Integrative Medicine for Orofacial Pain

Integrative Medicine is a specialty of medicine that:

• combines conventional medicine and complementary/alternative therapies for a healing-oriented approach to overall wellness

• provides a holistic, whole person (mind and body) healthcare approach to address symptoms and to optimize care

• is evidence-based

• focuses on incorporating natural and less invasive therapies

Scenario

A routine dental visit where a patient who has just been told that she has three new cavities.

​

Non-Integrative Medical Approach

The dentist tells the patient that she has three cavities and schedules her for the fillings. The dentist may remind the patient to brush/floss, use a fluoride rinse, avoid sweets and to return in 6 months for a checkup.

​

Integrative Medical Approach

The dentist reviews the patient's medical history, diet history, dietary habits and recent changes in stress levels or sleep, to determine what might be contributing to these new cavities. Maybe the patient is taking a medication that is causing dry mouth. Maybe the patient is snacking frequently due to a new diet or due to work-related stress. The dentist reviews relevant findings, makes recommendations by working together with the patient to create a realistic care plan, and schedules the patient for the fillings. The goal is to help increase the patient's awareness so that she has an understanding and the skills to prevent cavities.

​​

Right, Wrong, or Different?

One style of patient care is not right, wrong or better. They are simply different. Most patients are used to the Non-Integrative Medicine approach, and may prefer it. Both approaches address the cavities properly. The Integrative Medical approach is different because the dentist looks beyond the teeth to manage the same set of symptoms in a more preventive and whole-body manner.

For pain management, an Integrative Medicine approach looks beyond the symptoms by thoroughly assessing and addressing the many factors (ie sleep, nutrition, stress) that can contribute to pain and can slow down healing. Integrative Medicine has been shown to help people who suffer from fatigue, anxiety, pain, cancer, headaches and fibromyalgia.

Dr. Wang follows an Integrative Medicine model for all of her patient care. However due to time constraints and individual patient preferences, she does not routinely provide extensive detailed Integrative Medical style treatment plans. For patients interested in a personalized Integrative Medicine pain management treatment plan, please discuss with Dr. Wang in order to coordinate your care.