Mary Ellen S. Chalmers

Mary Ellen Chalmers, DMD, MS, IFMCP, is a General Dentist in Santa Rosa, CA, practicing Functional Dentistry, Orofacial Pain, Oral Medicine, and Dental Sleep Medicine. Dr. Chalmers received her dental degree from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and her Master’s in Orofacial Pain and Oral Medicine from the University of Southern California, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry. She is also a Board-Certified Naturopath (NMD) by the American Naturopathic Medical Certification Board and the American College of Integrative Medicine and Dentistry, as well as a Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner by the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFMCP). Additionally, Dr. Chalmers is a Diplomate (DABOP) of the American Board of Orofacial Pain. In September 2024, she founded the Institute for Functional Dentistry along with Drs. Staci Whitman and Valerie Kanter. Dr. Chalmers's interest in Functional Medicine began when she struggled to recover from an auto accident while pregnant with her second daughter. Functional Medicine restored her health and ability to practice dentistry again.

Dr. Chalmers's first presentation for the Institute for Functional Medicine was “Integrating. Dentistry into Cancer Prevention” and joined the Environmental Health Faculty in 2014. She is also a Faculty member of the American College of Integrative Medicine and Dentistry, lecturing on Functional Medicine and its integration with clinical dental practice.

Dr. Chalmers has lectured on Functional Dentistry at Frequency Specific Microcurrent (FSM) conferences, the IAOMT, and other national and international conferences, as well as dental and medical study clubs and community organizations.

Dr. Chalmers believes that the clinical integration of Functional Medicine into Oral Health Care is critical to addressing the global public health burden created by oral disease. While Functional Medicine makes the Oral Systemic Connection, Functional Dentistry gives the dental profession a template for providing care in the world of Personalized Medicine.