Famous People Were Dentists

We hope you found last week’s blog interesting, and, as promised, here are some more famous X-dentists!

Zane Grey is famous for writing Western novels.  Before writing over 80 books, Pearl Zane Grey was a practicing dentist in New York.  Unfortunately, he lost his love of dentistry – it just decayed, and he quickly abandoned the field when he became a published author.  Zane Grey went on to become one of history’s first millionaire authors.

This next famous person’s story is very interesting.  It may seem ironic that the creator of a company specializing in sugar-laden fruit juices was also a dentist, but it’s true.  Thomas Welch was the founder of Welch’s, and he was a dentist before he retired and became famous for inventing a pasteurization process for grape juice that kept it from fermenting.  Welch’s intention was to create a non-alcoholic wine that could be used at the sacrament in churches.

Paul Revere is famous as the Revolutionary War hero who made his midnight ride to warn people that “The British are coming!  The British are coming!”  He was a skilled silversmith who also advertised his services as a dentist and was known for making false teeth for his patients.

We hope you found this dental trivia interesting.  For information about a full range of dentalservices visit www.TavorminaDentistry.com

What Is The Silent Killer?

Close to 40,000 Americans will be diagnosed with the silent killer this year.  It will cause over 8,000 deaths, killing about one person per hour, every hour of every day.  Of those 40,000 newly diagnosed individuals, only slightly more than half, or approximately 57%, will be alive in five years.

What is this silent killer?  Oral cancer!  The death rate for oral cancer is higher than that of cancers which we hear about routinely, such as cervical cancer, laryngeal cancer, or lung cancer, and so on.

Statistics show that a younger age group, including those who have never used any tobacco products, is being diagnosed with oral cancer.  There is a viral based cause, the human papilloma virus, particularly version 16, which has been shown to be sexually transmitted between partners, and is conclusively implicated in the increasing incidence of young non-smoking oral cancer patients.  This is the same virus, along with other similar viruses, that is the cause of 90% of cervical cancers.  The Oral Cancer Foundation’s data in the last few years suggests that this virus may even be replacing tobacco as the primary cause of oral cancer in people under the age of 50.

Early stage oral cancer is often painless and goes undetected.  If dentists and patients wait until symptoms arise, sadly it might be too late.  Over the last few years technology with oral cancer screening has become more advanced.  At Tavormina Dentistry we offer  the Vizilite oral cancer screening test.  Many of our patients tell us the small fee is worth the peace of mind and they appreciate that we offer this diagnostic life-saving tool.

For information about other dental topics visit www.DrTav.com

Famous People Who started their careers as Dentists

There are some rather interesting famous people who started their careers as dentists.

Did you know that Edgar Buchanan the popular character actor started out as a successful dentist before moving to California in 1939.  He was probably best known for his memorable roles in 1960’s sitcoms like “Petticoat Junction,” “Green Acres,” and “The Beverly Hillbillies.”  Once the acting bug bit him, he left dentistry, but, interestingly enough, his wife actually took over his practice after he retired.

“Doc“ Holliday was known for his friendship with Wyatt Earp and their famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral.  Actually, Doc Holliday was a dentist who was trained in Pennsylvania and developed a booming little practice in Atlanta.  Unfortunately, he contracted tuberculosis and was forced to leave his practice and move out West, where the rest is history.

Mark Spitz was known for his record-breaking 7 gold medals won at the 1972 Olympics in swimming.  What you may not know is that he was actually accepted into dental school earlier, but he decided to pursue his Olympic swimming dreams instead. 

Follow us next week when I’ll continue with another group of people who were dentists before their fame.

For information about a wide variety of dental topics visit www.tavorminadentistry.com

Being Overweight Linked To Higher Risk Of Gum Disease

We all know that obesity is a major health concern for us Americans, but did you also know that obesity is now being linked to a higher likelihood of having gum disease!?  An increased risk for gum disease is added to the list of risk factors the obese have to face, such as developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain forms of cancer.

This new information was published in the January/February 2013 issue of General Dentistry, the clinical journal of the Academy of General Dentistry.   The obese produce excessive cytokines, which are proteins with inflammatory properties.  These cytokines may directly injure the gums or reduce blood flow to the gum tissues, thus promoting the development of gum disease.

