The sharp, metallic feeling of mercury hung in the air as I grudgingly prepared another amalgam filling. My hands moved mechanically, but my conscience was in turmoil. Here I was, a dental student, being required to use a material that felt fundamentally wrong. My mind whispered, “This can’t be the best we can do.”

I’d entered dental school with visions of improving lives, one smile at a time. But this? It felt like a step backward. Little did I know, my gut instinct was right, and a chance encounter with a Netflix documentary would soon set me on a path to revolutionize not just my practice, but my entire approach to dental health.

“How did you get into biological dentistry?” It’s a question I’m asked often, and the answer is far from simple. To be honest, it’s a path I now recognize was laid out for me by God, guiding me towards a greater purpose in dentistry and in life.

Picture this: a young, ambitious dental student with a background in college football. Health was my obsession, but my definition of it was… let’s say, misguided. I was the guy chugging protein shakes packed with who-knows-what, pumping iron, and equating peak physical condition with true wellness. Oh, how naive I was.

Fast forward to today, and my perspective on health has undergone a complete transformation. Now, I’m focused on longevity, optimal performance, and holistic well-being – a far cry from my former fixation on muscle mass and calorie counting.

Throughout dental school, something felt off. The education we received seemed reactive at best, a “wait until it breaks, then fix it” approach. We were taught to treat symptoms, not to be proactive about overall health. Take amalgam fillings, for instance. Deep down, I knew they weren’t ideal, but I couldn’t articulate why. The potential systemic effects of mercury? That wasn’t in our curriculum. And yet, in dental school, placing these fillings wasn’t just encouraged – it was mandatory.

It wasn’t until a fateful Saturday night in 2019 that my eyes were truly opened to a whole new world of dentistry…

It was a typical Saturday night for a new dad and relatively new practice owner. My wild college days of sports bars and football games had given way to documentary marathons with my wife, Allison (who, let’s be honest, rarely made it through without falling asleep). But this night was different. A new Netflix documentary had caught my eye – “The Root Cause,” all about root canals and infected teeth. I braced myself for Allison’s inevitable eye roll when I suggested it, but to my surprise, she agreed without hesitation.

Now, “The Root Cause” wasn’t exactly Oscar material, but its content? Mind-blowing. One doctor, in particular, captured my attention. He spoke about the far-reaching effects a simple root canal could have on a patient’s overall health, drawing connections between teeth and the rest of the body that I’d never considered before. This wasn’t just outside the box – it was in a whole different universe from what I’d learned in dental school.

That doctor was Dr. Stuart Nunnally, and he delivered the “ah-ha” moment that would transform my approach to patient care. But with enlightenment came questions – a lot of them. I found myself pacing our living room, muttering theories and what-ifs until Allison, bless her, finally snapped.

“Cody,” she said, exasperation clear in her voice, “just call him.”

I froze. “Cold call him? Isn’t that… weird?”

She shrugged. “Not really. Just call him.”

Thank God for my wife’s no-nonsense approach. Gathering my courage, I dialed the number. To this day, Dr. Nunnally remains one of the kindest souls I’ve ever encountered – truly salt of the earth. Before I could launch into my prepared list of questions, he gave me two pieces of advice that would change everything:

Attend a biological dentistry conference to “learn the gospel” of this new approach.

Bring my wife along for support and to “drink from the fire hose” with me.

Little did I know, convincing Allison to attend a “holistic dental conference” would be my next challenge. Her initial response? “Absolutely not. Hard no. Pass.” You see, neither of us came from “holistic” backgrounds. Our perception of “holistic” involved homemade soap, Birkenstocks, excessive body hair, and an aversion to deodorant.

But never underestimate the power of charm (and persistent persuasion). Soon enough, we were leaving our one-year-old with the grandparents and road-tripping to beautiful… Indianapolis. We braced ourselves for an onslaught of “crunchy” dentists, unsure of what exactly we were getting into.

From the moment the first speaker took the stage, our preconceptions crumbled. We were captivated by a passionate expert dissecting the complexities of fluoride. The next presenter challenged everything I thought I knew about vaccines, in particular the flu vaccine (next time you’re in the clinic ask Allison about this one)! With each passing hour, I felt smaller and smaller intellectually – and that’s when I knew I was exactly where I needed to be.

By the end of the conference, my mind was racing with possibilities. But knowledge alone wasn’t enough – I needed to see biological dentistry in action. And who better to be my guinea pig than the woman who’d been unknowingly steering me towards this path all along? My mom.

For as long as I could remember, my mother had battled persistent heart palpitations. Coincidentally (or perhaps not), she also had a root canal. Could these two seemingly unrelated issues be connected? There was only one way to find out.

I reached for my phone, “Dr. Nunnally? It’s Cody again. I’ve got a patient for us…”

His response was immediate and enthusiastic. “Bring her to Texas. Let’s tackle this together.”

And just like that, I was about to embark on my first real-world application of biological dentistry – with my own mother as the patient.

Talk about pressure!

As I packed my bags for Texas, a mix of emotions swirled within me. Excitement at the prospect of potentially helping my mom in a way conventional dentistry never could. Nervousness about putting my new knowledge to the test. And an overwhelming sense that I was standing on the precipice of something big – something that would redefine my entire approach to dentistry and patient care.

Little did I know, this was just the beginning of an incredible journey that would transform not only my practice but also the lives of countless patients to come.

But my mom’s story? That’s a whole other chapter in this adventure.
Stay tuned – because if you think biological dentistry sounds intriguing now, just wait until you hear what happened next…