Mouth/Body Connections: Gum Disease & Cancer
One brutal reality about gum disease is that the damage doesn’t necessarily stay limited to your mouth. Emerging research, for instance, has suggested that it may raise your risk of certain cancers. One study, published this past summer in the journal Gut, found...
“Fluoride Is Presumed to Be a Cognitive Developmental Hazard to Humans,” Says NTP Report
Earlier this month, the US National Toxicology Program’s report on fluoride dropped - a review of hundreds of studies, including 60 in vitro studies, 339 animal studies, and 159 human studies. Its conclusion? The human body of evidence provides a consistent and...
Should You Be Chewing Sugarless Gum?
A question posed by a recent headline in Evidence-Based Dentistry seems to beg only one answer: “Well, duh!” If you’re going to chew gum at all, of course sugarless is the way to go. Sugars make the mouth more acidic as harmful bacteria feed on the sweet stuff. But...
Oral Pathogens May Fuel Oral Cancer, New Study Says
Oral cancer screening is a crucial part of your oral exam. After all, when caught early, it’s readily treatable, with a 5-year survival rate of 84%. But less than a third of oral cancers are diagnosed at this stage. This is why the overall survival rate is much...
Need to Stop Snoring? Laser Treatment from Your Dentist May Help
There have been some pretty strange contraptions invented to help folks stop snoring - shock collars (really and truly), tongue-holding devices, open-mouth alarms. Of course, there are plenty of less peculiar appliances and devices, as well, offering various...
“Silver” Mercury Amalgam Fillings Aren’t Alright for Everyone, New FDA Guidelines Say
The US took an important step forward this past week when the FDA issued new guidance on mercury amalgam, recommending that it not be used in a number of high-risk populations: Pregnant and nursing women. Women who are planning on pregnancy. Children, especially...
A Common Chemical May Raise Risk of Decay, Says New Study
When it comes to tooth decay, poor nutrition and hygiene typically get most of the blame. But there are other risk factors, too, such as chronic dry mouth, bruxing (habitual grinding) - and, according to new research in the Journal of Public Health Dentistry,...
Why Metal-Free, Ceramic Dental Implants Instead of Titanium?
When it comes to replacing teeth, implants are a wonderful option for many folks. Since organizations like the American Academy of Implant Dentistry want everyone to know this, they’ve proclaimed September to be Dental Implant Awareness Month and are going all out...
What Nail Biting Can Do to Your Teeth & Gums
If you’re a nail-biter, you probably don’t think of something like this happening: Can’t see what that tiny arrow is pointing to? Here’s what doctors removed from the patient’s gums: While the procedure was a success and there were no ill effects afterwards, cases...
More Progress in the Fight for Mercury-Free Dentistry
This week marks the 10th annual Mercury-Free Dentistry Week, a joint campaign by Dr. Mercola and Consumers for Dental Choice to raise awareness about the need to completely phase out dental amalgam around the world and the promise of a mercury-free future. And...
The Power of a Smile
A new study in Experimental Psychology shows that even if you’re not feeling happy, moving your facial muscles to form a smile may trick your mind into being more positive. Participants were asked to evaluate a range of facial expressions and videos of people...
Making the Move to Healthier Eating for Kids
Good news: According to a new study in JAMA, the overall diet of American kids has gotten better over the past couple decades. Not-so-good news: More than half the kids in the US still eat poorly - too many processed foods, too much salt, not enough veg and fruit. ...
Summer Is Time for Sun Safety – & Sunscreen Safety
Time in the sun - a/k/a getting vitamin D - is essential for your mouth/body health, but it’s also important to protect your skin from overexposure. Unfortunately, a lot of sunscreens contain some potentially problematic ingredients. In fact, a new study in JAMA...
Update on the EPA/Fluoridation Lawsuit
Despite the fact that the fluoridation lawsuit we’ve been following is set to resume soon, and despite this being a landmark case - the first to go to trial under the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which allows citizen groups to petition the EPA to...
A Laser Facial Makeover from Your Dentist? Yes!
The COVID-19 crisis has led to plenty of anxiety across the board - including, it seems, increased anxiety about facial appearance. That’s not so surprising as it seems once you consider how so many more of our interactions with others are taking place online. As...
More on the Oral Health/Lung Health Connection
Just as your mouth and gut are connected - the health of one depending on the other - so, too, your mouth and lungs. As one recent review put it, the mouth and lungs are part of a continuum. This continuity is reflected in their microbiomes. Emerging evidence...
It’s Not So Much Which Healthy Diet You Choose, More That You Just Stick To It
Regular readers of this blog know a bit about the relationship between gum health and heart health. And like other inflammatory conditions, both are affected by what you eat. But does sticking to one diet or another better when it comes to cardiovascular disease...
Perils of Periodontitis: IBD Edition
Perhaps nowhere is the mouth/body relationship clearer than in gum disease - a condition that’s been said to affect nearly 80% of all Americans and scientifically linked to many other inflammatory conditions, from diabetes and heart disease to Alzheimer’s and...
Fluoridation Ruling Postponed
The fight against fluoride hit a speed bump last week as US District Court Judge Edward M. Chen postponed his ruling in the suit between the EPA and plaintiffs from several advocacy groups that want to end fluoridation due to the health risks it poses. Chen...
You Can Babystep Your Way to Better Health
What’s an all-natural and inexpensive way to improve your physical and mental health, lower your risk of gum disease, diabetes, and chronic inflammation, and give you a better chance at a longer and happier life? If an easy answer sounds too good to be true, brace...