Smarter Summer (or Anytime) Snacking
Summer can be a busy time for the whole family, leading to quick meals and frequent snacks. On-the-go food is essential to making it through some days. But it’s not just a summer thing. These days, “roughly half of the eating occasions in the US are now snacks.”...
Fluoridation Isn’t Prevention. What Does Work?
Recently, Oral Health America (OHA) released its State of Decay report, which examines the state of oral health among US seniors today. Let’s just say it doesn’t deliver much good news for Texas. Our state currently ranks 46th in seniors’ oral health – a drop of...
Guest Post: Gummy Supplements: Big Business? Yes. Big Nutrition? Not So Much
Our thanks to the office of Northern California biological dentist Dr. Gary Verigin for letting us share this post from their blog. The original is here. Once upon a time, gummy and other chewable vitamins were just kid stuff. Now, they're very big business. As the...
Stuffed Full & Still Starved for Nutrition
Get invited to any party in America, and you’ll be faced with nosh that’s both delicious and a perfect reflection of the Standard American Diet (SAD): greasy chips and cheesy dips, deep-fried anything and bacon-wrapped everything, wheat bread or crackers next to a...
One Way to Kick Harmful Habits & Nurture Healthful Ones Instead
Shifting from unhealthy to healthy habits can feel like a real challenge, but it’s not impossible, as a new book we recently received reminds. The title is WILD Habits, by Tara Mackey, who follows up on her previous book, Cured by Nature, to explain how she...
A Look Back at…Building Trust in the Mind-Body Connection
Originally posted July 28, 2016; updated Our body talks to us. Got a sore back and a stiff neck? Could be your body’s way of saying, “Don’t sit hunched over the computer so long.” That stomach acid coming up your esophagus at night? Your body saying, “Hello, how...
Take Good Care of Your Tooth Enamel – It’s the Only Enamel You’ll Ever Have
Many a toothpaste ad these days tells you about the need to keep your tooth enamel strong, but how many of us know what all weakens it in the first place? Not many, according to survey results recently published in the BDJ. Participants were given a list of...
How Nuts May Boost Your Health, Oral & Systemic Alike
There was an interesting piece over at Quartz recently on foods that Americans are buying less of these days. Many of those changes – less cereal, less soda – are welcome ones. Still, there’s one trend you might find a little surprising. Except for almonds, we...
How Tea May Help Your Mouth Stay Healthy
Sure, tea is tasty, and as we noted before, at least some teas – green, in particular – may help support healthy gums. Now, new research suggests that tea may also help boost microbial diversity in the mouth. Your mouth is loaded with billions of microbes from...
The Scent of (Dental) Fear – & Ways of Dealing with That Fear
When a patient is nervous, it often shows. Even if they don’t say anything about it, the dentist or hygienist can see it in their body language, their posture, how they may grip the edges or armrests of the dental chair just a bit. And according to a new study in...
Teething Gel Trouble – and Some Natural Alternatives
Several years ago, the FDA began warning parents about using benzocaine-based gels to ease the discomfort of teething. Benzocaine is a local anesthetic that’s used in many over-the-counter remedies for not just teething but toothache, sore throat, canker sores, and...
For Cleaning Between Your Teeth, This May Be Better & Easier Than Floss
Don’t like to floss? We get it. But you still need to clean between your teeth and along your gum line. Even the highest tech toothbrush can’t reach those areas effectively. And because those areas are less accessible, pathogens can really thrive there. As they do,...
Even the Cleanest Mouth Contains Billions of Bacteria & Other Microbes
It’s kind of stunning to think about: Your body contains roughly as many microbes as human cells. If you could gather them all together and weigh them, they’d come to about two pounds. Most dwell in your gut, but billions live in your mouth, representing hundreds...
A Look Back at…Long-Term Solutions for TMJ Disorders
Originally posted April 13, 2017; updated Anywhere from 5 to 12% of the US population has TMJ disorder (TMD) – that is, a problem with the temporomandibular joints that allow your jaw to open and close. Typical symptoms include clicking or popping sounds when you...
Treating Gum Disease May Help with Arthritis
Considering that your teeth are connected with your body, physically and energetically, it only makes sense that tending to the health of one might improve the health of the other. Through recent years, we’ve seen more and more science supporting this fact,...
Essential Oils for TMJ Pain
One big difference between holistic, biological dentistry and standard approaches is the emphasis on treating causes, not simply easing symptoms. But, of course, there are times when symptom relief is desired, such as when pain from TMJ dysfunction (TMD) flares up...
A More Effective Way to Prevent Cavities
Weren't we all told in English class to avoid absolute terms such as “everyone,” “none,” “never,” and “always”? Maybe the writer of this Reader's Digest headline was absent that day: According to the list that follows, one thing dentists “always” do is use a lot of...
Concerned about Mercury in Your Mouth?
People who seek holistic, biological offices like ours aren't your average dental patients. For one, they tend to come in having already done a lot of research about the mouth/body connection and how dental conditions may be playing a role in their overall health....
Fluoride & Your Thyroid
As we’ve noted before, the thyroid is a small but mighty gland that sits just above your collarbone and plays a key role in every single bodily function. The thyroid itself regulates all of your cellular metabolism; your energy, how you grow, heal and regenerate,...
Guest Post: Which Plant-Based Milks Are Best?
Our thanks to the office of St. Louis biological dentist Dr. Michael Rehme for letting us share this post from their blog. The original is here. Cow’s milk is a complete food, at least for baby cows. It has a good balance of proteins, fats, and...
