Nutrition Plays an Essential Role in Your Patients' Health and Your Clinical Outcomes

You're listening to The Dr. Phil Klein Dental Podcast from Viva Learning.com. Welcome to the show. I'm Dr. Phil Klein. There is no innocent food, according to our speaker, Dr. Uche Odiatu. Researchers have found irrefutable scientific evidence that macronutrients and micronutrients modulate inflammation in the body. What your patients consume either boosts inflammation or turns it down. Consuming a variety of healthy foods lowers inflammation, slows the aging process, supports a healthy metabolic rate, and boosts overall health. Today, we'll be discussing all of this and more. Our guest is Dr. Uche Odiatu, author of The Miracle of Health, a professional member of the American College of Sports Medicine and a practicing dentist in Toronto. He has given 500-plus lecturers in various countries and has lectured at the ADA annual session 14 times since 2006. He recently presented an amazing webinar on Viva Learning titled The Value-Added New Patient Exam, Four Patient Lifestyle Habits That Influence Healing. So we're very happy to have him on the show. And I encourage everyone to watch the recorded version of that webinar. You can find it on vivalearning.com. Just go to the search field and type in Dr. Odiatu's last name, which is spelled O-D-I-A-T-U, Odiatu. Doctor, it's a pleasure to have you on the show again. It's great. I love sharing and you ask penetrating questions. So it's all good. If you didn't see the other podcast that Dr. Odiatu did with us, it's called Your Sleep Deprived Patient. And he really goes into some great discussions about sleep deprivation and what that means to a patient trying to deal with inflammatory issues in their mouth and the rest of their body and how it affects the dental practitioner. Of course, he mentioned in that. podcast about treating some of that inflammatory challenges with some instruments and tools that will help at the local level, which will ease the inflammatory burden that's kind of exacerbated by sleep deprivation. So it's really a very informative podcast. So today we're going to be talking more about nutrition. So let's begin with a simple question. Has nutrition changed over the years? Tell us about that. You know, it's incredible. Some of the details come and go. You know, in the 80s, eggs were considered bad. And now they realize that eggs aren't all that's cracked up to be, pardon the pun, but 80% of the cholesterol in the body is from the liver makes. You know, it's not from the diet. So eggs have been demonized in the 80s, no longer demonized. In the 80s, they said fat was bad. And now in the 2020, we know that fat is good. You know, saturated fat is needed in the diet. You know, we need monosaturated fats for anti-inflammatory effects. We need essential fats for brain health. So in the 80s, we thought carbs were great. And now we know that processed carbs aren't so good. So nutrition is definitely changing, but it's more semantics. But when I look back to Hippocrates, and you want to go back, you know, 2,300 years ago, which is unbelievable because 300 BC, Hippocrates said, all disease begins in the gut. And Hippocrates, they say, is the father of modern medicine. Well, he also said, let food be your medicine and medicine be your food. There was no microscope. There was no US food pyramid. There's no Health Canada. But somehow the first doctor knew that food was somehow essential for optimal living. So I wouldn't say it's new. We're talking like 2,300 years ago. The first doctor was talking about the importance of food. Yeah, how did he know that the gut was so important to the immune system and everything? That's just hard to believe. Yeah, it's uncanny. Some people are able to tap in. to what's needed, whether it's an Elon Musk or, you know, think of the early 90s. Jeff Bezos said, I got to master distribution online and no bank would lend him money. He eventually had to get his stepfather to lend him money so he could have a business that would help him distribute products online because all the financial institutions said there's no money in distribution products online. So Jeff Bezos now. at $180 billion net worth when the top richest people in the world has realized that products online are important. So how do people know? How did Jeff Bezos know 30 years out? How did Hippocrates know in 300 BC that somehow all the disease begins in the gut? Well, somehow people have the ability to get quiet and tap into the quietness, which Wayne Dyer and Deepak Chopra have called the womb of creation. But most of us are so busy with our phones and our busy lives. We never get quiet and listen to the stillness where they say all the answers are. So Hippocrates, for whatever reason, tapped into it and saw that fasting would help the body free up energy for healing. He saw that many diseases started in the gut and he had some vinegar fast and intermittent fasting fast. So it's powerful stuff because only now in 2020, you know, the National Institute of Health, you know, they finished the first phase of the Human Microbiome Project and they said, you know, the gut. is a powerful organ and technically at three pounds the beneficial flora