If you missed Part 1 of this series, you can find it at www.thetowncommon.com.

I ended last week with a statement that I have used numerous times before – just because it doesn’t hurt doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem. We keep learning more and more about the link between the mouth and the rest of the body. It is essential that dentists and physicians do a better job at co-managing patients, and learn more about the relationship between oral and systemic disease.

It is clear that if you want to take better care of yourself, you need to take better care of your mouth. Familial history is very important. If you know of any… (Read More)

The connection between oral health and systemic health is well-established and ever-evolving. One thing we know for certain, we are living longer but with more chronic diseases and medication than ever before.

The latest statistics are alarming. Forty-seven percent of US adults who are age 30 or older – an estimated 64.7 million Americans – have either mild gum disease (8.7%), moderate gum disease (30%) or severe gum disease (8.5%). As the population ages, the prevalence rises with 70% of individuals over the age of 65 exhibiting some level of gum disease. And, since we are on statistics, by 2030, it is estimated that the number of people over 70 years of age will have… (Read More)

One of my dental hygienists recently informed me of a new series on the Investigation Discovery cable channel called “Deadly Dentists”. Apparently there are enough stories out there about dentists to make a series.

I looked the series up online and despite my pre-conceived notion about what the content would be, the first episode is about a dentist who is killed by his wife’s boyfriend. I’ll probably stick to watching the Bruins and hope I am never in an episode.

However, the title of the series did remind me about stories of people dying in the dental office and how important it is to be ready for medical emergencies. A couple years ago I remember… (Read More)