Last week, Amesbury residents voted in a relatively narrow margin against the re-introduction of adding fluoride to the public water supply. Fluoride has been added to many public drinking water supplies all over the country for decades in an attempt to combat dental decay. The theory is that ingested systemic fluoride strengthens the developing teeth and makes them less susceptible to decay.
I would bet you would think that I am a proponent of public water fluoridation given my profession. I am not. In fact, I think it is unethical, unnecessary, ineffective, unsafe, inefficient, and unscientifically promoted. Although there is not enough space in this column to go into this in depth, let me… (Read More)
Amesbury Nixes Fluoride
December 5, 2011
It Starts Before They Are Born
November 9, 2011
Research shows that babies are born without any harmful bacteria in their mouths. However, once bacteria colonize in the mouth, children are more prone to cavities in their baby teeth and permanent teeth. How do they get the bacteria? Caregivers.
Most parents don’t know that they can pass harmful bacteria from their mouth to their baby’s mouth. The most critical time is during the child’s first 2 and one-half years of life. Most children are born without a single tooth. Can bacteria passed to children without teeth affect their decay potential for their whole life? According to research the answer is yes.
Here’s a shocker…..If you have a history of poor oral health,… (Read More)
Google YOUR Dentist
November 7, 2011
It amazes me how far technology has come in the course of my lifetime. To think that I made it through my whole educational career without a cell phone and without the use of the internet is mind-boggling. I also never thought that my children would get to the point where I was asking them how to do things.
For many of us, technology consumes us. I spilled coffee on my cell phone this past weekend and spent the better part of a gorgeous day running around trying to replace it. I felt like I couldn’t live without it. Another morning this week my website was down and I could not post some new… (Read More)
Is Dentistry Becoming a Commodity?
November 3, 2011
There was a time when it would have been unusual to see an “advertisement” for a health care professional. In dentistry, dentists used to be able to hang out a shingle and patients would come. Today, it is the opposite. We are bombarded with advertising and it is very rare to see a “from scratch” practice open.
Times change, and that is okay. My concern is that dentistry and the dental profession are moving towards a more commodity-based service and away from a relationship-based, well-respected profession.
It used to be that dentists were among the most respected professionals. Dentists always received high marks for honesty, including high ethical standards, and trust. Today, those… (Read More)
The Silent Epidemic
September 8, 2011
With more than 24 million diabetics and 57 million pre-diabetics in the United States, nearly a quarter of the nation’s population has already been affected by this disease. The connections between dental health and diabetes have 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 the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. That is probably vastly understated because as many as 65% of deaths from diabetes are attributed to heart attack and stroke. People with diabetes have about twice the overall risk of… (Read More)