Since I’m sure you don’t like your time being wasted either, I’ve decided to add a new weekly feature to Dental Heroes.

Each week I’m going to feature a list of the top 10 dental-related blog posts or articles I’ve read for that week.

Here’s the top 10 for this week:

1) At Home Tooth Whiteners Differ in Effectiveness (Consumer Reports)

2) As rating sites grow, doctors voice concerns (azcentral.com)

3) New treatment for receding gums (medicalnewstoday.com)

4) Nanotechnology may increase longevity of fillings (sciencedaily.com)

5) Russian dentist has unusual artistic talent (dentalblogs.com)

6) Orange juice worse for teeth than whitening agents (sciencedaily.com)

7) What should dental health care look like in a reformed health system? (rollcall.com)

8 ) Cities with the cleanest and dirtiest teeth (aolhealth.com)

9) Change your breath from bad to good (webmd.com)

10) Dental students play video games to learn implant procedures (dentalblogs.com)

…and there you have it. There’s my top ten blog post/article list for the week. Look for a brand new list next week!

Am I Missing Anything?

Have you read a particularly interesting dental-related blog post or website article lately? Please share.

In fact, the reason I chose that title is because I found it rather fitting for a piece written by Reader’s Digest in the July issue. In that article, Reader’s Digest collected candid thoughts from 22 dentists around the country regarding what they truly think about when they examine your teeth. Some of their comments were really pretty surprising.

Here’s a few that I found especially interesting:

If your breath is bad, we won’t tell you unless you ask.
– Gary Herskovits, DDS, family dentist, Brooklyn, New York

Kids with dental problems often struggle in school. They’re distracted and easily agitated. Teachers will say they have behavior problems, but they really have toothaches.
– Winifred J. Booker, DDS

If you want to reduce the bad bacteria in your mouth, you should be all over xylitol [a sugar substitute found in chewing gum]. It changes the chemistry of your mouth. Six or seven pieces of xylitol gum every day will help keep cavities away.
– Chris Kammer, DDS

For a lot more of these dentist “confessions” you can find the original article entitled, “50 Dentist Secrets: DDMs Share Hygiene Advice on Teeth, Gums, & More,” on the Readers Digest website.

However, a lack of dental insurance doesn’t mean you have to go without much needed dental care. In fact, dentists across the country have recognized this need and have organized free clinics to help the uninsured cope with high dental care costs. Below, I’ve compiled some tips for locating free or low cost dental care in your area.

Tips for locating free or low cost dental care

• Clinical Trials – The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research(NIDCR) periodically performs clinical trials targeting specific dental, oral, and craniofacial conditions. Researchers may provide study participants with limited free or low-cost dental treatment for the particular condition they are studying. For a complete listing of NIDCR clinical trials, please visit the clinicaltrials.gov website.




• United Way – The United Way may be able to connect you to low cost or free dental care resources in your community. Call your local chapter for more information.




• Dental Schools – While dental students are still learning their craft, you can take advantage of their low rates. Don’t worry, a skilled instructor will be watching their every move so you’ll be in good hands. For a listing of dental schools around the US, visit the ADA.org website.




• State Dental Associations – Contact your state dental association for recommended free or low cost dental care resources. To contact your state dental association visit the ADA.org website.




• U.S Department of Health & Human Services(HRSA) – The HRSA can help you locate a local federally-funded health center that offers reduced-fee dental care. At these centers you pay what you can afford. To locate a local health center enter your details into the HRSA search engine.




• Medicaid Services – Most states provide limited emergency dental services for people age 21 or over, while some offer comprehensive services. For most individuals under the age of 21, dental services are provided under Medicaid(nidcr.nih.gov). Visit the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid website for more information.

Additional Resources to check out

A number of helpful websites maintain listings of available low cost and free dental care clinics around the US. I’ve listed some below for your reference.

• Dentistry from the Heart
• Free Medical Camps
• Free or Low Cost Dentistry Resource Guide

Final Thoughts

If you are in need of free or low cost dental care services I hope you find these resources valuable. If you know of someone with such a need please pass along this post. If you are aware of additional resources that I haven’t listed above, please submit a comment and I’ll add it to the list.

David’s Story

The inspiration for this book according to David was a fateful visit to the dentist during which he was diagnosed with mild to moderate periodontal disease(gum disease). David’s dentist informed him that they’d have to perform a scaling and root planing procedure to save his teeth. At this point, most people, often uninformed about the disease would proceed with the recommended treatment. Not David. In fact, David walked away that day determined to inform himself about gum disease and subsequently fight the disease with this knowledge that he was about to learn. Months later after implementing what he learned about fighting the disease(also detailed in this book), David returned to the dentist. To the dentist’s amazement, David had defeated gum disease and no longer needed the scaling and root planing procedure. The information that David used to defeat gum disease is detailed in stunning clarity in “What You Should Know About Gum Disease”.

What is Gum Disease

Gum disease, in general terms “refers to a number of inflammatory diseases affecting the periodontium — that is, the tissues that surround and support the teeth(Wikipedia).” This is of course just a simple definition of gum disease. However, “What You Should Know About Gum Disease” explores gum disease in much more depth.

Why should I care?

If you’re a dental professional you already know that gum disease is quite common. However, most people don’t know how common. According to David, the number could be as high as 80% for adults. Surprised? I sure was. Not only is gum disease common, but it’s also very serious. In an increasing number of research studies conducted over the past several years gum disease has been linked to heart disease, stroke, lung infections and most recently rheumatoid arthritis. The number of conditions tied to gum disease will surely climb in the coming years as more studies are conducted.

Who should read “What You Should Know About Gum Disease”?

Everybody. Whether you’re a dental professional or a regular person, you owe it to yourself to read this book. Dental professionals will benefit from David’s insights into educating their patients about the preventative measures they should be incorporating into their daily routines to prevent gum disease. As a patient himself, David’s insights are invaluable to any dental practice.

Regular people, like myself will benefit from reading this book because David has meticulously covered gum disease from top to bottom. He covers everything from the indicators of gum disease to risk factors associated with gum disease to actionable steps that will help to prevent gum disease. All of these topics are covered with uncommon clarity and a real understanding of the disease.

Chapter Listing

To get a better idea of the specific content you can expect in “What You Should Know About Gum Disease” I’ve provided a chapter listing below:

• Chapter 1 – Discovering an Unwanted Guest: Gum Disease
• Chapter 2 – Professional Care
• Chapter 3 – Home Care
• Chapter 4 – Questions about Gum Disease
• Chapter 5 – The Fight Against Gum Disease Continues
• Chapter 6 – The Mind-Body Connection
• References and Resources
• Gum Disease Resources
• Other Health Resources

What have others said about the book?

“David Snape really gets it…Drawing from his own in-depth experience and knowledge on the subject, Snape enables his reader to go easily beyond the minimal care offered to most Americans. The results will empower his readers to take charge of this vital, yet often-ignored aspect of good health and wellbeing. I only wish I had this book twenty years(and several lost teeth) ago.” – John Corso, MD, author of Stupid Reasons People Die

“This book should be in dentist and doctor’s office waiting areas an health clinics…” – Hillary Yasmer Shemin, RDH, BSDH

How do I order “What You Should Know About Gum Disease”?

To learn more about his book or to purchase “What You Should Know About Gum Disease”, visit David’s personal website, GingivitisKiller.com.

I’d like to start this post with a little exercise. Begin by holding you hand(palm facing you) approximately 3 inches in front of your mouth. Now blow a full breath into your hand. While keeping your hand in place, take a whiff of the air in front of your hand. What do you smell? Hopefully nothing, or better yet, something pleasant. For those of you less than happy with what you’re smelling right now, this post may prove to be particularly prudent. I say that half-jokingly because we all know that anyone at any time can have bad breath. Heck, I’m quite diligent with my oral care routine and I still have bad breath from time to time. That being said, I believe we can all benefit from the advice in this post.

