Word of Mouth

Winter-Spring 2021

It's Safe to Go to the Dentist During COVID-19

Since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit the United States, our lives have changed dramatically. Quarantine lockdowns have forced many of us to switch on a dime to working from home and learning virtually. We’ve worn face masks, washed our hands, and used hand sanitizer. We’ve followed social distancing guidelines and stayed home, canceling in-person playdates, family gatherings, and large holiday celebrations. We’ve done all this to help slow the spread of the coronavirus so that we can protect our community, our loved ones, and ourselves. Fear of contracting COVID-19 has been a big influencer in the past year, and for good reason. However, the Massachusetts Dental Society wants to let residents know that you shouldn’t let that fear force you to overlook your oral health. It is safe to go to the dentist right now, even for routine cleaning and exams. Your teeth and gums hold important clues to other health issues (such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, premature births, and osteoporosis), so delaying your routine dental care could be detrimental to your oral and overall health.

Also in This Issue:

• Don't Let COVID-19 Stress Grind You Down
• With School Sports Seasons in Flux, Mouth Safety Remains a Concern for Young Athletes
• Using Antibiotics Wisely
• Five Tips to Improve Your Child's Oral Health

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Summer-Fall 2020

COVID-19 and Your Oral Health

Health experts have spent most of 2020 instructing us on how we can all help flatten the curve and slow COVID-19 infection rates by washing our hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds and following social distancing guidelines such as wearing a mask, avoiding large gatherings, maintaining a safe distance (6 feet away) from others, and staying home if we’re not feeling well. The coronavirus is scary enough and warrants our concern, but things are about to get even more complicated as we enter cold and flu season. But by following some basic precautions, you and your family can stay physically healthier and maintain good oral health.

Also in This Issue:

• Eat Better to Curb Pandemic Weight Gain and Have a Healthy Smile
• Protecting You During Your Dental Visit
• Don't Let Halloween Play Tricks on Your Kids' Teeth

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Winter-Spring 2020

Teeth Whitening: Fact vs. Fiction

Nothing beats the confidence that comes with a sparkling white smile. Brushing your teeth for at least two minutes twice a day, flossing daily, and visiting your dentist regularly for checkups and cleanings will help keep your teeth clean and healthy. So will limiting foods that stain your teeth and not smoking or using tobacco. Still, many people are looking for additional ways to combat stained or yellow teeth and achieve a brighter smile. From at-home whitening kits to natural ingredients found in your kitchen, there is no shortage of methods featured online and in magazines. But do they work? And are they safe? Here’s what you need to know to separate fact from fiction.

Also in This Issue:

• Marijuana and Your Oral Health
• Year-Round Tips for Better Oral Health
• Small Bites: Kombucha / Flossing First? / Acupuncture

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Summer-Fall 2019

Online Orthodontics: Too Good To Be True?

You’re scrolling through your Facebook newsfeed and you see a smiling face. It’s not a friend, but an attractive model and an ad promising straighter teeth “3x faster than braces” and invisible aligners delivered directly to you. Sounds appealing, right? Thousands of consumers have responded to the allure of “quick,” “convenient,” “cost-effective,” and “hassle-free” orthodontics by putting their smile—and their oral health—in the hands of these online companies. But is it safe?

Also in This Issue:

• Oral and Throat Cancer: What You Need to Know
• An Eating Plan for Healthy Gums
• Toothpaste and Kids: A Little Dab Will Do Ya'

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Winter-Spring 2019

The Youth Vaping Epidemic

Everyone knows that smoking is bad for your health. From an oral health perspective, smoking and tobacco products can cause bad breath and stained teeth—and that’s only the beginning. Smoking can also lead to gum disease, oral cancer, heart and lung disease, and other serious health problems. But what about e-cigarettes? And vaping? Do they pose the same health threats?

Also in This Issue:

• What Your Dentist Wants You to Know
• Just Take 2 (Minutes)
• The Nightly Grind: Four Signs a Mouthguard May Be Right for You
• Toothpaste Tangle Puzzle

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Summer-Fall 2018

Bubble Trouble?

You know that soda isn’t a healthy way to quench your thirst, but sometimes you just want a little fizzy burst, so you reach for a sparkling water or seltzer. But do those little bubbles spell trouble for your teeth? Before you put that glass down, here are some facts on the fizz.

