Health and longevity are very popular subjects in these first years of the new millennium. You can't open a paper, magazine or watch television or listen to the radio without hearing or seeing some mention of how to be healthier and how to live a longer life. Beverly Hills Dentist, Dr. Kourosh Maddahi, a biological dentist, enlightens his patients on the importance of dental health and its effect on the overall health of the body.

Often considered minor and something that can easily be ignored, dental disease can contribute to more injurious ailments and actually shorten life expectancy. If a patient ignores infection of the mouth such as infected cavities, gum disease, infected root canals, and other unhandled oral disease, the effects can be serious.

"Gum disease alone has been found to have increased the risk of heart attack, increased risk of stroke, raise the severity of diabetes, contribute to respiratory disease, interfere with proper digestion and even contribute to low pre-term birth weights.", Dr. Maddahi explains, "It has also been seen to play a role in osteoporosis, severely stress the immune system and of course, lower resistance to other infections."

Dr. Maddahi's Beverly Hills office uses the newest high-tech tools to work on gums and teeth, making the visits less painful, faster and more precise. They use IntraOral Cameras, to view with clarity each tooth and gum surface in the mouth. A high resolution, state of the art, 40x by 1600x Trinocular Compound Microscope allows the patient, the hygienist, and the doctor to digitally view moving bacteria from the mouth on a computerized video screen. A laser is used for soft tissue surgery, curing, and sterilizing with the benefit of no anesthetic needed or just topical anesthetic to get started.

"There is another cause of ill health that your dentist can alleviate. Silver (mercury) amalgam fillings have been found to often greatly affect the health of patients, especially when the filling leaks into the system." Dr. Maddahi explains, "A wide range of problems have been associated with mercury poisoning such as chronic tiredness, digestive troubles, muscle and joint aches and stiffness and sinus troubles. Due to its poisonous nature, mercury can adversely affect the immune, urinary, cardiac, respiratory and digestive systems."

When someone is affected with ill health, not only a trip to the doctor is necessary, but a trip to the dentist could also help to alleviate the problems. Dr. Thomas McGuire, D.D.S., has been an innovator and leader in preventive dental education for over 30 years. He founded the Dental Wellness Institute in 1997 with the goal of bridging the gap between the dental and medical professions. He stresses, "You will also discover that if dental disease, with its related oral health issues, is not acknowledged as an obstacle to achieving overall health, any efforts to accurately diagnose and treat disease, improve health, and extend life, will be less effective, and will fall short of the desired goals."

Dr. Kourosh Maddahi, has been specializing in creating beautiful, natural smiles for 20 years and is located in Beverly Hills at 436 N. Roxbury Drive, Suite 202 and can be reached at 310-888-7797.