Bad Breath Causes

Before I get to the preventative tips, it’s important to understand where bad breath comes from. Bad breath, or Halitosis as it’s formally known, stems from a variety of common sources. The following are common sources of bad breath:

• Certain food such as garlic, onions, fish, meat, cheese, etc.
• Poor general oral hygiene
• Smoking
• Obesity
• Fasting
• Nasal and sinus infections
• Throat infections
• Faulty dental restorations
• Periodontal disease
• Xerostomia(dry mouth)
• Other underlying health conditions

7 Tips for Preventing Bad Breath

Knowing the causes of bad breath can help us to understand the measures we need to take to prevent it. In no particular order, here is a list of preventative measures you can take starting today to reduce the likelihood that you will have bad breath:

1) Brush & Rinse(with water) After Each Meal – Some of you may think I’m crazy for suggesting this. Sure, you may have to get creative if you don’t want to be seen brushing your teeth at work, but this is one of the best ways to ensure that food particles do not get stuck in the pockets surrounding your teeth.

2) Floss at Least Once Per Day – Flossing is equally important as brushing in my opinion. Just like recommendation number one above, flossing is intended to remove food particles from between the teeth. This will, in turn, create an unfavorable environment for bacteria growth. That’s exactly what we’re after.

3) Brush Your Tongue – The tongue carries approximately 50% of the total bacteria in your mouth. Where there’s bacteria, there’s odor. Whack this bacteria by brushing your tongue with toothpaste for at least 10 strokes. The middle 1/3 of your tongue is most prone to bacteria growth so pay special attention to that area. You may also want to try Dr. Weider’s Original Tung-Gel. This is specifically formulated for cleaning the tongue and removing bacteria.

4) Chew Sugarless Gum – Chewing sugarless gum can increase the flow of saliva and reduce the chances you’ll experience dry mouth-related bad breath. If gum isn’t your thing you can also try sugarless throat lozenges to create the same effect.

5) Drink Plenty of Water – This recommendation follows the same lines as the above suggestion. Drinking plenty of water reduces the occurrence of dry mouth by stimulating saliva production. Stick to water as alcohol and caffeinated drinks can lead to Xerostomia.

6) Swap out Your Toothbrush Every 3-4 Months An old toothbrush is a bacteria-riddled toothbrush. Gross, right? Bad breath or not this is a good tip to remember.

7) Quit Smoking – This is easier said than done, I’m sure. However, smoking caused nicotine and tar(among other nasty chemicals) to build up on the cheek walls, tongue, and teeth surfaces. It comes as no surprise that bad breath is nearly inevitable if you smoke. However, following the above tips can minimize your risk for developing bad breath.

Give us your tips

This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but it covers my top tips for preventing bad breath. Please share any others that you’ve had success with.

Bye, Bye Bacteria

You may be wondering if it’s sufficient to rub your toothbrush on your tongue to remove bacteria. Sure, it is. However, I recently had the opportunity to review a product that does an even better job of ridding your tongue of odor-causing bacteria.

The product is Dr. Weider’s Original Tung Gel. Tung Gel is specifically formulated to do one thing – to clean the tongue. With the incorporation of bacteria-fighting zinc, this product means business. In fact, after just two weeks of sampling this product personally, I’ve decided to incorporate it into my daily routine.

Tasty & Fresh

What’s so good about this product you might be wondering? Two things set this product apart from other tongue cleaning products on the market: taste and effectiveness. Hands down, Dr. Weider’s Original Tung Gel is the best tasting tongue cleaning product that I’ve personally tested. The minty taste is both fresh and refreshing. Secondly, this product is just plain effective. Not only does my mouth feel fresher longer into the day, but my wife’s complaining about my breath far less often. That’s a win in my book.

Product Features(Provided by Dr. Weider)

• Dentists and hygienists now recommend tongue cleansing as an
  essential part of complete oral care.
• Light gel rinses off the tongue cleaner than toothpaste
• Unique great-tasting formula leaves tongue feeling tingly and fresh
• Sudsing helps to remove bacteria and debris from the tongue

Notes

I recommend using the Tung-Brush along with the Tung-Gel to maximize the product’s effectiveness. The Tung-Brush resembles a dental mirror – only short bristles replace the circular mirror portion. This maximizes surface area coverage for optimal tongue-cleaning.

Disclaimer

This was an unpaid review. The Tung-Gel and Tung-Brush were sent to me purely for evaluative purposes.

Have you tried Tung Gel yourself?

What are your thoughts about this product?

#5. McDonalds Dental Ad

I can safely say that next to the Michael Jordan VS Larry Bird “Nothin’ But Net” commercials of the 90’s, this is my favorite McDonald’s commercial of all time.

#4. David After Dentist

This video is one of the most controversial videos of the year posted to Youtube. Appartently, some folks equate this video to child abuse(Read the Today Show’s Analysis of the video). I disagree. In my mind the video is simply chronicalling a funny event in David’s life that the family can look back on and have a good laugh with in the future. I do, however, admit that uploading the video to Youtube while apparently unaware of the viral nature of the site is downright naive and stupid. Nevertheless, lighten up and laugh.

#3. Bill Cosby at the Dentist

In this video, Bill Cosby entertains the crowd with his depiction of a visit to the dentist. Excuse me while I go look for some Cosby Show reruns on TV.



#2. MadTV’s Lorraine Goes to the Dentist

While this is the racier of the videos on the list, it’s just too funny to pass up. If you think you’ve seen nightmare dental patients, check out this video.



#1. Tim Conway – The Dentist on the Carol Burnett Show

I’m sure most of you have seen this epic comedy sketch from the Carol Burnett Show. The dynamic duo, Tim Conway and Harvey Corman provide non-stop laughs in what has the be the #1 dental comedy video of all time.



Your Favorites?

Which video did you like the best from this list? Do you have a favorite not on this list? Please share.

I get asked quite often which whitening product works best? Frankly, there isn’t a right answer to this question. The whitening product that works best is the one that works best for you. Of course you won’t know which product works best for you without trying them out. Luckily, most major dental product manufacturers realize the intense competition in the market and frequently offer deep discounts to entice you to try THEIR products. Recently, Aquafresh® got into the act with their White Trays® Pro Gentle System™ product.

Aquafresh® White Tray® Pro Gentle System™ Facts

The Pro Gentle System™ is different than normal whitening strips because it includes Pro Gentle™ toothpaste that prepares teeth and helps minimize whitening-related sensitivity. You simply brush with the Pro Gentle™ toothpaste twice a day for 2 weeks prior to whitening and then during your 1 week of whitening. The great thing about the white trays is that you only need apply them once per day for 1 week to experience full whitening benefits.

Aquafresh’s website claims that the White Tray® Pro Gentle System™ whitens 30% better and 25% faster than Crest® Whitestrips® Premium.

Specs:

• Enamel safe
• Visibly whiter teeth in as little as 3 days
• Features Aquafresh® Pro-Gentle™ Sensitive Toothpaste 3.2oz
• Flexible, pre-filled whitening trays for no mess application
• 14 pre-filled whitening trays

Claim $7 Rebate

To claim your $7 rebate on Aquafresh® White Tray® Pro Gentle System™, simply fill out the rebate form on Aquafresh’s website.

Buy Now

If you’d like to purchase the Aquafresh® White Tray® Pro Gentle System™, I recommend Amazon.com.

According to HeraldTribune.com, a Florida mother has been booked on felony child neglect charges for failing to seek proper treatment for her daughter’s severe tooth decay.

The little girl dealt with tooth pain for more than a year before her grandmother suggested to the offender, Tamika S. White, that she take the child to the dentist. Heeding her mother’s advice, Ms. White took her daughter to see a dentist about her tooth pain. The dentist diagnosed the child’s condition as “bottle mouth,” a common form of tooth decay found in infants and toddlers. At this point, Ms. White was informed that Medicaid coverage would not pay for the treatment – which is incidently quite common these days.

Ms. White refused to attempt to collect child support payments from her child’s father. Furthermore, she failed to search for specialists who could treat her daughter that did accept medicare. Privy to this information, the authorities arrested Ms. White on felony child neglect charges.

