Teething pain can be excruciating for babies and care givers. Parents will try anything to get everyone back to sleep and many common over the counter remedies have Benzocaine as the active ingredient (Anbesol. Hurricane, Orajel, Baby Orajel, Orabase). The FDA has issued a warning that Benzocaine can trigger a rare but potentially life threatening blood condition, which is most... read more »

It is common that I recommend acetaminophen (Tylenol) for pain relief, especially when a patient has sensitivity to aspirin and ibuprofen. Actually, acetaminophen is my first choice when I am in pain. For some people with coronary artery disease, taking 3 grams of Tylenol daily for 2 weeks can result in elevated blood pressure. This was reported in the February... read more »

Periodically patients report the skin in their mouths peeling off in thin layers. Most people become aware of this because their tongue picks up a stringy substance when the tongue is rubbed around the inside of the mouth. Less commonly the layers peeling off may be deeper and involve nerves (pain) and capillaries (bleeding). Most of the time this occurrence... read more »

This week I had great news from a wonderful patient. For years she has struggled with seemingly endless cavities and dental treatment to keep her teeth. Over the years we discussed how her chronic acid reflux was contributing to her cavities, by bathing her teeth in stomach acid. She reported that this year she has given up soda and fried,... read more »

Last week in the “Peoples Pharmacy” it was reported many people who suffer with mouth ulcers (apthous ulcers) benefit from eating ripe kiwi fruit. Eating kiwi fruit every week may help prevent chronic oral ulcers.

Below is from a MSN.com headline: Health report says sugar needs its own scary warning labels 1 hr ago Capping off a week of mind-bending health news, a "60 Minutes" report airing on April 1 sets its sights on the toxicity of sugar. On the heels of stories on how chocolate keeps us slim and mummy poop may solve the... read more »

The Daily Press printed a great op-ed article today. I have attached the article here:  http://www.dailypress.com/news/opinion/dp-nws-oped-cuker-0318-20120317,0,2366120.story

It appears as if good bacteria are more susceptible to tobacco smoke than the infection causing bad bacteria, which explains why smokers have more oral infections and diseases than non-smokers. This is the finding of researchers at Ohio State University, recently published in Infection and Immunity. Today is always a good day to quit smoking!

Breathing second hand smoke for a few hours each day can double a person’s risk of suffering from severe gum disease. Evidence reported in the American Journal of Public Health (Dec. 2011), suggests that the more time spent breathing second hand smoke the greater the risk of periodontal disease. For many years we have known that smokers are significantly more... read more »

There is an interesting connection between diabetes and dental decay. In response to brain signals, your body releases insulin, which is critical to many body functions and overall health. We know that a diet high in refined carbohydrates (let’s just say junk food) can disrupt your insulin metabolism (causing diabetes). As recently reported in the journal General Dentistry (Sept/Oct 2011),... read more »