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...
It’s been several years since we looked at the issue of whether electric toothbrushes are better than manual ones for controlling plaque. The early evidence suggested they were, and research since then continues to favor power brushes. Even so, the fanciest, most...
One common reason you hear from people about why they don’t floss is that it makes their gums bleed. Yet those bleeding gums are actually a sign that they should be flossing more. They’re a telltale sign of gum disease. Not only does this raise the risk of...
Every biological dentist has a different story of how they transitioned from the traditional, mechanical kind of dentistry they learned in school to a tooth/body approach that supports each patient's overall health and well-being. This is Dr. Mike's... My story...
Now that summer is here, lots of us are spending more time outdoors in the sun - the ideal way to get the vitamin D you need for good mouth/body health. In post below, originally published a little less than a year ago, we look at one way in which a lack of this...
Although a mercury-free future for dentistry seems closer than ever now, research continues to document the effects of dental amalgam, as well as removing it. After all, even if every dentist in the world stopped filling teeth with this neurotoxic material today,...
Any dental or medical intervention comes with both risks and benefits, yet some practices persist despite evidence of risks outweighing the benefits. Using mercury amalgam to fill decayed teeth is one of those. Fluoride is another. Its benefits are modest and...
Our thanks to the office of fellow biologic dentist Dr. Sam Parsi out in San Diego for letting us share this post from their blog with minor modifications... Back in 2020, the FDA made a big, big change in their guidance on dental amalgam. For decades, they...
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 gums that bleed...
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...
Though dentistry and medicine are still treated largely as separate spheres, most Americans acknowledge the link between oral and whole body health. As the latest survey on such things tells us, 92% of adults and 96% of parents say oral health is very or extremely...
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,...
Gum disease isn’t a problem just for your mouth. It raises your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, kidney disease, cognitive decline, mental health issues - even some cancers. That link between poor periodontal health and other...
Oral health and gut health are inseparable. Each one affects the other. This is particularly so with gum disease, a condition that can ultimately lead to bone loss in the jaw. That bone loss sets the stage for tooth loss. It’s long been thought that the cause of...
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...
Kicking a sugar habit is hard, especially since we humans are hardwired to love the stuff. It doesn’t help that sugar is so prevalent in so many products. Many wind up turning to artificial sweeteners to get the sweetness they crave minus the health risks that come...
Just a few weeks back, we got to share the good news that the last major supplier of mercury amalgam has finally quit dealing in this highly toxic and all too antique material used for filling teeth. This week, we get to share even more good news. When the Minamata...
Even when you’re not speaking, your tongue has tales to tell. Consider, for instance, the research presented in 2020 at Heart Failure Association (HFA) Discoveries, a platform for the European Society of Cardiology. Scientists found that heart patients’ tongues...
What’s better than the world’s top maker of dental products no longer selling mercury amalgam? Its main competitor getting out of the amalgam biz, as well. As soon as Dentsply Sirona disclosed that they had quit that toxic dental material, Charlie Brown and...
Several years ago, we blogged about a couple of fascinating studies that showed how dietary changes alone can be enough to actually reverse the progress of gum disease. The key was shifting away from refined carbs to something closer to a paleo, primal, or Wise...