At this point, we can only hope for no more heat waves like the ones we’ve had to endure this summer. Even “a little cooler by the lake” has been little consolation this year, especially once you factor in humidity. All the more reason to stay hydrated. Ideally, you’ve been doing that with plain water. Your body needs it, and nothing quite beats it. But we know it can be a little boring...
In the 1930s, Cleveland dentist Weston Price traveled the world with a camera and notebook to document the teeth and jaws of indigenous populations. Research was his thing, after all -- so much so that he had served as the first research director for the group that grew into the American Dental Association. Consistently, Price found that those who still followed the foodways of their ancestors...
Last time, we looked at how each tooth in your mouth is a living organ and part of a living system. Each is supported by bone, attached by ligament, supplied by blood vessels, and wired directly into the nervous system. Indeed, every tooth is in constant communication with your brain, sending and receiving signals, moment by moment. It’s not abstract or mysterious. It’s electrical. And it’s not...
One day, a middle aged man showed up at a dental clinic because of a problem that had been quietly developing for years. Earlier in life, he’d injured one of his upper front teeth. Over time, it had darkened. Imaging showed that the pulp inside the tooth had been affected. When clinicians examined the tooth with advanced imaging, though, they discovered something really unusual: A thick dentin...
Ever since the new food pyramid dropped, there have been some really critical conversations happening about food, bolstered by a steady stream of headlines, videos, ad campaigns, opinion pieces, podcasts, and memes flowing through our social feeds. Yet too often, it seems that these conversations aren’t just about food. Though they may start with health and what the human body needs, they can...
Biological dentists spend a lot of time thinking about materials. What goes into the mouth matters. It’s why conversations about biocompatibility are so central to our practice. But materials are only one part of the story. Any oral surgery - wisdom tooth removal, say, or the placement of a ceramic implant - creates a moment of change. Tissues are moved. Bone is exposed. The body enters a...
It’s not the kind of thing you’d expect the state of Wisconsin to brag about in its PR materials, but according to a new paper in the Journal of the American Dental Association, we have the lowest rate of severe gum disease in the country. Yay, us! But before we toss too much confetti, let’s put this in perspective. While only a sliver of Wisconsin’s population struggles with severe...
During World War II, food rationing was a super strict and not-fun thing that Britain had to live with. It was super necessary, though. Most of their food was imported - often through shipping routes vulnerable to attack. Rationing helped ensure fair distribution of scarce resources, such as meat, dairy, eggs, and sugar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaDJR56nZA0 Sugar rationing was especially...
If you’ve been following the ongoing fluoride debate, you’ve probably heard some pretty dire predictions about what might happen to our collective dental health if fluoride is removed from drinking water. Cavities will skyrocket, they tell us; our teeth will be destroyed! Such well-intentioned worriers completely overlook the fact that fluoride has never been the determining factor in whether a...
You eat beautifully. You take supplements. Your home care is excellent. You live the healthiest life you can. You might wonder: Do you really need to come see us for regular checkups and cleanings? Certainly, when you’re doing so much right, these return visits might seem a little redundant. But even with conscientious self-care, there are some things that only we can do for you, such as remove...
