What Is Holistic Dentistry?

Yes. A holistic dentist is a registered dentist who plans care with the rest of your health in mind. In Australia, every dentist must be registered with the Dental Board of Australia, with the same qualification requirements as any other. “Holistic” describes a way of planning care. It isn’t an extra qualification, and it isn’t one of the 13 recognised dental specialties (Dental Board of Australia).

At Absolute Dental, our dentists are general dentists. We ask about your sleep, breathing, food and the materials you prefer as well as your teeth, and we explain your options and costs before anything is decided. That’s a difference in the conversation, not in training or standards. Plenty of dentists who never use the word holistic care a great deal about prevention and general health, so the label on its own tells you little.

To check any dentist, look them up on the Ahpra public register, which lists registration and, for specialists, their specialty. Then ask what your options are, what each costs and what evidence supports it. We don’t call ourselves specialists, and we won’t. Our About Us page introduces our dentists.

• Dental Board of Australia. Specialist registration: list of the 13 dental specialties

Both. If a tooth is hurting, the sore tooth comes first. Alongside it, we ask about sleep, breathing, eating habits and your general health, because they can affect your mouth. Anything that sounds medical goes back to your GP.

In practice, we deal with the pain and its cause, then ask a few more questions. Do you snore or wake tired? Is your mouth dry? How often do you snack or sip? How have you been feeling? What medicines do you take? These aren’t tests. They help us understand why a problem started, so the plan can include what to change. You can skip any question you’d rather not answer.

There are limits. We can’t diagnose sleep apnoea, which is a doctor’s job (ADA Policy 6.7), and dental care isn’t a treatment for disease elsewhere in your body. Diabetes raises the risk of gum disease, and gum disease can make blood sugar harder to control (Sanz et al., 2018), which is why we ask. What you can expect from us is a clear explanation of your options and costs, and a suggestion to see your GP when something needs a medical look.

• Sanz M, et al. Scientific evidence on the links between periodontal diseases and diabetes: consensus report of the International Diabetes Federation and European Federation of Periodontology. Journal of Clinical Periodontology. 2018. PubMed 29280174
• Australian Dental Association. Policy Statement 6.7 – Use of Dental Appliances to Treat Sleep-Disordered Breathing (reviewed June 2025)

Yes to both. We use fluoride because fluoride toothpaste helps prevent decay in children and adults (Walsh et al., 2019), and Australia’s NHMRC supports community water fluoridation (NHMRC, 2017). Ask us about your children’s teeth, and about fluoride, at any visit.

If you have doubts about fluoride for yourself or your children, we’ll explain what the research shows and your family’s own risk of decay, and you decide what suits your family. For young children, the right amount and strength of toothpaste depends on age, so ask us. After brushing, spit out instead of rinsing. How often sugar arrives matters as much as how much (healthdirect, tooth decay), so drinks and snacks are part of the conversation.

We don’t tell anyone to avoid fluoride, and we won’t pressure you to use it. Bring your questions about your family’s daily routine, including drinks, snacks and brushing. Our guide to food and your teeth covers sugar, acid and dry mouth, and you’ll find the practical changes that have good evidence behind them.

• Walsh T, et al. Fluoride toothpastes of different concentrations for preventing dental caries. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2019. PubMed 30829399
• National Health and Medical Research Council. 2017 Public Statement – Water fluoridation and human health
• healthdirect (Australian Government). Tooth decay

Usually not, and replacing them isn’t a treatment for tiredness. The Australian Dental Association says the weight of evidence doesn’t link amalgam fillings to vague symptoms such as tiredness in the general population (ADA Policy 6.18, 2026). It advises against removing sound ones for those complaints unless you’ve talked through the pros and cons with your dentist. People with a confirmed allergy to amalgam are an exception.

A silver filling is worth replacing when it has failed: it’s cracked, leaking or decayed underneath, or the tooth around it has cracked. You can also choose to have one out after hearing the risks and benefits. If one comes out, we use a rubber dam, strong suction and a water spray to limit mercury vapour and particles. No method makes exposure zero, and each replacement takes a little healthy tooth with it (ADA, teeth.org.au), so there should be a reason you’re comfortable with.

If you feel tired or unwell, see your GP as well, because tiredness has many causes and a doctor can look for them. For children, pregnancy, breastfeeding and kidney disease, the ADA advises placing less new amalgam. Our guide to old silver fillings explains the steps in more detail.

• Australian Dental Association. Policy Statement 6.18 – Safety of Dental Amalgam (amended April 2026)
• Australian Dental Association, teeth.org.au. Dental fillings

Usually a tooth-coloured composite resin or a ceramic, depending on the size of the repair. No dental material is completely harmless for everyone, so we explain the trade-offs for your tooth before you choose.

Composite is shaped on the tooth in one visit and suits small and medium cavities. Ceramic, also called porcelain, is made as a separate piece, in a laboratory or, for selected cases, in the practice with CEREC, and suits larger repairs. A 2021 Cochrane review found composite fillings in back teeth fail more often than amalgam (Worthington et al., 2021). The review rated that evidence as low certainty, and its trials used older composite materials, so newer composites may do better. Porcelain can chip, and bonding needs a dry tooth and careful technique.

