Dental Trends – What Works & What Doesn’t?

If you spend any time on Pinterest or Facebook, you’ve likely seen a few recent dental trends. They advertise amazing results for your teeth with little effort or cost! The question is, how effective are some of these new trends?

Below are a few of the more popular things that we’re hearing questions about, as well as a few pros and cons for each:

• Oil Pulling – This isn’t exactly a new trend (oil pulling is around 1,000 years old!), but it has recently gone viral. Oil pulling simply means rinsing or swishing with coconut (or any other cold-pressed oil), for around 15-30 minutes a day.
  Pros – Many of these oils can combat bacteria and germs and are quite affordable when compared to many of the other dental trends.
  Cons – 15-30 minutes can be a very long time to rinse your mouth. In addition, many of the flavors are less than pleasant.
  
  In conclusion, oil pulling does have some redeeming qualities and very few cons. As long as you follow your regular dental hygiene routine in addition to oil pulling, feel free! Let us know about your results!

• Amalgam Fillings – Amalgam fillings are the metal or silver fillings you see in older dental fillings. Recently, there has been some controversy regarding the safety of amalgam fillings as they may contain mercury. It has since been discovered that amalgam fillings have been deemed safe by the FDA for adults and kids over the age of 6. The amount of mercury in amalgam fillings is not high enough to cause any alarm.
  
  However, we want any of our patients to let us know about any concerns about amalgam fillings, including replacing old amalgam fillings with new tooth-colored resin material. We want our patients to feel as comfortable as possible with our dental practices!

• Fluoride Treatments – There have been recent concerns regarding fluoride and its possible link to cancer and autism. Studies have not conclusively linked fluoride to these problems, in instances where fluoride has been used correctly. Like anything, too much fluoride isn’t a good idea, so we here at Meadows Family Dental have clear guidelines regarding your children and their fluoride consumption.
  
  When it comes to fluoride, we recommend fluoride toothpaste for adults and kids 2 and over. Make sure that no more than a pea-sized amount of toothpaste is used for children who still swallow toothpaste. But again, please let us know of any concerns you may have as we’d be glad to address them with you!

For any questions or concerns regarding any recent dental trends, or to make an appointment with Dr. Polson, please contact Castle Rock, CO’s own Meadows Family Dental today!