Dr. Leah Romay is a practitioner of Functional Dentistry, a more systemic, whole-body approach to your oral health. Functional Dentistry goes beyond typical dental care, taking into consideration the many factors impacting your oral health. These can include diet, lifestyle, airway health, and your unique oral microbiome. Together, these factors have a significant effect on how your oral health can be maintained, as well as risk factors that can affect you.
The Whole Health Functional Dentistry Approach Entails So Much More Than Basic Dental Care
Using a Functional Dentistry approach, Dr. Romay works with patients on an individual basis to establish and maintain complete oral health that serves overall health and wellness. Through this diagnostic approach to your care, our team can help you to better understand your oral health and to find personalized solutions to concerns. We can offer nutritional guidance and work with you to discover the root cause of any chronic dental problems from decay to gum disease.
Oral Microbiome Analysis
The bacteria in our mouths can tell us a lot about how our oral health is functioning and provide clues to physical health, too. Dr. Romay provides microbiome testing for patients to delve deeper into their oral health and support more personalized dental care. Performed with ease either at home or in our office, microbiome testing is the foundation of the Functional Dentistry approach to caring for your smile. With each test, we can see the specific types of bacteria present in your mouth. There are good and bad bacteria present and we measure the concentration of both. The top benefits of analyzing your oral microbiome include:
- Understand the concentration of good and bad bacteria in your mouth will help us determine which diseases you have or have a high risk of developing. You may not have symptoms for them yet, but we can see diseases present such as tooth decay and gum disease.
- Knowing the makeup of your oral microbiome, Dr. Romay can create a personalized treatment plan to meet your needs better. This makes it more effective at preventing and treating oral diseases.
- With an in-depth look at your oral microbiome, Dr. Romay can help reveal how susceptible you are to certain conditions. If you have an imbalance of or the presence of certain bacteria, she can take certain measures to help prevent problems before they get worse or develop.
- Analyzing your microbiome after treatment will help Dr. Romay determine how successful the procedure was. It will help her know if she needs to adjust your treatment plan or if you are on the right path towards a healthier oral state.
- The bacteria in your mouth is linked to several systemic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. Dr. Romay can provide you with clues about your overall health so that you can seek further care when needed.
Nutrition Guidance
What you eat plays a significant role in your oral and overall health. A diet high in added sugars, acidic foods, or highly processed carbs can directly impact your health in many ways. Your diet interacts with your unique microbiome and can affect your risk for oral health problems and other types of disease. Dr. Romay can offer guidance based on your microbiome testing, educating you on what particular foods contain vitamins and minerals important for supporting your health and wellness. Based on her findings, she may suggest adding certain food to your diet (or removing) that will add certain kinds of vitamins and minerals to your diet.
- Food that is high in fiber like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. If you are lacking, it can lead to saliva production issues. Saliva help protect teeth by rinsing food and acid away.
- Dr. Romay may suggest that you add food that is high in calcium to your diet. Milk, yogurt, cheese, tofu, and leafy greens are high in calcium which will give your teeth strength and support the surround bone.
- Phosphorus, found in eggs, fish, lean meat, dairy, nuts, and beans, supports enamel repair. It plays a vital role in your dental health.
- Healthy fruits and vegetables that are also crunchy will help keep your teeth clean, freshen your breath, and stimulate your gums. We suggest apples, carrots, and celery.
- Vitamin C is key to strengthening gums and soft tissue in your mouth. Keeping your gums healthy will help prevent gingivitis, the beginning stage of gum disease. Foods high in vitamin C include citrus fruits, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, potatoes, and spinach.
- Green and black teas contain polyphenols which will kill or hold back the bacteria found in plaque. This prevents the bacteria from producing acid that leads to tooth decay.
- Sometimes it’s as simple as reminding patients the importance of drinking water. Drinking water often keeps your mouth moist and helps water away food particles and bacteria. Dr. Romay reminds her patients to drink more water and void sugary drinks, which contribute to tooth decay.
- Today’s diet is loaded with sugar and refined carbohydrates. Dr. Romay will suggest that your lower your intake of snack, drink, breakfast cereals, and treats that are filled with sugar and carbs. This will decrease your risk of tooth decay since these are the types of food plaque thrives on.
Airway Health
The structure and health of your airway can affect many aspects of your health and quality of life. Functional Dentistry incorporates airway health into your comprehensive dental care to support good sleep, effective breathing, and optimal systemic health. During your dental exams, Dr. Romay evaluates your airway and will ask questions about your quality of sleep. The airway can be compromised by your physical structure, specifically your bite and palate as well as neck circumference and soft tissues in the throat.
Patients with airway problems can experience sleep apnea, disordered sleep problems, and other symptoms affecting daily quality of life. Dr. Romay will also look for the oral signs of consistent mouth breathing, a symptom of airway issues. Persistent bad breath is a sign of mouth breathing and can also indicate a potential airway concern.
Dr. Romay practices Functional Dentistry in Glyndon, MD. Call today or request an appointment with Dr. Romay if you are interested in this style of dental care.