Archive for October, 2011
Halloween Candy and Your Teeth
I had a fun time trick or treating tonight with my son and daughter. The first thing my daughter wanted to eat when she got back was a bag of pretzels she was given. She eventually moved on to the candy. When I went to brush her teeth before she went to bed, I got [...]
The Tooth Drawer – The Dentist of Years Gone By
Imagine living in a remote village 300 years ago. After suffering with a toothache for weeks, you see an advertisement about a traveling dentist who will be performing in the village square next weekend. You feel relieved, but somewhat nervous. Who were these dentists that traveled around the countryside putting on loud, raucous shows whereever [...]
Teething Baby Pictures
One of the most frequently read articles on Oral Answers over the past year is an article that I wrote back in January called What A Baby’s Gums Look Like While Teething. That article only showed pictures of the two lower teeth coming in. I figured that it would also be helpful to show what [...]
Don’t Wait Until Your Tooth Hurts to Go to the Dentist
This morning I saw a patient who had been in extreme pain for the last couple of weeks. What started as a small cavity grew into a large cavity that eventually made its way to the tooth’s pulp. We were able to take her out of pain by starting a root canal today. If we [...]
Dental Patient Rights
I got an email yesterday from a reader named Harris, who stated, “I paid $5000 to replace a broken crown. The dentist did not tell me what the cost would be until he had already started the procedure.” Harris wanted to know what kind of rights he had as a dental patient when you’re not [...]
Dental Antibiotic Premedication: 10 Common Questions
Many dental procedures cause bleeding in the mouth, which can allow the bacteria in the mouth to enter into the person’s bloodstream. Certain people are more susceptible to bacterial infections in their bloodstream than others. In order to prevent bacteria from living in your bloodstream and infecting certain high risk areas of your body, it [...]
Is Your Teeth Whitening System Making Your Teeth Whiter?
Commercial teeth whitening products have grown exponentially over the last 20 years. The market has grown so much that even toothpastes want a piece of the action. If you’d walked down the toothpaste aisle at Wal-Mart 20 years ago, you’d have noticed that “Tartar Control” were the two big buzzwords. Nowadays, “Whitening” seems to be [...]
False Teething Symptoms: 10 Symptoms Teething Doesn’t Cause
In a paper presented over 100 years ago (1896) at a meeting of the American medical Association, Dr. S.W. Foster said the following about teething: “The [teething] child becomes wakeful, restless, and fretful, refuses nourishment; the alimentary canal becomes more active, diarrhea follows, and if relief is not given, relaxation of the vital forces follows, [...]
Comments and Oral Answers Top 10 Lists
First and foremost, I would like to thank all of those who have left comments on this blog. I read each and every comment and am so grateful for your input and support. I have learned from your experiences and opinions. Also, your comments often help me develop ideas for new posts or explanations. So [...]
Why Dentists Take Dental X-Rays
Many people wonder why it’s so important for their dentist to take x-rays of their teeth. To understand why, let’s take a quick look at what x-rays do. You can think of x-rays as invisible light that passes through your mouth and is projected onto a sensor. As the x-rays pass through your mouth, they [...]
Wear A Mouth Guard for These 16 Sports
It’s often said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Sports mouth guards can not only protect your teeth, but they can protect against many injuries that can occur in and around your mouth. Not convinced? Six reasons why you should wear an athletic mouth guard. Although some sports are riskier [...]
Should You Rinse After Brushing Your Teeth?
Are you supposed to rinse after brushing your teeth? That’s a common question that people have about brushing. At the Maine Dental Association meeting last year, a presenter was talking about the benefits of fluoride and asked his dental audience the following question: “Does anybody here actually rinse out with water after brushing so that [...]
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 
Entries(RSS)