Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – Since moving to Puerto Vallarta, I have seen five dentists.
Yes, five.
Unfortunately, my dental journey here has not been an easy one. I have dealt with ongoing issues, dental work that didn’t resolve the underlying problem, pain, frustration, and a lot of unanswered questions. As a functional medicine practitioner, that has been especially difficult for me because I don’t believe in simply putting Band-Aids on symptoms. I want to understand why something is happening in the first place.
That is ultimately what led me to Dr. Yoalli De Morey Navarro and the world of holistic biological dentistry. And for the first time in quite a while, I feel like I am finally getting some real answers—and, even more importantly, some real relief.
What Is Biological Dentistry?
Most of us were raised to think of dentistry as something separate from the rest of medicine. You have a problem with your teeth, you go to the dentist. You have a problem somewhere else in your body, you go to a doctor.
Biological dentistry takes a much broader approach.
Dr. Yoalli describes biological dentistry as seeing the patient as a whole human being rather than simply “some teeth that need something done.” Her approach considers dental health within the larger picture of physical, mental and emotional well-being and emphasizes appropriate dental protocols and biocompatible materials.
That philosophy immediately resonated with me because it reminds me so much of functional medicine. In functional medicine, we don’t want to simply suppress a symptom and send someone on their way. We look at how different systems of the body interact. We ask what happened upstream that might be contributing to what we are seeing downstream.
Biological dentistry brings a similar philosophy to the mouth.
Your mouth, after all, isn’t floating separately from the rest of your body. Oral health and systemic health can influence one another, which is why looking beyond an individual tooth can sometimes be an important part of understanding the bigger picture.
Looking at More Than a Tooth
What impressed me about Dr. Yoalli was that the conversation wasn’t simply, “Here is the tooth that hurts. Let’s fix that tooth.”
She wanted to look deeper.
Her practice describes a detailed oral evaluation that can consider the bite and occlusion, jaw joints, tissues, periodontal health, previous root canals, metal restorations, possible cavitations and other existing dental work before developing treatment options. Patients are then educated about those options so they can participate in deciding what makes sense for them.
That is exactly the kind of healthcare I believe in.
I don’t want someone to simply tell me what they’re going to do to my body. I want to understand what they are seeing, why it matters, what my options are and how those choices could potentially affect my health in the future.
Dr. Yoalli’s practice also emphasizes metal-free and biocompatible restorative materials and offers specific protective protocols for procedures such as amalgam removal.
Whether you embrace every aspect of biological dentistry or are simply curious about a more holistic approach, there is something refreshing about asking a bigger question:
How can we take care of the mouth while also considering the person attached to it?
Finding the Right Dentist in Puerto Vallarta
Dr. Yoalli graduated from Universidad Autónoma de Baja California in 2006. After working in general dentistry in private practice, a hospital and an orphanage, she moved into biological dentistry in 2011. She now practices in Puerto Vallarta and treats patients who come from different parts of the world.
Her practice is located at International Dental Center PV on Aquiles Serdán in Zona Romántica, inside Plaza Los Mercados.
For me, finding her came after a long and frustrating road.
Five dentists since moving to Puerto Vallarta is a lot.
But sometimes those frustrating experiences teach you exactly what you’re looking for—and what you’re no longer willing to settle for.
I wanted someone who understood that I wasn’t interested in continually chasing symptoms. I wanted someone willing to investigate, explain and look at the bigger picture. I wanted a dentist whose philosophy aligned more closely with the way I already approach health with my own clients. I finally feel like I found that.
There is still more to my own dental story, and I’m sure I’ll be sharing more of it as I continue this process. But after everything I have been through with my teeth lately, finally feeling like I am getting answers and experiencing some real relief is huge.
I am incredibly grateful to have found Dr. Yoalli right here in Puerto Vallarta.
Sometimes the practitioner who changes your experience isn’t necessarily the one with another quick fix.
Sometimes it’s the one willing to ask a different question.
To learn more about Dr. Yoalli De Morey Navarro and holistic biological dentistry in Puerto Vallarta, visit MyBioDentistry.com.
Have a Healthy day!
Heather
Heather Gray, FDN-P, is a master certified health practitioner, best-selling author, speaker, stand-up comedian, and host of the Renegade Health Boss podcast. A proud Puerto Vallarta resident, she shares her passion for health, resilience, and personal transformation while enjoying the adventure, community, and fresh perspective she found in Mexico.
