Mouth & Throat Cancers Still on the Rise – Ways You Can Lower Your Risk
How about some good news? According to a new report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, between 2014 and 2018, overall deaths due to cancer dropped for men and women alike. Death rates decreased for 11 of the 19 most common cancers among males...
Is There a Difference Between “Holistic” & “Biological” Dentistry?
Spend enough time online, and you’ll likely start to notice that a lot of folks seem to use the words “holistic dentistry” and “biological dentistry” interchangeably. Truth be told, though, they mean two different things. While biological dentistry is...
Sticking with Healthy Eating, Even as Food Costs Soar
It’s probably not news to you that food prices have risen a lot over the past year or so. Compared to early- to -mid-2020, you’re now paying 18.7% more for seafood. There has been a 7.5% increase for fruit, 5.1% for fresh meat, 3.1% for vegetables, 2.4% for...
Just How Good Are Zirconia Crowns & Other Restorations?
For years, one of the most common defenses of filling decayed teeth with amalgam was that mercury fillings were stronger and more durable than tooth-colored composite. But that’s just not the case anymore. As one recent scientific review puts it, Research...
A Look Back at…Why X-rays Are Needed (& How We Take Them Safely)
Originally posted February 13, 2020 Radiation is literally everywhere. A good amount of it is actually natural radiation, like that found in soil and rocks, cosmic rays from space, and even within your own body. But nearly half of human exposure to...
Two New Studies on How Fluoride Affects the Brain
If you were to ask the average dentist about the risks of overexposure to fluoride, at most, they might mention dental fluorosis - a condition in which the teeth become discolored and pitted. In fact, this is how fluoride even came to dentistry’s attention,...
Do Over-the-Counter Tooth Whitening Products Really Work?
Smile brightening is one of the simplest ways of looking younger. This is because teeth tend to darken with age, not just from stains but because enamel tends to thin. More of the darker dentin below it shows through, making teeth look gray or yellowish....
Why You Need to Replace Missing Teeth (It’s Not Just About Appearance)
If you’re missing teeth, your first concern is probably with the appearance of your smile. After all, people do tend to be judgy, and judginess around missing teeth is seldom kind, let alone positive. It can make you self-conscious, less confident -...
Xylitol, Sorbitol, Sugar – Oh, My!
Another day, another study exploring whether sugar-free gum might actually protect against cavities. Regular readers of this blog may remember that earlier studies have suggested as much. The latest, recently published in BMC Oral Health, looked specifically...
What Kind of a Difference Can Tongue-/Lip-Tie Release Make?
Pop dental quiz: What is a frenulum? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GcBGhV047A If you said the thin bit of skin that connects your tongue to the floor of your mouth or your lips to the gums, you are correct. Sadly, we have no prize to give you, though...
A Look Back at…Great Athletes, Poor Oral Health
Originally posted September 5, 2019; edited Exercise Is Essential for Mouth/Body Health, but Sports Drinks Sure Aren’t Research in the BDJ reveals that high-performance athletes have high rates of cavities and gum disease even though their oral hygiene is...
Ozone Can Mean Better Dental Implant Outcomes, Too, New Research Shows
As if we needed any more reason to sing ozone’s praises, new research in International Immunopharmacology finds that ozone - like another tool we use, platelet rich fibrin (PRF) - may improve outcomes in implant surgery. The study involved 60 healthy adults...
The “Zoom Boom” Inspires More People to Get the Smiles They’ve Always Wanted
Back in the early months of the pandemic, plastic surgeons reported surging interest in cosmetic facial procedures - a side effect of so much more time spent on Zoom. Seeing our own faces much more than usual, every little imperfection can come to seem huge...
The Vicious Cycle of Dental Fear – & How to Break Out of It
Sure, we all know the cliche that nobody likes going to the dentist - well, except this guy - but that shouldn’t be confused with actual dental fear or anxiety. Those can keep a person from getting even the preventive care that could lower their risk of...
Treating Sleep Apnea May Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk – But Don’t Think CPAP Is Your Only Option
Over the years, researchers have uncovered many links between sleep apnea and other health problems, including heart and liver issues, diabetes, sexual dysfunction, cognitive decline, and more. But can treating the apnea help lower your risk of them? At...
Gum Disease Can Mean Higher Blood Pressure. Treating Gum Disease May Lower It.
Need more motivation to keep healthy gums a priority? Look no further than new research which suggests that people with periodontitis have a greater risk of hypertension - even if they’re otherwise healthy. Hypertension - that is, high blood pressure - not...
Are Implants a Good Option If You Have a History of Gum Disease?
While “gum disease” might not sound serious to some, it’s actually the number one reason for adult tooth loss. This is because its progression leads to bone loss and deterioration of the soft tissues. With less to support them, the teeth eventually become...
A Look Back at…the Food Your Body Needs
Stop Scaring Yourself When It Comes to Good Nutrition Originally posed August 15, 2019; edited We’ve all seen the headlines on our newsfeeds: processed foods are killing us, sugar is killing us, and carbs are killing us. Here's one headline that pretty much...
Dental Ozone for Healthy Gums & More
A great dentist is always learning. It’s something that the father of modern American dentistry, G.V. Black, commented on over a hundred years ago: “The professional man has no right other than to be a continuous student.” It’s how you serve your patients well....
Rising Stress, More Cases of TMJ Pain
Although you often hear TMJ pain linked with stress, that’s just one possible cause. Malocclusion - literally, a bad bite, when your teeth don’t come together properly - is another. In other cases, it may be the result of habitual clenching and grinding - a/k/a...