My thoughts

I’m admittedly struggling a little with assessing blame in this case. On one hand, it seems incomprehensible that a parent would allow their child to suffer without exhausting all treatment and payment options. This case certainly does seem like outright abuse on its face. However, another part of me wondered if Ms. White had the resources to seek a specialist whom accepted Medicare. I also don’t know what the situation is with Ms. White and her child’s father. There could be something there preventing Ms. White from contacting him to ask for child support payments? We don’t know that part of the story.

Your Thoughts

Should Tamika White be in jail on child neglect charges? Is this case black and white, or is there a gray area that we have to consider as I suggest?

Dear Doctor and their sponsors are at it again! That’s right, they’re once again running the Ultimate Dental Health Makeover Contest.

What can I win?

The rules haven’t changed. Whether you need crowns, implants, veneers, orthodontics, periodontics, etc. your expenses will be covered! For a complete list of rules that you should read prior to entering, visit the contest rules page.

Contest Sponsors

The sponsors that will make the 4th Annual Ultimate Dental Health Makeover possible include: Biomet 3i, Osteohealth, Nimbus, Nuvora, Invisalign, OralCDx, Serenity Smiles and Dental Ceramics, Inc. So please thank these fine sponsors by checking out their products.

Where to Enter

To enter, simply visit the official Dental Contest Page on DearDoctor.com and fill out the contest form. However, you’ll have to hurry because the contest will end on May 31, 2009. Good luck!

As I’ve preached in previous posts, your oral health depends on regular flossing – simply brushing is not enough. If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of flossing, my friends at About.com Dentistry have put together a nice article on the topic, “Flossing Teeth – How often Should I floss my teeth?“.

If you don’t currently floss your teeth, or you’re having a hard time doing it consistently, I recent came across a new website that can help you to remember. The site, flossedtoday.com, allows you to enter your cell phone number to receive a daily notification reminding you to floss your teeth. Oh yeah, it’s FREE. To receive your daily reminder, visit the flossedtoday.com sign up page. Happy flossing!

New breed of Oral Health Products

Representing a new breed in oral health products, GUM® PerioBalance™ is specifically formulated to provide oral health benefits by balancing the oral environment. It does this with the help of probiotics, a form of “good” bacteria which can help your body’s natural defense against a variety of common ailments, including oral health problems. As Sunstar put it, the probiotics found in GUM® PerioBalance™ is “designed to rebalance the oral environment”. If you’d like to read further about the benefits of probiotics, a great article recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal.

Clinical Sudies Report Good Results

Recent clinical studies have indicated that the probiotics found in GUM® PerioBalance™ are indeed helpful for balancing the oral environment. In fact, studies have shown a 42 percent decrease in moderate-to-severe plaque after 28 days when GUM® PerioBalance™ has been taken as directed. Sunstar was nice enough to send me a 28-day supply(one box) of GUM® PerioBalance™ for review, and I can confirm that my plaque levels were noticeably reduced after the 28 day trial period.

Incorporate GUM® PerioBalance™ into your daily Regimen

One thing to note about GUM® PerioBalance™ is that it’s not a magic bullet. You can’t cease all other parts of your oral care routine and expect the results described above. Instead, GUM® PerioBalance™ should be used as a supplement to your existing brushing, flossing, mouth washing routine to see the oral environment balancing benefits.

Physical Product Facts

GUM® PerioBalance™ is currently available in a fresh mint flavored lozenge(dissolves under tongue). I found the lozenge to be quite potent. The taste was great, but strong enough that I had to shift it around under my tongue to avoid discomfort. Each box of GUM® PerioBalance™ comes with 28 lozenges – so just about a month’s supply.

Where can you find GUM® PerioBalance™?

Currently, GUM® PerioBalance™ is available at Drugstore.com, Bartell Drug locations nationwide, and at the GUM® PerioBalance™ e-store.

GUM® PerioBalance™ Coupon

Sunstar was nice enough to allow me to pass along a coupon code to you good for $2 Off each box. The promo code is: (PB2OFF). To receive the $2 discount, you must purchase GUM® PerioBalance™ via periobalance.com

Have you tried GUM® PerioBalance™?

If you’ve tried this product, what did you think? If you haven’t tried this product, what are your initial thoughts about it?

If I asked you what the number one chronic childhood disease is, what would you say? Asthma? Diabetes? Heart murmur? Sleep disorders? Hay fever? No. The correct answer is – tooth decay. In fact, tooth decay in children is five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever (http://www.ada.org/public/manage/you/working_access_fact.pdf).

Our junk food culture, coupled with holidays that glorify sugar-filled candy(ie. Easter & Halloween) certainly contribute to the high incidence rate of childhood tooth decay. However, the public’s general lack of childhood oral care know-how is also to blame. Outside of the dentist’s office, where can you find preventative oral care advice geared towards children? The internet? Sure, but there is a relatively small number of reputable health information sites online, and even then the majority of the population can not identify them. School? Fat chance. Friends? Probably not. So, where should a person look for credible childhood oral care information?

Enter Oral-B Stages.

Oral-B Stages is a new childhood oral care initiative by Oral-B that:

…seeks to teach parents how to properly care for their child’s teeth right from the start, and ensure a lifetime of healthy, happy smiles(oralb.com).

The Stages

What’s unique about Oral-B Stages – just as the name implies – is its staging system. The stages are broken down according to a child’s age. The stages are as follows:

• 4 to 24 months
• 2 to 4 years
• 5 to 7 years
• 8+ years

For each stage, Oral-B has incorporated years of research into a number of helpful recommendations for optimally caring for your children’s teeth. For example, in stage 1(4 to 24 months), Oral-B recommends that you begin brushing your child’s teeth as soon as the first tooth comes in. At stage 2(2 to 4 years), it is recommended that you watch your children while they brush your teeth so you can help when their dexterity is limited – and so on.

Oral-B Stages Products

Beyond providing helpful information, Oral-B has also developed a dedicated product line for the Oral-B Stages initiative. These products are specifically designed to accommodate the unique needs of children in each stage. This includes special soft bristles, ergonomically-tailored handles, and age-appropriate themes. To learn more about Oral-B Stages products, visit the Oral-B website.

More Information

For more information about Oral-B stages please visit the Oral-B Kids Care Center. Finally,
I’ll leave you with a video featuring Dr. Laura Jana, M.D., author and founder of Practical Parenting Consulting, LLC, as she discusses with a group of bloggers the Stages program.

Your Thoughts

Has your family tried Oral-B stages products? Thumbs up? Thumbs down? Please share.

With revolutionary new Crest Whitestrips Advanced Seal, life doesn’t stop just because you’re whitening. Its groundbreaking adhesive formulation holds the Whitestrips in place, so you can whistle along with the radio, take a shower, and even drink water while you whiten!

Visit the Crest website for more information on Crest Whitestrips Advanced Seal.

$7.00 Off Coupon

To promote Crest Whitestrips Advanced Seal, Crest is offering a coupon for $7.00 the purchase price. Unfortunately, Crest has decided to make us go through a couple more hoops to claim coupons now, but it’s still worth it for the discount. To claim your coupon, you will need to fill out a somewhat cumbersome registration form at Proctor & Gamble’s Everyday Solutions website. Here, you can claim your $7.00 coupon and a free sample of the product. Kind of a pain, but quite worth it.

If you’re interested in purchasing Crest Whitestrips Advanced Seal, I’d recommend purchasing it from Amazon.com.

One such company that is taking an active role in stimulating the economy – perhaps with a hint of satire is Dentek. Dentek, the widely known dental product manufacturer is currently running an Economic Stimulus Sweepstakes at their website(Dentek.com). Read below for details.

Prizes

Dentek will be awarding a $25 Target gift certificate to one entrant each day until March 2, 2009. Then, on March 2, everyone who has entered will get a chance to win one of five $100 Target gift cards.

