Onychophagia, or nail biting, is a relatively common habit. It is estimated that 30% of children, 45% of teenagers, 25% of young adults, and 5% of older adults bite their nails. Like many habits, it is a hard one to break! However, it is definitely a habit that needs to be broken, as there are […]
Flowers are blooming, crops are growing and being harvested, grass is being cut… Which means it’s everyone’s favorite time of year again, allergy season! In addition to the scratchy throats, runny noses, itchy eyes, and other assorted discomforts that plague those with allergies, some of you may be experiencing what appears to be a random […]
The first week of August, the news was inundated with a story about flossing. In case you missed it, the article stated that the medical benefits of flossing had been unproven. As a result, flossing was removed from the government’s latest dietary guidelines. Many different studies were cited, and the results can be boiled down […]
Imagine going to the dentist to have some work done, and no matter how many times they try, they can’t get you numb. Unfortunately that’s a reality for many people. There is an estimated 5 to 15% failure rate of dental injections. And when over four million are given annually, that’s between 200,000 and 600,000 […]
After months (or years) of painful visits to the orthodontist, meticulous dental care, and not being able to eat certain foods, it’s finally time for the braces to come off! An exciting time to be sure, but what if your teeth start to revert to their old position as soon as the braces are gone? […]
Dentistry – the healing art and science of promoting and maintaining oral health. Perhaps dentistry doesn’t sound like the most exciting profession on the books, but it’s a noble and necessary one, indeed, and you probably didn’t know that there are some pretty famous people throughout history who were also dentists. So, next time you […]
More than 3 million people each year have to have cavities treated. They’re very common, and are relatively easy to treat when they’re caught in time. Generally, the decay is removed with a drill, and a filling replaces the missing tooth material. However, cavities can form on any surface of the tooth. So if you […]
It may not happen at the same time for every child, but at some point, their primary teeth are going to fall out and the permanent teeth are going to erupt. In many cases, a child will lose their teeth at the right time, and their adult teeth will come in with no dental interventions. […]
Have you ever had a strange taste in your mouth for no reason? Maybe a metallic or coppery flavor that just comes and goes? If you have, then you’ve experienced something called parageusia. It’s a taste disorder that makes it seem like you’ve been sucking on a penny. It’s fairly common, and has a wide […]
Did you know that it’s possible to have extra teeth? It’s called hyperdontia, and affects a very small number of the population (between 1 and 4%). The extra teeth, or supernumerary teeth, can grow anywhere in the dental arch. The most common supernumerary teeth are either the anterior incisors or the fourth molars. The fourth […]