have a huge impact on the overall body health this is nutrition this is overall health this is essential to um you know nutrient absorption the digestion yeah and on that point tell us about the foods that are good for the body that are also good for the mouth well it's what our mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers are telling us for years you know eat your fruits and vegetables you know before you have the dessert eat your vegetables you know before you go outside and play eat your vegetables well many people they hear the the mandates but tell me why and that engages me so um they've actually shown now that the same foods that are good for the body are also good for the mouth because these foods that the body takes this is where the microbiome comes in the gut flora the gut flora the majority of them being in the large intestine they ferment the fiber fibers of carbohydrate so in the large intestine um insoluble and soluble fiber is fermented and then these bacteria make short chain fatty acids and they are the most potent anti -inflammatory agents the body body makes let me say that again when the bacteria in our body ferment fiber uh they make short chain fatty acids and they are the most potent anti-inflammatory agents the body makes and when you think about it inflammation is a key player in every every illness from gingivitis to periodontal disease to hepatitis to cancer to heart disease. So anytime the body is able to pump out and make more short chain fatty acids, it's helping the body move towards healing. And this is a powerful understanding because 95% of North Americans don't eat enough fiber. So only 5% of our patients are eating enough fiber to make short chain fatty acids, which are potent anti-inflammatories. Yeah. And the processed food that's so available and so prevalent everywhere. is really not the answer. It's very hard to get that kind of nutrition out of processed foods. There are some health advisors that say if there's more than five ingredients on a package, then it's too processed and the body's not going to gain the nutrition it needs to accomplish the things that we're talking about here. So, you know, when we talked about doing this podcast, doctor, when you say nutrition essentials for the busy dental professional, what's your recommendation? Well, a big part of that is I think healthcare providers, dentists in general and hygienists, we take a ton of nutrition hours in our training. I think many people think nutrition is outside of our scope of practice, but I did a one-hour hygiene program for the Miami-Dade College in Florida in March, and I asked one of the professors, they do 32 hours of nutrition in their programming. You know, dentists, 25 hours of nutrition in their programming. And what I've read is that Tufts University, Tufts University Medical School, they have one of the most uh the most hours of nutrition in their medical training it's 22 hours so it's well within the dentist and hygienist um scope of practice to talk nutrition so we need to talk vitamins and supplements and fiber you know i think many of us you know fiber have any lobby group you know there's soy meat wheat you know grain corn lobby groups but there's no fiber lobby group so um fiber is the unsung hero when you think about it this relationship of fiber is primordial it's primitive and immunologists and microbiologists have shown that our bacteria want this nutrient alone not fiber to make short chain fatty acids and if it's one of the most potent anti-inflammatory agents of the body aches. We've got to talk to our patients about eating fiber. And patients are confused because they hear about essential fats. They hear about essential amino acids. No one's talking fiber. This is where dentists and hygienists can really tap into the interest of our patients and get them thinking on their way home and at the dinner table tonight. So the key thing is here. as dental practitioners treating patients and engaging patients to get better health is anti-inflammatory right we want to reduce the inflammation in the mouth is that not a correct assumption so you talked about it in your other podcast by addressing sleep deprivation because without the proper sleep that a person needs every night it's almost impossible to control the inflammation in the body. And certainly that will be carried into the mouth. And we talked about different ways of trying to control that inflammation. So now we're talking about foods. And again, the challenge is though, a dental practitioner only has so much time with the patient, right? I mean, they're talking about going into an operatory. I don't know what the program is in your office or what the process is of bringing on a new patient. When does that discussion occur? How much time is spent? You also want to talk about some of the other tools that you recommend to reduce inflammation. It's tough. As I said, maybe we'll say I'm so busy doing crowns. I'm so busy in scaling. Somebody's using my cabotron. When do I talk nutrition? Well, it's subtle and you have to look the part. You know, it's much easier to be an influencer chair side if you look healthy. You know, if you smell like a fast food restaurant, it's really