Patients often ask about whether there are any new technologies on the horizon, or currently in use, to help with different dental problems. There are many concepts being developed that could revolutionize the way care is delivered. My favorites are those that help prevent things, such as root canals.

Many people have felt the jolting sensation of a sharp pain in a tooth after drinking cold beverages. A tooth is made up of tubules, microscopic channels that extend from the inner layer of tooth called dentin, all the way to the center of the tooth containing the nerve. The sensation comes from the temperature travelling through open tubules, either from damaged dentin caused by decay… (Read More)

There are a lot of things that happen to the body during pregnancy. The oral cavity, the gateway to the rest of the body, is part of that. In a recent survey conducted by an insurance company, it was found that more than 75% of pregnant women and new mothers experience an oral health problem. The survey also found that almost half of the surveyed women did not visit the dentist during pregnancy despite having dental problems.

The researchers cited cost as one of the main reasons why pregnant women do not go to the dentist, and they found that women without dental benefits were twice as likely as those with benefits to not visit… (Read More)

Last week I talked about a sometimes not so silent epidemic – sleep apnea. This week’s epidemic is much quieter but shares the general idea of decreasing the quality of life.

With more than 24 million diabetics and 57 million pre-diabetics in the United States, there are a lot of people affected by diabetes. That’s nearly a quarter of the nation’s population. The most up to date research shows the connection between dental health and diabetes has never been more critical.

As an indication of our general health, the rapidly rising rate of diabetes should be ringing alarm bells everywhere. The litany of health implications from diabetes is a long and grisly list. It is… (Read More)

Your dentist is here to address the greatest debate of our time: manual vs. electric toothbrushes. The choice between old school and new school dental care is in your hands, but do you know which is best for you? Learn more about your toothbrush options here!

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In March I completed a “mini-residency” program at Tufts in dental sleep medicine. In a nutshell, dental sleep medicine is the dentist’s participation in the treatment of sleep breathing disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea. Although the concept seemed relatively simple to me at the beginning of my journey, there is always more to the story.

About 7 years ago, I took a one-day class in dental sleep medicine. I found it intriguing how many signs and symptoms dentists see on a daily basis which could be relative to possible sleep breathing issues. For most of us, when we are “asleep”, we are unconscious and have no idea what is going on behind the scenes.… (Read More)

What is your definition of oral health? Is there even a standard definition of oral health? One thing is clear, the definition of oral health is not solely the absence of pain. Pain is also not necessarily an indication of poor oral health.

It wasn’t until the year 2000 that oral health was brought to the forefront of the surgeon general’s report as a critical component to overall health. This was an important event, but unfortunately never amounted to much in terms of being incorporated into most healthcare policies.

In 2005 at the World Congress of Preventive Dentistry, participants from 43 countries made it clear that oral health is an integral part of general health… (Read More)