Acupuncture, East Asian Medicine and Dental Complaints

If proper dental care and hygiene are not resolving your dental issues, there may be a deeper internal dysfunction that acupuncture and Chinese medicine can help with.

  • Jaw Pain, Temporomandibular disorders (TMD)
  • Bad breath (halitosis)
  • Canker sores
  • Toothaches
  • Gum bleeding

Jaw pain, Temporomandibular disorders (TMD)

Acupuncture is great for pain, and jaw pain is no exception. See “pain” for more information


Bad breath (Halitosis)

If proper dental care still hasn’t resolved your bad breath, give acupuncture and Chinese medicine a try.

“Isn’t it just too much bacteria on the tongue?” While this may be true, Chinese medicine will question why there are accumulated bacteria on the tongue.

From a Chinese medicine perspective, the gums and breath are an extension of the gastrointestinal tract, or the Stomach and Large Intestines. After a thorough intake, we’ll determine if this is in fact the case. With acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and some dietary advice, you’ll soon notice dramatic changes in your breath as well as your digestion!

“It’s because my mouth is too dry” Again, Chinese medicine will question why there is dryness. It’s likely your internal organs and systems are experiencing some level of dryness as well

Dryness can eventually lead to heat, which again, irritates the [Chinese] “Stomach” and can express as bad breath. Heat up an empty pot without any water or oil, and you’ll set off the fire detector!

 


Chronic canker sores

Everyone suffers from canker sores here and there, but if you are a chronic sufferer, or you feel it takes much too long for the sores to heal, there may be a deeper pathology that acupuncture and Chinese medicine may provide assistance to.

In Western medicine, the cause is unknown and offers few treatment and preventative options. Some suggestions include applying an ointment or gurgling salt water. These all help repress the symptoms, and may be fine if you rarely get mouth sores, but again for those chronic suffers, it would be best to prevent the sores from returning.

In Chinese medicine, canker sores are due to some sort of internal heat in the body. Rather than covering up the symptoms or suppressing the the whole body (as many medications do), Chinese medicine aims to target the specific system, [Chinese] organ, or meridian involved, and clear the heat from there.

Generally, canker sores resolve on their own within two weeks. If it is taking more than a couple weeks to heal, this may be indicative of a weakened immune system or some sort of “qi deficiency” in which case we would work to both clear the current sores (heat), as well as boost the qi to prevent them from recurring.