Simply Health and Wellness
Simply Health and Wellness is a podcast designed to encourage, uplift, inspire, and educate young families and the millennial generation concerning a holistic and vitalistic lifestyle approach to health and wellness.
Simply Health and Wellness
Why Every Dentist Needs a Chiropractor on Speed Dial
Ever wondered why dentists seem particularly prone to back and neck pain? There's a fascinating yet troubling connection between dental practice and spinal health that's rarely discussed outside the profession.
Dentistry demands hours in awkward positions, leaning forward with necks turned while performing precise, repetitive movements. This creates the perfect storm for severe musculoskeletal problems. According to research, when dentists lean forward while seated, they place a staggering 185% of their body weight on their lumbar spine—nearly double the normal pressure! Over time, this leads to flattened neck curves, disc issues, and chronic pain that doesn't resolve without intervention.
As a chiropractor sandwiched between two dental practices, I've witnessed firsthand how these occupational hazards affect talented professionals. But there's good news: targeted chiropractic care can dramatically improve dentists' quality of life and extend their careers. Beyond pain relief, proper spinal adjustments—especially at the upper cervical level—reduce pressure near the brainstem, improving sleep, digestion, energy levels, and stress management.
The truth is, dental professionals need to approach spinal health with the same preventative mindset they teach their patients about oral care. Just as we don't wait for a cavity to start brushing, dentists shouldn't wait for debilitating pain before addressing their spinal health. Regular adjustments, proper ergonomics, and simple between-patient exercises can make all the difference.
Whether you're a dentist or know someone in the profession, don't let pain sideline you from your purpose. Your body is your most important instrument—protect it with the same care and expertise you provide to your patients. Visit us at Mustard Seed Chiropractic or find a chiropractor who specializes in helping healthcare professionals stay at the top of their game.
Hey, what's up? You guys, dr Knight Bryant, here from Mustard Seed Chiropractic on the Simply Health and Wellness podcast, where our mission is simple we're here to help people feel great. We're here to help you function at your absolute best. Naturally, I'm your host, dr G, and we're asking a really important question today. That's rather cool. Why in the world would a dentist need a chiropractor? Now, I know that might sound like an odd pairing, but stay with me here. By the end of this episode you will see how closely the spinal health is actually related to the demands of being a dentist and why every dentist in the world should have a chiropractor on speed dial.
Speaker 1:Okay, so let's talk about this first part of the occupational reality of dentistry. The cool thing is here in our office. We're located on the second floor here in Smyrna, georgia, at the Belmont Physician Center, and we're sandwiched in between two of the best dentists in the whole wide world. So we have Dr Jarrett to our left, who is at JLM Dentistry, and then we have a pediatric dentist to our right and they see a lot of kids and do excellent work with their dental work, if you will. So the reason why this podcast kind of sprung up is because I'm like I'm sandwiched in between these two amazing dentists who need, and have received, amazing chiropractic care, and I believe every dentist in the world should be going to see a chiropractor. And so the occupational reality that I've learned through these studies of these dentists is just this the reality of being a dentist is tough. They spend hours every day in this prolonged, awkward position. They're leaning over their patients. You're turning your necks and using your hands and arms repetitively right. So it's pretty physically demanding and unfortunately it does put major stress on the body. Over time this does lead to a host of musculoskeletal issues like neck pain and stiffness, shoulder tension, low back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and even numbness and tingling. It starts to shoot down the arms and into the hands. One of the most common findings that we see in our office from Dennis is something called a reverse cervical curve. The neck is supposed to have this nice gentle c-shaped curve. It tends to look like a banana if you're looking at it from the side. So when you lean forward, day after day, week after week, years upon years, that curve starts to flatten out and then, even worse, it becomes a reverse curve right, and this can put upwards pressure of around 30 to 40 pounds of pressure, of extra pressure on the neck and the spinal cord. So it's no wonder why so many dentists suffer from chronic neck pain and back pain issues, and unfortunately, these problems don't just go away on their own. They tend to get worse over time.
Speaker 1:Now let's talk about the low back, because here's the fact that most people really don't realize. According to research published in the Journal of Clinical Biomechanics, sitting upright puts about 140% of your body's weight's pressure on your lumbar spine. Hear this. But when you lean forward while you sit most likely just like a dentist does that number shoots up to 185% more. That's nearly double your body's weight pressing onto your lumbar disc all day long. So no wonder why the disc tends to bulge, herniate, sciatica can become an issue, and then the low back starts to stiffen because it's trying to support itself, and this is so common within the actual dentist profession. And so it's not a question of if it will affect you. The reality is a question of only when. And fortunately these problems don't just go away on their own. They tend to get worse over time.
Speaker 1:So of course we can't just talk about the issue. We gotta have solutions, and that's what we're all about here must receive chiropractic. So when a chiropractor starts to look at a dentist, first thing they're going to look at and kind of assess is where the subluxations? And then they're going to say, hey, can we apply a chiropractic adjustment? That's going to be designed to restore motion. It's going to align the spine and start getting the joints to move how they're supposed to. That would kind of be a phase one of care here. And then, when the spine is out of alignment, it does start to irritate the nerve and it causes this muscle tension, reduce mobility. So our job is to correct those misalignments or subluxations and that's going to allow the body to heal naturally. So here's what chiropractic care can do for the dentist.
