Fun Shark Tooth Facts
In honor of Discovery Channel’s annual Shark Week, I am reposting an old link to a site that has some interesting and cool facts about sharks and their teeth. I particularly like facts #15 and 16. Enjoy! 20 Facts About Shark Teeth
Warning — D.I.Y. Orthodontics is not a good idea! (I hope you knew this already!)
Once again, I have an article that was submitted by a patient of mine that is rather interesting reading. There are some things you can or should do by yourself — maybe pump your own gas or use a self-checkout at a grocery store. You should never, however, do your own orthodontics! Orthodontists Warn Against […]
Scientific Research Done on Neanderthal Teeth Reveals a Great Deal About Our Past
Surprising Conclusions My brother sent me this article on Neanderthal teeth research (Thanks Scott Wooddell!) I find it to be quite intriguing. Although the article starts out talking about what may be the world’s oldest toothbrushes, it digresses into what I feel is a fascinating discussion about the changes in humanity’s diet over the millenia […]
New Report on Smoking and Its Effects on Dental Implants
Smoking Can Have Negative Effects on Dental Implants This recent report demonstrates how smoking can affect the viability of dental implants. My experience with my patients is that smokers have a greatly increased chance of problems with bone regeneration. This can lead to more infections and possibly implant failure. As with many other smoking-related issues, […]
Fluoride – Is It Safe and Effective?
The answer is yes. Don’t believe everything you hear! A patient of mine brought up a very interesting subject recently. (Thanks, Karen!) She listens to a radio program on the weekends hosted by a supposed health expert (turns out that he’s a chiropractor in Fairfax). During the program, he discusses various issues about health and […]
Washington Post Article on Toothpaste Additives: My Comments
Not all toothpaste additives are beneficial. This article, linked below, is from the Health section of the Washington Post. It raises some interesting points about toothpaste additives — some I agree with and some I disagree with. Some need further investigation: Detergents: I disagree with what the article reports. Testing has demonstrated that foaming agents […]
Washington Post Article on Antibiotics for Dental Patients with Artificial Joints
Should artificial joint recipients take antibiotics before visiting the dentist? This is a link to an interesting and well-written article the in the Health Section of today’s Washington Post. The author deals with some of the confusion currently swirling around as to whether artificial joint recipients need to take antibiotics prior to visiting the dentist. […]
Drink your coffee!
Recent evidence suggests coffee may benefit your teeth and gums. We have all seen studies that make recommendations to avoid some foods. Later, we see other studies that recommend their consumption. This is no different. Long thought to cause a variety of health problems, coffee has actually begun to show up in recent medical reports […]
American Dental Association Rebuttal to Flossing Story
Flossing is beneficial to dental health. I have been waiting and watching for a good post to share that answers last week’s ridiculous press reports that claimed flossing your teeth is a “waste of time” and the government no longer recommends it. This article is a little dry, but provides the most direct and succinct […]
Today Show does a segment on “Why We Don’t Need to Floss”
I saw this brief segment on The Today Show on Tuesday morning about why flossing may not be necessary. I’m sure I’ll get a lot of questions from patients about this. Interesting that they refer to a “new research” study, but there is no mention about who is doing this research and how scientific it […]