697: My Journey Into Wellness Dentistry - Dr. Katie To and Dr. Christian Coachman

697: My Journey Into Wellness Dentistry - Dr. Katie To and Dr. Christian Coachman

Have you ever wondered how you can incorporate wellness into your practice? On today’s episode, Kirk and Dr. Christian Coachman welcome Dr. Katie To, a pioneer in wellness dentistry. Dr. To shares her personal journey and explains the concept of wellness dentistry, which goes beyond traditional dentistry to treat the whole body. She emphasizes the importance of collaboration with other healthcare professionals and the impact of wellness dentistry on patient outcomes. They discuss the benefits of implementing wellness dentistry in a dental practice, including attracting better patients and creating a happier and more fulfilled team. And Dr. To offers advice for young dentists interested in pursuing wellness dentistry, highlighting the importance of personalized treatment and patient education.

Learn More About Dr. Katie To:

• Follow Dr. Katie To on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkatieto
• Join Dr. Katie To on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatieToCenter
• Learn more about Wellness Dentist Institute: https://www.wellnessdentistinstitute.com
• Listen to Dr. Katie’s To's podcast The Wellness Dentist

Learn More About Dr. Christian Coachman:

• Follow Dr. Christian Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
• Follow Dr. Christian Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
• Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
• Register for DSD Residency 1: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & A Better Life:

• Subscribe to the Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
• Join the Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt/
• See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event/
• Get the Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine/
• Please leave us a review on the podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218

Main Takeaways: 

• Wellness dentistry goes beyond traditional dentistry to treat the whole body and collaborate with other healthcare professionals.
• Implementing wellness dentistry in a dental practice can attract better patients and create a happier and more fulfilled team.
• Personalized treatment and patient education are key components of wellness dentistry.
• Young dentists can start their journey in wellness dentistry by learning and implementing small changes in their practice.

Quotes: 

“For me, the wellness dentistry, my definition in my practice, we have it on the wall, we have it on a website. It is a confident smile for a healthy life. You cannot smile when you are sick. and don't want to get out of bed, or you have chronic fatigue and autoimmune issues and all these chronic inflammation conditions. But also if you're healthy, but you don't have a healthy smile or a confident smile, you're not hiding your smile and your selfie, not showing your smile or true self to the world. So for us in our practice as a dentist, what we find in wellness dentistry is a confident smile for a healthy life”. (03:47 - 04:00)

“If [the patient] is a negative person or they have a lot of anxiety or anger issues, the body itself becomes acidic. You cannot give them enough things in the mouth, toothpaste, rinse or  M .I. paste, anything to reverse that when the saliva is acidic 24/7. So have that understanding, really put the ownership of their health on the patient and they are the hero of the journey.” (7:46 - 7:48)

“When I learned going through that journey, I learned about meditation, about journaling, about getting better. It's not just all about physical. And when I came back to my practice, I transformed the practice into biological wellness, holistic dentistry. And since my team saw my suffering throughout that year, they got on board because they know if that's happened to Dr. Katie, it could happen to me. It could happen to the patient. So therefore we walk the talk.” (11:39 - 11:41)

“When we started our journey, the patient that we had to talk to was our existing patient. Today in 2024, our patients are coming from medical referral and our medical professional doesn't look at us as if you're just a dentist. They actually ask that before we move on to gut health and hormone health, can you please make sure the patient or cavity are clear? We actually require medical clearance before a patient can move on with oncology treatment and even major surgery, because doctors understand the importance of oral health.” (17:26 - 17:53)

“You can do it today because of the wellness dentistry exam, as I share with Dr. Coachman, is starting with you get to know the patient and not just go through the motion of checking their teeth, their bite, right, their gum, but really knowing if you see something, ask questions, ask question why this happened, get to know them, curious about them. You have to be an identifier, then evaluator, then stabilizer and healer. You don't have to be the healer today. You still have a lot to learn. You can learn to be an identifier and evaluator and just listen to the podcasts like this or join study clubs or get some coaching to get started. You can do it yourself or can you get some hand holding, but don't just sustain the wish - you have to put in the work. You’ve got to implement it.” (25:23 - 25:53)

When I go to work, I ask who can I help today? What story would I discover today? Just right before Christmas, we have a patient call and say, I saw you two years ago. You told me about this infection and I didn't do anything. And my vision kept getting worse. And when she said, I would like to get this infection taken care of, we remove the tooth, do PRF, laser, ozone, and all the biomodulations and all that. She's coming back with her optometrist. The first week that we opened after New Year, she came in for her post -op visit with her optometrist. And I'm like, oh, oh, hi. I have not met the optometrist before. And she said, my optometrist has been taking care of me for three years. When I saw you two years ago, my vision did get worse, but the last two years got significantly worse. But after I'd got my infections out, I came back in because my vision cleared up. My optometrist wants to know who I am seeing as a dentist? I can tell you this story that we hear, I still get goosebumps. And for me, that's the biggest currency - more than money, more than fame, more than Google reviews, is about changing someone's life.” (32:22 - 33:45)

“Dentistry is a very tough profession. We know that. And finding a deeper purpose is the best way to transform a stressful profession into the best profession ever.” (37:51 - 38:04)

Snippets:

03:05 What is Wellness Dentistry? 

07:20 Collaboration with Healthcare Professionals

11:11 Katie's Personal Journey

14:07 Success and Growth of Wellness Dentistry

25:23 Advice for Young Dentists

28:19 Differentiating a Wellness Dentist

35:30 Final Thoughts

38:20 Katie's Courses and Resources

Dr. Katie To Bio:

Dr. Katie To is a biological and cosmetic dentist and the owner of The Center for Integrated Wellness and Cosmetic Dentistry in Katy, Texas. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Texas at Arlington with a Bachelor of Science in biology. Her pursuit of dentistry began at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) where she received distinction in research and awards in cosmetic dentistry. She is an Academy of General Dentistry Fellow (FAGD), the youngest Master of Biological Dentistry within the International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine (IABDM), and the first female to hold the professional title of Master of Smile Design in the DSD network. With a passion to share this expertise, her coaching sessions at KT Dental Seminars guides industry professionals through training, certifications, and online master classes.

Dr. To is married to Dr. Bar Nguyen, a board-certified orthodontist who recently joined her practice team. After a difficult journey to parenthood, they now have a wonderful son, Bailey, and a lovely daughter, Apple. They both bring joy to their lives, and she is passionate about teaching them how to experience health and happiness through wellness. She also enjoys traveling, dental photography, Peloton rides, and spending time with family. Her most recent wellness aspiration includes training toward certification as a yoga instructor.