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Gum & Tissue Health
Services with Salivary Diagnostics
Your gums are the foundation that support your teeth — and they’re also directly connected to your heart, brain, and immune health. At Oral-Vitality, we go beyond routine cleanings to detect, treat, and prevent gum disease while also using salivary diagnostics to uncover systemic risks.
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Dr. Kathleen Carson
Dr. Kathleen Carson is a recognized leader in integrative oral-systemic medicine and airway-focused dentistry. She has redefined modern dental care by revealing how oral health directly influences sleep, brain function, cardiovascular performance, and longevity.
Dr. Kathleen Carson
Dr. Kathleen Carson is a recognized leader in integrative oral-systemic medicine and airway-focused dentistry. She has redefined modern dental care by revealing how oral health directly influences sleep, brain function, cardiovascular performance, and longevity.
Why Breathing Matters
Healthy breathing during sleep is the foundation of vitality. When the airway is compromised, it disrupts oxygen flow, sleep quality, and whole-body health. Many people don’t realize that snoring is never normal and can be an early sign of a sleep-breathing disorder.
Sleep-related Breathing Disorders
Conditions such as Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS) affect millions of Americans, most of whom are undiagnosed. These disorders are linked to:
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Hypertension & cardiovascular disease
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Diabetes & obesity
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Anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline
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Increased risk of accidents and reduced longevity
Snoring & Sleep Apnea
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Snoring: airway tissues vibrate as airflow is restricted — a signal of deeper problems.
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OSA: the airway collapses completely, stopping breathing for 10–40 seconds or more. This causes oxygen drops, spikes in blood pressure, and brain arousals that shatter sleep quality.
Left untreated, both conditions silently strain the brain, heart, and immune system — robbing you of true restorative rest.
Our Innovative Solutions
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At Oral-Vitality, we design a personalized path to healthy breathing and better sleep. Options include:
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Snoring Mouth Guards: Reposition the jaw and tongue to keep the airway open, reducing vibration and improving airflow.
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Mandibular Advancement Devices (MADs): Gently shift the lower jaw forward to prevent airway collapse — a comfortable, effective alternative to CPAP.
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Vivos DNA & mRNA Appliances: FDA-approved devices that expand the airway naturally over time by guiding jaw and facial development, treating mild to severe sleep apnea at its root.
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NightLase® Laser Therapy: A non-invasive laser treatment that tightens airway tissues, reduces snoring, and improves airflow.
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Functional Orthodontics & Airway Development: Corrects structural issues, promotes nasal breathing, and stabilizes the jaw for long-term sleep and breathing health.
Why It Matters
Addressing sleep-breathing issues not only improves nightly rest but also protects long-term cardiovascular, cognitive, and metabolic health. Untreated snoring or sleep apnea increases the risk of:
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Heart disease and stroke
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Dementia and memory decline
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Daytime fatigue, brain fog, and mood disorders
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Weight gain and metabolic dysfunction
By restoring your airway, we help you reclaim energy, focus, and true vitality.
Schedule Your Breathing & Sleep Evaluation
Breathing & Sleep Health
Healthy Gums = A Healthy Body
Your gums are the foundation that support your teeth — and they’re also directly connected to your heart, brain, and immune health. At Oral-Vitality, we go beyond routine cleanings to detect, treat, and prevent gum disease while also using salivary diagnostics to uncover systemic risks.
The Mouth-Body Connection
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80% of adults have gum inflammation or disease, often without realizing it.
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Gum disease is strongly linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and even certain cancers.
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Oral bacteria are frequently found in brain tissue, blood vessels, and joints, proving that what happens in your mouth doesn’t stay there.
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If you have diabetes and bleeding gums, your risk of premature death can increase by 400–700%.
Our Innovative Solutions 01
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Routine & Deep Cleanings
Gentle hygiene visits that prevent cavities, gum disease, and bad breath — with scaling and root planing to restore gum health below the surface. -
Salivary Diagnostics
Quick, non-invasive saliva tests that detect harmful bacteria, cancer markers, HPV, yeast, and even systemic inflammation. In just 30 seconds, we can uncover risks for gum disease, cavities, implant complications, and immune imbalance. -
Laser Periodontal Therapy
State-of-the-art laser treatment that removes diseased tissue, sterilizes infection, and accelerates healing with less discomfort. -
Ozone Therapy
Harnesses oxygen’s natural antimicrobial power to kill bacteria, viruses, and fungi — while leaving healthy tissue unharmed.
