This week, Dr. Glaros will be off to Virginia for the annual meeting of the International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine. It’s an event he looks forward to every year – an opportunity to re-connect with colleagues and learn about some of the latest advances in biological dental medicine and healing techniques.
Of course, all dental professionals must do continuing coursework to keep their licenses valid. Biological dentists do double, with ongoing studies in both conventional dentistry and complementary practices such as energy medicine and nutrition.
And always, there’s more to be learned.
Think about it: Just a few years ago, not many conventional dentists knew about the links between periodontal disease and inflammatory conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Not so long ago, most dentists were still using mercury amalgam; now, only about half do. Biological dentists continue to explore whether dental implants can be a viable option without interfering with the energetic meridians of the body.
As the father of operative dentistry, G.V. Black, said, “The professional man has no right to be other than a continuous student.”
Indeed, Black’s quest for knowledge was lifelong. According to IABDM co-founder Dr. Gary Verigin, Black was the first (1893) to point out that microbes from diseased areas around the teeth produce endotoxins that can trigger systemic disease. In his last published work (1915), Black described what we now know as cavitations and “wondered about [their] unique ability to produce extensive bone destruction without pus, without redness and swelling of the overlying tissues, without increase in [the] patient’s body temperature, and often without pain.”
Quite a contrast to his early research the best composition of mercury amalgam!
When you see dentists persisting in the old ways of fluoride and mercury, root canals and sealants, it can be easy to get angry or discouraged. But as Black’s life shows, the perpetual student eventually does come to “get it.” For years, George Meining was a true believer in root canals – a founding member of the American Association of Endodontists. Not until he read the research by Dr. Weston Price did he begin to see their limitations. And, despite the dramatic title of his famous book, it’s not really that the research had been covered up. His studies just hadn’t led him to it yet.
The German dental researchers who inspired the IABDM knew Price’s research well. That’s how its founders (Dr. Verigin and the late Dr. Ed Arana) learned of it back in the early 80s – from “the Germans,” who had a more complete understanding of the physical and energetic connections between the teeth and the rest of the body. They formed the Academy to host the likes of Voll, Gleditsch, Kramer and Hopfer here in the States so dentists could learn their new ways of providing care and healing for their dental-damaged patients.
For that, we are deeply grateful – as are our patients, the real beneficiaries of all the new knowledge and technology that dentists like Dr. Glaros regularly integrate into their practices.