How to Enter

Entering is easy. All you have to do is fill in the Dentek Stimulus Sweepstakes Entry Form. You can sign up as many times as you want, so they encourage you to come back everyday. I assume they’re hoping you’ll buy something from their online store while you’re at it(lol).

Stay Tuned

If you don’t win, don’t lose hope. Dentek will be starting a new contest on March 2, 2009 to give away more great prizes and get our economy back on its’ feet(lol).

My Favorite Items on the List

It wasn’t easy, but the next 5 items were the most interesting(read “strange”) items
on TendHunter’s list.

1. Ice-Cream Flavored Toothpaste

The available flavors are: Banilla Bling, Cha Cha Chocolate, Blingside(orange & vanilla), and Baby Bling(fluoride-free vanilla). Ice Cream-Flavored Toothpaste

2. Dental Tatoos

Yes, you read that right. When your skin is not enough…get a dental tatoo.

3. Visual Dental Product Surgeries

You’re probably re-reading this heading several times trying to figure out what I’m talking about. Well, I think you’ll just have to see them for yourself(hint: scalpal meets toothpaste tube)…visual dental product surgeries.

4. Grills for your Fangs

Bet you can’t wait until your daughter comes home with a set of these on. They’re like jewels for your teeth. The inventor thought it would be cute to call them Jawels. How classy. Grills for your fangs

5. Tooth Implant=Medication Distribution System?

Really. A company called IntelliDrug has developed a tooth implant that stores your medications in liquid form and delivers a doctor-programmed shot at timed intervals. Wow. Check out IntelliDrug’s innovation.

There you have it – my top 5. There are 37 items in the list so why not take a few minutes to check them out.

Your Strangest Dental Innovations

Have you seen a wacky tooth innovation not on TrendHunter’s list? Which was your favorite and why? Leave your comments below.

Colgate is currently running a sweepstakes and instant win game to promote what they call “Colgate Smile”. Colgate Smile is essentially a website dedicated to sharing your smile photos and stories with others. It’s one big smile party(overdoing the cheese there). Colgate probably describes it much better than I:

As a company that makes smile care products, we realize that the health and appearance of your smile is very important. We want you to live life to the fullest — to be healthy, confident and happy.

So, we have gathered a gallery of smiles and smile stories to show off those significant moments in life – moments of celebration, triumph, passion, encouragement and delight.

How to Enter

Entering is actually pretty easy. To enter, you simply have to register a new profile with Colgate Smile. With a profile, you’ll now have a “home base” each time you visit Colgate Smile. You’ll store all of your personal smile images and stories here. That’s all you need to do to be entered into the sweepstakes.

If you want to be entered into the instant win game you have to:

choose one of the following at ColgateSmile.com: send a photo e-Card, use the SmileStudio Application tell-a-friend feature, or send a slideshow. Or you can click the “No Thanks” link available in any of these options to proceed to playing the Instant Win game.

Prizes

The grand prize for the winning sweepstakes entry is a digital video and photo camera in one and a laptop computer. The prize package is worth $6,000. Winners of the instant win game will be awarded one of hundreds of gift cards from major retailers.

Enter

To register your Colgate Smile profile visit the registration page.

The claim

The review author, Michael McCullough,Associate Professor in Oral medicine at Melbourne University, found that there is “sufficient evidence” that use of alcohol-containing mouthwashes can increase a person’s risk for oral cancer. The alcohol component seems to be the key contributor to the increase in risk here. McCullough claims that the alcohol allows cancer-causing compounds(carcinogens) to attack the lining of the mouth more easily than mouthwash not containing alcohol.

McCullough’s Recommendations

McCullough recommends that mouthwashes containing alcohol be made available by prescription only, and prescribed only for limited use. He also called for the American Dental Association to reconsider giving its seal of approval to such products, and that warning labels be included on their packaging. Finally, McCullough proposed that oral cancer screenings become a routine part of any dental checkup.

I’m not convinced

Yet. There’s simply not enough evidence at this point to definitively link mouthwashes containing alcohol to oral cancer. What McCollough’s review failed to do is quantify the risk. Just how high or low is it? Furthermore, a number of studies within the last 10 years have failed to prove a solid link between alcohol-containing mouthwashes and oral cancer. Professor Laurence Walsh, head of the School of Dentistry at the University of Queensland, responding to McCullough’s claims said,

“A wide range of critical and systematic reviews over many years have failed to show any statistically significant association between mouthwash use and oral cancer.”

So, don’t give up using your alcohol-containing mouthwashes just yet. I’m still convinced that they provide a valuable role in your mouth’s defense against gum inflammation and plaque. There’s simply not enough evidence to suggest otherwise at this point. As always, I’ll be following this story and update you as necessary.

Your thoughts

Will you give up using alcohol-containing mouthwash?

Sources: medguru, abc.net.au

10 Tips for Treating Toothaches

1. Take two Aspirin, Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen
Ibuprofin is best since it does a good job of reducing painful inflammation. However, be sure to read the instructions on the bottle for proper usage whichever you choose.

2. Use Antiseptic Rinse Regularly
Using Antiseptic rinse regularly and brushing 2-3 times per day will help to prevent future toothaches, and relieve minor toothaches in the process.

3. Chew a Clove of Garlic Every Morning
If you try this and loved ones suddenly begin avoiding you – don’t blame me.

4. Apply garlic and salt to the tooth
Mash a clove of garlic together with a pinch of rock salt and apply the paste to the site of the toothache. Garlic has allicin, a powerful antibacterial compound. This is thought to help stop the bacteria which cause toothache. (tip courtesty of ehow.com)

5. Put cold compress on side of cheek

6. Numb the affected tooth/teeth with a desensitizing agent
Orajel is perhaps the best known tooth-desensitizing agent. However, this remedy will not eliminate a toothache, just numb the area for temporary relief.

7. Chew on a Piece of Onion
Yes, I know this sounds almost as unpleasant, or perhaps more unpleasant to some of you than chewing on garlic cloves. However, onions are bactericidal, so they can kill off the bacteria causing your toothache.

8. Rinse your mouth with water
This can help to remove any food debris that may be aggravating your toothache.

9. Plug the tooth with gauze or wax
Plugging the affected tooth with gauze or wax can reduce it’s sensitivity to air or debris in your mouth. Again, not a cure, but it will help to reduce painful irritation.

10. Elevate your head
Elevating your head can reduce the pressure to the affected tooth and its surrounding area – thus reducing the pain you’re experiencing.

When to go to the dentist

If none of these remedies effectively eliminate your toothache, then it’s time to visit your dentist. A good rule of thumb is if the toothache is causing you to lose sleep or consume your attention throughout the day it’s time to see your dentist. Don’t assume that your toothache is no big deal and let it worsen. What you have could be a tooth abscess which needs to be treated right away to avoid the infection from spreading.

Your Top Toothache Remedies

How do you relieve your toothaches?

Additional Resources

The Doctors Book of Remedies

Toothache Tails

Changes to Dental Heroes in 2009

In fact, I anticipate a number of exciting developments here at the Dental Heroes Blog throughout 2009. I think the most noticeable change that you can expect in the first few months of 2009 is an entirely new look(theme) for Dental Heroes. I love the current look, but I’ve decided that Dental Heroes has added so much new content this past year that more organization is needed. I also want you to be able to access this content as quickly and painlessly as possible. It’s fairly easy now, but with the current structure, I simply can’t fit as much information on the page as I would like. Also, stay tuned for some exciting contests, interviews, and special offers this year.

Help to Improve Dental Heroes

Finally, I need your help. In order to improve Dental Heroes in the new year, I’ve posted a new poll asking you what you would like to see more of in 2009. Your responses will help me to focus on the issues and content that matters to you, while filtering out those that don’t.

Thank you in advance for participating, and best of luck to you all in the new year!

You’ll have to hurry, however, because you’re only eligible to win if Healthbolt receives your comment prior to January 1st, 2009. That gives you until 11:59 on Wednesday evening of this week to make your comment. Also, do them a favor and don’t leave a comment like “Please pick me”. Be original and thoughtful. It’s the least we can do to thank them for the giveaway.

