Absolutely! Being a holistic office is more than just lip service. It is a commitment and an ethos that runs from the front desk, through the dental staff and ends with the Dentists themselves. Our staff has a deep love of health and staying healthy. They spend longer than they probably should learning about health and dental related stuff while on their time off. We go to holistic dental conferences, take holistic continuing education, and do our best to stay ahead of any protocols and procedures that fit our ideals. There are a lot of dental health myths out there, and while we can't run a dental office without x-rays and we can't regrow your teeth, we understand that these ideas persist out of deep desire to stay healthy. Look, if we could do what we have to do without x-rays and if we could regrow your teeth, we would be advertising that everywhere. Who wouldn't like that! But alas, as of today, it's just not possible. One thing we've found funny is that there are a number of traditional dentists that that treat holistic dentistry as a separate treatment option. So they'll do traditional work in operatory 1, then run over to operatory 3 and do holistic care? That's absurd and not how it works. Your office is either committed to it or it is not.

Dr. Amelia purchased Integrative Dental Associates from Dr. Butler in 2019 and as of today, we are going on our seventh year continuing the quality care Dr. Butler started. In fact, Dr. Butler purchased Integrative Dental Associates from a Dr. Lee, who was one of the pioneering Holistic Dentists in Phoenix. So our roots in holistic dentistry go all the way back to the late 1980s.

Yes we do. And, we only place all ceramic dental implants. The implant is ceramic, the abutment is ceramic, and the crown is ceramic. The only thing that is not ceramic is the carbon fiber retaining screw, but even that part is completely enclosed between the abutment and the implant.

Yes we do, when we can. Not every person, or at least not every implant site is a candidate for immediate implants. In looking at initial x-rays, we can make a pretty good guess as to whether we will be able to place one, but it really all is dependent on whether we can get the implant to stick properly right away. Everyone's root structures and bone levels are different, so it doesn't always work, but we can probably place an immediate implant about 2/3rds of the time. The other 1/3 requires some waiting, or the area may just not be a candidate for any implant even though the tooth had to come out. Letting an infection linger in the mouth is a good way to destroy bone and bone density which makes placing an implant much more difficult.

No, we do not. For the vast majority of patients, we believe there are better options than root canals; but, sometimes a root canal is the only option and we have a great referral for those rare cases.

Yes! We have partnered with a reputable anesthesiologist who will come into our office to administer the anesthesia. We do not do anything that is considered 'sedation dentisty' without the third-party administrator. For people who don't want, or need sedation level dentistry, we do offer Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) to our patients without the need of the third-party being present.

Being metal free means taking great pains to make sure that our materials and protocols do not introduce any material amount of metal into your restorations. We use a lot of ceramics which are the most biocompatible material with the longest lifespan available right now. No, we can't regrow your teeth. That would be better, but that remains an experiment on children's teeth in Japan for right now. Maybe one day, sure, but not today. Now, we do use metal drill bits and other metal instruments. There are no viable alternatives to those and the use of them is limited to the time we are using them while you're in the office. They are not going to stay in your mouth for the next ten years. That would just be terrible if they did. Also, there may be trace elements of metal in some of the materials, but that is the nature of chemistry: it's just not commercially feasible to eliminate something at a 1 part per billion level. Even if it were possible, the processes it would take to make it work would make a filling cost thousands and thousands of dollars. Nobody is going to pay that, thus nobody is making that compound.

Being a fluoride-free office is pretty much exactly like it sounds, we do not use any products that have fluoride nor do we use fluoride on its own. We believe that there is enough ambient fluoride in the food and water you ingest that any more can be harmful. Fluorosis is a medical condition that negatively affects the teeth. If you've ever had white spots on your teeth that don't go away, fluorosis is the likely culprit.

Holistic Dentistry is the next step in the evolution of traditional dentistry. Traditional dentistry had, and still probably has its place, but holistic dentistry believes that products, procedures, and protocols that are more aligned to one's own body's ability to heal will be more beneficial to the patient Holistic dental patients usually care a great deal about their body and their health. We always keep this in mind with what we do and how we do it. We are a business, but we aren't a corporate practice, so we don't make sacrifices in the name of saving a buck. ​ We’ve created an environment, both physically and procedurally that will change your whole opinion of dentistry. Welcome to how dentistry should be practiced!

