The Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS) is dedicated to educating the public about the importance of oral health and the connection between a healthy mouth and overall well-being. Browse this page for trusted information on a wide variety of oral health topics produced by the MDS and the American Dental Association.
Your teeth and gums hold important clues to other health issues. Research shows that poor oral health can be a sign of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, premature births, and osteoporosis. Learn more about the association between your oral health and your overall well-being.
As a parent, you know that your baby's health is the most important priority. By showing children at a very young age the importance of taking care of their teeth and gums every day, parents will be providing them with a lifetime of healthy smiles. Learn more about baby oral health including teething, thumbsucking and pacifier use, baby bottle tooth decay, brushing and flossing, and first dental visits.
Caring for your teeth is essential for maintaining good oral hygiene and overall health. Learn more about how things like brushing and flossing, fluoride, and avoiding sugar can help you take care of your teeth.
They are annoying, painful, and embarrassing and can interfere with smiling, eating, and speaking. They affect millions of people every year and are caused by a number of different factors. While some mouth sores are more of a nuisance than anything else, others can be especially harmful to your dental health and overall health.
Playing sports is often about winning and losing. But losing should not include your teeth. Just as helmets, shoulder pads, and knee pads are worn to protect against sports-related injuries, mouthguards—also called mouth protectors—are an equally important piece of protective gear.
Dentists have a responsibility to provide safe and effective pain relief for their patients while at the same time limiting the prescription of opioids to an appropriate amount. Dentists play a vital role in preventing the abuse and misuse of prescription medications.
Oral and oropharyngeal cancers occur in the mouth, in the very back of the mouth (the oropharynx), and on the exterior lip of the mouth. The mortality rate is particularly high, not because it is difficult to diagnose, but because it often goes unnoticed. That is why awareness and early protection are so important.
You know that smoking is bad for your health, so it should be no surprise that e-cigarettes, vape pens, and other tobacco products also can be harmful to your oral health.
