Do you really need to floss?

Do you really need to floss?

Many news outlets this past week have produced reports questioning the need to floss. A report from The Associated Press (AP) claims to have looked at 25 studies on the subject and considers the data supporting flossing to be “weak.”1 Flossing was also left off the 2015-2020 U.S. Dietary Guidelines (a report published every 5 years…

The link between the oral cavity and stroke

The Link Between the Oral Cavity and Stroke

Earlier this year I was honored to have the opportunity to speak to medical professionals at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) during their annual Stroke Symposium to discuss the link between the oral cavity and stroke. The correlation between oral health and systemic (full body) health is an area of ongoing research, with new correlations being…

AdVance Dental Benefits Plan

Advance Dental Benefits Plan

We have recently updated our in-office benefits policy, making it more affordable and much simpler, with a lower annual fee and an across the board 25% discount on all dental services. The AdVance Dental Benefits Plan is a wonderful option for people without dental insurance or who are unhappy with their current plan. See the...
Arginine can help prevent tooth decay

Arginine can help prevent tooth decay

My childhood dentist (who was also my employer while I was applying to dental school) always said, "Diplomacy is better than dentistry". And while I never stopped to ask him exactly what that meant, I believe it meant that the most conservative treatment is the best treatment. Contrary to the media's common portrayal of dentists...
Is Vaping Safe?

Is Vaping Safe?

I have never been a cigarette smoker, but they have impacted my life significantly. My maternal grandfather died from emphysema when I was an infant after roughly 40 years of smoking unfiltered Camels. My father smoked and tried to quit for many years unsuccessfully, and died from a heart attack at the age of 57....
Becoming a published author

Becoming a Published Author

A few months ago I hit a very cool personal milestone. A research project that I completed in dental school was published in a dental scientific journal. So what does it mean to have research published? It means that you conducted a research project or study that has something unique about it, and it is added to…

youtube video explaining dental bridges

Dental bridges explained in a Youtube Video

What is a bridge? When is it used? Watch this Youtube video explaining dental bridges. More info on the subject available at the bridges service page of our website. Bridges commonly involve the process of making a provisional or temporary bridge. Read about that process here. Check out our Youtube Channel for educational videos about dentistry, our practice, and...
Dental bridge before/interim/after

Why do dentists use temporaries?

Why do dentists us temporaries? In previous posts I have talked a bit about crowns – what they are, why they are needed, and what is involved in making them. In this post I will explain temporaries. Some readers may have had this experience – a dentist tells you that you need a crown, and…

Oral Sedation Graphic

Sedation Dentistry

According to a survey from the 1987 Dental Health Advisor rating people’s biggest fears, going to the dentist was #2 on the list (second only to public speaking). Sedation dentistry to the rescue! This common fear of the dentist office is often expressed in film and television as stylized, exaggerated visions of torture, showing dentists…

Crown diagram example

How are crowns made?

People may wonder why crowns cost so much more money than fillings. This is mainly because of the amount of time and expense that goes into making them, which I will try to illustrate with a few pictures. As I touched on the in the previous post, a crown is a restoration that goes completely...
Root canal and crown graphic

What is a Root Canal, Buildup, and Crown?

What is a root canal, buildup, and crown? This was a case I treated at my Birmingham, Alabama office that (I hope) illustrates a very common situation (a tooth needing a root canal, buildup, and crown) and an explanation of why all those things are sometimes needed to save a tooth. This tooth had a...