{"id":920,"date":"2019-03-25T12:18:40","date_gmt":"2019-03-25T12:18:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/?p=920"},"modified":"2019-03-25T12:18:40","modified_gmt":"2019-03-25T12:18:40","slug":"dentistry-in-the-news-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/dentistry-in-the-news-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"DENTISTRY IN THE NEWS \u2013 PART 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"350\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/stock_cleanings.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"925\" data-link=\"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=925\" class=\"wp-image-925\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/stock_cleanings.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/stock_cleanings-300x171.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A recent U.S.\nNews &amp; World Report featured seven pages of information on dentistry.\nAlthough I was surprised that most of the information was accurate, as the\nmedia often skews the facts to make a point, there were a few things that I\nfelt needed clarification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first\narticle highlights the fact that 75% of adults have some form of periodontal\ndisease. This is true. It also mentions many of the known facts with regards to\ngum disease and systemic health. One of those is that uncorrected gum problems\ncan make it more difficult for diabetics to control their blood sugar, and in\nturn worsen their gum problems. This is also true. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With regards\nto brushing, the article states, \u201cScrubbing with fluoride toothpaste robs oral\nbacteria of sustenance.\u201d This is true to some extent but the term \u201cscrubbing\u201d\nis not completely accurate. Proper brushing technique with either a very soft\nmanual toothbrush or good electric toothbrush is a more accurate description.\nAlso, fluoride, in and of itself, is not truly anti-bacterial. Although it is\nfelt that its anti-cavity action is related mainly to effects on mineral phases\nof teeth and on the process of remineralization (strengthening enamel),\nresearch does show that fluoride also has important effects on the metabolism\nof bacteria in dental plaque.&nbsp;There are other ingredients in toothpastes\nwith and without fluoride that are more anti-bacterial, but it is the removal\nof plaque manually that is most important, even without toothpaste. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With regard to\nelectric toothbrushes, the article insinuates that \u201cbasic\u201d and \u201ccheap\u201d ($7)\nmodels are as effective as more expensive models. This is false. Although you\ndo not have to buy the most expensive model available, there is a huge\ndifference in effectiveness between a $7 battery-operated toothbrush and a $70\nwall-charged one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The article\nstates, \u201cOnly floss can reach below the gum-line.\u201d This is not completely true.\nProper toothbrush technique gets below the gum-line on two sides of the teeth.\nFloss is important for removing debris between teeth. A water pik is probably\nmost effective for cleaning the non-brushable areas in the mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For combating\nbad breath, the article\u2019s&nbsp; first\nsuggestion is to \u201cbrush your tongue.\u201d Although it mentions the use of a tongue\nscraper, it only states the use of this device if your toothbrush makes you\ngag. The fact of the matter is that a tongue scraper is 100% more effective in\nremoval of the nasty bacteria on your tongue. If the toothbrush makes you gag\nso will the tongue scraper. One trick is to scrape your tongue while you are\nexhaling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An article in\nthe report entitled, \u201c21<sup>st<\/sup>-Century Dentistry\u201d highlights the use of\nlasers in treating gum problems. The beginning of the column gets you revved-up\nto believe that this is the best thing since sliced bread, but the end of the\narticle states differently. \u201cIt is unlikely to fully replace traditional gum\nsurgery anytime soon. The laser therapy isn\u2019t demonstrably superior to surgery,\nresearchers recently reported in the <em>Journal\nof Periodontology<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To be\ncontinued\u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. St. Clair\nmaintains a private dental practice in Rowley and Newburyport dedicated to\nhealth-centered family dentistry. If there are certain topics you would like to\nsee written about or questions you have please email them to him at <a href=\"mailto:jpstclair@stclairdmd.com\">jpstclair@stclairdmd.com<\/a>.\nYou can view all previously written columns at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\">www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A recent U.S. News &amp; World Report featured seven pages of information on dentistry. Although I was surprised that most of the information was accurate, as the media often skews the facts to make a point, there were a few things that I felt needed clarification. The first article highlights the fact that 75% of adults have some form of periodontal disease. This is true. It also mentions many of the known facts with regards [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=920"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":926,"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/920\/revisions\/926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}