This is the question that all conscientious, science-based dental patients should be asking. The problem is many people feel guilt about missing a scheduled visit or fear something bad will happen – just because they don’t show up! Let’s get past irrational emotions and if necessary blame Claude C. Hopkins (an advertising genius) who in the …read more

To Go or Not To Go: Do you return for your routine 6-month dental appointment or not?

 Are you feeling comfortable going back to your dentist? COVID-19 advice suggests masks limit the spread of droplet infection as we talk, sing or cough. In dental offices, droplets splatter in the air as teeth are drilled or cleaned with ultra sonic sprays. Bacteria and debris travel at speeds up to 50 mph from a patient’s …read more

Splatter Matters: Going to the Dentist During the Coronavirus Pandemic

When I was a child there were X-ray machines in shoe stores. As we were fitted for a pair of shoes it was customary to stand in a machine so the store clerk could take an X ray and check your toes had adequate room to grow. There was no protection from the X rays …read more

Changing Viewpoints

Pediatric sedation Pediatric sedation is a dental procedure that is rapidly becoming more common in practices around the country. Some dentists think it’s because there are more young children showing up with decay, others say it’s because we have an ADA push to get children to the dentist by their first birthday. Personally, I think …read more

Pediatric Sedation & Early Childhood Caries

Overview The dentist’s mantra is to “brush and floss” but is flossing useful or could other protocols keep teeth cleaner and healthier? Flossing has devotees who trust it is the only way to oral health, but where did their emphatic belief originate, and what if they are wrong? We have no science to support flossing …read more

Is Flossing the Best Way to Prevent Dental Disease?

It’s unlikely a child with unhealthy teeth and serious cavities will have fun at their first dental visit. Cavities are difficult to treat in young mouths and most dentists suggest sedation or general anesthesia – a scary experience for everyone. Taking toddlers to the dentist is suggested by the ADA as an opportunity for the …read more

Taking Young Children to the Dentist

You may have been told to floss more, or perhaps you were on a never-ending series of treatments when you discovered Zellies. If you have followed the dosage recommendations and taken my advice, I am sure you (and your dentist) have noticed improvements. For some people Zellies may be all they needed to “tip the …read more

Bleeding Gums at Dental Visits (BOP)