Lurks in Every Pantry Your sugar bowl sits on the table, and you lift its lid only to sweeten your morning coffee. You deserve a medal for exemplary nutritional behavior! Are you sure? Most folks eat more of it than they realize—150 pounds per year average. That’s 6 ounces—3/4 of a cup—every day. Two-thirds of [...]
Because we’re concerned about more than your teeth… If you’re a woman taking oral contraceptives, it’s understandable that you might not wish to mention this prior to a dental procedure. But it’s truly important that we know, and here’s why: Your dental procedure may include an antibiotic prescription to fight bacterial infection. It’s known that [...]
It might be a big Italian meal—meatballs, lasagna, red wine— or a serious encounter with stuffed jalapenos. Whatever your preference, if you suffer heartburn, you’re going to pay for it. Every month, 40% of the population suffer heartburn. An unlucky 10% reach for the antacids or acid blockers daily. Heartburn is a symptom of gastroesophageal [...]
Read each question and choose the best answer. Scoring below. 1. The best toothbrush bristle is: (a) Medium (b) Hard (c) soft (d) electric 2. Teeth grinding and gnashing (bruxism) can lead to: (a) a pain in the neck (b) Sore teeth (c) Headaches (d) all of the above 3. The dentist’s word for cavities: [...]
We'd like to offer one comforting and wonderful fact about today's dentistry: its virtually painless. Technology, new procedures, and some very sophisticated approaches to anesthesia have all contributed to painless treatment, from cleaning to cavity preparations to root canals. But what if you didn't grow up with modem dentistry, and remember it differently? If you [...]
Sorry to say, it can. In fact, anything involving contact with saliva—a kiss, parents tasting their babies’ food, sharing of tableware and toothbrushes—can transmit decay-causing bacteria. Soon after birth, infants start to get those bacteria that inhabit the mouth and cause cavities. These germs are usually transferred by the babies’ mothers or other family members. [...]
Back and forth goes the argument—what toothbrush is best? Gadgeteers can spend $150 for an electric brush designed to rotate and oscillate, with angled neck, sure-grip handle, dual speed control, and even a timer. Researchers say that rotation-oscillation electric brushes remove plaque and reduce gingivitis better than any other kind—but only slightly better. Do-it-yourselfers can [...]
What’s long, slender, hard, sharp, indigestible and potentially hazardous? That common and seemingly harmless sliver of wood called a toothpick. Reports in the Journal of the American Medical Association point to toothpicks as causing thousands of injuries a year, mostly to young children. Youngsters aged five to 14 were most likely to be injured by [...]
Tell Your Dentist Anyone facing cancer therapy already knows—chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer is a serious response to a serious condition. What they may not know is that a dental appointment scheduled at least two weeks before treatment begins can reduce the risk of complication and help preserve salivary glands. The reason is this: [...]
Dentally speaking, is drinking alcohol a good thing or a bad thing for your teeth and gums? As with everything alcohol related, there are positives and negatives. On one hand, a mixer-free shot of vodka is probably less hazardous than caramel candies, which coat the teeth with a sticky goo that practically begs for cavities. [...]
