My Journey to Functional Dentistry Certification

I was already double-certified in biological dentistry through the renowned IAOMT and IABDM when, in January 2026, a new door opened: the very first cohort to be certified as a functional dentist. The Institute of Functional Medicine had collaborated with the newly created Institute of Functional Dentistry to build this program, and I said yes without hesitation. First came three months of intensive medicine courses through the IFM: dense, immersive, fascinating. This is a two-year journey, and we are now well on our road to full certification.

The mouth is a window, and what it reveals about the rest of the body can be surprising, even humbling. This is something I have felt intuitively for years: nothing in the body exists in isolation. This certification allows me to articulate those connections with even more depth and precision, and bring that directly into my practice.

What I love most is what this looks like in real life: being able to help patients navigate chronic inflammation and its downstream effects such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and early cognitive decline. These are conversations we can now have sooner, with more clarity and more tools. For example, early neurological degeneration, when caught in time, doesn’t have to follow its expected path. That possibility is what makes this work feel urgent and meaningful. This is really inspiring to me!