The fact that little or no evidence supports some oral health practices doesn?t mean that they should be abandoned. It might be that the benefits are simply unproven but the practices could still protect against potential harm.

Key takeaways:

• Evidence supporting daily flossing has been scanty even though flossing is still important for overall oral health.
• There?s scanty information supporting routine dental x-rays that are performed annually.
• Preventive dental visits are linked to better oral health and fewer restorative dental care visits in the future.
• It is absolutely important for people to brush their teeth with fluoride toothpaste to prevent plaque formation, cavities and gingivitis.

Read the full story here

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/30/upshot/surprisingly-little-evidence-for-the-usual-wisdom-about-teeth.html

You can predict future health outcomes and reduce the risk of these outcomes by analyzing information stored in baby teeth.

Key takeaways:

• Baby teeth have been described as biological hard drives.
• The teeth form rings of growth on a daily basis; each ring encodes information about exposures occurring that day.
• Baby teeth can reveal all the things that an individual has been exposed to such as stress hormones and environmental toxins such as lead and pesticides.

Read the full story here

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/what-toxins-have-you-been-exposed-to-your-baby-teeth-may-hold-the-answer/2016/07/11/9cf1d740-1d18-11e6-b6e0-c53b7ef63b45_story.html

X-ray radiation should be minimized and where possible avoided, says an article in the New York Times. Children should only have dental x-rays for suspected problems that cannot be diagnosed through any other way, according to the American Dental Association.

Key takeaways:

• Dentists should perform dental x-rays every 6-12 months for high-risk preschoolers who have had cavities in their baby teeth.
• Dental x-rays should be considered only every 12-24 months for younger children who have never had a tooth cavity.
• Dentists can recommend cone beam CT scans to get 3-D x-ray images of the teeth and their roots as well as the jaw and the skull.

Read the full story here

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/08/19/do-kids-need-dental-x-rays/

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You can improve your teeth brushing technique through the simple action of taking selfies and video recording on your smart phone. Indeed, you can get extra drive and motivation to get the technique right.

Key takeaways:

• Changing tooth brushing techniques and behaviors often takes guidance.
• An increment of 8 percent was noted in tooth-brushing skill characterized by improved accuracy of brush strokes.
• Effective brushing technique will help prevent problems such as tooth decay and periodontal disease.

Read the full story here

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/312283.php

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Approximately one in every five children dreads the visit to the dentist. Research findings reveal that watching cartoons during dental treatments can help lower anxiety levels and other disruptive behaviors.

Key takeaways:

• Children provided with audiovisual distraction during dental treatment exhibit cooperative behavior and have reduced anxiety levels.
• The best and most effective dental treatment is only possible for calm and cooperative children.
• Even though the children did not report any differences, indirect measures of anxiety such pulse rate and blood pressure readings indicated lower anxiety levels.
• Further research is required to fully understand the usefulness of the audiovisual distraction tools in reducing disruptive behavior and lessening anxiety.

Read the full story here

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/312199.php

Fruit juices are presenting a number of health problems owing to the high amounts of sugar. The lack of fiber is identified as the biggest problem. Juicing will remove the insoluble fiber and will release the sugars in the fruit.

The insoluble fiber in fruits helps to slow down the absorption of fructose, the most common sugar in fruits. Health experts say that fruit juices are worse than fizzy drinks and can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Blending rather than juicing is recommended since it preserves both the skin and pulp of the fruit. Fats from nuts such as walnuts can be added to slow down the absorption of sugar.

Read the full story here

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/should-i-still-drink-fruit-juice

The commencement of a new school year is associated with mad morning dashes. Dental health should not be neglected in the midst of the morning rush. To keep the teeth healthy, children should brush their teeth before breakfast to make sure they do not forget. Brushing should be given preference over other activities such as fixing hair.

Read more here

http://news.health.com/2015/08/23/back-to-school-tips-for-healthy-teeth/

Flossing has never been talked about like this before. It all began with the release of an Associated Press article that indicated there was a lack of sufficient evidence to support that flossing work to improve oral health.

People are now talking about flossing and the debate around it is quite healthy. But wait a minute, flossing should not be stopped. No dentist or oral health professionals will ever tell people to quit flossing.

In fact, no study has recommended that stopping flossing will result in improving health. Flossing has benefits that far outweigh the risk of not flossing. Flossing can help prevent the deposition of plaque in the spaces between the teeth.

Read the full story here

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-swiatowicz/im-a-dentist-we-have-to-talk-about-flossing_b_11353762.html

Feeling stressed can affect the mouth since people tend to hold tension in the jaw and the neck. Recurring and continued anxiety may cause teeth grinding when people sleep. 10 to 20 percent of adults often deal with teeth grinding at one point in their lives.

Some of the signs to look out for are waking up with a dull headache, tension in the jaw, and worn out teeth. Teeth grinding also referred to as bruxism can also be caused by certain medications.

Work towards reducing stress to prevent tooth grinding as well as cutting back on the consumption of caffeine and alcohol.

Read the full story here

http://www.menshealth.com/health/teeth-grinding

In the 1930s, nutritionist Dr. Weston Price carried out extensive research and found that dental health had a strong correlation to physical health. A mouth full of diseases was linked to chronic and degenerative diseases in the body.

In his global studies of people in remote locations and native communities, Dr. Price discovered that these people had less than 1 percent prevalence of tooth decay. Other findings besides the examination of the oral cavity were the distinctive nutritional habits and culture.

The native communities consumed high amounts of animal products such dairy, fish and meats, high amounts of fermented foods, and a variety of grains, legumes, tubers, vegetables, and fruits when available - and absolutely no processed food. It's only in recent decades that sugar-laden processed foods have come into the food supply, to the detriment of the nation's teeth.

Read the full story here

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2001/01/21/weston-price.aspx