now. Not predisposed to it. Actually in it. And most of them have no idea, because the standard healthcare conversation stops at medication and never asks why. Ben Azadi asked why. At 23 years old, obese, pre-diabetic, dealing with high blood pressure and depression, he took ownership of his health when his doctors couldn't give him answers. What followed was an 80-pound transformation in nine months, 18 years of deep research into metabolic health, four books including a Hay House bestseller, and a growing conviction that true healing is always an inside-out job. What makes this conversation different is where it lands. Because Ben didn't just find metabolic health. He found biological dentistry. He removed eight amalgam fillings he'd been carrying for over 20 years. He wore a palate expander for five years that changed his airway, straightened his teeth, and transformed his sleep scores. And in his last book, Metabolic Freedom, he pointed his readers directly toward organizations like IABDM and IAOMT to find a biological dentist. The mouth is part of this story. It always has been. Connect with Ben: 🌐 benazadi.com 📱 @thebenazadi What You'll Learn in This Episode Why 93% of Americans are metabolically unhealthy, and why medication will never be the fix. How the 60,000 thoughts you have every day are either creating inflammation or protecting you from it, depending on what you feed them. The seed oil research that links frying in vegetable oil to the aldehyde exposure of smoking 20 cigarettes. Why fasting is one of the most powerful metabolic tools available, and how cycling in and out of ketosis is more effective than staying in it long-term. What happened when a patient given four months to live by MD Anderson fasted for 41 days. How Ben's amalgam removal and airway correction changed his breathing, his sleep, and his overall health. And what Vitamin G is, why it has no toxicity limit, and why Ben takes it multiple times a day. Key Moments and Themes The conversation opens with mindset, and that's intentional. Ben is clear that no biohack, supplement, or protocol will carry you past the weight of 60,000 daily negative thoughts. The mental six-pack has to come before the physical one. From there the conversation moves into the metabolic disorder pandemic. The statistics are striking. In 1930, obesity rates in the US were around 2 to 3%. Harvard projects they'll hit 50% by 2030. This isn't genetics. It's epigenetics. It's lifestyle. And it's reversible. The seed oil segment is one of the most shareable moments in the episode. Ben describes how Dr. Martin Grootfeld's research found that frying 20 french fries in vegetable oil produces aldehyde levels comparable to smoking 20 tobacco cigarettes. Most people have never heard this framed that way, and once they do, they don't forget it. The fasting conversation goes deep, including the Guinness World Record of 382 days, the Keto Flex approach of cycling feast and famine states, and Dr. Katie's own five-day fast experience. Ben makes the point that fasting is probably more powerful than every gadget and supplement at the conference combined, and it's free. And then Ben shares something that lands differently in this context. He talks about going to see a biological dentist, discovering a severely narrow palate, wearing an expander for five years, and watching his face, his breathing, his sleep, and his overall health change as a result. For patients listening to this show who haven't considered the airway piece, this is the moment that shifts something. Dr. Katie's Perspective Dr. Katie has been saying this for years. The mouth is not separate from the body. Metabolic dysfunction shows up in the mouth. Airway problems start with jaw structure. Mercury from amalgam fillings doesn't stay local. The body is one system, and dentistry that ignores that is leaving patients behind. What Ben brought to this conversation is the view from the other side of the chair. A patient who did the work, removed the interference, and experienced what whole-body healing actually feels like. That's the story Dr. Katie's patients need to hear. Ben Azadi's revised Keto Flex releases July 21st, 2026 through Hay House. Get the book and free bonuses at KetoFlexbook.com. Explore more of Ben's work at benazadi.com and ketokamp.clickfunnels.com/metabolic-freedom. Guest Bio Ben Azadi is a metabolic health expert, international speaker, and bestselling author of four books including Metabolic Freedom, published by Hay House. He transformed his own health at 23 after losing 80 pounds in nine months and has spent 18 years helping people understand and reverse insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and chronic inflammation.  His revised edition of Keto Flex releases July 21st, 2026. Find him at ketokamp.com/metabolic-freedom. For Patients If this episode made you wonder what your own mouth might be telling the rest of your body, Dr. Katie's free patient webinar is the best place to start. Join here: drkatieto.center/register For Dentists Learn more at wellnessdentistinstitute.com Connect with Dr. Katie: 🌐 thewellnessdentist.com 📱 @drkatieto Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only.  Information discussed is not intended for diagnosis, curing, or prevention of any disease and is not intended to replace advice given by a licensed healthcare practitioner.  Before using any products mentioned or attempting methods discussed, please speak with a licensed healthcare provider.  This podcast disclaims responsibility from any possible adverse reactions associated with products or methods discussed.    Opinions from guests are their own, and this podcast does not condone or endorse opinions made by guests.  We do not provide guarantees about the guests' qualifications or credibility. This podcast and its guests may have direct or indirect financial interests associated with products mentioned.

