The Mouth-Body Connection: How Oral Health Impacts Overall Wellness, with Dr. Yuko Torigoe

Crowns, dentures, orthodontic wires. So many metals are being used like gold, palladium, platinum, zinc, copper, tin, nickel, especially like a mercury in dental fillings.

If you want to live like you matter, ditch the pills, look great, and feel freaking amazing. You're in the right place. I'm Dr. Wendy Trubo. And I'm Dr. Ed Levitan. Welcome to the Feel Freaking Amazing podcast where we empower you to live a vibrant and healthy life by optimizing your structural, chemical, emotional, social, and spiritual lives. Hold on to your hats. Hello and welcome to the Feel Freaking amazing podcast. I'm Dr. Wendy Trubo. I'm here solo. Today ends with patients, and today we have one of my favorite people. I always say that, I know, but she really is. She's my personal dentist and the dentist to many others. She is Dr. Yuko Torigo, and she's a biologic, holistic and biomimetic dentist in the south end of Boston. She's been practicing dentistry for over 20 years and for the last seven years has really focused specifically on providing biological dentistry for her patients. And I know we've talked a lot in our podcast about biologic dentistry and what it is we really wanted to have her on to talk about that. So welcome, Yuko. We're so happy you could be here.

Well, thank you so much for having me here, and I know it's been a little journey to get me here, but I'm just so, so, so excited and ready to share, you know, whatever I can offer.

It's great. So I'd love to talk about fluoride because there's a lot of noise about fluoride, and I tend to think of it as pretty toxic. So we never gave our kids fluoride, fluoride toothpaste. And. But I wanted to understand, like, first of all, what is it and what's your take on it?

So it's, it's controversial because I think the fluoride came to kind of public in the, like, the 1950s and around there, the public education about home care, like brushing and using toothpaste and everything, it was kind of start to become normal in that time. And then also they started to use like, fluoridated water to public. So everything seems like, oh, because of introduction of fluoride, people are having less and less cavities. But then there's lots of, lots of studies. And then it's not a nutrient either, and it's not one of those, like, pills. You could go and then just grab fluoride pills. And pop it in. You know, it's not like vitamin C or magnesium, you know, it's just, it's different. So, you know, when you go to dental school, they learn, we all learn. Oh, fluoride is like strengthening your teeth and it's, you know, promotes less cavities and whatnot. But if you ingest that, then it's a big issue. And then fluoridated water is different animal too, because usually fluoridated water is, you know, it's, it's not a pure clean fluoride either. It's. It's industrial contaminant. And you know, it's like, you know, you, you're not gonna put somebody's water like with like a diabetic medicine, you know, and then assume everybody has diabetes, you know, so not everybody has high decay rate. So why would you like fluoridate water like public water, but at the same time, again, like, it's, it doesn't strengthen your teeth if over fluoridation is causes fluorosis, which weakens your teeth and it can weaken your bone, it can affect your iq, thyroid, fertility issues. So, you know, that those are the, you know, kind of the controversy that, you know, people who are against fluoride say, but people who are pro fluoride just, you know, unfortunately believe, you know, just the kind of the good benefits that it seemed to have and then kind of ignores the, these other unsafe, you know, part. So, you know, it's. For us, we try to, we don't ignore patients who have like, especially kids who have high cavity rate and those can be easily supplemented by other minerals and vitamins that are healthier for, for your teeth. Could be vitamin K2D3, calcium phosphate. There's, and you know, lots of natural, you know, nutrients that are out there other than fluoride to promote health for your teeth.

So. Okay, I just want to recap this. So originally it looked like before we get to putting it in the water, are we talking about applying it directly to the teeth may strengthen the teeth. And that was then the leap of logic to say, okay, if we put it on the teeth and that strengthens it, we'll put it in the water so people can just take it in like a vitamin B12 or something that we're were fortifying with. Is that the thought process?

But I, I think that I don't know the hundred percent history, but I think that's. They, they saw some improvement in decay rate for sure from, you know, fluoride application. And they're like, oh, why don't we just put it all in a public water? And I, I can see the intention. Intention is good. Great. If you, if everybody drinks water. So if, if something good and safe is in the water, why not? Right, like that. That's an amazing, you know, public health, you know, thing. But that's not the case.