Of course we are! All dentists and hygienists are licensed by the Arizona Board of Dental Examiners and they must renew their license every three years. Our dentists have also gone to some of the best dental schools in the country in University of Pennsylvania and Tufts. The foundation for analyzing issues and the techniques for working on those issues are excellent. Holistic dentistry takes those skills to the next level, but our dentists are some of the best in the Valley.

When talking about materials, it's all about biocompatibility. We have audited every product we use for metals, fluoride, and any other material used that could cause an allergic reaction. We also use a lot of ceramics. Our crowns, onlays, and implants are all 100% ceramic zirconia. As it stands today, zirconia is the closest material we have that feels, functions, and looks like tooth material. Maybe one day we'll be able to regrow teeth, but until that day comes, what goes into your mouth matters so you should trust those who have put in the work to make sure those materials are the best for you!

It's the opposite. Just because holistic dentistry tries to save tooth structure does not mean they do less work. It is actually more challenging to try and save tooth structure versus throwing a crown on. And don't forget, there is an element of patience involved in Holistic dentistry that isn't there in a traditional office. We may try sedative fillings or just monitor whether something is getting worse instead of bulldozing the problem. Sometimes, with the right intervention, problems will halt and more work will be unnecessary. Would you rather get more work done and lose more tooth structure? We think not.

Rarely. While we would love to be able to see through solid objects without the need for X-rays, that technology does not exist yet. Any reputable dentist must be able to see what is going on in parts of your mouth that are simply not visible. An infection can be completely hidden from sight, but will show up with an x-ray. An untreated infection can cause you immense pain and can spread to other parts of your head; a simple x-ray has practically no effect on your health. Now, if you were getting ten (10) x-rays a day, every day for weeks on end, that would be bad. But we don't do that to you and we would never ask you to have more x-rays taken than was necessary. We think some off the misconception with x-rays comes from the fact that x-rays used to use far, far more radiation than the levels we use today. Technology has come a long way in making x-rays safer. We still want to limit the use of them of course!

Procedures like cavitations and mercury removal are only performed by holistic dentists. But, even the procedures that are done by traditional dentists and holistic dentist alike can vary quite a bit. A traditional dentist is usually worried about speed, so they often will work quicker and may even use a CEREC machine to mill the crown. We are worried about tooth structure and biocompatibility, so we take our time to save as much tooth as possible, while ozoning the site, and then having the best lab in the Valley make the crown. A lab made crown is more expensive and takes longer, but it's made my true artists in their field; people who have been doing this kind of work for decades. The quality is not really comparable. So yeah, that, that's just one small thing that's the same but different!

Possibly. We will work to get every dollar from your insurer that we can. So, we do not allow our work or fees to be dictated by penny pinching CEOs in the insurance business, and we charge what we believe is fair and as laid out in your treatment plans. There is nothing about Holistic Dentistry exactly that prevents us from being reimbursed from insurers though. We only treatment plan for you the work you need. We're not being crammed down by the insurers so we have don't have the financial necessity to over-treat.

Not necessarily. Cost matters to you, and we understand that. We rarely raise our fees and have not materially raised our fees in the past few years. If you get your work done by students or in Mexico, then you're taking your chances and probably will be paying less. And for some people, that's all that matters. For our patients, they care about the skill of the Dentists and the materials being used. If you think Dentists are interchangeable, then this is probably not the office for you. If you think materials that are going in your mouth don't matter either, then this really isn't the place for you. Dentistry is hard. Holistic Dentistry is harder but it's worth it.

While Holistic Dentists are free to give nutritional and/or herbal advice, there are nutritionists and naturopaths whose job it is to know everything about these subjects. We do our best, but if we feel you need more advice or more in depth analysis on what supplements, herbs, or nutrition to use, we may give you a referral or you can see your own specialist.

Myobrace is a revolutionary orthodontic system that improves breathing, chewing, and sleeping while at the same time straightening you or your child's teeth. The ideal age to start is about seven (7) to twelve (12), but the system can be used by older children and adults. Just remember, the younger you are, the more pliability you have in your teeth. I.e., it's just easier to move teeth the younger you are. The program takes about two years and usually is preceded by a round of palatal expansion. We are looking to help you or your child breath and eat like they were supposed to. While we all want straight teeth, we try to fix the root causes of airway and breathing issues which usually results in straight teeth. The appliance is removable, but there are minimum amounts of time it must be worn and there are exercises that need to be done too to get good results. This is a more active form of orthodontics, unlike braces which you essentially just leave on.

