Oral systemic health Dr. Panahpour, Santa Monica
The mouth is part of the body, not a separate department. Oral systemic health looks at inflammation, the bite, the airway and sleep together, with your physician in the conversation.
- Your mouth and your medical history in one plan
- Inflammation, bite, airway and sleep examined together
- Findings shared with your physician, with your permission
- Weston A. Price Foundation
- Remarkable Dentists Podcast
- Exposing Mold Podcast
- Dr. Wendy Myers
- This Healthy Life
Your mouth is not separate from the rest of you.
Gum inflammation does not always stay in the gums. Research has linked periodontal disease with conditions elsewhere in the body, including heart disease and diabetes, and the link with blood sugar appears to run in both directions.
Oral systemic health takes that seriously. Instead of treating each tooth in isolation, it asks what the mouth may be adding to your overall health picture, and what your overall health may be doing to your mouth.
This page is for you if
- Your physician has asked you to have your mouth checked
- You live with chronic inflammation and want the mouth ruled in or out
- You clench, grind or sleep poorly and want the bite and airway examined
- You want a dentist who will talk to your doctor
Five things, examined together.
Each one can affect the others, so none is looked at alone.
Inflammation
Gum health and infection, assessed as part of your overall health picture rather than one tooth at a time.
Hidden infection
3D cone beam imaging for what a flat x-ray can miss, such as old extraction sites and the bone around treated teeth.
Bite and posture
How the teeth meet sets the position of the jaw, and the jaw affects the head and neck. The bite is measured first.
Airway and sleep
The jaw and the airway share the same space, so breathing and sleep are part of the conversation.
Materials
Mercury safe removal and metal free options, chosen for how your body responds to them.
Your physician stays in the loop.
Around seven in ten of Dr. Panahpour's patients are referred by a physician, a chiropractor or another practitioner. With your permission, findings are shared with them, so your care is coordinated rather than duplicated.
Dental care is not a substitute for medical care. Dr. Panahpour treats the head and neck; your physician stays in charge of everything else.
Not sure this is right for you?
Ask Dr. Panahpour directly. The first conversation is unhurried, typically 60 to 90 minutes, by phone or in person.
Whole body dentistry, for thirty years.
Dr. Panahpour has treated the mouth as part of the whole body since 1994. Systemic is the name of his practice for a reason: the mouth as one system, connected to every other.
He is a fourth generation dentist, an accredited member of the IAOMT, the author of The Good Dentist, and the dentist other doctors call when a patient has run out of answers.
I've had three surgeries with Dr. Panahpour and I couldn't be in better hands. His focus on the whole-body system, his constantly updated knowledge, and his genuine care for me as a patient are second to none. I would whole-heartedly recommend him to anyone who wants to understand the connection between oral health and body health.
Where oral systemic care often leads
The protocols most often involved once the whole picture is clear.
Cavitation surgery
Poorly healed bone at old extraction sites, which a flat x-ray often misses. Found on cone beam imaging, cleaned, and supported with ozone and PRF.
About cavitation surgeryBite therapy and TMJ
When the bite is uneven the jaw tilts, the skull compensates and the neck follows. The bite is measured first, before any restorative work.
How bite therapy works
Safe mercury filling removal
Silver amalgam removed under the SMART protocol: the tooth isolated, vapour captured at the source and a separate air supply for you.
Safe removal, step by step
Ozone therapy
Medical grade ozone to disinfect the field before anything is closed. Used in this practice since 2008.
How ozone is used
Zirconia implants
Ceramic, metal free implants, planned with 3D cone beam imaging. Zirconia in practice since 2001.
About zirconia implantsBiological dentistry
Materials and methods chosen for how your body responds to them: mercury safe, metal free where it suits, and as little drilling as the tooth allows.
Biological dentist in Santa MonicaVisit us in Santa Monica.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
- Parking
- Garage in the building
- Nearby
- Five minutes from Venice and Mar Vista
- Hours
- By appointment
- Phone
- (310) 986-6001
Patients also travel in from across Southern California and from more than fourteen countries.
What people ask before booking.
Anything else, ask Dr. Panahpour directly.
Ask a question ›What is oral systemic health?
The care of the connection between the mouth and the rest of the body. Gum inflammation, infection, the bite and the airway are treated as part of your overall health, and coordinated with your physician.
Is gum disease really linked to heart disease and diabetes?
Research has found associations between periodontal disease and conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, and the link with blood sugar appears to work in both directions. An association does not prove that one causes the other, which is why your dentist and your physician should look at the whole picture together.
Do you work with my doctor?
Yes. Many patients are referred by their physician, and with your permission Dr. Panahpour shares his findings so your care is coordinated.
What happens at the first visit?
A long conversation about your health history, then an examination of your teeth, gums, bite and jaw, with 3D imaging where it is useful. Nothing is drilled at the first visit.
Do I need a referral?
No. Referrals are common and welcome, but you can contact the office directly.
Is this available in Sacramento?
Yes. The same approach is offered at the Sacramento office on East Southgate Drive.
Start with the whole picture.
Bring what your physician has found. The first conversation is unhurried, typically 60 to 90 minutes, by phone or in person.
- 01Reach outSend the form, call or WhatsApp. Your message goes straight to Dr. Panahpour.
- 02A real conversationYour history, what has already been tried, and what you want from this. No rush.
- 03A clear planWhat he finds and what he would do, including when the answer is that you need nothing.
Closer to Sacramento? See the Sacramento office
Got it. Thank you.
Your message reached Dr. Panahpour directly. Someone from the office will reply within 1 to 2 business days.