Dr. Dave’s Blog

I was recently asked about the manual toothbrushes that we purchase and give to our patients as a courtesy. As some of you know we switched a few years back to one that is made by Colgate as we found the ends of the bristles to have slight, thin, miniature extensions...

No, it is not a nickname for some famous athlete. It is a medical acronym that stands for Bisphosphonate-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw. It is a situation that can develop after oral surgery in some patients that have been treated with a class of drugs called...

Various studies though the years have shown that marijuana use could affect hormone levels in varying degrees in both males and females. The most significant of which being that it causes a decrease in male fertility. Studies of smoking marijuana have also...

I have been asked recently by a few patients whether an electric (powered) toothbrush or manual toothbrush is better. Both can be equally effective if used properly and I will explain some advantages and disadvantages of each. Electric or powered toothbrushes are...

Night Guards are removable appliances that people can wear if they have a habit of grinding or clenching their teeth during sleep. Grinding or clenching of one’s teeth during sleep is called nocturnal bruxism, thus the official term we use for these appliances is a...

I have been asked many times about charcoal toothpaste so I have decided to give my take on this.  Charcoal is a substance that has adsorption qualities in that it pulls substances into it.  This is the reason it is used by emergency rooms to treat poisoning or drug...

Oil pulling is an ancient Indian (not the American Indian) practice that utilizes natural remedies over proven scientific ones.  It involves the use of various types of oils such as sesame, coconut, and sunflower by having individuals gargle and swish in their mouth...

Years ago, in the early 1990s a company called Den-Mat came out with a toothpaste called Rembrandt that was specifically used for whitening or bleaching teeth. One of the things that we saw was a decrease in the number of canker sore attacks in patients that were...

Why is my tooth sometimes sensitive after a filling is placed or work is done on it?  This is a normal response that can occur after any type of treatment is performed on a tooth. We call it a hyperemic response. It is basically when the inside of the live tooth,...

A Phoenix reaction occurs in dentistry when we have a long-term infection in the bone at the end of the root that our body has been keeping under control with minimal symptoms, if any, that suddenly bursts into a rapid pain/swelling situation. How does this happen?...