In the event that you don’t win, but still want to get your hands on an Oral-B® Pulsonic™, take a look at a recent post of mine that tells you how to receive $15.00 off the purchase price.

Oral-B Pulsonic Specs

Enter Healthbolt Giveaway

$15.00 Oral-B® Pulsonic™ Coupon

This past year has been incredibly exciting for Dental Heroes, as we’ve grown faster than ever before. I have all of you to thank for making Dental Heroes the success that it is today, and I look forward to the journey that is yet to come. Without you there would be no Dental Heroes, so I sincerely thank you for your support and participation.

This coming week, I’ll be recapping some of this year’s highlights on the Dental Heroes Blog, and sharing some exciting ideas that you can look forward to in the coming year.

Now, go and enjoy your Christmas

If you’re not sure how to answer this question, that’s OK. In fact, most of us don’t have a clue what our mouth says about us. However, WebMD.com has created a cool widget that tries to help you answer this question. They cleverly call this widget “Tooth or Consequences“.

How it Works

The concept is actually rather simple. You’re asked to respond to questions about a series of factors that may affect the healthiness of your mouth. For instance, they’ll ask you if you smoke, how often you go to the dentist, if you eat sweets, and so on. With each question, you’re visually reminded of the damage that’s being done to your teeth as a result of your habits on a big pair of virtual chompers.

Results

I was surprised to see that according to this widget my teeth should be pretty yellow based on my habits. Well, they aren’t thankfully. That goes to show that you should not rely on this little widget to assess your oral health condition. Only a trained dentist can do that. So, have fun, but don’t get bent out of shape if the big chompers turn brown on you.

Your Results

Were you surprised by your results?

Some of you may have noticed over the past two weeks that I’ve added a new item to the sidebar called “Deal of the Week”. It’s pretty self-explanatory really, but I wanted everyone to be aware of this new feature. Each week you can look forward to a new special offer on a popular dental care product. The current “Deal of the Week” is $5 off Crest Whitestrips Premium. If you know of any special offers that you would like to see in an upcoming “Deal of the Week” feature please let me know. Thanks.

All of you smokers out there listen up. No, I’m not going to lecture you. You already know that smoking is horrible for your health. But, if you’re serious about quitting and are considering using gum to do it, then you’ll want to pay attention. Nicorette®, one of the more popular stop smoking gums has developed a product called White Ice Mint, which purports to be the first stop smoking aid to have the ability to whiten teeth.

According to the makers of this product, GlaxoSmithKline:

A new survey found half (49 percent) of smokers surveyed say the yellowing of their teeth strongly contributes to their decision to quit smoking.(2) Further, younger smokers (68 percent) under the age of 35 are especially concerned about the effects of smoking on their teeth, and more of them (82 percent) want to quit smoking because of it.(2)

What’s also significant to me from the study was the finding that 72% of those surveyed believed that the added tooth whitening benefit was enough to encourage them to try the gum and quit for good.(2)

I don’t know about you, but I think Nicorette® is on to something here. Clearly plain ol’ stop smoking gums are not compelling the masses to quit smoking. So, Nicorette® took it one step further with the whitening agents. While a great idea, I find it funny personally that smokers are apparently concerned about their appearance with regard to these tooth whitening benefits, but they’re fully aware of the disastrous health effects of smoking. Ironic?

For More Information

If you’re interested in purchasing Nicorette® White Ice Mint stop smoking gum, it’s available over-the-counter at any major drug store or supermarket. If you’d like more information about White Ice Mint gum, you can visit http://www.nicorette.com/.

Citations

(1) Silagy C, Stead LF, et. al. Nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 1996, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD000146. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000146.pub3. Available at: http://www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab000146.html
(2) Survey of 327 smokers, Richard Day Research. September 2008.

Source:earthtimes.org

Zapi Makes the “O” List

While the economy is down in the dumps, and most of us are scaling back for the holidays, Violight, makers of toothbrush sanitizers are sure to have a Christmas they won’t soon forget. Why? Their best-selling toothbrush sanitizer, Zapi, was recently featured as one of Oprah’s “Favorite Things” for the holidays by O Magazine. With millions of readers around the world, and additional coverage by Good Morning America, the Zapi is getting some major press this holiday season.

Quick Look at the Zapi

The Zapi is an egg-shaped device that utilized UV rays to kill germs crawling all over your toothbrush in minutes. Just one tap on the power button each day is all it takes. It even comes in three colors: green, blue, and orange. This is for the more paranoid among us, but I wouldn’t say it’s a bad idea. It’s especially good for traveling, and retails for $29.99. A great gift idea or stocking stuffer.

Visit the Violight website for more information.

Advice by Age Group

The dental health needs of children are different than those of adults. So, listerinekids.com has provided advice for parents of children in three different age groups: 6-7, 8-10, 11-12. I can’t quite figure out why they didn’t create an age group for younger children, but this is a start.

Games

Your kids can even play a game called “Mission Magnitizer” that purports to teach them the importance of good oral hygiene. Not sure how effectively it drives home that message, but I had fun playing it, and I’m well above any of the target age groups.

Product Recommendations

Another feature found on listerinekids.com is their product recommendation section. Of course, they only recommend Listerine products, so keep that in mind. But, I suspect that many of you purchase listerine rinse products anyway. So, it’s nice to know which products are appropriate for each age group.

Final thoughts

While listerinekids.com isn’t likely to win any awards just yet, it’s one of the few dental health sites I’ve seen dedicated entirely to children. So, if you’re clueless about your kids’ dental care needs, and the proper way of maintaining their dental health, it’s worth a look.

Your thoughts

Have you visited listerinekids.com? What are your thoughts?

15 iPod Shuffles in 15 Days

Dentek, a popular dental product company which produces everything from dental picks to whitening products, has announced a contest in which they will give away 15 Apple iPod Shuffles from December 2nd through December 15th. Winners will be selected each day and posted on the Dentek website. The only eligibility requirement is that you are 18 years of age or older.

Enter Now

To enter the Dentek iPod Shuffle Giveaway simply enter your information and answer a few survey questions on the Dentek iPod Giveaway page.

Bonus Tip

When prompted, enter the e-mail addresses of two of your friends to receive 2 additional entries into the giveaway.

Oral-B® ProfessionalCare 7400

• 3D Cleaning Action
• Compact round brush head
• Comes with two dentist-inspired attachment
• Professional timer
• Pressure sensor
• Replace brush head alert
• Rechargeable
• Full- and low-charge indicators
• Limited Warranty

For additional information about the Oral-B® ProfessionalCare 7400, or to purchase this toothbrush I recommend Amazon.com
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Oral-B ProfessionalCare 8850

• 3D Cleaning Action
• Customized speed control
• Compact round brush head
• Comes with up to four dentist-inspired attachments
• Professional timer
• Pressure sensor
• Unique three-bristle system
• Brush head storage
• Replace brush head alert
• Rechargeable
• Full- and low-charge indicators
• Limited Warranty

For additional information about the Oral-B ProfessionalCare 8850, or to purchase this toothbrush I recommend Amazon.com.

Oral-B ProfessionalCare® 8900 DLX OxyJet® Center

OxyJet Irrigator
• Unique spiraling stream
• Gently pulsating mono stream
• Convenient water pressure dial
• Large water beaker

ProfessionalCare 7850 DLX Electric Toothbrush

• Unique 3D Cleaning Action
• Two customized brushing modes
• Compact round brush head
• A complete oral care system with three dentist-inspired attachments
• Professional timer
• Pressure sensor
• Unique three-bristle system
• Brush head storage
• Replace brush head alert
• Rechargeable
• Full and low-charge indicators

For additional information about the Oral-B ProfessionalCare® 8900 DLX OxyJet® Center, or to purchase this toothbrush I recommend Amazon.com.

