Falling Asleep Question: How bad is falling asleep without brushing your teeth? Answer: Many people are surprised to learn that going to bed without brushing is effectively like sleeping with filth in your mouth. Here’s why: every time you eat, the bacteria that normally live in your mouth feed on food particles. Like all living … Read more

A new study from the University at Buffalo reports that the bacterium Veillonella parvula supports the development of gum disease by promoting multiplication of the pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis. Published in The ISME Journal, the study set out to clarify how P. gingivalis establishes colonies in the mouth. Researchers asked how this pathogen could expand when … Read more

Q I recently had my upper dentures replaced by a beautiful Valplast partial, however, my entire upper mouth is very sore. It feels as if the partial is squeezing my mouth in a vise. How come? My dentist smoothed one spot but the soreness is overall and even with my old partial inserted the soreness … Read more

Cracked teeth are the third most common reason for tooth loss.1 But a visible crack in a tooth doesn’t always mean the same thing. Some superficial lines are merely cosmetic, while deeper fractures can threaten the health of the tooth. What looks like a cracked tooth may be a craze line or a more serious … Read more

As a dentist, I get asked about sugar all the time. Interestingly, sugar itself is not the direct cause of cavities — acid is. When oral bacteria consume fermentable carbohydrates, they produce acid as a waste product. That acid demineralizes tooth enamel and leads to decay. Surprisingly, foods like crackers and white bread, which break … Read more

If you read Ask the Dentist regularly, you know we often discuss the mouth-body connection. Recent research continues to show how oral health affects the rest of the body—impacting heart health, brain function, sleep quality, and overall well-being. You might not include dental care when setting goals to eat healthier, sleep better, or lose weight, … Read more

Hearing that you need dental surgery can feel overwhelming at first. With many procedures and treatments in oral and maxillofacial surgery, it’s normal to have questions. You may be wondering about average costs, available options, how to prepare, and ways to speed recovery. This article explains 12 common types of dental surgery, why each may … Read more

I was bike riding this morning and found myself thinking about New Year’s resolutions. Actually, that’s not quite accurate—I was thinking about how I don’t make them. Never have. I began to wonder why the word “resolution” bothers me so much. Then it hit me: resolute. Do you know what that word really means? Unwavering. … Read more

Q My two-year-old has a slight underbite that seems to result from her lower jaw coming farther forward than her upper jaw (rather than due to lower teeth protruding outwards). Is this something that might self-correct over time? What is the earliest age when we’ll know it’s time to seek treatment if the underbite hasn’t … Read more

Both of my parents died from dementia-related illnesses. Watching them lose memory, personality, and independence was devastating, and it also spurred me to learn everything I could about preventing cognitive decline. Dementia isn’t simply an unavoidable consequence of aging. Often it reflects decades of small insults: chronic inflammation, declining mitochondrial function, poor sleep, oral disease, … Read more