FAQ’s

“What is functional, biological, and holistic dentistry?”

To us, being holistic means thinking of the whole system, aka, the whole body. The term “biological” more aligns with our thought process here at Rooted Dental, as nowadays, there can be an assumption that “holistic practices” do not value or work alongside traditional dentistry or traditional medicine. And at Rooted Dental Wellness, we value all types of medicine and believe biological, whole-body, and holistic practices can coexist with traditional practices.

Here at Rooted Dental Wellness, we provide a functional, structural, esthetic, biological, and holistic state of well-being to each and every patient. We believe this approach is essential to an individual’s general health and quality of life. Our practice philosophy is to treat the oral cavity as an organ because the mouth is incredibly insightful to a person's overall health. It is one of the few organs in the body with direct noninvasive access and often displays signs and symptoms about the status of one's immune system, organs, or active/chronic infections.

For a long time in dentistry, there has been an approach similar to playing Whac-A-Mole; treating each tooth’s issue individually, ignoring the environment, putting a Band-Aid on the problem, and waiting until the next issue arises, and hitting it with another Band-Aid. Healthy People 2020 (a project of the U.S. government’s Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion), has identified a key area of public health improvement that needs to include “an increased awareness of the importance of oral health to the overall health and well- being of a person”.

By taking a full-body approach, oral medicine allows us to target the underlying systemic condition instead of solely treating and managing side effects. This means if you have a gum or tooth infection, we are not going to just treat the symptoms (as these are just side effects of another issue), instead, we will investigate and find treatment for the underlying infection that is causing the disease and symptoms. This helps our patients come back for their follow-up visits in better oral health, saving them the frustration and expense of ongoing dental treatment.

“How often do you require patients get dental x-rays?”

As always at Rooted Dental Wellness, we individualize each patient’s care and set x-ray frequency (tracked by our cloud based software) based on the patient and their risk factors for dental disease. As a rule of thumb, we take a comprehensive set of images when you get established as a new patient, and we will get this same set again 3-5 years later. Yearly, we will get “check-up images” that evaluate for cavities in between the teeth of your molar and pre-molar teeth. For our patients who do not have dental disease, and who have little to no risk factors, we stretch these intervals out.

“Do you still prescribe antibiotics, pain medication, or anxiety medication?”

Of course! There is always a time and place for antibiotics and pain relief. However, our office is very particular about when prescribing antibiotics, as most dental disease is not cured with antibiotics. As far as pain medication goes, we are a narcotic-free office. We do however prescribe other pain & anti-anxiety medications when needed. For some cases, we will also prescribe the use of nitrous-oxide (aka, laughing gas) for more complex cases. We do advise against the use of nitrous in kiddos with an MTHFR gene mutation. However, sometimes we have to weight the risks and benefits. At Rooted Dental, we believe things are not black and white- we never say “never”. There is a time and place for everything in medicine.

“Can I come to your office even if I am not really into holistic wellness?”

Of course! We respect all patient ideologies and philosophies. We believe our job is to give you comprehensive evaluations and examinations, accurate diagnoses, and give you evidence-based dental education in order to allow you to make an informed decision for your oral and systemic health.

“Should I get my mercury fillings removed?”

I know we sound like a broken record at this point in the FAQ, but it really depends on the patient! Dr. Tinoco does not make the same recommendations to everyone, but the option is always available to each patient. Dr. Tinoco will respect all patient’s ideologies and philosophies and goals, and combine those preferences with the patient’s risk factors, health history, and condition of the tooth before making treatment recommendations. To learn more about the S.M.A.R.T. mercury processes, click here.

“Do you take payment plans?”

Yes! We have several options available to our patients for this. Please click here to learn more about our financial arrangements.

“Is your dental office mercury-free?”

Yes, our office is 100% mercury-free. We also do not place any crowns that contain metal, and all our tooth-colored fillings are BPA-free. Our office is also latex-free and fluoride-free.

“Do you see children?”

As of 2025, Rooted Dental has reached capacity for new patients under the age of 10. While we love working with families, we are not a pediatric dental office and often refer out surgical and restorative cases for this age group. As a general rule, children under 10 who need fillings, crowns, or similar dental work will be referred to a pediatric specialist. However, we continue to support young children—as early as age 2—when it comes to addressing oral myofunctional concerns, mouth breathing, crowded teeth, and early signs of airway dysfunction. If you’re unsure whether your child’s case is a fit for our office, please fill out our intake form and we’ll be happy to review it and let you know how we can help.

“How often should I get my teeth cleaned?”

This too is personalized for every patient just like your overall care is. Based on peer-reviewed scientific literature, 80-90% of patients do not maintain well with just 2 dental cleanings per year. Therefore, as a rule of thumb, we recommend at least 3 per year. For our patients with a history of gum disease, we recommend 3-4 per year depending on how they are maintaining their disease. For patients with diabetes, who are pregnant, or who are in braces, 3-4 cleanings per year are also recommended. For 5-10% of our patients, we recommend only 2 cleanings per year. These are generally people who do not experience dental disease and have little build-up on their teeth.