Dr. Hilary Fritsch and Dr. Christian Hahn of Saddle Peak Dental are biological and airway dentists committed to oral health as it relates to whole-body health and nutrition
Saddle Peak Dental is fairly new to Bozeman, but founders Dr. Christian Hahn and Dr. Hilary Fritsch have a whole-hearted passion for the overall health of their community. It feels like they have always called this area home.
Before moving to Montana, Hahn and Fritsch operated separate traditional dental practices in Southern and Northern California, respectively, yet they both felt a call to help people heal through whole-health practices rather than simply fix one problem and send patients out the door.
Fritsch’s path to whole health began when, as a child, she dealt with multiple health issues and an autoimmune disorder that made it hard for her to walk and see. “I remember wearing an eye patch while taking my final exams in dental school,” she says. “No one could tell me what was going on in my body except that it was ‘genetic.’” This led her on a path of self-healing by changing her diet and focusing on gut health. The positive results she experienced would shape the way she viewed the body as a whole and influence her own dental career.
Hahn grew up in Germany with an understanding of food through a European lens: sourcing locally made and grown food with minimal to no use of harmful chemicals. When his family migrated to Southern California, his mom opened a European bistro with this same philosophy.
“As a teenager, I was always sneaking in and eating the food,” he says. After earning his dental degree, he set up his own practice near the coast with a view of the ocean. His observation that the patients who surfed had better gum health than those who didn’t began his research into whole-body health and biological dentistry.
As the dentists separately reached this crossroads in their professional lives, the mountains of Montana called to both—not just for skiing and access to outdoor activities, but also for quality of life: days of sunshine, good air quality, healthy soils, and access to local farms. Selling their respective dental practices in other states, they separately landed on Bozeman as home. A mutual colleague connected them, and after a long meeting at Treeline Coffee, they knew they were meant to work together professionally.
A key factor in their business is the consideration of food. “Nutrition is the number one thing,” says dentist Christian Hahn. By focusing on the health of the microbiome, starting with what goes into the mouth, oral health also improves.
By utilizing the industry’s latest technology, such as 3D imaging, the dentists can identify chronic infections and pain.
Through Saddle Peak, Fritsch and Hahn focus on biological and airway dentistry. This integrated approach to oral wellness incorporates whole-body health and nutrition with nontoxic dental procedures. “It was a little scary,” Fritsch admits about starting a new kind of dental practice. “But being uncomfortable with how things are being done allows one to be brave enough to make a change.”
A key factor in their business is the consideration of food. “Nutrition is the number one thing,” Hahn says. By focusing on the health of the microbiome, starting with what goes into the mouth, oral health also improves: fewer cavities, improved gum health, and fewer infections. Hahn encourages “earth-sun foods”: items grown on local farms that are fresh, organic, or fermented.
The duo’s philosophy of treatment carries over into common dental procedures. For instance, during a tooth extraction, patients are first given an IV with vitamin C, and the dentists check the patient’s D3 levels. “D3 levels are the easiest predictor of overall health and healing,” Fritsch says. For a cavity repair, biocompatible materials are used to fill the decay rather than amalgam, which contains mercury.
As an airway dentist, Fritsch might assess sleep, oxygen levels, nasal breathing quality, and tongue space, posture, and strength—all things that impact oral health and issues like snoring or sleep apnea that can lead to cardiovascular failure. She is a passionate advocate for finding solutions to airway issues for long-term health and success. She is also the founder of Western Sleep Solutions, a practice that provides testing and treatment for individuals diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea.
“We want people to have long-term health with a focus on prevention, not just a short-term solution to a problem,” she says.
Fristch and Hahn’s approach to dentistry is one aimed to help patients optimize overall health by considering the body as a whole, allowing the individuals they treat—in the community that they have joined—to find lasting healing.
