While our focus is on dentistry, Dr. Singer does not see the mouth, gums, and teeth as separate from the rest of the body because they are not. Everything that happens in your mouth affects and is related to events or conditions in the rest of your body, while the condition of the other organs and systems of your body also affect what happens in your mouth. This is a holistic perspective, which primarily means that the body is seen as interconnected. This philosophy is different from the majority of dentists, who only clean, drill, and fill. Besides treating the whole body, functional medicine seeks to find the source of dysfunction or disease rather than merely treating symptoms. It is a proactive approach to health in that its aim is to promote optimal functioning (wellness) of the body’s various systems so that they can complement each other and perform in the way nature intended. This involves caring properly for the body in terms of nutrition, exercise, everyday functioning, etc. For example, not only are food, exercise, and sleep important, but posture while standing and sitting affect the body in numerous ways as well yes, even the teeth. Posture is a key component in the development of TMJ disorders. Therefore, functional medicine works to assess, treat, and prevent chronic disease and dysfunction. Clearly, with the epidemic of today's modern chronic diseases, the traditional medicine approach of caring for the patient only after a disease state has become acute is not working. As a result of his philosophy, Dr. Singer spends time with each patient to find out not just medical history and genetics, but also environmental and lifestyle factors that have influenced the health of the mouth, gums, teeth, and the rest of the body. Therefore, there is nothing cookie-cutter about the care our patients receive. Every service whether corrective, preventive, or cosmetic is geared specifically toward each patient and that patient alone.