Speaker 1:Of course we're going to relieve your chronic neck and low back pain. One of the number one people reasons why people come to see a chiropractor is because of neck and low back pain. Number two we want to reduce inflammation and muscle tightness, very important. Inflammation is the common cause of every single disorder and disease known to man. So if we can decrease inflammation we're well off to making sure that the body can heal how it is supposed to. Third thing we want to restore healthy curves in the spine. There are places where curves should be, there's places where the curve should not be, and when it comes to the neck, we want to have a healthy C-shaped curve, looking from the side, a nice lordosis in the cervical spine. And then we want to improve posture and joint mobility.
Speaker 1:Number four and then, last but not least this is important prevention. Preventing future injuries and flare-ups. You know this to be true. When you've had an injury in the past and you haven't had it treated appropriately, you've just covered it up with pain pills and medications, then the next thing you know is you start to it happens more frequently, and then it happens a little bit more, with more pain and discomfort, and then it's probably to a point where you're like enough is enough, I need some help. Hopefully it's not to the point where you need a surgery, but we want to make sure that we do not forget about it's not just about the joint, it's about making sure we have healthy nerves.
Speaker 1:Adjustments essentially, especially at C1 and C2 levels, that's the top of the neck area. They relieve pressure near the brainstem. Now hear this your brainstem is like the quarterback to your actual brain. It's actually kind of signaling and telling everybody what to do Right, and it's helping balance to the nervous system, and that means for you, you're going to have better sleep, amen to that, a better digestive system, less stress on the body and more energy. This is especially important for dentists, because stress is a big part of the job, just like most jobs. Wherever you're, whenever you're really managing a team and you're running a practice and you're helping your patients who may be nervous about us, a certain detail that you need to do. It all becomes a lot of your body. Your body takes on a lot of stress. So you have to make sure that you calm your nervous system and bring it into parasympathetic, and that is done by chiropractic adjustments. Chiropractic care can help you get there.
Speaker 1:Now the next part we have to hit on is ergonomics and lifestyle support. The big takeaway from this is that chiropractic care is not just about adjustments. Right, and must you see, we go a little bit of a step further. We want to work with the dentist to address the root cause of that physical stress, if you will, and that also means you have to address the workplace ergonomics. So we tend to offer proper positioning for work, stretches, strengthening routines once the spine has gotten into alignment. And then we like to help people understand how you can set up your workspace and then also add in some exercises you can do in between patients to actually support your spinal health, especially if you love what you do. A part of being a pro at anything is making sure you know how to take care of yourself for years to come, and so we want to make sure that you're able to do it at a high level by doing a couple of exercises that literally take 20 or 30 seconds in between patients.
Speaker 1:And then we want to create long-term strategies for your physical sustainability. Sustaining high levels of performance is key, especially when people need a great dentist or they need a great service. You have to sustain that at a high level. So you have to have sustainable practices, and that's what we tend to help our patients unpack and then deliver as we walk with them along their health and wellness journey. And why is that really important? It's because, basically, if your work is what's causing the problem, then we need to outsmart the problem. I'll say that again If your work is what is causing the problem, then we have to help you outsmart your problem, and so your body is your instrument. If it starts to break down, it's going to affect the way you serve your patients and enjoy your life and our job our job is to help you keep doing what you love without pain holding you back from doing that. The next part of this we have to start drawing some parallels here. This is a big picture moment. I think this is cool. Let's zoom out here.
Speaker 1:For years, people only went to the dentist when they had a problem like a cavity, a toothache or maybe even a root canal. But today we all know that consistent dental checkups are the key to long term oral health. We brush, we floss, we get our cleanings, we use our mouthwash, because we understand that prevention actually matters. Chiropractic is in the same phase. Right now, people all over the world are starting to realize and they're starting to wake up to the fact that, man, when your back gives out, when your hands are numb, when you cannot feel everything in your feet, man, it's too late. And we're teaching our community that regular spinal checkups are just as important as dental ones. Not because something's wrong, it's because we want to keep everything right. Your spine protects your nervous system, the most important system to your entire body. In fact, the nervous system runs your entire body, so maintaining your spinal health is one of the most important things in the world that you can do, especially for your practice, for your career and also for your quality of life.
Speaker 1:So here it is that call to action. If you are a dentist, or if you know someone who's a dentist and you've heard this podcast or any profession that's similar to being in this position of being hunched over, and yet that is just a part of the nature of the job, yet it is what you're called to do, is your purpose, is how you serve people then this is your call to action. Don't wait until pain sidelines you from your actual purpose. We want you to come see us here at must, receive chiropractic, or at least visit a chiropractor near you where they specialize and what we do is we specialize in helping healthcare professionals like yourself stay at the top of their game will help you restore your function, reduce that stress and keep you doing what you love without pain.
Speaker 1:And, if you will, I would ask you to share this episode with a dental friend, a coworker, a loved one you never know who might be silently suffering and just needs a gentle nudge in the right direction, to help them get the help they need. And remember, just like oral health, you guys, spinal hygiene matters. I just want to say thank you for listening today. Until next time, I want you to stay strong, stay aligned and keep planting those seeds of health, and we can't wait to see you, your friends and your family here at Mustard Seed Chiropractic. Dr Knight Bryant signing off. Can't wait until the next time. Have a great day.
