Archive for November, 2010
Tooth Decay: A Serious Disease
Deamonte Driver was a typical twelve year old boy growing up in Maryland. In January 2007, he complained that he had a headache to his mother, Alyce. Then he said his tooth hurt. Alyce, his concerned mother took him to the emergency room at the local hospital where the doctors found that bacteria from decayed [...]
Can You Get a Cavity Under a Dental Crown?
A reader recently asked me if it was possible to get a cavity on a tooth once it has been crowned. Although it seems logical that a crown covering the tooth would prevent this, that is not the case. A tooth with a crown can get a cavity! Can You Get a Cavity on a [...]
The Risks of Tongue Piercing: 10 Ways It Hurts Your Mouth & Teeth
Oral piercing is a practice that seems to be gaining popularity in the United States. The most common places to get a piercing in your mouth are the lips, tongue, cheek, and the uvula (the “hangy-ball” thing in the back of your throat.) People want to get their tongue pierced for a variety of reasons. [...]
Water Fluoridation History – How Fluoridation Started
Water fluoridation is a public health measure designed to reduce the amount of dental decay in populations. In fact, the CDC has praised water fluoridation as one of the ten great public health achievements of the 20th century. How water got to be fluoridated in a majority of the United States is an interesting story. [...]
Eat Dessert First for Healthier Teeth
Remember how your parents always made you eat your vegetables first before you could eat your dessert? That may not have been the best thing for your teeth. Here’s a story to illustrate this point: Let’s say you go out to the Olive Garden for some great Italian food. After dinner, you order some Black [...]
Review: Listerine Agent Cool Blue Doesn’t Show Plaque
A lot of people think that a popular dental health product, Listerine Agent Cool Blue, will show you where the plaque is on your teeth as plaque disclosing tablets do. I was under the same impression myself. I got a bottle so that my son could try it. Unfortunately, I realized after testing it that Agent [...]
Dental Crown Procedure: What is a Dental Crown / Cap?
Have you ever been unable to fall asleep at night, staring at the ceiling and wondering what a dental crown was? Maybe you’ve wondered what the difference between a crown and a cap was. If so, this one’s for you! Some teeth develop an unstable structure as a result of cavities or trauma (such as cracking [...]
How to Drink Soda Pop and Keep Your Teeth Happy
Some dentists might say that in an ideal world, nobody would drink soda pop. In my view, in an ideal world, everyone would drink soda pop — it just wouldn’t hurt your teeth! Of course, we don’t live in that ideal world and it’s important to know that soda pop does pose a serious threat to [...]
Meth Mouth: The Effects of Methamphetamine On Your Teeth
Methamphetamine, like many other illicit drugs can harm your teeth fairly rapidly. Back in September, I wrote an article entitled Seven Ways Crystal Methamphetamine Ruins Your Teeth. That article gave seven main ways that crystal meth damages your teeth. This article, on the other hand, will show you in pictures exactly what methamphetamine can do [...]
What are Tartar and Calculus?
Earlier this week, one of my friends told me a joke that made me groan. She asked, “What is a dentist’s favorite subject in high school?” I told her I didn’t know, and then she blurted out “Calculus!” Sorry. So what exactly is calculus? Calculus, commonly known as tartar (as in tartar-control toothpaste) is plaque [...]
10 Easy Ways to Chip or Crack Your Teeth
Many people end up cracking or chipping their teeth at some point in their lives. A majority of cracked and chipped teeth injuries are preventable. To illustrate that point, I’ve come up with 10 easy ways that you can crack and chip your teeth. A lot of the ways don’t even involve doing anything. Here’s [...]
The Four Ways Your Teeth Get Worn Down
When teeth first come into the mouth, they are in pristine condition and come complete with mamelons, remnants of the tooth’s development. Over time, our teeth get worn down. Some people wear their teeth down more than others. There are four main ways that we wear down our teeth: Abrasion, Attrition, Erosion, and Abfraction. If [...]
Can Kids Eat Halloween Candy & Have Healthy Teeth?
If you’re like most parents, you probably took your kids out trick-or-treating this past weekend. Halloween candy can harm your kids’ teeth, but there are certain ways to minimize the harm. About 15 years ago, dressed as a gangster, I walked up to a dimly lit house and opened my pillow case and said “Trick [...]
Hi, I'm Tom. I'm currently a 4th year dental student in the USA. I started this blog to help people take better care of their teeth. You can 
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