As a biological office, we value the human element of dental care. We customize treatment to each patient’s needs and take a conservative approach, favoring the least invasive procedures to meet those needs. Ironically, advanced technology is one of the things that...
By Michael G. Rehme, DDS, NMD, CCN, FIAOMT How long will my dental work last? I’ve been asked this question thousands of times. Over the years - from clinical observations and study of the tooth/body connection - my answer has evolved. I was once told that good...
By Michael G. Rehme, DDS, NMD, CCN After more than 40 years of practicing dentistry, I’ve learned many things about the usage of antibiotics. Through my dental school education, I was taught over and over again that antibiotics should always be administered for...
Your body has a natural ability to heal. You see it, for instance, any time you get a cut, scratch, or scrape. You bleed, and the blood clots to close the wound. Inflammation kicks in to clean and heal the site. New tissue is created. There are things we can do to...
Most of your adult teeth come in before you’re a teenager. So why the big delay in getting your wisdom teeth - something not seen in other primates? A new study in Science Advances offers an explanation at last. To solve the riddle, researchers created 3D...
Modern technology has done wonders for dentistry, but there are some decidedly low-tech tools that can make a profound difference in your dental care. The rubber dam is one of them - a square nitrile sheet that’s used to isolate the teeth we’re working on. (Some...
Teeth are a little strange. They look lifeless, yet each is a complex living organ. They’re easy to neglect - until something goes wrong, and then a painful tooth will never let you forget that it’s there. At the same time, we’re aware that they’re essential - for...
Pop culture isn’t always kind to dentists. Likewise, news media often goes to town when a person who happens to be a dentist acts like a horrible human being – ala Cecil the Lion’s killer. No less sensational are stories about unlicensed dentists practicing in...
When you think about dangerous jobs, dentistry probably doesn’t spring to mind. Yet according to a recent article over at Business Insider, four of the five most hazardous jobs involve dental workers. Hygienists were found to have the riskiest jobs, followed by...
Most folks aren’t surprised when their dentist prescribes an antibiotic. It’s so common, so expected that patients don’t pause to ask why they need the drugs to begin with. Or what the side effects might be. Or what alternatives are available. Over 24 million...
If you’re a new parent, you have a lot on your plate. As part of your new responsibilities, you’ll at some point wonder when to bring your child to the dentist. You may have heard that dental organizations recommend parents schedule their child’s first appointment...
If you’ve got advanced gum disease, you know how devastating it can be. Left unchecked, it will destroy your connective and periodontal tissues alike. It’s an infection that can cause pain, tooth mobility, and tooth loss. And the microbes involved are associated...
An early Christmas gift arrived last week: The EPA finalized its new rule for reducing mercury discharges from dental offices. That mercury, of course, comes courtesy of the amalgam used to make so-called “silver” fillings. Amalgam is about 50% mercury, a potent...
Most people don’t realize that dentists are doctors of dental surgery. That’s what the DDS stands for, in fact. It starts to make sense if you think about what happens when you have a tooth filled. It’s a surgical procedure. There’s local anesthetic, removal of...
What’s the secret to social acceptance, upward mobility, meaningful relationships, quality employment options, and positive self-esteem? Your smile. Yes, poor oral health really can determine whether you reach the top rung of your potential ladder – or not. Even if...
Pop culture isn’t always kind to dentists. Likewise, news media often goes to town when a person who happens to be a dentist acts like a horrible human being – ala Cecil the Lion’s killer. No less sensational are stories about unlicensed dentists practicing in...
As we say, the best dental material of all is natural tooth. There’s simply nothing better. But there are times when decay or damage means we need to repair or replace it. In that case, the best material is one that you’re biocompatible with, be it composite,...
As Randall reminded in the comments on our last post, if insomnia is a persistent problem, Alpha-Stim can offer some good help. It’s a device we also use often in our practice for patients who want a natural, drug-free way to relax during long or difficult...
While the FDA holds fast to its position on mercury amalgam, the same can't be said for the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR). In their just released final report, they now state that alternative...
Dentistry has witnessed some incredible advances over the years that have improved the ability of our profession to deliver a higher quality of care for our patients. Several examples include the air driven dental drill, light-cured composites for dental filling...