“Collectively,” the authors of a 2019 scientific review affirmed, “experimental findings indicate that the connection between oral health and cognition cannot be underestimated.” Specifically, their concern was with the link between gum disease and cognitive...
There are lots of reasons why folks seek out a biological dental practice like ours. Sometimes, they suspect there may be a dental component to their long-standing health issues – lingering infection in root canal teeth, for instance, or cavitations. Others...
Mizzou’s upcoming trip to the Cotton Bowl this year wasn’t the only football news we’ve been talking about in the office lately. There was also the viral story about legendary NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe’s oral hygiene routine. Yes, really. Talking on a recent...
“Antibiotics are frequently overused and misused in dental practice,” note the authors of a recent paper in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. According to one 2019 study, “nearly 81% of all antibiotics prescribed before dental...
A lot of people, maybe even most people, think dental exams and cleanings are solely about taking care of their teeth. In reality, they’re about taking care of your total health, oral and systemic alike. It’s a point that’s driven home by research just published in...
While there’s still a good stretch of summer left to go, it’s not all that long before the kids will be headed back to school – which makes now the perfect time to bring them in for an exam and cleaning. If there’s decay or other problems, you’ll still have...
Not news: Sugar contributes to tooth decay. After all, sugar is the favorite food of harmful bacteria and other microbes that live in your mouth. And it’s not just the white crystal stuff you may be envisioning, but all foods that are digested as sugar, such as...
By Michael G. Rehme, DDS, NMD, CCN During a patient’s first visit to our office and at their hygiene appointments, we always use pH test paper to test the saliva. This very simple test provides us with valuable information. It helps us evaluate both an...
By Michael G. Rehme, DDS, NMD, CCN Here’s something a lot of people never think about: how their teeth are the only visible part of their skeleton. I think that’s a powerful concept. Also powerful is realizing that your teeth and gums not only give...
Most dentists will tell you that when it comes to candy, plain chocolate is the best choice. It doesn’t get stuck between your teeth and along the gum line like chewy sweets can. It doesn’t expose your teeth to sugar for as long as hard candies do, nor is it acidic...
Healthy eating is simple. Michael Pollan put it most famously: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” Healthy eating can also be hard – at least if it involves pivoting from the standard American diet to real food. After all, the ultra-processed products...
By Michael Rehme, DDS, NMD, CCN If medical treatment, nutritional support, chiropractic, and the like don’t improve your health and wellness, don’t forget to look in the mouth. A quick and thorough examination of the oral cavity can easily done by any...
In our office, we believe the best dentistry is the least dentistry; that prevention is preferable to treatment; and that when treatment is needed, biocompatibility is a must. That’s because biological dentistry respects the complex relationships between oral...
Once upon a time, folks were kind of smitten by the “miracles” of science brought to us by the likes of Monsanto: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOOqlUx1lVU It’s practically impossible to be so innocent anymore, as countless synthetic chemicals have been...
Originally posted April 14, 2021 “Avoid nitrates,” we’re told, as if all nitrates were alike. But plenty of perfectly healthy foods contain them naturally: beets, radishes, turnips, leafy green vegetables, onion, garlic, apples, watermelon, grapes, and more. No,...
There are lots of reasons why so much sugar gets added to ultra-processed food products. Adding sweetness is only the most obvious one. Sugar is also used as a preservative and to help fermentation along. It can act as a coloring or bulking agent. It can modify...
About half of all Americans have some degree of periodontal (gum) disease – and over 70% of all seniors. Yet the condition is one that’s often easy to ignore. Its symptoms aren’t especially debilitating – at least early on. You may have red, puffy...
Ask a random person how to keep their teeth and gums healthy, and chances are they’ll say little more beyond “brushing and flossing.” Sure, those are important. Yet as with whole body health, it’s good nutrition that really comes first. This was emphasized by a...
Probiotics have an important role to play in your oral health. As a new [2020] paper in the Journal of Functional Foods notes, Recent studies including clinical trials strongly suggest the active role of probiotics in prevention and treatment of oral infections,...
But let’s get back to the subject of real sugar, the favorite food of harmful oral bacteria (as well as something craved by many of the humans who host them!). They love the stuff – and, of course, what goes in must go out. Their metabolic waste is incredibly...