Practical experience with unconventional treatments suggests that the paradigm used by conventional medical science to assess the impact of dental materials must be broadened. First, several diagnostic methods commonly employed to evaluate allergies and toxicological burdens are described and subjected to a critical analysis. These diagnostics include test methods used in the field of complementary medicine in addition to the traditional epicutaneous tests, the Lymphocyte Transformation Test and quantitative analysis of blood and urine. Finally, the fundamentals of toxicology in the low-dose range are discussed; in this context special attention is paid to possible factors enhancing the effect of various substance groups. The impact of dental materials is also viewed from the perspective of environmental toxicology. In addition, the authors discuss various paradigms for obtaining evidence of multifactorial causes and show why nonuniform results are obtained with dental materials. Reference is also made to new theories broadening our understanding of biological processes such as the Biphoton Theory, which has been the subject of increased discussion among quantum physicists in recent years. It becomes evident in this context that there are to date no evidence-based methods for demonstrating the absolute non-toxicity of dental materials. Finally, it is shown - on the basis of various reports provided by a practitioner of complementary medicine in private practice - that, in patients with chronic diseases, unconventional therapies integrating these insights may by the only effective therapeutic options to succeed.