Right. It sounds like there's data on. There's data that shows that it could be helpful. And then it sounds like there's also data that shows that it could be harmful. And so you want to maybe walk a middle path. If you're someone who has a lot of decay, then it makes sense to. Does it make sense to fluoridate your water or your toothpaste or something else? Have you drilled into this this much?

For sure?

For sure.

Not water. It's. That's, that's like a systemic effect, you know, and there are a lot of dental products that has a little bit of fluoride, which I find it very interesting. So when I was opening my office to buy some products, so I was seeing a lot of representative from different dental suppliers, and I kept asking for, okay, which product do you carry that do not have fluoride? And it was so difficult. It was so close up. And then they were, they kept saying, oh, this product from Europe do not contain fluoride. And then I was like, okay, hold on for a second. Why European products don't have fluoride? And almost every American products have fluoride. And their honest answer was, oh, they sell better. American dentists love fluoride. So if I put just a teeny bit, it's not a lot, like less than 1%. And then it says, the label says, oh, with fluoride. And then everybody wants to buy that. So I'm like, that is not the best way to choose material or even for, for the company to put a little bit of, you know, fluoride. But, you know, I think it comes down to what sells. So it's. It was. I'm glad the rep answered with honesty. Right.

So. So it sounds like if you have, if you are someone who is a cavity maker, you're a good cavity maker. Should you be erring on the side of having a little bit of fluoride in your toothpaste? Or is it really focusing on brushing three times a day, making sure your gums are healthy, flossing, what's it called? My mom does it every night with the, with a little rubber tip, you know, massaging the gums. Is that really where it lies? Or does fluoride Tip you over the edge. If you're a pro cavity person.

I don't think floor, I mean fluoride in toothpaste or product is going to make a big, big difference. Because the reason, the root cause of cavity is not because of your floor of your toothpaste has fluoride or not. It comes down to your lifestyle. You know, the sleep quality, your, you know, obviously nutrition, even stress. Sometimes like we take PH level, the acidity level of your mouth. And when your body's in acidic environment, it's more disease causing. And now that includes your cavity too. All these bacteria that causes cavity, they're more acid, you know, acidic. So if you're, you know, all the things that I've said is not in balance, then you can get cavity. So the toothpaste that has fluoride or not. And then also there is a prescription version of toothpaste as well, which not everybody can get. Hold up. So if you're shopping at, I don't know, a star market or, you know, supper shop or whatever, cvs, and then it says with fluoride, that's very, very, very minimal amount of fluoride. Because again, you can't just put high level of fluoride into these products.

So it's a marketing ploy.

Yeah. So if you're just applying, I know dentists who applies like fluoride varnish, you know, and if you don't ingest it, if you just have it on your teeth, I think that's much better than again like fluoridated water or fluoride pills because it's not as systemic, it's a localized.

Okay, so it sounds like you would then need some type of air suction to move, remove the fumes. So you're not breathing or ingesting the fluoride via aerosolize. So just literally an application and get rid of the fuming. Okay. Our audience loves talking about how to detox and do things safer. And I know that mercury, I mean, I'm a child of the seventies and so mercury was big. And so obviously mercury is found in the dental materials that traditional dentists use. What are some of the other toxic materials that are found in traditional dentistry that you're working to either remove or avoid?

I mean, you name it, it's gold, palladium, platinum, zinc, copper, tin, like just so many nickel, you know, you know, not all metals are bad, but like, we're trying to eliminate as much metal as possible, you know, so those can be used in like, you know, crowns, dentures, like, orthodontic wires. So many, you know, metals are being used. And, you know, so especially like amalgam, like a mercury in dental fillings. And less and less like, you know, people are using them. So I'm happy. And then dental schools are starting to eliminate the requirement to do. For students to do mercury fillings in order to graduate. So everybody's starting to shy away from metal. And whether that's the reason is toxicity or aesthetic reasons, but there's just so many metals are being used, and again, one of the most toxic is mercury and amalgam fillings.

Are there any other toxins that we haven't talked about that really deeply affect oral health?

Not necessarily so for, for, you know, what we know is what we know, you know, 20 years from now, who knows that, you know, for example, we advocate like ceramic implants instead of titanium implants. Titanium is metal. And, you know, we believe from science and everything that, you know, ceramic is more biocompatible. However, that's what we know now. You know, when mercury came out, people believe it's safe, you know, but after 200 years, we know it's not safe. And so, you know, our job is to make sure we do our due diligence to make sure that we are checking the safety of every material we use. And I am no mean by scientists, so, you know, I have to rely on other people who does research. But, you know, we have to keep an eye open. And then also we learn a lot from our patients who brings a lot of interesting information. And that's how we. We continue to change the materials that we use because there's, you know, our. The information is just.

