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...
One of the most commonly given reasons for skipping regular dental visits is the cost. Yet there’s also a cost to forgoing care. For one, it considerably raises the risk of developing gum disease, caries (tooth decay), and other problems - problems that only get...
Regular dental visits matter. Exams and cleanings help ensure that small problems don’t turn into big - and expensive - ones. They’re also an opportunity for you to ask questions and get any needed hygiene, nutrition, and other coaching to keep your oral/systemic...
While this year has brought a lot of challenges, it’s also brought something wonderful to our office: a second Dr. Rehme - namely, his son Michael, who recently completed his Doctor of Dental Surgery at the University of Missouri - Kansas City! Michael been part of...
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...
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...
While it’s probable that a dentist will place more foreign material in your body than any other medical practitioner, it’s rare to hear an honest accounting about the practice of doing so. Perhaps that’s what makes Dr. James Rota’s Mirror of the Body such an...
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...
The sugar industry could not deny the role of sucrose in dental caries [cavities] given the scientific evidence. They therefore adopted a strategy to deflect attention to public health interventions that would reduce the harms of sugar consumption rather than...
Even if you’ve never had a “silver” mercury amalgam filling in your mouth, you’re still affected by them day in and day out. Improper or careless disposal of amalgam waste ultimately pollutes our water, our air, our food – in short, all the stuff of our existence....
In 2012, I wrote an article in The Healthy Planet that received much attention after its publication. It was titled Dental Ozone: Simple, Safe and Effective. It explained many of the positive effects that ozone therapy could provide for our dental patients today....
How long will my dental work last? I've been asked this question a thousand times. My answer has evolved from years of clinical observations and understanding the biological concept of the Tooth and Body Connection. I was once told that good dentistry will last...
The modern day use of dental anesthesia has been effectively administered for over 50 years. Its purpose, of course, was to reduce or eliminate the painful effects associated with most dental procedures. Local anesthetics such as lidocaine, polocaine, mepivicaine,...
For many years it's been routine dental practice to treat all patients with a history of rheumatic fever, mitral valve prolapsed, or other such disorders with antibiotics. It was believed that streptococcal bacteria in the mouth could enter the bloodstream during...
After graduating from dental school in 1983, I felt I had received an excellent education. I thought I had the proper dental skills necessary to help my patients restore, repair and maintain their teeth and periodontal (the tissue and structures surrounding and...