J. Peter St. Clair, DMD, PC

Last week I introduced Part 1 of “In Search of Better Sleep”. For this week’s column to make the most sense, I would encourage you to read that column first. It can be found at www.thetowncommon.com.

In case you don’t have a chance to read it, here is a brief recap: I have been involved in treating patients with sleep apnea for a few years. These are patients who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea by a physician, but were unable or unwilling to use a CPAP machine. The next line of defense to treat this progressive disease is a dental appliance which prevents the lower jaw from falling back during sleep. Despite all… (Read More)

Almost ten years ago I took a weekend course at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine entitled “Sleep Dentistry”. This was not a course in putting patients to sleep for their dental work. This particular course was an introduction to treating people who had been diagnosed with sleep apnea (a sleep breathing disorder) by a medical doctor, and could not tolerate (or would not even consider) the use of the dreaded CPAP machine.

CPAP, which stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, is a facial mask which blows air through the nose to create an “air stent” to basically hold the airway open during sleep. Patients with sleep apnea have been diagnosed with a progressive disease… (Read More)

Happy New Year! As most of us are back from a few extra days off, time marches on and our daily routines are back in full force. One of the things reinforced with me during my short break was how important sleep is.

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 over this holiday period that I stayed up later than I normally do, my amount of sleep hours was less and my quality of sleep tended to be lower. This had an impact on the way… (Read More)

At the end of each of the past 16 years, I have used this space to publish these 21 Suggestions for Success authored by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Cut this out and put it on the refrigerator. Read this list often and take these suggestions to heart. The more of these you achieve, the better place you are for having your best year ever in 2022.

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The two things you’re supposed to do to clean your teeth: Brush & Floss. Any of you have your hygienist get on your case about not flossing? You may be the best brusher in the world, but if you’re not cleaning between your teeth, we know it. Cleaning between the teeth is essential for good oral health, AND good overall health.

To reiterate, we need to think about brushable surfaces vs. non-brushable surfaces in the mouth. Floss, which is basically a piece of string, is great after eating corn-on-the-cob. Other than that, using an oral irrigator (water flosser), is much better at cleaning the non-brushable areas in the mouth.

Clinically, we usually see significant improvement… (Read More)

If you have kids, and you take them to the dentist, I am sure you have heard about sealants. Many, if not most dentists recommend dental sealants.

A dental sealant is a flowable resin, generally placed on permanent 6 and 12-year molars. It is placed in the grooves on the top of the teeth. Its purpose is to help prevent decay from forming in this area, which is the most common place for dental decay to occur. It does nothing in the prevention of decay between teeth, or on any of the other 20 teeth in the mouth – although the molars are generally the first teeth to decay.

Make sense so far? Now for… (Read More)

Last week I discussed the importance of communication in any relationship, specifically the healthcare provider/patient relationship. Trust is mutually built as this relationship develops over time.

“There’s not enough time in the day.” Have you ever used this excuse? I said this yesterday to someone. We all tend to waste a lot of time, or at least don’t use the time we have as effectively as we could. You would think that in our technology-filled world, time management would be easier. Some of this technology actually gets in the way by adding even more of a time commitment to things that reduce interpersonal communication.

Here’s an example. It’s time to buy a new car. There… (Read More)

Patients see things differently than dentists. Often, what is important to dentists is not important to patients and vice versa. This seems like the hysterical discovery of the obvious, but dentists often have a blind spot when it comes to seeing things from a patient’s viewpoint.

We often have a similar blind spot in our ability to communicate with patients. When asked to rate their ability to communicate with patients, 60% of physicians rated themselves in the top 10%.

Dentists would probably have similar results.

Communication is key to any relationship. Why then do healthcare professionals, dentists specifically, often have poor communication skills with their patients? There is no one answer to this question, but… (Read More)

Happy Thanksgiving! While we may be giving thanks for the many blessings in our lives, we also often need to battle the stressors.

This time of year always seems more stressful, but stress in general is hard to avoid. We worry about school, work, finances, illness, children, relationships, and more. Some even worry about how much they worry. Not to add to your stress, but you should be aware that all that worrying could have a negative impact on not only your general health, but also your oral health.

According to an article in the Journal of Periodontology, there is a strong relationship between stress and periodontal disease (gum disease). In addition to stress, other… (Read More)

One of the most difficult areas to address as a dentist, are issues concerning aging patients, specifically those who require assisted or nursing care. Dental care tends to suffer with these patients and often leads to failing teeth. Prevention is key.

Whether you are the one making decisions for someone else, or you are older and can make your own decisions, it is easy to let home care and regular dental visits decrease as time goes on. Dental health needs to stay at the top of the priority list for many reasons. Quality of life and the link between oral health and systemic health are two big ones.

Older patients will often say, “I don’t… (Read More)