{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The DOC Podcast","title":"The Oral-Systemic Connection: Why Dentists Need to Look Beyond the Mouth (w/Dr. Witt Wilkerson) [Ep.164]","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":4951,"description":"Summary:\nIn this episode, I sat down with one of the most respected voices in dentistry, Dr. Witt Wilkerson - Director of Dental Medicine at the Dawson Academy and a true pioneer in the intersection of occlusion, TMD, airway, and integrative dental medicine. We had an incredibly rich conversation about the paradigm shift that I believe is transforming our profession: moving away from reactive, tooth-focused treatment and toward a whole-health, root-cause approach.\nDr. Wilkerson shares his 44-year journey from treating bruxism purely as a bite problem to recognizing airway and sleep-disordered breathing as primary drivers of dysfunction. We challenged the siloing of dental specialties, made the case for dentistry as oral medicine, and explored the enormous opportunity we all have, dentists and hygienists alike, to screen for and address systemic health issues, including inflammation, blood sugar dysregulation, and sleep disorders. This is a conversation you do not want to miss.\nTimestamps:\n0:00 - Welcome\n0:23 — I introduce Dr. Witt Wilkerson and what we'll cover in today's episode\n4:46 — Dr. Wilkerson shares his background: joining Dr. Pete Dawson's practice in 1982 and a career built on the question, \"Is there a better way?\"\n6:07 — We discuss the segmentalized state of dentistry and medicine, and why the younger generation is finally starting to change that\n8:33 — The 2009 Baylor article that changed everything for Dr. Wilkerson: the link between sleep apnea, bruxism, and airway\n12:51 — I ask Dr. Wilkerson about the courage and humility it takes to admit you were wrong, and to update what you've been teaching for decades\n28:23 — Dr. Wilkerson walks us through the three pillars of Integrative Dental Medicine: inflammation/infection, airway/sleep, and TMD/occlusion\n29:26 — Why salivary testing should be part of every new patient exam, and what it can tell us about systemic health\n30:06 — The diabetes-periodontal link we've known about since dental school, and why...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/Wf6VIMhB_ulpfJzsJlix0BOF0i4W9yk8xxJ6-5X1Y6E/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzQxOTI3LzE2OTg2/MzExNDktYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}