I found Collective Health Society because I was determined to find a holistic dentist who would work with insurance where possible and who approached dentistry from a whole-health perspective. After doing A LOT of research, I decided to become a patient myself, and I am so thankful I did.
One of my first goals was to safely replace my amalgam fillings, and Dr. Lee did a fantastic job. I also had one crowned tooth that had constantly irritated my gum line. Dr. Lee asked whether I had ever considered a possible sensitivity to the metal. I had questioned it myself before but had always been hesitant because of the cost. Once insurance made it possible, I replaced that crown with an all-porcelain restoration. Within about a month, I noticed a huge difference. My gums around that tooth were no longer constantly irritated, and food was no longer getting stuck there the way it had before.
After having such a positive experience myself, I finally convinced my husband to make time for an appointment during busy tax season. To our surprise, they found an infection in his mouth that had not been causing him any pain or obvious symptoms. He has since had that treated and also had his amalgam fillings replaced. We are extremely grateful it was caught.
Once both my husband and I had become patients and were so pleased with our care, I decided to move our children here as well. I was initially hesitant to leave their pediatric dentist, but I had become increasingly concerned about my son. He was grinding his teeth significantly, his teeth were very crowded with little spacing, and I kept feeling like something more was going on. I had previously been told that what I was seeing was normal and that he would be fine.
Dr. Lee looked deeper. She identified that my son has a crossbite and recommended that we see a holistic, airway-focused orthodontist. Through that process, we also learned that he has a minor tongue tie and would likely benefit from myofunctional therapy. This finally connected so many of the concerns I had been trying to understand, including his grinding, crowding, breathing issues, frequent sneezing, and history of inflamed turbinates and adenoids.
Because of Dr. Lee's guidance, we now have an orthodontic and myofunctional treatment plan in place and finally feel like we are addressing the bigger picture rather than looking at each symptom separately. She helped point us in a direction that years of other appointments had never led us toward, and I cannot express how appreciative I am for that.
I was also disappointed to learn that my son had one small cavity and a few areas that needed attention, especially because our family puts so much effort into nutrition. We eat primarily organic produce and very little processed food. But instead of simply focusing on the cavity, this experience helped me better understand how his oral development, crowding, breathing, habits, and hygiene can all work together. Thankfully, Collective Health was able to take care of the dental issues for both of my children while also helping us think about his long-term oral health.
Another thing I appreciate is how thoughtful they are about their technology and treatment approach. I had always been particularly cautious about dental X-rays, especially with my children, and I feel much more comfortable with the technology they use.
For our family, moving to Collective Health Society has been much more than changing dentists. It has helped us look at oral health differently and understand how closely the mouth, airway, breathing, sleep, and overall health can be connected.
We are still early in this journey, especially with my son, but for the first time I feel like we have a clear pathway forward. I am excited to see the improvements over the next year, and I am incredibly thankful to Dr. Lee and the entire Collective Health team for listening to my concerns, looking beyond the obvious, and helping guide our whole family toward better health.
Taking care of your health truly does start with taking care of your mouth, and for us, making the change to Collective Health Society has absolutely been worth it. read more