Our Innovative Solutions 02
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Oral Probiotics
Specific probiotic systems help repopulate your mouth with beneficial bacteria after treatment, supporting both gum health and systemic wellness. The specific probiotics recommended to you will be based upon your specific needs. -
Targeted Antibiotic & Other Medicament Therapies
When indicated, antibiotics or other medicaments may be recommended either systemically or locally to eliminate aggressive bacteria that resist other therapies. Saliva testing allows us to identify these “bad bugs” within the oral-gut microbiome axis. -
Customized Home & In-Office Regimens
Every patient’s microbiome is unique. Using your diagnostic test results, we design personalized protocols with advanced products and therapies to rebalance bacteria, restore gum health, and support a healthy oral-gut microbiome. Without testing, it’s impossible to know if what you’re doing is effective — that’s why diagnostics are at the core of our approach.
Red Flag Checklist: Do Your Gums Need Attention?
You may be at risk for gum disease if you notice:
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Bleeding gums when brushing or flossing
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Persistent bad breath or bad taste in your mouth
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Red, swollen, or tender gums
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Gum recession or teeth that appear longer
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Loose teeth or changes in how your bite feels
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Pus between your teeth and gums
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Chronic dry mouth or frequent mouth infections
Tip: Gum disease is easiest to treat when caught early. With salivary diagnostics, we can detect risks before symptoms even appear.
Gum & Tissue Health Services
Why Your Bite Matters
The way your teeth fit together affects far more than your smile — it influences how your jaw joints, muscles, posture, and airway function. An imbalanced bite can contribute to teeth grinding, TMJ discomfort, headaches, neck tension, or even restricted breathing. At Oral-Vitality, we evaluate your bite, jaw stability, and alignment to ensure your oral foundation supports long-term comfort, function, and whole-body health.
Conditions We Look For
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Teeth grinding or clenching (bruxism)
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TMJ pain, clicking, or limited jaw movement
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Facial or neck muscle tension
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Bite misalignment or shifting teeth
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Airway restriction or sleep-disordered breathing tied to jaw position
Potential Appliance & Therapy Options
Because every person’s needs are unique, we design treatment plans that may include:
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TMJ Appliances: Custom devices that reduce strain on jaw joints, relax overworked muscles, and protect teeth from clenching or grinding.
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Arch Development Appliances: Expand or reshape the dental arches to improve bite stability, create room for the tongue, and open the airway.
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Functional Aligner Orthodontics: Clear aligner therapy that not only straightens teeth but also enhances bite function, airway support, and jaw position.
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Bite Alignment Appliances: Oral devices that reposition the bite to reduce muscle tension, improve TMJ stability, and optimize airway space.
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Orthodontics: Targeted movement of teeth and jaws to correct malocclusion, improve facial balance, and enhance sleep-breathing health.
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Restorative Solutions: Selective adjustments or restorations (crowns, bonding, overlays) when structural improvements are needed to fine-tune the bite and restore harmony.
Why It Matters
Your bite plays a central role in how you breathe, sleep, and function every day. Correcting imbalances doesn’t just improve jaw and muscle comfort — it supports healthier breathing, better sleep quality, improved posture, and greater long-term oral-systemic stability.
Bite & Functional Alignment Reivew
Beyond Straight Teeth
At Oral-Vitality, orthodontics isn’t just about appearance. Our approach focuses on the holistic development of facial structure, optimizing breathing, jaw stability, and long-term health — while aligning teeth for a balanced, beautiful smile .
Our Approach
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Jaw & Bite Optimization: Stabilizing joints and improving bite alignment to reduce TMJ stress.
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Airway Expansion: Opening nasal passages and oral airway space to support healthy breathing and sleep.
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Facial Growth Guidance: Encouraging natural, balanced development for better function and esthetics .
We often use removable appliances that are comfortable, convenient, and predictable, with treatment plans tailored to each individual’s goals.
Advanced Treatment Options
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Clear Aligner Therapy: Invisalign®, Candid, ClearCorrect, and others — discreet aligners that straighten teeth with precision and comfort .
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Vivos DNA & mRNA Appliances: Guide jaw and midface growth in adults, expanding the airway and improving tongue posture. Benefits include improved energy, facial balance, and long-term stability .
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Maxillary Skeletal Expanders (MSE): A minimally invasive alternative to surgery that broadens the palate, opens nasal cavities, creates tongue space, and reduces airway obstruction .
