Brian J. Hockel, DDS

A dentist that we use, who is knowledgeable of holistic approaches, is Doctor Hockel in Walnut Creek. He also practices orthotropic orthotics (an alternative to traditional orthodonture that emphasizes extractions and results in a smaller jawline, may contribute to a smaller airway, sleep apnea and other problems). With orthotics, they use appliances (retainer-like) to gradually encourage jawline growth so that the teeth have room to grow in naturally. We've been using him for both the orthotics and as our general pediatric dentist. They still use some traditional dentists practices, but they are understanding if you want to omit some (like not using flouride) or steer things a different way (e.g. using diet, etc). (Unlike other dentists who may look at you in a negative light if you ask for more holistic approaches.) Here's their website: https://www.hockel.com/

Another holistic dentist, located in Berkeley, is Doctor Hites: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sandor-hites-dds-berkeley

Dr. Hites has more adult clients, and is not as focused on kids (he isn't as good at interacting with them compared to Doctor Hockel, which was a deciding factor for us). 

It isn't easy to find a holistic dentist! We searched for a long time to find ones more compatible with our orientation toward health. Hope that helps!

I would make a trip out to Walnut Creek to have a free consultation with Dr. Hockel. (http://www.hockel.com/) He is a sleep apnea specialist, general dentist who does amazing cosmetic dentistry and orthodontics. He is gifted at clearly explaining the reason for the treatment and how it works and would be fabulous for a second opinion. He really loves what he does and is an upstanding trustworthy person with a lot of specialized knowledge. He has worked magic with my two kids doing palate expansion so they didn't need any teeth pulled. He takes into account the whole person with special attention to jaw function and airway preservation. What a difference that makes.