By Orla Bass
Very few of us would make the association between illness and our teeth, but one man who does is holistic dentist David Hefferon. Based in Dundrum Dental Surgery, David has been practising holistic dentistry for nearly thirty years. He believes there can be a direct correlation between our overall health and wellbeing and the health of our mouths. Bite, posture, breathing, gum disease, or toxic exposure due to leaky mercury fillings can all affect us.
David emphasises that individual patients’ results can vary, and there are no guarantees of improvement. However, several patients have reported dramatic improvements. This includes one woman who can now climb stairs unaided after years of reduced mobility. On her last visit, she reported, “I just feel amazing.”
David’s journey began via the conventional route of dental training. After initially working in Northern Ireland, he moved on to private practices in Germany, London, and Sydney, where he nurtured his interest in a more holistic way of dental care. He travelled around the world educating himself about the human body and learning more about the connection between oral health and general health. He believes in looking at the body as a whole, not simply a set of teeth. He now works alongside other holistic practitioners such as acupuncturists, chiropractors, osteopaths, and nutritionists, in order to help his clients maintain optimal health. He is the only dentist in Ireland to be a Fellow of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology.
