Weird Dental History Highlight: “Tooth Worms”

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN getting cavities as long as there have been people, and people before modern dentistry had some strange theories about what was causing them. A popular one believed around the world for thousands of years was the idea of “tooth worms.”...

Your Prescriptions and Your Oral Health

MOST MEDICATIONS come with a list of possible side effects, including side effects that impact oral health. These side effects are common even when the medications have nothing to do with your teeth or gums, so it’s helpful to know what you can do to balance...

When Is Thumbsucking a Problem?

A PACIFIER OR THUMB/finger-sucking habit that lasts beyond the toddler years can have a negative impact on a child’s teeth and jaws. A Healthy Self-Soothing Habit In infancy and toddlerhood, these are perfectly healthy self-soothing habits. They help the child...

How We Breathe Can Affect Our Teeth

YOU MAY HAVE heard the insult “mouth-breather” in recent years thanks to the popularity of the show Stranger Things. There are actually many good health reasons to avoid breathing through your mouth if nose breathing is possible. We should consider mouth...

Can We Smile Our Way to Better Health?

IT’S NOT ACTUALLY true that it takes more muscles to frown than to smile; smiling takes at least ten muscles while frowning requires as few as six. We think the saying should be changed to “smile to burn more calories!” And that isn’t the only...