Also in This Issue:

The Dangers of "Dr. Google"
The Gum Disease—Cancer Link
Dealing with a Dental Emergency
Word Decoder
Canning Tooth Decay

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Winter-Spring 2018

FLOSSophy® 101

The oral health lesson plan for children includes how often to brush their teeth (twice a day with fluoride toothpaste) and when to visit the dentist (twice a year for checkups and dental cleanings). But brushing and dental cleanings aren’t the only important items on the anticavity curriculum. One other oral health habit on the list goes a long way to achieving your optimum oral health: flossing. The Massachusetts Dental Society’s Dental FLOSSophy® educates children on the importance of flossing every day and demonstrates the proper way to floss.

Also in This Issue:

• Dealing with Dental Chair Fear
• Diabetes and Oral Health
• Sensitive Teeth: Wince Not, Want Not
• Tooth Fairy Maze
• Age 1 Checkups

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Summer-Fall 2017

Kids' Oral Health: Who's the Boss?

Given their age, young children are not always capable of knowing what is best for them to help them lead happier and healthier lives, and so parents must steer their youngsters down the right path. And that includes helping them to develop good oral hygiene skills, such as brushing their teeth twice a day. When it comes to your child's oral health, you are indeed the boss.

Also in This Issue:

• Stay in the Game: Wear a Mouthguard
• Root Canal: The More You Know
• Halloween Candy Can Be Frightening for Kids' Teeth
• Word Puzzle

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Winter-Spring 2017

Cavity Conundrum

It’s a cavity conundrum. In the morning, you brush with fluoridated toothpaste and swish with antiseptic mouthwash. In the evening, you brush and floss. You may even go the extra mile to scrape the film off your tongue every day. And you definitely visit the dentist every six months to ensure your “chiclets” are in top form. But wait. What? A cavity? Why? What causes some people to have cavities while others don't?

Also in This Issue:

• Taking Your Bad Breath Away
• Oral Health Crossword Puzzle
• A "Pain" in the Mouth: Mouth Sores
• Canning Tooth Decay
• Fluoride

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Summer-Fall 2016

Oral Piercing—An Oral Health Don't 

This fall saw multitudes of students returning to college at many of the Boston-area schools, but some may be returning home for Thanksgiving or winter break with more than just their laundry to be washed. While many consider having their ears pierced a rite of passage, today’s teens and young adults are often turning to another type of piercing as a fashion statement—oral piercing. The Massachusetts Dental Society discourages patients from getting oral piercings because of their serious oral health complications.


Also in this issue:

• Kids and Tooth Grinding
• You Can Help Reduce Opioid Abuse
• Don't Toss the Floss
• Smokeless Tobacco Taken Out of the Ballgame in Boston

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Summer-Fall 2015

Back to School for Kids' Teeth, Too

While your child’s annual physical exam, which includes vision and hearing tests, is indeed essential, it overlooks an important part of a child’s health—oral health. Cavities are one of the most prevalent infectious diseases among U.S. children, with more than 51 million school hours lost each year due to dental-related causes in the United States. In addition to the oral health implications of dental disease, children can’t concentrate and learn when they have a toothache. That’s why the Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS) thinks it’s important that parents ensure that their children’s teeth are healthy and cavity-free by scheduling a dental exam as part of the back-to-school routine for all students.

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Baby Boomers Cut Their Teeth on Oral Health Issues

As the oldest members of the Baby Boom generation ease into retirement age, their thoughts most likely turn to spending more time with their grandchildren, taking up a new hobby, or volunteering. One thing that they shouldn’t overlook is their oral health. Just like the rest of the body, the mouth is affected by advancing age and undergoes changes impacting teeth’s appearance and, more importantly, health. Understanding these changes and what can be done about them is key to maintaining good oral health. Healthy teeth and gums are important to people of all ages, and a healthy mouth plays an important role in chewing food, in speaking, and in overall health. Here are some things for Baby Boomers to consider as they prepare their smiles for retirement.

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Can Stressing Out Stress Your Gums?

Stress is something we all face at one time or another, but does cramming for a test or feeling the pressure of bills really wear on our oral health as well as our nerves? Stress has already been linked to many serious health conditions, including heart disease and stroke, and now it seems that stress has been caught—this time red-gummed—in yet another unsavory act of hostility upon our bodies: gum disease.