hard to have authentic communication. So I think it's in everything we do. You know, it's amazing how the new patient exam, nutrition comes up. When you update medical history, hygienist, dentist, when you update medical history, don't just talk about new meds. Say, how's your diet been the last two to six months? What is your sleep like? And I think many people don't get asked about that. We talked about medications, but you talk sleep, you talk nutrition, you talk, are you taking any new supplements? I know you're taking a protein pump inhibitor. Are you taking any supplements? So when you start asking questions, it gets people thinking. When you get people thinking, change is about to occur. Because anytime people think, you know, a new perception, a new way of looking at something happens. And that's our opening to create change. And that's all we are. You know, sure, we do things chair side. But to create a new way of looking at something is one of the best ways to create a whole new experience for these patients. Yeah, no doubt. That's well said. So do you make these recommendations about diet or bring up diet and these kinds of questions to all your patients, even though they may have perfect? uh gingival health or do you look at a patient and you size up their periodontal health and say hmm this this patient has pockets and the gingiva is red and inflamed and on probing we're getting bleeding and is that where you start focusing on diet and sleep deprivation or or do you do to everybody well you bring it up anytime you know the new mother the expectant mother you can bring it up even to the athlete i'll say you know what you have 28 teeth you took out your wisdom teeth last year there was pericornitis with inflammation around these uninterrupted wisdom teeth your mouth now has less inflammation and i said anytime i can improve chewing function anytime you improve chewing function you improve digestion because digestion starts with thinking about food it starts with mixing your saliva with the food and anytime you have better digestion you have better absorption if you have better absorption you can heal better and grow stronger so i can get the athlete thinking about the importance of teeth I can get the new mother thinks about the importance of teeth. I can also get the 70-year-old patient who's saying, you know what, my husband just got diagnosed with this and all we're eating now is cheese and bread at home. You know, I don't have the energy to make a meal. I said, you know what, there's no better time to take care of yourself than when you're going through the eye of the storm. I said, when you're stressed out, comfort foods will actually drag you down further. You need a salad. You need an apple. In order to eat an apple, you need strong teeth. We need to restore that arch so you can actually increase your chewing function. So it's amazing how when we talk about the smile and the selfie, I talk about chewing function. I talk about digestion. I talk about the absorption of nutrients in the reparative process. And when you add the word slow down aging, you got patient's attention. So wherever the hook is. So is it increasing athletic ability? Is it helping with managing stress? Is it having a healthy baby? Is it repairing your knee? Whatever it takes to engage a patient, I tap into. But ultimately, if it comes down to. my ability to share my enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is what gets patients engaged. And when you get patients engaged, real change happens. It can't be some memorized litany of supplements needed. It has to be an engaging conversation. Yeah. It sounds like you've really expanded your role as a dental care provider beyond composite resins and dentures and CAD CAM. You're just a whole healing resource for the patient. And it sounds like you're getting great career satisfaction out of this. And you're doing wonderful things for your patient's lives, not only dental. It's very fulfilling. I can't tell you what it's like. I think many of us see ourselves as tooth mechanics. You know, we do veneers. I clean their teeth and get ready for the wedding. But for some reason... know, only five to ten percent of flossing. You know, people need new solutions. And, you know, Albert Einstein said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over. So I talk lifestyle. I talk total health. And I think many people don't get a chance to talk nutrition. Many people don't hire a dietician. You know, many people's medical doctors are busy putting out fires in their body. And I think many, many health care providers are dealing with with the leaves and the branches. When you talk nutrition, when you talk sleep, when you talk digestion. when you talk about lowering the inflammatory burden, now we're at the trunk, now we're at the root of the problem. And I think patients intuitively sense this, but I think when the healthcare provider understands the language and when you're immersed in the vocabulary, it comes across authentic. And I think patients really start thinking, hey, you really believe this. I'm going to suspend my disbelief and I'm going to start having a salad today. You know, I'm going to suspend my disbelief and thinking