Patient Education

Tongue-Thrusting

Train that Tongue Without therapy, the wrong oral habits, sooner or later, will cause tooth movement, breathing and speech problems You'd think swallowing is easy as falling off a log. But some of us need help retraining muscles that we've been using wrong all along. A "bad" swallow is just [...]

Alcohol and Your Health…

Just the Facts There's so much conflicting information regarding drinking alcohol blasting at us these days. A glass of red wine is good? Is even drinking at all a good idea? It's a matter of proportion. The facts are these. First, alcohol affects women more than men. Because men tend [...]

Diabetes

The first clue to diabetes may be in your mouth! In many cases it's the dentist–and not the physician–who has the first opportunity in the early detection of diabetes, because diabetics are especially prone to dental problems. Swollen, tender, bleeding and receding gums, loose teeth, and a sore tongue may [...]

Tongue Piercing

A Bit on Body Art In every big city—and down on a lot of farms—"body art" is all the rage. While we begged our parents for discreet earrings, our children are piercing various body parts in surprising places. Lips, tongue, cheeks, even the uvula (the dangling thingie in the back [...]

Impression Material

What is that goo? Whether you need a new denture, braces, or a single inlay restoration, you'll encounter the "goo" dentists use to make an impression - the first step to a perfect likeness of your mouth. In effect, the material you bite into registers a "negative" image, like a [...]

Energy… Not!

"Meal Replacement" alternatives...How much of the hype is science—and how much is fiction? Like personal aircraft, elixirs offering all the necessary nutrients in a single dose have been a staple of science fiction. For good reason. Athletes seek a power surge. Seniors dream of a healthy dinner which needs no [...]

When it Comes to Toothpaste

Choosing the right toothpaste for yourself—or your family—goes beyond the coupon you may have in hand, or bright displays in the marketplace. For your health, you have to think like a dentist. At different times in our lives, dental strategies change, toothpaste requirements change. And product name isn't half as [...]

Dead Toothbrushes

A really dead toothbrush—one badly worn and frayed, not necessarily just old—is like having no toothbrush at all. In fact, you're probably doing more harm than good if your brush has seen better days. All dead toothbrushes should be given a decent burial. If you have doubts about the life [...]