Ayurveda and Dental medicine is a big potential when goes hand in hand in a true sense, when patient is also a member of the TEAM.

Oral diseases continue to be a major health problem worldwide. Dental carries and periodontal diseases are among the most important global oral health problems, although other conditions like oral and pharyngeal cancers and oral tissue lesions are also of a significant concern.

Oral health is integral to general wellbeing and relates to the quality of life that extends beyond the functions of the craniofacial complex and related posture of an individual.

Despite several chemical agents being commercially available, these can have undesirable side effects such as vomiting, diarrhoea and staining of teeth. Furthermore, the standard western medicine has had only limited success in prevention of dental caries, periodontal diseases and in the treatment of a variety of oral diseases.

Ayurveda, an ancient science of Indian Medicinal system can be a very effective, natural and holistic substitute against synthetic chemicals to prevent as well as to treat oral diseases with the help of proper lifestyle, diet and dietary habits, salubrious herb mineral simple products and various therapeutic measures to be followed in day to day life and in general body detoxification for the non-recurrence of the symptoms and rejuvenation of the oral health.

This 5000 years old system of medicine can give potential and long-lasting answer to prevention or therapeutic strategies for oral health.

The dentist needs to be more informed regarding the use, safety and effectiveness of the various traditional medicines, diet and lifestyle concerns according to Ayurveda affecting oral health. This is hardly explored part for the field of Dentistry. There is need for integration of professional dental treatment modalities and Ayurveda to provide the best and unique from each system to patients as a complimentary therapy and an alternative choice of treatment. This will be a great hand in hand union, a new interdisciplinary positive ray to deal with dental problems in modern era. Along with other dreadful health issues, dental problem is also building a challenge for the dentist’s day by day.

New chemical agents, techniques are invented, still recurrence of dental symptoms and occurrence of dental ill health in early age of life is a topic of worry now a days.

Ayurveda has always boosted a good lifestyle and good dietary habits, seasonal detoxification for the prevention of health for a longer period. This science takes ‘whole body’ into consideration whether it is a localised illness or systemic illness. Every organ is connected with living body as a whole and hence one has to take care of a whole body whether it’s only a dental problem.

For that matter we as a team are dealing with the dental issues, holistically. It doesn’t matter by which pathy , the patient is getting relief but he shall be treated with proper clinical diagnosis on holistical background and then further necessary steps to get rid of the symptoms or the disease from its root. Also if we can give natural products to treat, instead of strong chemical agents, it could be cherry on the top of the treatment plan. Having such a similar thought process, Dr. Niranjan Divekar and I have started working on dental patients as a TEAM.

After thorough clinical history in Ayurvedic way, when we used to get arrive at the diagnosis of the current dental issue, it was of great help to decide exact plan of action on the basis of avoidance of the causative factors, changes in diet and lifestyle according to underlying systemic derangement. This is very unique way to deal with the orthodontic issues in any stage of life. This is an untouched field where Ayurveda and Dental medicine shall work hand in hand for the betterment of the patients which will in turn give non recurrence of the symptoms and prevention of the other healthy oral tissue.

- Vaidya Anagha Daflapurkar