More than half of our population age 30 and older is affected by gum disease, which is a chronic inflammatory infection that affects the gums and bone that support teeth.  Continued research will explore the relationship between obesity and gum disease.  It’s interesting that there is a great percentage of the population that suffers with both gum disease and obesity.

The best way to reduce the risk of developing gum disease is to have effective daily personal dental homecare that includes brushing, flossing, rinsing, and appropriate professional cleanings.

For more information about gum disease and other dental topics visit www.DrTav.com

Is Winter Affecting Your Fitness?

In our blog we usually talk about issues relating to dental health.  We have previously pointed out that there is a link between oral health and your overall health and that link is very important.  It’s also important to keep your overall health in mind and make it a priority.

I don’t know about you, but unfortunately I am affected by the winter weather when it comes to outside activity.  I really have a hard time taking the cold and don’t like to walk on snowy or icy streets.  I find it difficult to be cold at the beginning of winter outdoors activities, and then get too warm as a sweat builds up from activity.  Wearing layers helps, of course, but then I have to carry all the layers that come off!  I certainly admire people who make winter outdoors activities work!

Research has shown that less sunlight also affects our mood and our health.  When there’s no sunshine and just the cold, it’s time for some of us to just stay indoors and keep as warm as possible.  What can be done to avoid becoming sedentary if the winter weather affects you this way?  Find indoor activities you enjoy!

My favorite go-to indoors exercises are yoga and dancing.  I start the morning with 20 minutes of yoga to loosen up the stiffness from inactivity during sleep.  Then there’s dance to liven things up and increase circulation and strengthen and tighten muscles.There are so many DVD’s to pick from.  I enjoy Zumba and would love to learn belly dancing.  It may look easy, but it’s really quite a workout!

This only scratches the surface.  So put your thinking caps on if you won’t venture out in the cold, and find other ways to exercise that don’t involve the outdoors.

Remember to visit us at DrTav.com for dental information! 

Risks Of Lip Cancer

Long-term use of commonly prescribed blood pressure medications may be associated with an increased risk of lip cancer in non-Hispanic whites, according to a study published in the September 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research in Oakland compared 712 patients with lip cancer with 22,904 control participants in a susceptible group of non-Hispanic whites.

They determined  participants’ use of photosensitizing and nonphotosensitizing blood pressure medications.  The investigators analyzed use of each drug exclusively and regardless of use of the others and focused on duration of use.  They also controlled for cigarette smoking.

The results showed that the risk of developing squamous cell lip cancer was higher among those who received long-term treatment with photosensitizing blood pressure medications.  Nonphotosensitizing atenolol, when used alone, was not associated with an increased risk, the authors wrote.

Lip cancer remains rare, and an increased risk of developing it is generally outweighed by the benefits of these blood pressure drugs and other photosensitizing medications.  Physicians prescribing photosensitizing drugs should ascertain whether patients are at high risk of developing lip cancer by virtue of fair skin and long-term sun exposure and discuss lip protection with them.

Although not yet confirmed by clinical trials, likely preventive measures are simple: a hat with a sufficiently wide brim to shade the lips and lip sunscreens.

For information about other dental topics visit www.DrTav.com

Dental Disease And Poor Academic Performance Linked

Poor oral health may affect academic performance, according to a study published in the September issue of American Journal of Public Health.

Researchers from the Ostrow School of Dentistry of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles performed clinical dental examinations in 1,495 socioeconomically disadvantaged elementary and high school students in the Los Angeles Unified School District.  They then matched the children’s oral health status to academic achievement and attendance records.

Children who reported experiencing recent tooth pain were almost four times more likely than those without tooth pain to have a grade point average lower than the median grade point average of 2.8, the authors wrote.

In addition, the investigators found that elementary school students missed, on average, six days of school per year, and high school students missed 2.6 days.  For elementary students, 2.1 days of missed school were due to dental problems, and high school  students missed 2.3 days due to dental issues.  This shows that oral health problems are a very significant factor in school absences.

Accessibility of dental care was one factor in determining whether children missed school as a result of dental health problems, the authors wrote.  They found that 11% of children who had limited access to dental care – owing to lack of insurance, lack of transportation, or other barriers – missed school because of poor oral health.  In contrast, only 4% of children who had easier access to dental care missed school, the authors wrote.

For information about other dental topics visit www.TavorminaDentistry.com