Oral-B Triumph™ ProfessionalCare 9400

• 3D Cleaning Action
• Professional timer
• Replace brush head alert
• Charge level
• Smart brush heads
• Pressure sensor
• Three customized brushing modes
• Micropulse bristles
• Innovative Oral-B FlossAction™ Brush Head
• Unique, curved handle
• Digital display
• Base station toothbrush holder
• Pressure sensor
• Portable SmartPlug charger
• Travel toothbrush case
• Rechargeable
• Premium overall design

For additional information about the Oral-B ProfessionalCare® 8900 DLX OxyJet® Center, or to purchase this toothbrush I recommend Amazon.com.

Claim your $15 mail-in-rebate

To claim your $15 mail-in-rebate for any of the Oral-B ProfessionalCare® Electric Toothbrushes simply visit the mail-in-rebate page. Don’t forget to send in the mail-in-rebate by 12/31/08 to receive the offer.

You may want to reconsider reaching for a soft drink or sugar-laden fruit drink the next time you’re in the mood for a beverage. Other than the high caloric content of such drinks, these drinks can have a profoundly damaging effect on your tooth enamel. The culprits – citric acid and sugar. The average soft drink currently contains approximately 17 grams of sugar. That’s a tad more sugar than is found in 4 sugar cubes! Yuck.

What’s even more alarming as far as I’m concerned is that many soft drinks and fruit drinks contain citric acid. Citric acid is more erosive than hydrochloric and sulfuric acid – that’s battery acid for those of you who didn’t know. If that doesn’t make you want to put the can or bottle down I don’t know what will.

Tea to the Rescue

Luckily there are beverages that you can still enjoy that do not erode your tooth enamel – like water and tea. In fact, brewed tea is the best option when trying to avoid tooth erosion, according to a study in the July/August issue of General Dentistry, the clinical, peer-reviewed journal of the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD).

Brewed tea is also loaded with natural antioxidants, which are thought to decrease incidence of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Specifically, researchers have found that green tea has the most beneficial properties among teas.

Experts also warn that drinking brewed tea will only provide health benefits and limit tooth erosion if you serve it in its pure form. That means, avoid adding milk, lemon, or sugar.

Tips for reducing tooth enamel erosion

• Reduce or eliminate carbonated beverages
• Skip the additives such as sugar, lemon, and milk
• Drink acidic drinks quickly and through a straw
• Acidic drinks should be consumed at meals only to limit the exposure to acid on the teeth
• Chew sugar-free gum to increase saliva flow in your mouth
• Rinse with water to neutralize the acids, and wait an hour before brushing

Your Thoughts

Are you concerned about your beverage choices and their effect on your teeth?

Source: Science Daily

Crest has just announced a winning entry and posted it to their website. The $50,000 winner is Lee, from Statesville, North Carolina. He won with the catch phrase “FanTaste-ic”. I have to say, I personally liked a number of entries better than this one, but, hey I’m not the judge. You can watch the winning entry on Crest’s Contest Page.

Your Thoughts

What did you think of the winning entry? Did you submit an entry? If so, post the Youtube url for everyone of us to check out.

For those of you who haven’t yet subscribed to the Dental Heroes RSS Feed, please take a couple of seconds to do so. This would not only make me happy , but you’ll also be able to stay on top of all of my latest posts and not miss a beat. Subscribe now.

Finally, for any of you who may be confused about just what the heck an RSS Feed is, Darren Rowse at Problogger.net provides a fantastic explanation.

Subscribe to the Dental Heroes RSS Feed

Oral-B Vitality™

Before I provide you with my review, let’s take a look at the Oral-B Vitalities’™ features(courtesy of Amazon.com).

• Healthier gums – over 60% gingivitis reduction
• Pulsating signal after two minutes recommended brushing time
• Rechargeable battery will last approximately 20 minutes or 5 days of brushing
• Limited 2 year warranty
• Gets hard-to-reach areas

Who I’d Recommend This Product To

This product is great really for anyone. I think it’s especially great for those of you who are manual toothbrush users, but want to give a powered toothbrush a try.

Comfort
I think you’ll find that this powered toothbrush fits comfortably in your mouth and that the brush size is just right. With many of the powered toothbrushes that I’ve tried in the past the brush size was so large that it overstimulated my teeth. In fact, my teeth were overstimulated to the point where I had no choice but to stop brushing. The Oral-B Vitality™ at no point caused this sort of hypersensitivity.

Compact
Not only is the Vitality™ itself quite compact, but the incorporated charger is quite compact itself. In fact, if I didn’t know better I’d swear this toothbrush didn’t come with a charger. It’s THAT cool.

Affordability
I’m sure most of you will also appreciate that the Oral-B Vitality™ is also affordable – proving that powered toothbrush and affordability is not an oxymoron. In fact, the Vitality™ is one of the most affordable powered toothbrushes on the market at around $20.

Final Thoughts

If you’re in the market for an inexpensive but very competent powered toothbrush I recommend giving the Oral-B Vitality™ Precision Clean Power Toothbrush a try. I think you’ll be happy with the comfort, compact nature, and affordability this toothbrush provides.

Don’t just take my word for it

Oral-B has enlisted the help of Jillian Michaels from NBC’s the Biggest Loser to spread the word about not only the Oral-B Vitality™, but also about the ways that properly brushing your teeth can enhance your health and quality of life. If you’d like to learn more about Jillian’s message you should check out smoothcleanfeeling.com and watch the Youtube video below.



Your Thoughts

Have you tried the Oral-B Vitality Precision Clean Power Toothbrush? If so, share with the rest of us your thoughts.

Purchasing information

The Oral-B Vitality™ Precision Clean Power Toothbrush is available at most major drug stores or you can purchase it through Amazon.com

Enter the “Hostess for the Holidays” Contest.

Delta Dental has launched what it has dubbed “The 10,000 Smiles Project.” The concept here is simple. Delta wants to collect 10,000 photos of people smiling. That’s it. If you have a picture of yourself smiling, submit it. Why? Well, if Delta reaches their goal of receiving 10,000 photos of people smiling, they will donate $10,000 to the National Head Start Program, an organization that helps to develop vulnerable and underprivileged children. This is a good cause and it only takes a couple of seconds to submit a photo. So, submit one if you can.

Submit photo to Delta Dental 10,000 Smiles Project

You may also be interested in the press release.

1. 1800Dentist.com

1800dentist.com is probably the most well-known dental directory on the web. You’ve probably even seen a few of their commercials. I particularly like their service because they pre-screen dentists prior to placing them in their directory. This isn’t foolproof, but it is an added layer of protection that certainly doesn’t hurt.

2. Dentists.com

I was impressed by the number of results I received for dentists near me. In fact, Dentists.com returned 15 results for dentists within 10 miles of me. They’re not pre-screened, however.

3. Americasmiles.com

Americasmiles.com is not pretty, and not nearly as comprehensive as 1800dentist.com or Dentists.com, but I do like that it allows you to select a search radius. Not pre-screened.

4. Everydentist.com

Everydentist.com is on par with dentists.com in terms of the volume of search results you can expect. I particularly like that Everydentist.com allows searches by zip(with search radius), city, or dentist’s last name. Not pre-screened.

5. DentistDirectory.com

A search at DentistDirectory.com returned fairly comprehensive results – on par with Dentists.com and EveryDentist.com. I’m particularly impressed with how this dentist search engine tries to help you located dentists in your are that accept online appointment booking. Unfortunately, there were no dentists in my area currently doing this, but it’s a neat feature for the future. Not Pre-screened.

Google Test

Once you have found a handful of dentists in your area, I would first Google each of their names. This is a great way to filter out the “bad apples” right off the bat. If a particular dentist has some dirty laundry, it’s likely that someone has taken the time to write about it on the web. A quick Google search will uncover their dirty deeds.

Questions to Ask a New Dentist

For those dentists that have passed the Google check, there are a number of questions that I would ask each of them prior to making a selection. Tammy Davenport has put together a comprehensive list of questions to ask prior to selecting a new dentist. Of course, you will have to determine whether the prospective dentist answered the questions to your satisfaction, but this list will provide you with a great starting point in finding a great dentist near you.

How did you find your dentist?

