Is there anyone – cranky contrarians aside – who wasn’t ready to bid “good riddance” to 2021 this past weekend? Before we close the door on yet another strange and often challenging year, though, we want to take one last look back on what transpired on this blog over the course of the past 12 months.
And when we see which posts folks engaged with the most, we see that they’re as diverse as the patients we see here in our St. Louis office, reflecting their range of concerns about avoiding dental toxicities and ways of taking charge of their mouth/body health.
Many of the top 10 posts of 2021 also focus on new research, and this, too, reflects not just our patients but most who embrace a holistic, biological approach to oral health. More than the average person, they constantly seek to become more informed about health science and how they can optimize their and their families’ health and well-being.
There was one big difference from 2020, though: COVID didn’t dominate health headlines quite so much, as our top 10 list also reflects…
- So Is Olive Oil as Good as Coconut for Oil Pulling?
New research suggested that while olive oil may help you keep your gums healthy, coconut oil still has the edge when it comes to oil pulling. - New Study Looks at Fluoride’s Impact on Gut Health
Science continued to illuminate how gut health impacts both oral and whole body health alike – and how fluoride may actually throw the balance of gut bacteria out of whack. - Getting All the Facts When It Comes to Root Canal Treatment
Unfortunately, the video we included in this reflection what was once called “Root Canal Awareness Week” is no longer available. But the transcript of its discussion of how root canals can affect overall health is still available, and we linked to it, as well. - A Primer on Cavitations (Jawbone Osteonecrosis)
We get lots of questions about this type of hidden infection that can have whole body effects. This post shares some basic information that everyone should know about osteonecrosis of the jaw – how it happens and, most importantly, what you can do about it. - Two New Studies: Wisdom Teeth, Dental Ozone
Other new research in 2021 shed light on why wisdom teeth erupt so late and how dental ozone – one of the most powerful and versatile tools in biological dentistry – may help improve outcomes when they need to be removed. - Making Your Own Toothpaste at Home
After seeing one of the periodic freakouts about people making their own oral hygiene products at home, we shared some good-to-know info should you decide to make your own toothpaste, so whatever you make is both safe and effective. - The Benefit of Adding Some Mushrooms to Your Diet
We really dislike the term “superfood” because of how it can obscure the importance of the total diet when it comes to both oral and whole body health. Even so, new research showed just how super mushrooms can be in delivering a lot of micronutrients, including trace minerals, that many Americans just don’t get enough of. - Flossing Matters. But Are You Flossing the Right Way?
Flossing without the proper technique not only makes it less effective. You can also hurt yourself. Learn how to floss like a boss. - Oral Hygiene & COVID Spread: A Research Update
In this post, we looked at some of the emerging research suggesting how improved oral hygiene might help in limiting the spread of COVID. - The Tales that Bacteria in Your Mouth Could Tell: COVID Edition
Other research, meanwhile, identified a number of species of oral bacteria that seem to be predictive of COVID severity, further clarifying the connection between oral health and COVID outcomes.