Usually, the younger the better. About seven (7) to twelve (12) is the best time to start your children in the program. The younger you are, the more pliable the teeth are and the easier it is to achieve results. Also, younger children tend to be more compliant than teenagers. This is an active orthodontic system, which means the participant must actively do exercises. Adults and older youth can also do the program, it may just take longer due to the harder and more inflexible bone.

Usually, the program last up to two years. There is often an expansion component that takes up to a year with the Myobrace system comprising the second half. Since every person is different, these times can vary. It also matters how compliant the patient is in doing the required exercises.

As a holistic office, success for us is not about straight teeth (not necessarily), it's about opening airways, improving breathing, and improving your sleep. Improving airways leads to significant long-term health benefits. One of the positive side effects of the Myobrace program is that it usually produces straighter teeth, but the final aesthetics may be a little different than if braces had been used. Look on our Myobrace page for real life results from our office. You can see the massive changes that have improved numerous patients' lives.

A dentist must be certified by the Myobrace program to properly know about how to administer the care necessary to achieve your expected results. Dr. Amelia has been certified by Myobrace for nearly 10 years. She is one of the longest practicing Myobrace clinicians in all of Arizona.

Yes! Both the expanders and Myobrace appliances are removable. While the expanders need to be worn full-time, the Myobrace appliances are removable and do not need to be worn during the school or work day. They do need to be worn at night, but that's a pretty good trade off we think!

We are open Monday through Friday. 8am to 4pm Monday through Thursday and 9am to 4pm on Fridays. We are closed January 1st, Memorial Day, the 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. We sometimes take days before or after major holidays off too. Just check to make sure if you are trying to schedule around Thanksgiving and Christmas especially.

We have ample parking in our dedicated parking lot located on the north side of our building. Please refrain from parking at Schreiner's Sausages' parking lot as they need all of their spaces. They are great neighbors, so if you need some sausages, do go over there!

The main entrance is on the East side of the building. You can also come in from the West side of the building, but the front desk will be down the hall for your check-in. The employee's door on the North side is not open to the public. When we redeveloped the building, there were two large roll up doors with two large openings. To let in more light, we kept the openings open, but it can be confusing for your first visit since the West side faces 7th Street and it looks like that should be the main entrance. We were originally going to make that side the main entrance, but it required a really long walk for patients having to park on the backside, and nobody wants to walk real far in Phoenix during the summer (can't blame them!).

We do have one 7am hygiene slot each day from Monday through Thursday. If you really need an early Friday time, we may be able to accommodate you, but the hygienist that comes in early does not work every Friday. There are no early dentist appointments however.

We do our best to get you all of the money your insurer will pay. It's your money, and we want you to use it. We differ from other insurance based practices in that we don't let insurers dictate your care or our fees.

Our office is fully accessible from either the West or East side. Additionally, if you call ahead, there is a parking spot right by the front of the East side that we will try and save for you. There is no handicapped sign there due to some unknown reason by the architect, but that is where you ought to go. All bathrooms and treatment rooms are accessible by wheelchair. If you need a wheel chair to take you to and from, we have one on site.

We may still put one up, but we're not really looking to be a billboard on the street. We are looking for patients that care about their health and what does in their body, not just volume of patients. It may seem counterintuitive, but we only have so many resources to give patients the care we think is necessary. Trying to see too many patients just makes us like a corporate office, which we don't want to do.

Not if you give us adequate notice. We understand that life happens, but missing appointments takes away time from another patient who could have used that time. We consider adequate notice to be 24 hours before your appointment during the week and by noon the business day before a holiday or the weekend.

Of course! We have a very comfortable lobby area that you are free to hang out in. We also have complimentary drinks and a hot and cold water dispenser if you need it. There is a lot of reading materials, our service dog friend Sally, and we have two desert tortoises you can visit in our garden area. The tortoises usually stay in the burrows when it's really hot, and they'll also hibernate when it's cold outside.