A recent article in the NY Times talked about weaning older patients off of nightly regimens of sleeping pills. Why “de-prescribe” these medications (benzodiazepines) such as Ativan, Ambien, Halcion, Lunesta and Valium? There are many good reasons but one which pertains to oral health, is the side effect on salivary flow. In 2008, a study … Read more
MADISON, Wis. – Improve your own health while restoring the smile of someone in need: Join the Virtual Race for Smiles, which benefits the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Charitable Foundation’s (AACDCF) Give Back a Smile (GBAS) program. GBAS restores the smiles and lives of those who have suffered dental injuries from intimate partner, family, … Read more
Recently, National Public Radio featured a story on stress felt by American adults. It featured a survey by the Harvard School of Public Health which found that 1 in 4 had a great deal of stress in the previous month, and 1 in 2 in the past year. How is this stress manifest? Look at … Read more
Scientists examining dental plaques from prehistoric Sudanese skeletons say that purple nutsedge, today considered one of world’s worst weed, was not always a pest. By:Kate AllenScience and Technology reporter, Published on Wed Jul 16 2014. Donatella Usai / Centro Studi Sudanesi and Sub-Sahariani Scientists uncover a skeleton at a prehistoric gravesite in Sudan. Researchers say … Read more
Patients suffering from osteoporosis or bone fractures might benefit from a new discovery of a protein that plays an important role in bone regeneration made by bioengineers at Queen Mary University of London. Normally found in the formation of enamel, which is an important component of teeth, the scientists discovered that a partial segment of … Read more
The Canadian Lung Association reports that 10% of Canadians have lung disease or COPD. Half of these 3 million Canadians have a formal diagnosis, the others simply struggle on with difficulty breathing. A growing number of studies have connected oral health to lung function. But only recently has there been a prospective controlled study to … Read more
A recent article in the New York Times cautioned about the sugar content in those nutritional drinks taken by older Canadians. These drinks have the brands such as Boost and Ensure and are called by some geriatricians “liquid candy with vitamins.” As reported, one version of Boost contains 28 grams of sugar in an 8 … Read more
As dental hygienists prepare to take increased responsibilities, Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice provides critical updates St. Louis, June – With opportunities to take increased responsibility for oral health care and to deliver care in a more comprehensive way, it’s an exciting time in the profession of dental hygiene. To help prepare to meet these … Read more
The most recent data on the prevalence of Americans for high blood pressure show that about 1 in 3 are hypertensive at mid-life, and over age 60, 2 out of 3 are. A preferred first-line method to manage blood pressure is diuretics. In this context, a recent Japanese study of institutionalized seniors found that the … Read more
Two new studies show that a regular smoke and a coke put you at high risk of dental decay. The more you smoke the more caries over a 4 year period of observation of Finnish adults. The more you drink sugar-sweetened beverages, the more your decay experience over a similar period for Finnish adults. This … Read more
An interesting study and findings regarding a link between headaches and gum chewing has come from Tel Aviv University. The article was published in Pediatric Neurology and looked at 30 patients between 6 and 19 with chronic headache and who were big gum chewers. The patients were told to stop chewing gum. After 1 month, … Read more
Nutrition is vital to a person’s oral health — and therefore to their overall health. Collaboration between registered dietitian nutritionists, dietetic technicians, registered and oral health-care professionals is recommended for health promotion, disease prevention and intervention, according to a new practice paper published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The practice paper “Oral Health … Read more
A new peer-reviewed article in Acta Scandinavia Odontologica reviews the most recent controlled study of Prevora. This study is so far the largest randomized, multi-centre, double-blinded, placebo-controlled investigation of any preventive intervention for adult caries. It enrolled 983 adults who lived in the community and who had at least one cavity upon entering the study. … Read more
Flossing is often overlooked by most people. However, it is an essential part of maintaining good dental hygiene and dental health. Below are the top reasons why you should floss your teeth every day… –Flossing Helps Avoid Periodontal Disease. Flossing is the important hygiene technique we can do to prevent development of periodontal disease. Food … Read more
A few months ago, I spoke with an advisor to the Sjogren’s Society of Canada about Prevora and the remarkable results from our 2 randomized, double blinded, placebo controlled, multi-centred trials which were conducted with FDA protocols. This advisor said she thought green tea was the answer to controlling caries in a Sjogren’s patient. So, … Read more
If you are like most dental office leaders, you have had times when you thought it would be impossible to get your team members on the same page with an idea, system, or process. Why is it so difficult? You have told them what you want or how you would like something done, right? You … Read more
A common practice after dental surgery or to deal with dental pain, is to do just what the title of this blog says. Extra-strength Tylenol in my medicine cabinet contains 500 mg of acetaminophen per caplet. 6 of these pills means a daily dose of 3,000 mg of acetaminophen. That is close to the new … Read more
People are drawn into careers for a variety of reasons. Some pursue an altruistic bent while others are drawn by remuneration. Whatever the reasons, does it not make sense to provide the absolute best product/service while pursuing profitability? This mantra includes health care, both medical and dental. Sadly, the dental practice industry significantly lags behind … Read more
The Invisalign® Brand sponsored “Smile Ever After” Survey Also Reveals That 92 Percent Of Brides Rank Their Smile As Their Most Important Wedding-Day Accessor The word “selfie” is hugely popular among teenagers – and it’s now resonating with many new brides. A recent Wakefield Research survey commissioned by the makers of Invisalign® has discovered that … Read more
A recent article in the New York Times titled “The antidepressant generation” talked about the growing use of medication amongst the 18 to 29 year old cohort, to control depression. In 1994, about 9% of American students visiting their college healthcare centre were treated with antidepressants. By 2006, that had grown to 23%. A growing … Read more