money is the obstacle of me repairing that lower arch. I'm going to get those two implants and I want to improve my chewing function so I can increase my absorption of nutrients and heal my knee. So this is powerful stuff. But I think as much as I might seem like a guru, it's all about the fundamentals and the best coaches are talking fundamentals. So I always bring it back to food. I always bring it back to repair. I bring it back to restoring. I bring it back to self-care. I bring it back to total health. And I think patients get it. And I think when they start trusting that you have their interests at heart. Now you have a patient that's engaged and now your patients are on their way to self-care and mastering their mouth and getting healthy. And guess what? Now they start saying, hey, my husband needs to see you or my son is a college athlete. I've never had this conversation before. My son needs to see you. Now you've got three new patients. Like, where can you get that? Just by dialogue and talk. You know, many patients, you know, many dentists are spending $100,000 on a digital panelists. But you talk nutrition, patient's husband comes in, patient's daughter comes in. Now you've got a whole family coming to see you. This is where it gets really satisfying. Yeah. Are there any patients that are kind of surprised that their dentist is covering this conversation? Are they looking at you and saying, you know, that's odd. You're a dentist. I never heard this stuff from a dentist before. Do you get that surprise at all? Well, sometimes they want to see, you know, is it within your scope of practice? But you remind them, a dentist has 25 hours of nutrition in their programming. Hygienists do 30 plus hours. Medical doctors, and you look at the stats, often do 20 hours or less. So I tell them, nutrition is within our scope of practice. This is why I'm talking about it. And it's important to me. And once you start stating facts about hours and numbers, many of you state numbers, patients think you're smarter and they believe you. And now they let their guard down and you got to walk the talk though. You really got to talk nutrition. You got to talk about teeth as enabling them to digest and absorb nutrients. So let them know the facts, you know, 25 hours at least for dentists, 30 hours for hygienists who want nutrition. Now you tell them the numbers and the hours. Now they open themselves up to the new learning. Yeah. So based on your experience in your office, what are some of the solutions that have worked for you that reduce inflammation? Some of the tools that you've used and some of the things you've asked the patients to use at home. Can you cover a little bit about that before we wrap this podcast up? Yeah, great. You see, I'll remind a patient, you know, you'll spend two to three hours, maybe four hours a year in our office. You'll spend 8,596 hours at home. I said, what you do at home, is probably more important than what we do in our office you know all deference to what we do in our office how important it is so i said your nutrition is vitally important you eat 21 meals a week a thousand meals a year and i said in order to eat better and digest better you need to have teeth at work and i said you got to take care of those teeth i said an implant costs anywhere from four to six thousand dollars you know getting yourself something other than a manual brush you know getting a power toothbrush you know getting a power flosser you know i said these things might seem like they may cost a bit of money Sure, there's a bit of investment. When you think about it, a crown is $1,000. An implant is $4,000 to $6,000. So I want to have you have the best tools. The best carpenters have the best tools. I don't skimp on my drills and my x-ray products. I said, you can't skimp on your home care. So besides good nutrition, you need good instruments to take care of these 28 teeth, these 32 teeth, which have to last you a lifetime. People, you know, by age 80, 80, 90, people often don't realize some of their teeth have been in their mouth. for 84 years. Some of the lower anterior incisors, for a 90-year-old, they've been there for 84 years. They need the best products to take care of them. They can't skimp on their home care. Yeah, and specifically on the power brushes, what do you recommend? What's been successful for you? You know, I like the Sonicare. I like the science behind what Philips has brought to the table. You know, you see Philips in the hospitals. You see Philips on electronics. You know, the Sonicare, you know, 33,000 strokes a minute. You know, a person can't, Dwayne The Rock Johnson can't duplicate that 33 strokes per minute. So, you know, Sonicare has done that. So I love the brush. I love the two-minute timer. You know, the average person with a manual brush is brushing 35 seconds. The minute you introduce a two-minute timer. patients realize as long as that brush is still on it should be in your mouth so i love that i love the power flosser you know flossing the success rate is five to ten percent people are looking for technology you know they're looking for the wi-fi they're looking for apps so you know with the quad stream technology and the technology