Dr. Valerie Warren and her staff practice dentistry differently, adopting a holistic, non-toxic approach. Her family’s personal health journey was the ultimate motivator for causing the local dentist to reevaluate standard practices of the trade and adopt an entirely different direction.
Warren said her holistic approach differs from traditional dentistry in that they focus on the root cause of disease versus merely treating symptoms. Warren uses only non-toxic, fluoride-free, BPA-free, metal-free, biocompatible materials and treatments. They focus on what she calls “The Pillars of Holistic Dentistry.”
Those pillars include looking at silent infection and inflammation residing in the oral cavity, which is typically an indicator of infected teeth, root canal treated teeth or cavitations. She is also adamant about avoiding the use of fluoride, citing it as a neurotoxin and endocrine disruptor. Metal fillings (also referred to as silver or amalgam) which contain up to 50% mercury, are also not welcome at her office due to the level of toxicity she believes they pose on the human body.
“We focus on the root cause of disease versus treating symptoms; for example, we look at why a person is getting cavities versus just treating the cavities,” Warren said. “We focus on whole-body dentistry. We know that the mouth is the gateway to whole-body health and that the oral microbiome and the gut microbiome are intimately related.”
Warren’s health journey, which included a shift to more natural and organic food, saw her lose 115 pounds, and her family of five shed more than 325 pounds altogether. She credits God for blessing her and guiding her on the educational and “amazing journey.”
“When we learned the truth about food and nutrition, we began to seek truth in all aspects of life,” she said. “My patients are like my family, so this made me really research and evaluate the materials and treatments, and I offer my patients.”
After graduating from the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry in 2001, Warren utilized traditional practices for 14 years before the personal and professional transformation. The concerning health of one of her children left her searching for answers.
“Four years ago, our son was facing type two diabetes; we were referred to a traditional endocrinologist, and it was a terrible appointment,” she said. “I left knowing that the information provided to us was incorrect, as we were already doing all of the things she suggested. I left there knowing I had to find solutions for my son and my family, who had all battled weight issues at some point.”
After a long night of prayer following the unpleasant experience, Warren ventured back to work for what she thought would be a typical day. But, it wasn’t; it was an epiphany.
“I had a patient in my office that had lost 70 pounds, and her son had lost 40, so I asked, ‘please tell me what you are doing,’” Warren said. “She told me they had adopted a ketogenic lifestyle, eliminating sugar and reducing carbs. So, I went home and cleaned out my pantry. I had four garbage bags full of food – cereal, chips, bread, pasta, and waffles – and we committed to a lifestyle change nutritionally as a family. This one decision, this one conversation – changed my life, changed the future of my children, and ultimately changed how I practice dentistry.”
By chance, Warren later encountered Jordan Rubin – a prominent figure in the natural health world – who speaks of leaving a health legacy for one’s family. That encounter led her to Jordan Rubin’s dentist Dr. Thomas Lokensgard, an integral member of the holistic health community, who is now her partner and mentor. She also researched a female dentist named Cristen Kearns, who made it her mission to tackle the sugar industry “head-on.”
Warren discussed experiments conducted in the 1960s by the sugar industry in which they paid a group of scientists to publish false science. The findings were published in 2016 in JAMA Internal Medicine. She said they played down the link between sugar and chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s and pointed the finger falsely at fat.
“I remember thinking, ‘is it true that food companies deliberately set out to manipulate research in their favor?’ Yes, it is, and the practice continues today,” she said. “I began to realize how much sugar we truly were consuming and how it is hidden in so many things and under so many names. I also began to recognize how much better I was feeling.”
She said she experienced massive triumphs during her college years but that her weight continually burdened her and left her feeling “broken.” Reading documents uncovered by Kearns left Warren furious to know that she had been “trusting and following lies by agencies she trusted.”
“I began passionately researching everything – in my home and my practice,” she said. “I began to understand the intimate connection between food and both oral and overall health. I began to understand how politics and health care are intertwined with monetary gain, which often sways the truth.”
In her practice, Warren’s visible weight loss stimulated conversations with her patients about the various strategies she used, inciting discussions about nutrition, sleep, and stress. This opened up an entirely new door for Warren to help and care for her patients, igniting her fire for dentistry and patient care.
Her office boasts a comfortable spa-like setting that pampers patients with things like warm towels infused with essential oils, organic chapstick, blankets, and pillows.
Warren’s practice is the only of its kind in the area, certified in the SMART protocol for the safe removal of amalgam – commonly referred to as silver feelings, to which mercury comprises half of the compound. SMART is an acronym for Safe Mercury Amalgam Removal Technique, which could pose dangers for the patient and operating staff if done incorrectly.
She said that other metals traditionally used could cause oral galvanism and interfere with the body’s ability to communicate on an electric level. She added that areas often overlooked by traditional dentistry can wreak havoc on one’s health.
“We recognize and are super passionate about the toxicity of mercury (silver) fillings,” she said. “The FDA actually finally issued a warning statement about the dangers of mercury fillings in September of 2020.”
She referenced science conducted by accredited organizations like the International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine (IABDM) and the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT), linking root canals and mercury fillings to numerous system health conditions like cancer, autoimmune diseases, and neurological disorders.
They also specialize in remineralization, ozone therapy, cavitations, and the use of a tooth meridian chart. Additional information about Warren’s philosophy and services are available on her website here.
