Diamons

tooth decay

Photography by Dr. Padval

The Plus Sides of Fluoride

As a direct result of fluoridation, dental health in our part of the world turned around dramatically. The improvement is evident in our children, fluoride in our water reduces tooth decay in children by 50 percent. Why then, are some put off by the idea of fluoride? It's true that excessive levels of fluoride can actually damage tooth enamel—too much of any good thing is too much. But continuing research, down to the molecular level, proves the bottom line: fluoride is good for us. [...]

By |2018-10-23T00:00:35-07:00October 23, 2018|Preventative Dentistry|

Fluoride, the Story

Sifting Fact From Belief Dental researchers call it The Fluoride Story—the most dramatic turn-around of a population’s dental health in history. So far. The Fluoride Story began as one of many smaller, ongoing stories. And we have research to thank. In university laboratories in the US and Canada, in dental products labs, in national science centers—the research goes on. It seems far from an everyday visit to the dentist. There is an air of mystery to the research process itself. What motivates the people [...]

By |2017-12-05T00:00:34-08:00December 5, 2017|Preventative Dentistry|

Eating Too Much Sugar…

The diet of today is the result of a 50-year increase in consumption of the rapidly absorbed sugars—specifically, soft drinks, commercial juices, candy, and easily digested sugar foods such as cakes, cookies, etc. This change has generally gone unnoticed by consumers, until very recently it has been unquestionably assumed that this is "the way this age is." However, now it has become increasingly apparent that we suffer from more and more glucose (sugar) metabolism diseases and dental caries because of poor diet. These high-energy [...]

By |2017-10-17T00:00:21-07:00October 17, 2017|Patient Education|

Don’t Share Your Toothbrush!

One of the tenets of good dental health is obvious—Brush your teeth after every meal. This can help keep your mouth healthy throughout a long life. Another rule should be just as carefully observed: Do NOT use someone else's toothbrush. Sharing toothbrushes can shorten your life. Be safe, not sorry. But what about emergencies, when you have no other option than to borrow someone's toothbrush—just once? That's when this rule is most important. It's far better to risk tooth decay by not brushing than to [...]

By |2017-09-05T00:00:18-07:00September 5, 2017|Patient Education|

To Prevent Cavities…

Don't filter out fluoride! In the years since fluoride first was added to city water supplies, dentists have seen tooth decay in kids cut in half. Fluoride really works! If you've got youngsters at home, make sure they get all the decay-fighting fluoride they need. There's nothing wrong with home water filtration systems or bottled drinking water. But it's possible the fluoride has been filtered out– or kids are receiving none at all. A safe, effective fluoride level is 0.7 mg per liter. If [...]

By |2017-05-09T00:00:42-07:00May 9, 2017|Preventative Dentistry|