Obviously searching online is not the only way to find a new dentist. I’m curious how you found yours? Please leave a comment and share with the rest of us.

$5 Off Crest Whitestrips Premium Coupon

Founded in 1984, Dentek® is still a young company, but considered by many to be among the most innovative dental product companies in the industry. Already, Dentek® has achieved the distinction as the “leader in US retail sales of manual dental tools and accessories(Wikipedia) with over 40 products currently in production. Their product lines include: interdental cleaners, breath-freshening products, brace care products, whitening products, and much more.

Dentek.com: A Dental Health Resource

It doesn’t take long to see that Dentek® is not your average dental care product company. Simply visit Dentek.com to see what I’m talking about. Unlike many of the larger dental product companies, Dentek.com strives to make it easy for consumers to purchase dental products right on Dentek.com without sending you through hoops to do so. Some large dental product companies don’t even give you the option of purchasing their products online. Hello, it’s 2008.

Product Ratings & Reviews

One neat feature that you’ve probably seen on other shopping sites around the web is some sort of rating and/or review system that’s in place to help you make an informed buying decision. Dentek.com is the only dental product website I’ve seen that provides this service to their users. Personally, I like buying from companies that provide this kind of transparency for their customers. As a bonus for your participation, you’re eligible for special discounts on Dentek® products.

Product Information

Another strength of Dentek.com is the vast product information they provide customers. Unlike many dental product sites I’ve seen, Dentek.com provides very useful product information and usage instructions for each product so you know which product is the right one for you. There’s nothing worse that purchasing a product online only to find out it isn’t what you were looking for.

Consumer Education

One nice feature on Dentek.com that’s constantly growing is their Education Center. Here you will find educational dental care videos, a reference library, links to dental authority sites, and an extensive Q&A section. I definitely look forward to seeing this section grow – especially the video section.

Dentek Professional

If you’re a professional and want to shape the future of dental products, the Dentek® Professional section on Dentek.com is the place to do it. By registering to become a member of the Dentek® Pro Panel, your input will drive the development of new Dentek® products. Besides, they’ll send some money-saving product discounts your way for participating. Cool.

Dentek Nation

When you check out Dentek.com be sure to register to become a member of the Dentek Nation. As a member of the Dentek® Nation, you’ll be eligible for discounts and free stuff.

Dentek Community

The Dentek® Community is one of my favorite features on Dentek.com. Anybody who spends even a short amount of time on web can see the rising importance placed on networking and collaboration on the web in recent years – there’s Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn etc. Dentek has managed to create a budding community that scraps all the junk found in most online communities, and focuses on one thing: improving users’ oral health. Users can participate in a forum and even create their own Dentek® dental care blog to share their adventures with dental care.

Final Thoughts

Dentek.com is well-deserving of our Site of the Week distinction. Few dental product websites are so comprehensive and user-friendly – not to mention FUN. Yes, I said it – Fun! Visit Dentek.com

I can’t think of any product in recent years that I have been more excited to review than the TiFinity Toothbrush™ by TiFinity Oral Care Inc. Why? Simple. The TiFinity Toothbrush™ is unlike any other toothbrush on the market today. The differences are both numerous, and distinct.

How the TiFinity Toothbrush™ Is Different From Your Toothbrush

• TiFinity stays in brand new condition for the life of the brush, while all other brands rapidly splay and deform, rendering them ineffective
• Lasts 10 times longer than the average toothbrush
• Utilizes 1000’s of tiny titanium micro-bristles
• Titanium bristles are non-porous – remaining hygienic unlike nylon bristles
• Clean feeling like no toothbrush you’ve ever experienced
• Removes more plaque

My Personal Experience

I have to admit that I was both intrigued and weary prior to trying out the TiFinity Toothbrush™. The thought of using titanium bristles to brush my teeth was so foreign that I almost talked myself out of trying it. However, I was surprised to find that the titanium bristles felt very much like the nylon bristles we’re all used to – both when I ran my fingers through them, and when they were actually brushing my teeth. Maybe a bit more rigid that nylon – but not a dealbreaker. So, the titanium bristles quickly became a non-issue for me.

Amazing “Clean” Feeling

In fact, it turns out that the titanium bristles produced a “clean” feeling that I’ve never felt with another toothbrush. The inventor’s claim that the TiFinity Toothbrush™ “cleans areas between that teeth and under the gums that simply cannot be reached with traditional toothbrushes” seems to be true(for me anyway). In fact, recent studies have proven that the TiFinity Toothbrush™ cleans 15% better than the leading electric toothbrush.

Final Verdict

I like it. It took a brushing or two to determine whether it was worth purchasing a TiFinity Toothbrush™ for $25 versus a traditional nylon brush that costs around $3. However, it’s hard to imagine that I’ll go back to using a nylon-bristled brush at this point due to the long life of the TiFinity, and the extreme “clean” feeling that I experienced. Don’t just take my word for it, see for yourself if it’s worth making the switch.

Where to Find the TiFinity Toothbrush

The TiFinity Toothbrush™ is available for purchase on the TiFinity Oral Care Inc. website for $25.00 without a base, and $33.00 with a base. You even have the option of signing up for their “Auto-Send” program which will automatically send you a new TiFinity Toothbrush™ at regularly scheduled intervals at a discounted price.

Bye Bye Dentures

In today’s post, I’ve collected 5 great videos of people losing their dentures at inopportune times, which makes for great comedy. Even if you’re a denture-wearer you’ll probably get a laugh out of these.

1. Bride loses dentures at wedding

2. Warner Wolf loses teeth during sportscast

3. Woman’s dentures fall out during Divorce Court Proceeding

4. Grandma’s skydiving again and loses here dentures

5. Korean politician nearly chokes on his dentures

What say you?

What did you think of these videos? Are they funny or just plain cruel. I vote funny!

I’ve been using a now quite popular social networking service called Twitter for over a year now to connect with my friends. I thought, well, it works so well to connect with my friends, that it would be cool to use to connect with Dental Heroes’ readers as well. So, I recently set up a Dental Heroes Twitter account.

What is Twitter?

So, before I explain how I intend to interact with you via Twitter, I want those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about to get a better sense of what Twitter is. As usual, I’ll defer to the trusty Wikipedia to clearly describe Twitter for you, as I’m sure it does a better job than I could of explaining. According to Wikipedia, Twitter is:

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users’ updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. Updates are displayed on the user’s profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. The sender can restrict delivery to those in his or her circle of friends (delivery to everyone being the default)…Full Wikipedia Article

To get a sense of what Twitter looks like, you can visit my Twitter Page. Take a look around at other peoples’ pages and get a sense for the type of information people publish on Twitter.

How I’d Like to Use Twitter with Dental Heroes’ Readers

I think Twitter will be a great tool for communicating with you. I certainly don’t want to replace the great commenting that is taking place on Dental Heroes. Rather, I’d like to interact with you via Twitter to notify me of important dental stories or links that you’d like me to post about, share your experiences with different dental products, and keep tabs on upcoming posts or contests that will take place on the blog.

How to follow me

If you’re interested in following me on Twitter, then simply click the “follow me” link below and click the “follow” button below my picture on my Twitter page. Once you’ve signed up to follow me, you can see my updates by visiting my Twitter page, or in the sidebar to your right.

Follow Me

Dental Heroes Gets Political – Sort Of

Let me preface this post by saying that I’m not intending to turn Dental Heroes into a political blog anytime soon – there are plenty of other places to get political news. However, this story happens to involve the American Dental Association(ADA), so I think it’s relevant.

“Drill, Baby, Drill”

Many of you are probably familiar by now with the Republican Party’s oft-used slogan, “Drill, Baby, Drill”. They use this of course when they refer to their energy policy. Specifically, they believe in drilling for oil on our home soil wherever they can – to hopefully reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Well, turns out the ADA coined that very slogan sometime back in the 1970’s, and they subsequently claimed it as their intellectual property. It’s hard to believe, but the ADA actually tested the slogan in a pilot program in Oregon in 2002. Guess how that one turned out? That’s right, it was a dismal failure. There’s something about the thought of dental drills that just doesn’t get people to rush to the dentist. So, the phrase “Drill, Baby, Drill” has been buried by the ADA, although they still claim it as intellectual property.

