A bacterium commonly found in gum disease might add a new charge to its rap sheet. Already implicated in a wide range of systemic diseases, Fusobacterium nucleatum, has now been shown to hamper the body’s response to tumor cells.
Read Dental StoryAlthough we understand a lot about gum disease, there are still a number of mysteries that we have had difficulty unraveling. For example, why do some people with relatively poor oral hygiene remain at the gingivitis stage of gum disease without having it ever evolve into periodontitis, while other people seem to suddenly vault into periodontitis without much time for us to prevent it?
Read Dental StoryThere are two parts to the infection that threatens your teeth. First, there’s the invasion of bacteria into your mouth, which injures your teeth, causing cavities, and your gums, resulting in gum disease, detachment of your gums from your teeth, and more. The second part of the infection is when your body responds, creating an immune response that can be as destructive to your teeth or even more so than the bacteria themselves.
Read Dental StoryNobody likes stained teeth. Our teeth are supposed to be white–that’s their healthy color and their youthful color. Stained teeth can make your smile look old or unhealthy. But we have a problem: we enjoy many things that can cause stainings of our teeth, such as coffee or tea. Most of us can’t get our day started without a cup of one of these caffeine-containing beverages. Giving them up to prevent tooth staining seems like a huge sacrifice. The good news is that you don’t have to. Adding milk to your coffee or tea will reduce their tendency to stain your teeth.
Read Dental StoryCurrently, all tobacco products are required to carry warning labels that describe the serious health risks related to their use. This includes both cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. Recently, Swedish Match attempted to use the Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) process to get these labels changed for eight different varieties of its smokeless tobacco, pre-portioned into small packets known as “snus.”
Read Dental StoryAccording to a new study, healthcare professionals aren’t doing enough to stop people from smoking, and dentists are the worst. Dentists Missed Opportunities to Help According to the study, released by the Ohio State University College of Public Health in Columbus, doctors, dentists, and others aren’t talking enough to their patients about the risks of smoking and the need to quit, as well as how patients can quit.
Read Dental StoryA few weeks ago we learned that a medieval remedy for eye infections killed one of the scariest modern microbes: methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus also called MRSA or just the “superbug” because of its resistance to one of the world’s strongest antibiotics.
Read Dental StoryOne of the things that make America different from the rest of the world is how much we smile. It’s not entirely because we’re such a happy country (actually, we’re just the 14th happiest country). Instead, it’s a combination of factors that contributed to making Americans more likely to smile than others. Historical Notions We’ve looked before at the origins of the American smile and talked about three particular reasons why Americans might have suddenly become interested in smiling around the turn of the 20th century.
Read Dental StoryYour at-home oral hygiene care is an essential part of preventive dentistry (perhaps the most important part), but a new study of international dental organizations shows that even dentists don’t know what is the best way to brush your teeth, leading to a call for more study on this important aspect of oral health.
Read Dental StoryDuring our work for the TV show Smile, we helped our patient Melissa to face and overcome not just the physical state of her teeth, but also the emotional hardship that came along with her poor oral health. Unfortunately, Melissa isn’t alone. Many people experience a lot of emotional pain alongside teeth that are unhealthy, damaged, or unattractive.
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