On one common worry, BPA, the Australian Dental Association states there is no evidence that long-term exposure from dental materials is linked to harm (ADA Policy 6.27, 2025). Preferring metal-free materials is a reasonable choice, and you don’t need a medical reason. If you have a known allergy, tell us. Allergy testing isn’t done at the practice, but your doctor or an allergy specialist can arrange it. Our guide to metal-free materials compares the options.

• Australian Dental Association. Policy Statement 6.27 – Bisphenol-A in Dental Restorative Materials (amended October 2025)
• Worthington HV, et al. Direct composite resin fillings versus amalgam fillings for permanent posterior teeth. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2021. PubMed 34387873

It can be. Tell us about snoring or waking tired, even if you haven’t had a sleep assessment. We can discuss what we find in your mouth, while your doctor assesses possible sleep apnoea and advises on treatment. A dental appliance is considered only with your doctor involved (ADA Policy 6.7).

A dentist can notice clues: teeth worn by grinding, a dry mouth on waking, and how your jaw and bite sit. These are prompts, not a diagnosis. The combination to raise with your doctor is loud snoring with breathing pauses or gasping, and feeling sleepy through the day (healthdirect, obstructive sleep apnoea). A doctor diagnoses sleep apnoea, usually with a sleep study.

If your doctor agrees an oral appliance could suit you, we can explain how it works and whether it fits your mouth, jaw and teeth. Clinical guidelines support one for snoring and, when CPAP isn’t tolerated or isn’t wanted, for sleep apnoea (Ramar et al., 2015). Appliances need reviews, and your doctor checks whether treatment is working. We can’t diagnose, and we can’t promise a cure. Our guide to snoring, sleep and breathing explains the options.

• Australian Dental Association. Policy Statement 6.7 – Use of Dental Appliances to Treat Sleep-Disordered Breathing (reviewed June 2025)
• healthdirect (Australian Government). Obstructive sleep apnoea
• Ramar K, et al. Clinical practice guideline for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and snoring with oral appliance therapy: an update for 2015. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2015. PubMed 26094920

Yes. You won’t be told off. Many people put off the dentist because of depression, ADHD, fear, cost, health or a tough few years, and we start with what’s worrying you, not with what you’ve missed. We explain what we see and plan from there, at a pace that works for you.

You can ask for breaks, agree a signal to pause, have each step explained before it starts, or leave a step for another day. If a long list of work has built up, we can put it in order: what needs attention soon and what can wait. A first visit can be a conversation and an examination, with decisions made when you’re ready. Tell us when you book what would make it easier, and we’ll see what we can do.

We can’t promise a visit without any discomfort or a quick fix, and we won’t pretend things are better than they are. What you can count on is plain explanations, your options and costs first, and your say over what happens. If low mood is making it hard to look after yourself, your GP can help as well.

A holistic dentist shouldn’t promise that dental work will cure an illness elsewhere in your body, fix tiredness or boost immunity, and nobody can promise a particular result. What we offer is a clear explanation, your options with their costs, and room to decide.

Swapping fillings isn’t a cure: there’s no evidence that replacing sound amalgam fillings improves health (ADA Policy 6.18, 2026). A dentist doesn’t diagnose sleep apnoea, a doctor does (ADA Policy 6.7). We don’t call a material toxic or pure, because every option has trade-offs. Holistic dentistry isn’t a specialty (Dental Board of Australia), so we don’t call ourselves specialists. We don’t sell supplements or run detox programs.

We also can’t promise a date, a shade, how long a repair will last, how you’ll heal or a set gap with your health fund, because those depend on your body, your teeth and your policy. Advertising rules limit what a dental practice can claim, and we follow them. If you see a promise like these from any practice, ask what evidence supports it.

• Australian Dental Association. Policy Statement 6.18 – Safety of Dental Amalgam (amended April 2026)
• Australian Dental Association. Policy Statement 6.7 – Use of Dental Appliances to Treat Sleep-Disordered Breathing (reviewed June 2025)
• Dental Board of Australia. Specialist registration: list of the 13 dental specialties

They’re labels, not qualifications. People often use holistic and biological dentistry for the same idea: dental care that considers the whole person and the materials used. Biomimetic usually means repairing a tooth in a way that copies how a natural tooth is built, keeping as much of it as possible. In Australia none of them is a recognised specialty (Dental Board of Australia).

At Absolute Dental, we use the word holistic for a way of working: wider questions about sleep, breathing, food and materials, conservative choices first, and extra care when a failed silver filling comes out. What matters is that your dentist is registered with the Dental Board of Australia and explains the evidence behind any advice.

If a dentist uses these labels, ask what they mean by them and what evidence supports them. Ask what your options are, including doing nothing for now, and what your old silver fillings would involve. A good answer is specific and comes with the trade-offs. Be careful with promises that dental work will cure illness elsewhere in the body. Australian guidance doesn’t support them (ADA Policy 6.18, 2026). More plain answers are on our FAQ page.

• Dental Board of Australia. Specialist registration: list of the 13 dental specialties
• Australian Dental Association. Policy Statement 6.18 – Safety of Dental Amalgam (amended April 2026)