  6. Jun 21

    25. Dentistry Is the Next Frontier in Biohacking with Dr. Ratna Indah

    Most people in the biohacking world are doing everything right. They're tracking their labs, testing their sleep, optimizing their supplements, and building morning routines that would make most people's heads spin. And yet something keeps not landing the way it should. The energy isn't quite there. The inflammation markers won't budge. The cognitive clarity they're chasing stays just out of reach. Nobody told them to look at their mouth. Dr. Katie recorded this conversation live at Beyond Biohacking 2026 in Austin, Texas, right after holding the first-ever dental room at the conference. Dr. Ratna Indah, biological dentist and founder of California Dental Wellness, was one of the very few dentists in the building. That's part of the problem they came to talk about. What you'll learn in this episode: The mouth has been systematically separated from medicine, and patients are the ones paying the price. Dr. Katie and Dr. Ratna talk about what that separation looks like in practice, what it costs patients who never connect the dots, and what both of them are building to change that. You'll hear why a room full of committed biohackers went quiet when they saw phase contrast microscopy images of what was living underneath crowns they thought were fine. You'll hear about P. gingivalis, the organism already linked to Alzheimer's disease, and why telling patients not to floss to protect their heart may be one of the most well-meaning but harmful pieces of advice in modern medicine. You'll hear Dr. Ratna's personal story of watching her mother's memory decline rapidly, then reverse, through a deeply intentional wellness protocol that started with asking better questions. And you'll hear what it looks like to leave a group practice, start from scratch in California, and build the dental wellness center model that medicine has been quietly asking dentists to create for years. Key moments in this episode: Why the biohacking world keeps missing the mouth, and what changes when it's finally in the room How silent oral infections drive systemic inflammation for years without causing a single symptom The cardiologist advice about flossing that Dr. Ratna believes is doing real harm, and what the research actually says Why "dental insurance" is a language problem, and what happens when you stop using that phrase in your practice How Dr. Ratna's mother reversed significant memory loss, and the role that light therapy and biological thinking played in getting her there What a future dental wellness center looks like, and why functional medicine doctors are already asking for it Dr. Katie's perspective: "When we're asking them to raise their hand, who had their wisdom teeth extracted, almost the full room, who had root canals in the mouth, majority of them. And then you show them what's growing underneath their crowns, and they realize the mouth has been upstream this whole time, dumping toxicity and inflammation into the system, and nobody ever told them to look there." The demand for this conversation is real. The packed room in Austin proved it. Dentistry is showing up, and it's bringing the research with it. About Dr. Ratna Indah Dr. Ratna Indah is a biological dentist and founder of California Dental Wellness, a practice she built from the ground up after leaving group dentistry to create the whole-body dental center model she believes is the future of the profession. Her background in journalism before dental school shapes the way she thinks about language, patient trust, and how word choice drives health decisions. She has been practicing for over 20 years. Follow Dr. Ratna:  Instagram: @drratnaindah  Practice: californiadentalwellness.com For Patients If this episode made you wonder what your own mouth might be telling the rest of your body, Dr. Katie's free patient webinar is the best place to start. Join here: drkatieto.center/register For Dentists If Dr. Ratna's story of building a values-aligned wellness practice from scratch sounds like the direction you've been trying to name, the CORE membership is where that conversation continues. Learn more at wellnessdentistinstitute.com Connect with Dr. Katie: 🌐 thewellnessdentist.com 📱 @drkatieto Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only.  Information discussed is not intended for diagnosis, curing, or prevention of any disease and is not intended to replace advice given by a licensed healthcare practitioner.  Before using any products mentioned or attempting methods discussed, please speak with a licensed healthcare provider.  This podcast disclaims responsibility from any possible adverse reactions associated with products or methods discussed.    Opinions from guests are their own, and this podcast does not condone or endorse opinions made by guests.  We do not provide guarantees about the guests' qualifications or credibility. This podcast and its guests may have direct or indirect financial interests associated with products mentioned.