It's evolving, right? Science evolves very rapidly. So I was just thinking as you were talking, oh, maybe we should create things to fill cavities made of what bone china is made of, because that's made of bones, and bones are strong. Except then I'm thinking, but there's lead in the bones. And so we want to make sure there's no lead in it. That's. That's where my brain goes. I want to switch topics. Yuko, can you talk to me about the impact that nutrition has on our oral health? I mean, this seems like a really basic question, but I'm not sure that people are always drawing the line between what's happening in their mouth and. And mouth health is like gut health. You know, it's a window into the. Into the world of your body. So what. How does nutrition play in. And what do you tell people?

I mean, it's just, you know, it's oral systemic health. And it's not just the mouth. It's, it's the beginning of digestion. You know, how their teeth function can directly influence your gut because if you don't have teeth, you cannot break down the food and then that again, the digestive system starts from your mouth. So, you know, we don't go into too much details about the nutritional counseling, but you know, we lead them to get the right help in terms of who they need to see. They may need to see a nutritionist, they may need to see a functional medicine doctor, naturopathic doctor, again, you name it, all the practitioner out there. So like a PH level is very important. A lot of new patients that we see, they're very nervous to see us. So typically we see the saliva level a little bit lower. And you know, I asked them, were you rushing to get here or were you a little nervous to see me? And everybody says yes. So but in terms of PH level, it changes. You know, if you just ate, the PH level is going to be low and more acidic. And then, you know, if you're going, if you're sick and that, that's different. So, you know, I tell the patients like, this is just like, you know, one window of time that I'm just checking your PH level. But if they have lots of cavities, if they have gum disease, you know, that's definitely gonna show up as something negative like, or acidic, but also like your gut health there. I'm sure you see so many people with gut issues, le gut, you know, and just, you know, so many people are having like a processed food and you know, all these medications, everything can affect your, your, you know, your overall health. And then a lot of times things the patients or people, even doctors don't know, those systemic problems can manifest in, in the mouth.

Talk to me about that because I think people would be surprised to hear that you can. Excuse me. Your mouth is essentially a window into your body. So what are some of the conditions that are linked to oral health that might surprise people or they wouldn't be aware of for sure.

The easiest one is like diabetics, you know, their immune system is low. So usually we see patients who's, who has like even meticulous oral hygiene. Their gum is like inflamed and just bleeding. And you know, it, it's sometimes it's like a mind boggling for them. It's like, okay, I do this, I've lost everything, this and that. And then your gum is screaming so that's definitely, you know, someone who has diabetes has to stay super, super on top of their home care and routine checkup. So some, some of them have come, has to come in every three months for cleaning to maintain level. And then again the gum health.

So is, is it, which is the chicken and which is the egg? Is the, is the oral health one of the inciting factors that causes people to then go down a metabolic dysfunction or does the metabolic dysfunction or does the inflammation in their system lead to oral dysfunction? And it's just part of the, part of the playbook really mean, like is, is the oral health the cause or is that a symptom? Do you have any sense of it?

Usually a symptom.

Okay, so if you're, if you don't have amazing oral health, if your gums are swollen, bleeding, sensitive teeth are sensitive cavities, that's an indicator there's something happening. That's your window into, hey, there's inflammation here.

Yes, yes. Okay.

And then it can and you can. And alongside it you can see diabetes or other health issues.

Yeah.

Okay, that's fascinating. Okay, I, for anyone listening, I'm a huge fan of biologic dentists because they transform you, transform my life. Where can people find you? And we'll put everything in the show notes. So. But where can they find you?

So you can, they can Visit our website, HarmonyBoston.com and yeah, all the information is there.

It's great. It's great for all the listeners. Go get your mouth taken care of because it influences your health and you can help you detox like I did. So Yuko, thank you so much for being on the feel freaking amazing podcast. I'm so happy you were here because this is such a critical topic and for all the listeners you can find out harmonydental.com and if you're not in the area, you can look for a biologic dentist. We'll put the link in the show notes and be well. Thanks for being here, Yuko.

Thank you so much.

My pleasure. Inspire and empower someone else by leaving a five star review so they can transform their lives too. Sam.