Artisan Dental
by Kevin Fritz
If you don’t think a trip to the dentist can prevent a serious illness or possibly save your life down the road, think again. Dentists who practice complex integrative dental medicine are trained to uncover abnormalities that may be lurking in your body by diagnosing the earliest symptoms of these issues in your mouth, head, and neck.
Fortunately, we have two such integrative dentists right here in our community. Dr. Mary Isaacs and Dr. Katie Miller of Artisan Dental are practitioners who understand that finding the root cause of a patient’s condition can have a tremendous impact on their health and well-being.
Artisan Dental concentrates on treating the whole patient, not just the disease – from prevention to diagnosis to treatment.
“We have a health focus,” says Dr. Isaacs. “We want to put an end to a patient’s disease so it never happens again. We want our biorejuvenation dentistry to last, and it starts by diagnosing the root cause of the problem.”
Her work does not go unnoticed. This year, Top Doctor awarded Dr. Isaacs with the Smile Transformation Award in the Best in Cosmetic Dentistry category.
While Artisan Dental provides routine dental procedures and cosmetic dentistry, Dr. Isaacs notes that the evolution of dentistry in the past few years allows her to address factors that can cause disease by using proven diagnostic methods and treatment options.
“First, we conduct a comprehensive exam that includes an evaluation of the oral systemic connection,” says Dr. Isaacs. “We spend valuable time with each of our patients, and we often help patients with complex cases who have received treatment elsewhere but did not get the results they needed.”
Artisan Dental uses HR5 saliva testing to check for the top five pathogens/bacteria. While some pathogens do not lead to serious illness, others can cause miscarriages, low birth-weight babies, strokes, cardiovascular disease, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Isaacs also looks for inflammation and plaque buildup in the mouth, signs there may be an issue with the arteries, which are red flags for heart attacks or strokes.
“Plaque in the mouth, plaque in the heart, and maybe plaque on the brain,” Dr. Isaacs says, describing how our body’s many systems are interconnected. “And it is relatively easy to treat.”
Sleep Disorders and Dentistry
Dr. Isaacs, who earned a prestigious Diplomate designation from the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine, includes a sleep-centric focus in her practice because she understands the correlation between sleep disorders and an array of health issues. Considered an expert in the field of dental sleep medicine, she has found that treating sleep disorders can also lower blood pressure, reduce cardiovascular disease and strokes, and correct neck and joint disorders.
“We also know sleep disorders can cause bed-wetting and be diagnosed as ADHD in children,” says Dr. Isaacs, who has seen those issues rapidly resolve simply by having the child wear a dental appliance at night.
For children, sleep apnea is not the only concern. The absence of nasal breathing can cause changes to craniofacial development due to excessive mouth breathing. To address the issue, hygienist Carol Norsesian has completed training to become a Myofunctional Therapist, a practitioner who teaches children and adults to breathe through their noses and strengthen the muscles in the tongue and face. This helps with both sleep disorders and temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Treating sleep apnea and other sleeping disorders can also help heal the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).
Dr. Miller’s Commitment
Dr. Miller, born and raised in Central Illinois, earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Butler University and a Doctor of Medical Dentistry degree from the University of Louisville. She received post-graduate training through the University of Florida with an Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency in St. Petersburg.
Practicing for 21 years, Dr. Miller lives in Maitland with her husband Dave and their two children. Joining the practice in August 2021, she is committed to her education in dentistry through SPEAR Education in Scottsdale, Arizona. Dr. Miller also enjoys spending time with her colleagues promoting organized dentistry within the Florida Dental Association.
A dynamic team with a commitment to the latest advances in dental medicine, Dr. Isaacs and Dr. Miller are excited to continue to provide the best care and service to patients in Winter Springs, Oviedo, and beyond.