  7. Jun 14

    24. Airway, Amalgams, and Cavitations: Why Every Parent Needs a Wellness Dentist with Dr. Caroline Jones

    Want to understand how your mouth is connected to your brain, your sleep, and your long-term health? This conversation is a good place to start. Register for Dr. Katie's free patient webinar: drkatieto.center/register Most parents do everything they can. No sugar, no dairy, organic snacks. And still, something feels off. Their child snores. Their tonsils are enlarged. Nobody at the pediatric dentist's office seems concerned. Dr. Caroline Jones has been in dentistry for over 30 years, and she wants parents to know: you are not overreacting. The questions you're asking are the right ones. The answers are just harder to find than they should be. In this episode, Dr. Katie sits down with Dr. Jones, a wellness and biological dentist who now practices alongside her in Katy, Texas, to talk about what's missing from most children's dental care and what parents can do about it today. Why this episode matters: Dr. Jones came to wellness dentistry the same way many of her patients do, through her own health. Mercury toxicity from amalgam restorations placed decades ago has affected her liver, and she is still working through the downstream effects today. That lived experience shapes everything about how she practices and how she talks to patients. This is not a theoretical conversation. It's two clinicians, both patients of their own philosophy, sharing what they've learned from decades in the chair and in the exam room. What you'll learn in this episode: Dr. Katie and Dr. Jones cover why snoring in children is not normal and what it often signals about airway development, why amalgam fillings are still being placed in underserved pediatric populations despite clear FDA warnings, and how allergens you would never suspect, like organic, non-GMO corn, can cause tonsil enlargement significant enough to mimic a surgical situation. They also walk through the wisdom teeth conversation that the dental community is largely avoiding, the connection between third molars, energy meridians, and long-term health, and why blanket removal at 17 deserves far more scrutiny than it currently gets. The cavitation discussion is one of the most practical in this episode. Dr. Katie explains why the procedure is correctly called an open bone biopsy, what the two independent pathology and histology tests actually reveal, and why a CBCT scan alone is not enough to diagnose what needs to be addressed. Dr. Jones shares her own screening experience and the surprise of discovering a cavitation she had no symptoms for. For parents raising children right now, they close with something actionable. Annual blood work for children. Air filtration in the bedroom. The 30-minute eating window that reduces acid load and cavity risk without eliminating any food. And Dr. Jones's three daily non-negotiables, morning sunlight without sunglasses, continuous glucose monitoring, and consistent hydration, practices she built after decades of learning what her own body actually needed. About Dr. Caroline Jones: Dr. Caroline Jones has been in dentistry since 1983 and has been a licensed dentist since 1995. She has treated children in some of the most underserved communities in the country, including Lakota children from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, which she considers to be one of the greatest honors of her career. She also served alongside Dr. Katie on an Operation Smile mission trip in Vietnam. She now practices wellness and biological dentistry at Dr. Katie's center in Katy, Texas. Follow Dr. Jones on Instagram: 📱 @drcarolinejones Connect with Dr. Katie: Ready to take the next step for your family's health? Join Dr. Katie's free patient webinar and learn how whole-body wellness starts in the mouth. Register here: 🌐  drkatieto.center/register 🌐 thewellnessdentist.com 📱 @drkatieto Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only.  Information discussed is not intended for diagnosis, curing, or prevention of any disease and is not intended to replace advice given by a licensed healthcare practitioner.  Before using any products mentioned or attempting methods discussed, please speak with a licensed healthcare provider.  This podcast disclaims responsibility from any possible adverse reactions associated with products or methods discussed.    Opinions from guests are their own, and this podcast does not condone or endorse opinions made by guests.  We do not provide guarantees about the guests' qualifications or credibility. This podcast and its guests may have direct or indirect financial interests associated with products mentioned.

