Scottish researchers have found that people with poor oral hygiene tend to have an increased risk of heart disease verses those who brush their teeth at least twice a day. There have been many studies over the last couple of decades showing that gum inflammation can play a role in the build up of clogged arteries. This is the first study to determine if the number of times you brush your teeth can make a difference in the health of your heart. Basically - the study found that people who tended to brush their teeth less than twice a day had a 70% extra risk of heart disease compared to those who brushed at least twice a day. Here is a link to the article below..............

Brush your teeth twice a day to a healthier heart

The California Dental Association Foundation in collaboration with several other organizations and state and national agencies have come up with some new guidelines to help pregnant women get the best treatment possible. During pregnancy, many women ignore or avoid dental care, and are sometimes even advised to postpone treatment - when in reality - good oral health and controlling dental disease protects a woman's health and quality of life before and during pregnancy. It also decreases the chances of the mother transmitting harmful bacteria to their newborn children. They came up with a long list of recommendations for health care professionals to help pregnant women get the oral care they need to be as healthy as possible.
One of their recommendations is to - "encourage all women at their first prenatal visit to schedule a dental examination if one has not been performed in the past six months, or if a new condition has developed or is suspected." Their study also shows that the use of local anesthetics and x-rays as needed provide more benefits than risks to the pregnant mother.
The full report of all their recommendations is provided in the link below. It provides some nice "bullet" lists for both providers and patients.

The California Dental Association Foundation in collaboration with several other organizations and state and national agencies have come up with some new guidelines to help pregnant women get the best treatment possible. During pregnancy, many women ignore or avoid dental care, and are sometimes even advised to postpone treatment - when in reality - good oral health and controlling dental disease protects a woman's health and quality of life before and during pregnancy. It also decreases the chances of the mother transmitting harmful bacteria to their newborn children. They came up with a long list of recommendations for health care professionals to help pregnant women get the oral care they need to be as healthy as possible.
One of their recommendations is to - "encourage all women at their first prenatal visit to schedule a dental examination if one has not been performed in the past six months, or if a new condition has developed or is suspected." Their study also shows that the use of local anesthetics and x-rays as needed provide more benefits than risks to the pregnant mother.
The full report of all their recommendations is provided in the link below. It provides some nice "bullet" lists for both providers and patients.

Recommendations for pregnant women and dental care

A study published in the Journal of Dentistry cites Japanese research that yogurt seems to reduce the risk of cavities in children. The study shows that eating yogurt at least four times a week reduced the chances of three-year-olds developing cavities by 22 per cent, compared to those who ate it less than once a week. Other dairy products like cheese, butter, and milk did not show the same benefits for teeth as yogurt.

A word of caution - some yogurts have lots of sugar, and those types of yogurts may reduce the anti-cavity benefits of the yogurt. A link to the article can be found below.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1283673/Yoghurt-slashes-risk-children-developing-tooth-decay-22-cent.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

I came accross an interesting article the other day comparing over the counter whitening strips. Clark Howard and Atlanta Cosmetic Dentistry did comparison testing on 3 of the main brands of whitening strips - Rembrandt strips, Listerine whitestrips and Crest whitestrips. The video shows what we have noticed with our patients in our practice. The over the counter whitening strips will tend to whiten the teeth about 1 - 2 shades in most cases. For some people - that is enough. For those who need teeth whiter than a couple shades - they would need to use the custom whitening systems provided by the dental office.

Science is always working to make dental treatment more comfortable. Over the years there have been several systems that have promised to replace the dental needle to help make patients more comfortable. So far - they have not really worked out. Here is a link to an interesting article describing a technique that may deliver dental anesthetic via a nasal spray or nose drops. If this works out - it would be a very exciting change for dentistry. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

In The Dentist's Chair A Sniff Of Local Anesthetic Could Replace The Needle

I will be keeping an eye on this possible technology.