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)

October is almost gone, which means only 2 months left in 2017. Where did the time go? It’s crunch time to get everything done that we haven’t gotten done during the rest of the year. For those with dental plans, it’s also the time of year to consider utilizing unused dental benefits.

Unused dental benefits go directly back to the insurance company, which generates hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars for the insurance companies each year. Dental insurance companies count on the fact that many people will not claim their $1000 or so in benefits by the end of the calendar year. Those with dental insurance should look for legitimate means to use these… (Read More)

Last week I discussed teenager sleep patterns and issues. This week we start a conversation about sleep for the majority of those reading this column.

My body has become accustomed to a certain amount of quality sleep. I have always had difficulty sleeping past a certain time in the morning, regardless of what time I go to bed. On the days when I stay up later than my normal bedtime, my amount of sleep hours is less and my quality of sleep tends to be lower. This has an impact on the way I feel the next day.

There are many reasons for poor quality sleep. Everything from a poor mattress, poor pillow, sleep position,… (Read More)

When we were all young children, most of us got plenty of sleep, and for that matter, we didn’t think much of it. Our parents told us it was time for bed and we went to bed. We slept until the morning at which time we were woken by our parent’s gentle touch.

As we progressed into our teenage years, our responsibilities increased. This typically led to staying up later and getting up earlier to be able to keep up with these added responsibilities. Today, it seems that getting enough good sleep is even more of a challenge for our teenagers.

One of the contributing factors of this teen sleep crisis is that parents are… (Read More)

If you feel a sudden twinge in your teeth, you should never ignore it—in fact, it’s time to investigate! Tooth sensitivity can be caused from many different things, and your dentist is here to help you unveil your dental problems “root” cause.

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The more we learn about the body through research and science, the more aware we become about the interconnectedness of all the systems. For example, we now know and continue to learn about the relationship of sleep and its effects on the rest of the body. Sleep breathing disorders, namely sleep apnea, is something that should be routinely screened for by physicians and dentists. While sleep apnea is not necessarily an “oral disorder”, it presents in ways that can be easily screened by a dentist. The key here is the practitioner thinking “outside the box” and treating each patient’s total-body health.

You may have heard the phrase “the mouth is the gateway to the rest… (Read More)

Now, everyone is looking for ways to save money while making their lives easier with do-it-yourself tutorials. In addition to the home improvement and cooking videos, you will find many dental-related tips online. Among the most popular DIY dentistry information currently trending on social media involves the use of charcoal toothpaste to resolve stubborn tooth discoloration. The results are simply amazing as the black substance provides drastic results without having to visit a dentist. While there are many claims raving about its success, is it really safe for your teeth?
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