Dr. Nammy Patel, DDS (www.sfgreendentist.com) operates a practice called Green Dentistry in San Francisco and is the author of Age With Style: Your Guide To A Youthful Smile & Healthy Living. A graduate of the University of California’s School of Dentistry, she is a leader in the movement to bring environmental sanity and well-being into the dental world. Dr. Patel focuses on helping patients recognize the vital connection between dental health and whole-body health. In this episode of the Progressive Dentist podcast, Dr. Patel joins us to discuss shifting her focus to green dentistry and to share the challenges and opportunities she encountered during her journey.

A Holistic Approach to Dentistry

Green dentistry is a modern approach to dental medicine with a focus on an environmentally friendly, energy-conserving model. Dr. Patel also involves a more holistic approach to whole-body health that treats root causes for problems as much as it treats symptoms. Dr. Patel has worked to shift her practice to eliminate the use of metals and reduce the use of plastics as much as possible. Not only is this an environmentally responsible approach, but it has also opened new doors for Dr. Patel, who shifted into green dentistry fifteen years ago in her practice.

Making a Big Shift In Your Practice

Dr. Patel was an early adopter of the principles of green dentistry, and when she initially made the transition, it was an expensive and difficult process. However, Dr. Patel says that the benefits far outweigh the challenges. It is important to remember that the only way to successfully navigate a big shift in your practice is to fully commit yourself to the challenge. Dr. Patel’s patients were supportive of her efforts and patient through the transition as she navigated the difficulties of learning the business side of running a dental office along with mastering the green dentistry approach and for Dr. Patel, this made all the difference.