The Results Go Beyond Smiles
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Functional orthodontics improves:
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Airway & breathing capacity
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TMJ and bite stability
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Sleep quality and energy
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Facial esthetics & balance
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Long-term oral-systemic wellness
Why It Matters
Addressing sleep-breathing issues not only improves nightly rest but also protects long-term cardiovascular, cognitive, and metabolic health. Untreated snoring or sleep apnea increases the risk of:
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Heart disease and stroke
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Dementia and memory decline
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Daytime fatigue, brain fog, and mood disorders
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Weight gain and metabolic dysfunction
By restoring your airway, we help you reclaim energy, focus, and true vitality.
Schedule Your Breathing & Sleep Evaluation
Functional Orthodontics & Structural Development
Your Foundation for Lasting Health
Your teeth are the foundation of both your smile and your overall oral health. At Oral-Vitality, we not only check for cavities, cracks, and the strength of existing dental work — we also evaluate the safety of the materials in your mouth to ensure they support whole-body wellness.
Comprehensive Evaluation
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Cavities & Cracks: We carefully detect early-stage decay or structural weaknesses before they become larger problems.
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Digital 3D Scanning: Our radiation-free scans create a precise model of your teeth and bite, allowing us to track changes over time and plan care with unmatched accuracy. Patients love seeing their scans — it makes your care easy to understand and follow.
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Restoration Review: We assess the integrity of your crowns, fillings, and bridges, and identify whether older materials may need to be replaced for health or functional reasons.
Safe Amalgam Removal (SMART)
For patients with mercury-containing amalgam fillings, we follow the IAOMT-certified Safe Mercury Amalgam Removal Technique (SMART), which includes:
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High-volume suction to capture mercury vapor and particles
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Protective barriers for patient and team safety
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Clean air filtration during the procedure
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Specialized equipment designed to minimize exposure
This ensures your safety as we transition to modern, health-conscious restorations.
Biocompatible & Long-Lasting Solutions
Once old or unsafe materials are removed, we restore teeth using biocompatible, tooth-colored materials that are strong, durable, and supportive of systemic health. Our treatment planning emphasizes:
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Materials that integrate safely with your body
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Restorations designed for both function and longevity
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Choices that protect oral-systemic health while enhancing esthetics
Why It Matters
By combining careful evaluation of your teeth with safe, biocompatible material choices, we not only restore strength and comfort — we also reduce your toxic burden and support your long-term vitality. This approach ensures that your teeth are both healthy and harmonized with your overall wellness.
Tooth & Material Health Services
Oral Health & Cognitive Wellness — The ReCODE Connection
At Oral-Vitality, we understand that oral health is deeply connected to overall wellness — including cognition, memory, and long-term brain health. While we do not provide the ReCODE Program or medical treatment for Alzheimer’s directly, we are trained to work with physicians and practitioners who do, helping to integrate dental care into broader cognitive wellness care.
How Oral Health Impacts Brain Health
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Chronic dental conditions can cause or worsen systemic issues that affect the brain. Key connections include:
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Inflammation from gum disease, dental infections, and poor oral hygiene can contribute to systemic inflammation linked to cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s.
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A disrupted oral microbiome (harmful bacteria in the mouth) can allow bacteria to enter the bloodstream, increasing risk of brain impacts.
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Toxins, abrasions, and overall oral disease can place extra burden on the body’s detox systems. If these aren’t addressed, they may affect processes that protect the brain.
Our Integrative Approach
We take a multi-factor strategy, as modeled in the ReCODE Protocol, to support your brain resilience. Some of the components we address include:
Biocompatible & Long-Lasting Solutions
Once old or unsafe materials are removed, we restore teeth using biocompatible, tooth-colored materials that are strong, durable, and supportive of systemic health. Our treatment planning emphasizes:
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Materials that integrate safely with your body
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Restorations designed for both function and longevity
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Choices that protect oral-systemic health while enhancing esthetics
What we look for / treat
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Oral hygiene, periodontal disease, dental infections
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Oral microbiome optimization
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Toxin exposure (e.g. heavy metals, dental toxins)
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Lifestyle factors – sleep, nutrients, stress
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We collaborate with your physician or other health providers to coordinate care when it involves the ReCODE strategy.
Why It Matters
By combining careful evaluation of your teeth with safe, biocompatible material choices, we not only restore strength and comfort — we also reduce your toxic burden and support your long-term vitality. This approach ensures that your teeth are both healthy and harmonized with your overall wellness.
Cognitive Decline, Brain Health, and The Oral-Systemic Connections
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Gum & Tissue Health
Services with Salivary Diagnostics
Your gums are the foundation that support your teeth — and they’re also directly connected to your heart, brain, and immune health. At Oral-Vitality, we go beyond routine cleanings to detect, treat, and prevent gum disease while also using salivary diagnostics to uncover systemic risks.
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