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Bring in Da Brush, Bring in Da Fun!

As important as it is to make sure that your children get nutritious meals and plenty of sleep to help them grow into healthy adults, you also need to remember the importance of good oral health, and that includes brushing their teeth for two minutes twice a day. Although instilling this healthy habit in young children can often be a frustrating endeavor for parents, it is possible to show kids that brushing doesn’t have to be a chore. Here are some tips for bringing the fun to toothbrushing.

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Summer Smile Safety Tips

While many of us are enjoying time away from work and school by lounging at the beach, camping in the mountains, or embarking on another summer adventure, we often don’t think about our oral health. As the Go-Gos sang in their 1982 hit, “Vacation, all I ever wanted!” However, the Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS) notes that one thing you don’t want on your summer vacation is a dental disaster.

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Winter-Spring 2013

Guess Who? Celebrity Smiles

Massachusetts is well known for its contributions to all cultural arenas, including history, politics, entertainment, journalism, and professional sports. In fact, the Bay State is the birthplace and/or adopted home base of a multitude of famous faces. The men and women pictured here are celebrated worldwide for their talents in movies, television, music, politics, and professional sports—but they all have “roots” in Massachusetts. Can you figure out who these famous Bay Staters are? You know their faces . . . but can you recognize their smiles? 

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Summer-Fall 2012

"Baby" Those Teeth

A baby’s first year is marked with many milestones: that first smile, word, step, and tooth. Parents wait anxiously for all of these first-time events—and then boast about them to family and friends on Facebook. But there’s one other important “first” in a baby’s life that parents need to anticipate: the first dental visit. The Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS), the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), the American Dental Association (ADA), and the Massachusetts Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (MAPD) all recommend scheduling a baby’s first visit to the dentist within six months of the eruption of the first tooth, and no later than your child’s first birthday.

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HPV and the Changing Face of Oral Cancer

When we think of someone being diagnosed with oral cancer, usually a person who smokes cigars or cigarettes, drinks alcohol excessively, or has chewed smokeless tobacco for years comes to mind. However, new research shows that certain types of oral cancers can also be caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), and the number of cases is growing. HPV is a virus that has more than 100 strains, including two sexually transmitted types known as HPV-16 and HPV-18, which are both aggressive, high-risk strains that can also lead to certain types of cervical and oral cancers. 

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Girls Just Wanna Have Healthy Gums

It’s been argued in popular culture that “men are from Mars, women are from Venus” when it comes to relationships. In his 1992 self-help book with the same title, Dr. John Gray theorized that the genders are as different as beings from another planet. He applied this theory to relationships with regard to communication styles and emotional needs, and speculated those differences are the basis for most relationship problems. When it comes to oral health, another difference may be attributed along gender lines: Hormones may make women more susceptible to periodontal disease.

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How’s this for perspective? In the winter of 2001, Word of Mouth went to press with its rst issue just as the new president, George W. Bush, was coming to Washington; Osama bin Laden was an obscure name to most people, related to some bombings in the Middle East; and Barack Obama was a little-known Illinois state senator from Chicago. In the sports world, the New England Patriots had yet to win even one of their three Super Bowl trophies, and a Red Sox World Series victory seemed like a hopeless dream. In the world of dentistry, concerns presented in our first issue, Winter-Spring 2001, included the increasing prevalence of oral cancer related to tobacco use, the potential problems related to the youthful trend of oral piercings, and the growing trend of adult orthodontics. As the decade progressed, these topics and many more have been covered in Word of Mouth, revealing a multitude of advances, trends, and opportunities to promote oral health as it relates to overall health.

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Pierce Out

In this day and age, an earring stud or hoop protruding out of someone’s tongue or lip is not an unusual sight. Today, body piercings are seen as a fashion statement, worn as accessories—as innocuous as wearing a ring or a necklace. Some view it as art, while others view it as a form of expressing their identity. However, oral piercing, which involves the tongue, lips, or cheeks, has actually been implicated in a number of harmful dental conditions and could be a potential risk to your health. So when it comes to making a fashion statement with oral piercing, you’re better off just saying “pierce out.”

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Does Your Diet Need a Dental Do-Over?

Most college students—and many high school and grammar school students—eat the majority of their meals in a cafeteria or dining hall, and they may not realize how their food choices affect their oral health.

