The Health of Your Mouth Mirrors Your Overall Health Your mouth is a mirror that reflects your overall health and well-being, according to Donna E. Shalala in the Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health. It’s also a key determinant of your nutritional status and your self-esteem. “Oral health means more than sound teeth. Oral health

Perhaps there is no other healthcare profession like dentistry that has the unfortunate (and false) reputation causing pain rather than preventing or eliminating it. For all the good that dentists do to improve our well-being, there are many patients with fears about sitting in the dentist’s chair. But whatever the reasons, there are countless people

Since the mid 80’s, I anticipated that lasers would play a major role in the non-surgical treatment of periodontal disease. More than 20 years ago, I took my first laser course in San Francisco, with American Dental Lasers. In addition to promoting the laser’s potential to deliver non-invasive surgery, early lasers were marketed as an effective

Give them a smile: a happy, friendly, and genuine smile. Go ahead, flash it; its contagious, it’s infectious, it’s the universal expression of happiness.  A simple smile can change someone’s day. Some people are a little nervous about smiling. They don’t think their smile looks good, or they think that too much smiling might look

People who experience recurrent headaches are often diagnosed as having TMJ Dysfunction. TMJ is an umbrella term which refers to acute or chronic inflammation of the Temporomandibular Joint, which connects the mandible (lower jaw) to the skull. The disorder and altered function that often accompanies it can result in significant pain and impairment. These problems

Oral Cancer Oral cancer can develop anywhere in or around the mouth and has been identified as a variety of cancers associated with the head, neck, and associated anatomic structures. Risk Factors for Oral Cancer Often there is no obvious explanation as to why one person gets oral cancer and others do not. However, dental

Researchers may be one step closer to establishing a link between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease (CVD) – the number one cause of death worldwide. These investigators report that older adults who have higher proportions of four periodontal-disease-causing bacteria inhabiting their mouths also tend to have thicker carotid arteries, a strong predictor of stroke and

Bad breath is a condition affecting over 80 million Americans. Temporary malodor, or the more persistent condition known as halitosis, can be caused by certain foods or systemic disease, but more often, it is due to a combination of poor oral hygiene and gum (Periodontal) disease. The warm, dark, moist environment of the mouth, with