  8. Jun 7

    23. Mercury, Sleep, Cognitive Health and the Mouth-Brain Link with Dr. Beena and Dr. Troy

    Want to understand how your mouth is connected to your brain, your sleep, and your long-term health? This conversation is a good place to start. Register for Dr. Katie's free patient webinar: drkatieto.center/register What This Episode Is About Dr. Beena John started asking hard questions about Alzheimer's because her mother had it. What she found kept leading her back to the mouth, to mercury fillings, to oral bacteria, to chronic inflammation, to the kind of systemic load that builds quietly over years until it isn't quiet anymore. That search changed the way she practiced, the facility she built, and the patients she was able to help. Dr. Troy Rodriguez had been practicing dentistry for 33 years when he started paying closer attention to sleep. He thought breathing through his mouth was normal. He didn't know he had a deviated septum. He had no idea that the Advil PM and Tylenol PM a lot of his patients were taking to get through the night were depositing crystals on the brain and contributing to early-onset dementia. Once he understood the connection, he couldn't unsee it. Together, Dr. Beena and Dr. Troy built Eagle Dental Wellness Center of Texas in Sugarland, and this episode is the story of how they got there, what they had to learn, what they had to unlearn, and why they wouldn't go back. What You'll Learn in This Episode How oral bacteria, mercury toxicity, and chronic inflammation are connected to Alzheimer's and cognitive declineWhy sleep apnea is one of the most underdiagnosed conditions a dentist can screen for, and what an airway-focused dentist actually looks forWhat SMART-certified mercury removal means and why the protocol matters for patient safetyHow Dr. Beena and Dr. Troy built a thriving wellness practice together, including a brand new 2,800 square foot facility, through open communication, shared vision, and a willingness to invest in what they believed inThe daily wellness non-negotiables both doctors practice personally, from sleep hygiene and magnesium to daily reading and morning meditationKey Moments in This Episode The conversation opens with how Dr. Beena and Dr. Troy met at an implant course in Puebla, Mexico in 2014 and eventually decided to partner in 2018. What started as a friendship built around study clubs and shared curiosity grew into one of the most compelling wellness practices in the Houston area. Dr. Beena shares the moment her mother's Alzheimer's diagnosis cracked her open to a different way of thinking about dentistry. She talks about mold found beneath mercury fillings, heavy metal toxicity, and the way chronic oral infection can silently affect the brain over years. That personal grief became clinical purpose. Dr. Troy walks through his own sleep journey, from discovering his deviated septum to learning about CPAP and oral appliances to now being one of the most committed airway dentists in his region. He screens every patient. He has the ENT, the oral surgeon, and the myofunctional therapist on his referral team. And he recently added a Fotona laser to his practice for NightLase, an FDA-approved treatment for snoring. Both doctors share their three daily wellness non-negotiables, which turn out to be some of the most grounded and specific advice in the episode. Dr. Katie's Perspective What I love about Beena and Troy is that neither of them came to wellness dentistry from a marketing angle. Beena came from grief. Troy came from skepticism. And they both arrived at the same place, which is that the mouth is not separate from the rest of the body, and once you understand that, you cannot practice as if it is. Their partnership is also something I find myself pointing people to often. The open communication, the willingness to say "I'm nervous about this investment" and have the other person hold the vision while you find your footing, that is what sustainable practice transformation looks like. You do not have to do this alone. Connect with Dr. Beena John and Dr. Troy Rodriguez  Instagram: @dr.beena  Instagram: @eagledentaltexas  Practice: Eagle Dental Wellness Center of Texas, Sugarland, TX Connect with Dr. Katie:  Free patient webinar: drkatieto.center/register  Website: thewellnessdentist.com  Instagram: @drkatieto Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only.  Information discussed is not intended for diagnosis, curing, or prevention of any disease and is not intended to replace advice given by a licensed healthcare practitioner.  Before using any products mentioned or attempting methods discussed, please speak with a licensed healthcare provider.  This podcast disclaims responsibility from any possible adverse reactions associated with products or methods discussed.    Opinions from guests are their own, and this podcast does not condone or endorse opinions made by guests.  We do not provide guarantees about the guests' qualifications or credibility. This podcast and its guests may have direct or indirect financial interests associated with products mentioned.

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About

Welcome to Wellness Dentistry: Oral Health for Longevity with Dr Katie, where wellness dentistry explores oral health, preventive care, and functional medicine for listeners dedicated to whole-body wellness & the best oral health outcomes possible.  I’m Dr. Katie To, President of the IABDM (International Academy of Biological Dentistry & Medicine), founder of the Wellness Dentist Institute, and the visionary behind the Center for Wellness Dentistry. Each episode brings you expert insights on how your mouth and body work together, highlighting the essential role of oral health in total well-being.  Find out more here: https://www.thewellnessdentist.com/ In this podcast you'll discover how preventive care, integrative health, and everyday lifestyle choices create lasting vitality.  This show is for patients and practitioners who want to connect the dots between dental wellness and whole-body healing. Expect inspiring interviews, practical strategies, and a new way of looking at dentistry that empowers your health journey. This podcast is for you if you’re asking: How does oral health affect overall well-being & longevity?What is wellness dentistry and why does it matter?How does preventive oral care support total-body health?Can dental hygiene impact heart disease or diabetes?What lifestyle factors influence oral-systemic health?How does functional medicine tie into dental wellness?What daily habits improve both oral health and wellness?Why does wellness dentistry focus on root causes, not symptoms?What materials are safer for whole-body wellness in dental care?What makes integrative health different from traditional dentistry?How can I prevent systemic health risks through oral preventive care?