of you know doing away with the string floss and now coming to edit with technology you know the rotary dial went out you know in the 80s with the yellow fridges and the yellow ovens you know Now we have quad stream technology. And this whole idea about bringing technology to the mouth, patients are open to it. You know, they want the 8K television. You know, they want the 86 screen TV. Well, let's bring technology to the mouth. And I think the investment pays off twice a day, every day, you know, 365 days a year. You've seen some real anecdotal success, at least in your office, with some of these power tools. I say power tools. It sounds like a carpenter. These power perio solutions that replace manual home care. Well, the parents say that, you know, once my 10-year-old is brushing for two minutes, someone will say, you know what, it feels like the same kind of clean I get in your office. You know, the 33,000 strokes a minute, they feel stain removal. 50 million Americans suffer from arthritis. So they're unable to grab a manual brush. It's so much easier to hold a power toothbrush gently in a hand, whether you're eight years of age. whether you're 95 years of age, and they find it easier to take care of their mouths with something that's easy to hold the timers on. So I'm getting people say, you know, the stain stays off longer when I use a power brush. So how do the patients get that? Do they go to, do you recommend they buy that at the local Walmart? How does that work in your office? Well, many offices, you know, sell them in their office. That's one way to do it. The other way is in the drugstore. Sure, it's in Walmart. It's in Costco. But whatever it takes, you can buy them online. You know, Amazon sells everything, you know, as Jeff Bezos knows. So whatever it takes, you know, I know sometimes, you know, dentists will have a coupon. I know many offices actually sell them in their offices because I know a lot of patients, once they leave the office, the message becomes, you know, gray and unclear. So I'm a big fan of if they need to have it in the office, you know, sell them in the office. But Walmart, you know, online, Amazon. whatever it takes. And I think many times, you know, I have to demonstrate it chair-side, you know, so I have some samples of these products, you know, right on my counter to share with them. But once they feel it in their hand, you know, people get a chance to see, hey, you know, the same company puts the same amount of emphasis in the defibrillators, in the instruments for cardiac rehab, in the hospitals, in televisions. Now they've applied it to toothbrushes. So, you know, just to hear that enthusiasm, patients go, okay, I will suspend my disbelief. I heard about it. Now I feel it. I'm going to give it a try. Now, in these devices, these power brushes also help with compliance. Like you said, the arthritis issue is obviously better addressed when with a power brush like the one Philip sells. And I guess it's the combination of reducing the inflammation locally with the diet, with the sleep. and all the other things you talk about to your patients. Again, it's amazing that you've expanded your practice in that way because it's so much better for the patient to get this understanding of total body health. You could do the best dental work in the world, and the long-term results of that will be compromised if you don't have a healthy environment. If you have inflammation all over the place, even though you have the most beautiful crowns and implants, you're going to have failures all over the place. You get a person who doesn't drive a car well. You can get them a Lamborghini, but if they drive it in first, they're heavy on the brake. They don't know how to get out of second gear. They will wreck a $300,000 sports car. So you can be the best clinician, but it's how they spend the 8,596 hours that they do away from our office that really counts. So they need the products and they need the motivation and they gotta look forward to coming. You know, they gotta look forward to coming to you. So that compliance and building in discipline is needed by, you know, having us walk the talk ourselves. So it comes across very authentic. And that's what patients are looking for. Like they want to provide it looks like total health from head to toe. Yep. Great way to practice dentistry. And it's an honor to have you on the show. Dr. Odiatu really is. And again, anybody who missed the webinar that we mentioned earlier, I strongly recommend it. It's titled The Value-Added New Patient Exam for Patient Lifestyle Habits that Influence Healing. I watched most of that on the on-demand version, not all of it. And you talked about cortisol, the effects of cortisol on the body. Wow. I mean, it just is a bad thing to have elevated cortisol. Everything goes wrong. Your whole equilibrium is knocked off. You know, you covered that segment, which was so informative about stress and you went into nutrition. So it's really something that is worth seeing. So thank you very much for that and contributing to Viva Learning. We hope to have you on more CE activities in the future, Dr. Odiatu. And again, very, very helpful and great insight. Thank you so much. My pleasure.