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Got Dentist?

Surprisingly enough, nearly half of all Americans (46 percent) do not have a general dentist. And for those of you who move to a new city or town, or whose dentist retires, finding a new dentist can be a difficult task, especially if you are living in a community where you don’t know many people. Asking for referrals is a good place to start, but ultimately you will have to decide which dentist is best suited to your individual needs and situation. A variety of factors can come into play when choosing a dentist, ranging from the office’s location to the practice’s hours to the level of care you require to the languages spoken to whether the practice is accepting new patients.

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A Bundle of Joy and a Healthy Mouth

A woman’s body goes through many changes when she is expecting a baby. But some moms-to-be may not be aware that, as a result of pregnancy, their teeth and gums also undergo changes that can have health ramifications. Since oral health is a part of overall health, it comes as no surprise that maintaining a healthy mouth during pregnancy can lead to a healthier mom and a healthier baby.

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Preschool Dental Care: Big Lessons for Little Mouths

Dental health problems can begin at a very early age.That’s why the Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS) recommends establishing a positive relationship between your preschooler and his or her dentist by starting dental visits early and continuing checkups regularly.

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A Healthy Mouth and a Healthy Earth

You’re brushing your teeth at least twice a day for two minutes, using fluoride toothpaste, and flossing regularly. That’s all good stuff for your mouth (and your overall health), but did you know that while you’re being good to your oral health, you could also be good to our planet?

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Balancing Your Oral Health and Your Overall Health

The Massachusetts Dental Society wants you to know that your oral health does indeed play a part in your total health. Specifically, poor oral health has been shown to be a precursor or indicator of heart illness, stroke, diabetes, low-birth-weight and/or premature births, and even mental health issues such as depression. According to the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), research shows that more than 90 percent of all systemic diseases have oral symptoms. Dentists know that your teeth and gums hold important clues to other health issues, which means that those twice-a-year visits to your dentist can be an even more important tool in helping you maintain not just a healthy smile, but also a healthy body.

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Going Green with Your Toothpaste

It’s not uncommon to walk down the health and beauty product aisle at your local supermarket and find products labeled “natural” and “organic,” including oral hygiene products such as toothpaste, mouthwash, and dental floss. But if you do decide to go “green” with your toothpaste purchase, could your teeth be missing out on the healthiest ingredient of all, fluoride?

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While oral cancer may not have as high a public profile as other cancers, the fatality rate for oral cancer is higher than that for cervical cancer, Hodgkin’s disease, skin cancer, and cancer of the brain, liver, testes, or kidney. Being aware of the symptoms of oral cancer, which means performing regular self-examinations and having your dentist perform a professional oral cancer screening as part of your routine checkup, can be a tremendous aid in recognizing and detecting oral cancer and possibly increasing the chance for recovery. In the face of such scary statistics, it comes down to this: You are the most important factor in the early diagnosis of oral cancer.

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Just Chew It

We’ve all seen the television commercials and heard that familiar tagline: “Four out of five dentists recommend chewing sugarless gum.” But do we know why dentists recommend chewing gum? After a meal—especially at a restaurant or on the run—we don’t always have access to a toothbrush, but by stimulating the production of saliva, chewing gum serves as a makeshift cleaner. But it’s not as simple as chewing any gum. There are some gums available that feature an extra ingredient—a natural sweetener called xylitol—that has been proven to dramatically reduce the occurrence of new tooth decay, as well as slow the effects of existing decay.

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Brush with Fame

Word of Mouth surveyed a variety of celebrities with ties to Massachusetts—some locally grown, some nationally known—to ask them what kind of toothbrush they use (electric with all the bells and whistles or no-frills manual) and what color it is. So if you’ve ever wondered what type of toothbrush your favorite Boston-area celebrity (and a few you maybe didn’t know had ties to the Bay State) uses, read on. And the next time you brush your teeth, you may find yourself thinking about which other celebs use the same color toothbrush you do.

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The Tooth About Your Diet

It’s difficult to live in this health-conscious day and age and not be aware that what you eat can adversely affect your overall health. A poor diet resulting in excess weight gain can lead to diabetes, heart disease, and other potentially debilitating or fatal diseases. But did you know that your overall health includes your oral health, and that a poor diet can affect your teeth and gums?

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