We’ve all heard that sugar rots your teeth. But believe it or don’t, there may be something even worse: sugar and starch together. At least, that’s the case with root decay, according to a study just published in Caries Research. For it, researchers created typical dental biofilms – plaque – on slabs of root dentin. […]
caries
Breastfeeding Causes Cavities? Actually, It May Protect Against Decay
There are plenty of reasons why breastfeeding matters, starting with the basic fact that it’s naturally our first food. Just as we weren’t designed to eat the hyper-processed junk that gets passed off as food in your local grocery store, we weren’t designed to thrive on manufactured formula and pap through our first years of […]
A Whole Lot of Infection Going On…
In our office, sterilization is a very big deal – so big, we devote a whole page of this site to how we protect against harmful bacteria, viruses, and other microbes in our day-to-day work. It’s a basic part of supporting your overall health and well-being. The importance of this was underscored last week by […]
From the Archives: Curing or Preventing Tooth Decay: Which Makes More Sense?
Originally posted April 23, 2015 One of Dr. Glaros’ colleagues recently told us about a man who had contacted his office about getting his mercury amalgam fillings removed. He said he didn’t want them replaced, though. When asked why, he said that he was going to “remineralize” his teeth instead. He’d read all about it […]
“Very Little Contemporary Evidence” Supporting Water Fluoridation, Says New Review of the Science
Just because you say something is so doesn’t make it true. It doesn’t make mercury dental amalgam safe. It doesn’t make root canal teeth sterile and inert. And it certainly doesn’t make fluoridation an effective practice for preventing caries. The sore lack of evidence supporting fluoridation was brought into the foreground again with last week’s […]
The Amino Acid that Protects Your Teeth
Meet dental biofilm: It’s the sticky goo that bacteria and other microbes form as they colonize on the enamel of your teeth. They learn how to work together and protect each other for the sake of helping the group go on. When you brush and floss, you destroy these colonies. But tenacious little critters that […]
Curing or Preventing Tooth Decay: Which Makes More Sense?
One of Dr. Glaros’ colleagues recently told us about a man who had contacted his office about getting his mercury amalgam fillings removed. He said he didn’t want them replaced, though. When asked why, he said that he was going to “remineralize” his teeth instead. He’d read all about it online. Whether this prospective patient […]
Xylitol Chewing Gum: Potentially Good, Not Magic
You hear it all the time: If you can’t brush your teeth, chew some sugarless gum. And these days, the advice often mentions xylitol-sweetened gum in particular. Because this sugar alcohol is believed to combat tooth decay, there are those who tout it as a kind of dental wonder, almost magic in its ability to […]