Dry Mouth? Not For Long

Dry mouth, caused by a lack of saliva production in your mouth, may be coming to an end. A research team from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio may have found a way to repair those damaged salivary glands. And the key is silk.

Researchers have found that silk, produced by the humble silkworm, provides the perfect scaffolding for stem cells to repair damaged glands, necessary for the production of saliva.

Currently, there is no treatment for low-producing, or non-functioning salivary glands, and they are rarely able to repair themselves. But now that may change. This new treatment may help over 4 million Americans suffering from Sjögren’s Syndrome, an autoimmune disease that attacks the tear ducts and salivary glands. It can also help patients suffering from underactive salivary glands due to radiation treatments used for head, throat, and neck cancers, and even people suffering dry mouth as a side effect of their medications.

Saliva is vital to healthy teeth. It helps prevent oral infections and food buildup, begins the digestion process for food, and helps you with speaking and swallowing. A lack of saliva can lead to tooth decay, cavities, gum disease, bad breath, and more.

If you feel you may be suffering from dry mouth, be sure to discuss it today with your friendly Valencia dentist today.

Go Dental - Top Dentist in Valencia
smile@thedentist.com

Who are America's Top Dentists?

I’m sure you've come across them; ads that proclaim a particular dentist was recently voted “America’s Top Dentist”.  Have you ever stopped and wonder who decides which dentists are worthy of this distinction?  What is the criteria for such a high honor?  What does it take to be recognized as one of “America’s Top Dentists”?

$183.00.  That’s what it takes to become one of America’s Top Dentists as determined by “Consumers’ Research Council of America”.   It’s a huge farce and completely misleading.

Here’s how it works.  Once a year, myself and most every dentist across the United States will get a postcard in the mail from Consumers’ Research Council of America. It states that we have been selected to be listed as one of America’s Top Dentists.  It offers the “opportunity” to purchase a “Museum grade plaque” (which presumably gets displayed in your waiting room) and a listing in on their website and publication.  The company also lets the dentist use this distinction on any promotional materials they may use. 

So basically, if you are a dentist and you pay this company $183.00 you are now deemed America’s Top Dentist.  ABC News did a nice piece on this scam last year.

I’m not saying that list is void of good dentists.  It is important not to assume that if a dentist is on the list that they are bad or dishonest. But it is a deceptive marketing practice which implies that one dentist is better than another without any sound criteria whatsoever. The reality is that this “award” has nothing to do with skill set or patient care.

Next time you are paging through a magazine or a website and you see that a particular dentist was named “America’s Top Dentist”, you will know exactly what that dentist did to deserve that award.  They wrote a check for $183.00.

Go Dental, Your Valencia Dentist