“We’re certainly not going to remain silent when Drill baby, drill is hijacked,” the ADA said this week on their official Website. The McCain camp responded by accusing the American Dental Association of “unpatriotically hoarding an energy-related catch phrase.”

“Well geez, we just want cheap gas and stuff, and these Obama-loving dentists want to keep us from doing that. How un-American is that?” Palin asked a cheering crowd in Raleigh. “What do they expect us to chant? Sink an exploratory well baby, sink an exploratory well? All righty, let’s try that then.” The crowd mumbled over a few attempts before shifting en-masse to the easier, “Kill the ADA! Kill the ADA!”(CAP NEWS)

I don’t know about you, but I’m excited to see this back-and-forth banter – even though it’s the last thing McCain and Palin should be worrying about right now.

Your Thoughts

What do you think? Should McCain and Palin continue to use the “Drill, Baby, Drill” slogan, or should the ADA’s intellectual property rights be observed?

For the full SATIRICAL PIECE, visit CAP News.

5 Reasons

In short, the reasons she states for using your dental insurance before the end of the year are as follows:

• Yearly Maximum – unused benefits do not typically rollover, so you should try to meet your annual maximum if possible.
• Deductibles – This could increase next year, so using your insurance now will ensure that you’ve locked in the current deductible until the end of the year.
• Premiums – You’re paying your premiums right? Most people pay them through via employment benefits. Why not take advantage of your benefits? Besides, regular visits to the dentist(2x per year) is recommended. So, go.
• Dentist Fee Increases – This is no shocker, and is likely given the current state of the economy. Dentists may increase fees for services next year, so take advantage of their current fees before the end of the year.
• Dental Problems Could Worsen – You may not think you have any dental problems right now, but unless you visit a dentist, you don’t know. Why take the chance that a possible condition right now could turn into something much more serious, and expensive, later?

To visit the original article written by Tammy Davenport, you can read it here: 5 Reasons to use Your Dental Insurance Before the End of the Year

Your Thoughts

Do you plan on using your dental insurance before the end of the year?

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• Many dental-related keywords appear high in Google and Yahoo SERPS
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Please use the form below to contact us and describe the type of advertising your interested in. I’ll get back to you within 24 hours with the rates for the type of advertising your interested in. Thank you for your interest in advertising with Dental Heroes. I look forward to a long and profitable partnership with you!

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Contest Background

The Crest Whitening Expressions Catch Phrase Contest is a promotion for Crest’s Whitening Expressions toothpaste line. I have yet to try any of the Whitening Expression products, but I will in the near future so I can post a review for you. But, the flavors sound interesting: Wintergreen Ice, Cinnamon Rush, Extreme Herbal Mint and Refreshing Vanilla Mint.

Anyway, in short, the contest asks you to come up with a “catch phrase” that will capture the flavor of Crest Whitening Expressions products. Some of the early contest entrants have included, “Boo-Ya,” “Kazowie” and “That’s a spicy meatball”. Hmmm. I know somebody can do better than these. Take a look at the video below to size up the competition. lol.

How to Enter

To enter, you’ll have to put together a short video an upload it to the Crest Page on Youtube. Don’t worry about producing a professional video. Just take a minute to come up with an original catch-phrase. To be honest, most that I’ve seen aren’t very good. So, definitely give it a shot if you think you have a good idea.

Your Thoughts

Did you have any clear favorites? Did you find the doll submission to be as creepy as I did?

No Sour Candy

No sour candy. That’s the major rule I’d try to follow this Halloween. There are plenty of other candy choices, and most kids like the non-sour stuff as well. I’m talking about getting rid of the “tear jerkers”, and the sour gummy worm-type stuff. You know, the stuff that makes you pucker when you eat it. I freely admit that I used to love this stuff as a kid. But, I know better now – especially after reading a recent article found in “Market Watch“. The article likened the ph of sour candy to that of battery acid! Yeah, battery acid. If that’s not frightening, then I don’t know what is.

Why sour candy is bad for your teeth

Ok, so I’ve told you why It’s not good to hand out sour candy on Halloween, but how exactly does it effect teeth. Erika Feltham, a Registered Dental Hygienist, says:

It is not at all surprising that this candy is a contributing factor to acid erosion. With repeated exposure and frequency, sour candy can also lead to a host of oral health problems, including increased cavities, tooth sensitivity, staining, soft-tissue sensitivities and loss of shine.

Halloween candy tips

The following are additional tips for dealing with sour candy on Halloween, contributed by the California Dental Hygienists’ Association (CDHA).

• Look for the following acids on the back label of ingredients and avoid them: citric, lactic, malic, tartaric, fumaric, adipic, ascorbic
• If you choose to consume sour candies, rinse your mouth with water immediately afterwards to reduce the damaging effects from the acids

Your thoughts

Think I’m overreacting. Should we let kid be kids? Let me know.

As an affiliate, I want to do my part to ensure that everybody who’s looking to save money at the dentist can do so at an affordable price. This is especially important with the state of our economy these days.

I don’t want to turn this into a commercial, but if you’re interested in saving 10%-60% at the dentist on most dental care procedures and do not currently have access to dental insurance, you should really check it out.

Visit dentalplancards.com

P.S. Look for tomorrow’s post highlighting the negative effects smoking has on your teeth…

Barely bigger than the average manual toothbrush, this beauty looks like something that even I could grow to love. It’s Oral-B’s newest, and slimmest rechargeable powered toothbrush to date, and claims to “whiten teeth by reducing surface stains by 94% in just two weeks time(Oralb.com).”

The Allure.com Daily Beauty Reporter recently reviewed the Pulsonic™ toothbrush and had this to say:

I’ve always hated electronic toothbrushes. They’re bulky, ugly, clunky, and the sound they make reminds me of a trip to my dentist’s office…That’s why I feel badly even calling the Oral-B Pulsonic an electric toothbrush. It’s in a different class, folks. I used it for a good month before recommending it to you, because I couldn’t believe that I’d actually dropped manual for this buzzing apparatus. (I thought I’d get over the novelty.) But the thing is, it’s the most unoffensive sonic toothbrush yet. I can’t imagine ever going back.

Pretty convincing, but the ultimate convincing would come from trying it yourself, of course. Normally this little beauty retails for $69.95, but Oral-B is running a special promotion offering a $15.00 discount if you fill out a short discount form. The Pulsonic™ is currently available at Amazon.com, drugstore.com and theessentials.com.


Claim your $15.00 Off Coupon

Have You Tried it?

Have you tried this toothbrush? What did you think?

Oh, by the way, I have no idea what they’re saying because it’s in German, but you’ll probably be familiar with the background tracks.

The Dental Band Music Video

Your Thoughts

Are you a dental student? I hear they’re looking for new members.

The Links

1. The current condition of the U.S. Economy is hitting everyone hard, not just those of us living in the United States – as confirmed by the antics of a German dentist recently. According to telegraph.co.uk, a German dentist recently broke into a woman’s house, tied her hands, and forcibly removed bridges from her mouth that her insurance company refused to pay for. Read the full story.

2. A new handheld 3D-imaging technology, called iTero, is allowing Prosthodontists to offer virtual molding to their patients in lieu of the messy, bad-tasting mold material we’re used to. The 3-D technology is currently available in a number of states and is expected to expand in the near future.

3. Colgate has recently warned consumers of counterfeit toothpaste distributed under their name. The counterfeit toothpaste has been imported from South Africa, and contains a harmful ingredient known as diethylene glycol, a chemical found in antifreeze. Read more about Colgate’s warning.

Just as the name of the quiz implies, you’re asked to match celebrity smiles with the proper celebrity. The quiz takes about 5 minutes, so it won’t take up too much of your time. I just took it and scored an 8 out of 10. Guess I need to start reading my tabloids…err…maybe not.

Guess the Celebrity Smile Quiz