Dental Homeopathy
Q. What is homeopathy?
A. Homeopathy uses the principle that “like cures like”. An illness would therefore, be treated with a substance that causes those same symptoms in the healthy person.
Q. How does homeopathy differ from conventional medicine?
A. Homeopathic medicine recognises the body’s attempt to overcome illness. These are the symptoms we see. Natural medicine stimulates these bodily reactions. Conventional medicine views these symptoms as a direct result of the illness and will suppress them.
Q. Do homeopathic medicines have any side effects?
A. Homeopathic medicines are prepared from naturally occurring substances and act by stimulating the body’s own natural forces of recovery.
Q. How is the right homeopathic medicine chosen?
A. Each person even with the same complaint will be considered as an individual and may not require the same homeopathic medicine. This is because the symptom picture of the disease is partly made up of the individual’s own personality and temperament. These aspects will be taken into account when the right medicine is selected.
Q. Can homeopathic medicines have a harmful effect?
A. In normal and correct usage there will be no harmful side effects. Detrimental effects only occur by going against correct prescribing principles.
It is therefore important to always seek professional advice from a qualified homeopath before using homeopathic medicines.
Q. Can homeopathic Medicines be safely given to children?
A. Provided homeopathic medicines are prescribed and administered under qualified professional supervision they are ideal for giving to even very young children because of their mode of action and absence of harmful side effects. For example, there is a medicine for teething children which helps take away
the pain of teething, the associated upset tummy and bad temper.
Q. How can homeopathy be used in dentistry?
A. The use of homeopathy is more limited in dentistry than in medicine since homeopathy cannot replace the mechanical arts of dentistry and there is no homeopathic medicine that can selectively numb a tooth.
There are a number of ways in which homeopathy can be integrated into the practice of dentistry either to replace conventional drugs or act in instances when there is no conventional alternative. The following are examples of the use of homeopathic medicines in dentistry:
- Prescribed in place of antibiotics for cases of infection such as abscesses, gum disease etc.
- Used to prevent the mouth and lips feeling sore after being stretched during a long appointment.
- Used to take away the fatigue and rather shaky feeling after a long appointment such as multiple crowns, occlusal equilibration and oral surgery.
- Used to reduce swelling and bruising after extractions and assists the tooth socket to heal more quickly.
- There are several homeopathic medicines the dentist can administer which, combined with a sympathetic and caring approach, can help the patient overcome their fear without the need to resort to intravenous sedation or general anaesthesia.
- Homeopathic creams and medicines can be used to reduce the discomfort and duration of cold sores and mouth ulcers.
- There are a number of homeopathic and herbal toothpaste on the market. These have
- no artificial sweeteners, deodorants, bleaches, colours or fragrances.
Q. How should homeopathic medicines be taken?
A. Homeopathic medicines usually come in tablet form although sometimes they are prescribed as powders, liquids or granules. The tablets should be sucked or chewed ‘on a clean tongue’ that is at least half an hour after food, coffee, peppermint (including toothpaste) or tobacco.
Q. Can the medicines be used to prevent the recurrence of disease?
A. One of the few ways in which harmful effects can be caused by the use of homeopathic medicines is to take them to try to keep disease from returning. If you have no symptoms, do not take the medicine!
Q. How can I find a dentist qualified to use homeopathy?
A. The British Homeopathic Dental Association has a list of dentists who are taking the time and trouble to learn how to use this invaluable system of medicine in their practices. They can be contacted at;
The Faculty of Homeopathy
29 Park street west
Luton
Beds
LU1 3BE
Or online at;
The dentist who practices homeopathy is usually concerned about the whole patient and may offer other holistic treatments such as dietary analysis, use of non-mercury fillings and the treatment of headaches and neck pain.