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A weekly podcast series where Dr. Burhenne answers your questions directly.
Each episode addresses a reader’s question through the lens of Dr. B’s root cause and evidence-based approach to dental health and dentistry.
Dr. B loves answering your questions. Record a voicemail for your chance to have it answered in a future episode.
One of the most flattering things is knowing that there are fellow functional dentists who listen to the show. Today’s question is from an aspiring functional dentist, and Dr. B dives into the oral microbiome. We hear about an article published in the Journal of Dentistry that looked at the plaque pH of caries-free versus caries-active individuals….
Fillings are very common procedures and while they are preventable, they still happen. So, if you are getting a filling done, should you go with metal or plastic as your material of choice? Today, Dr. B outlines these two materials and weighs up the pros and cons of each. Even though plastic is not good…
This week’s listener question concerns the relationship between sinus infections and tooth pain. Our skulls can often be compared to a laptop, not just because of its processing power, but also because it has so many intricate parts compressed inside a small space. For this reason, it can often be difficult to differentiate between sinus…
Geographic tongue is a common, easy-to-spot oral condition, where the tongue takes on an atlas-like appearance. There are white borders around patches on the surface of the tongue, and in some cases, the condition can be painful. So, what causes this problem? In today’s episode, Dr. B gets into some of the potential factors that…
When it comes to making dental health decisions for yourself or your children, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. There is no absolute right or wrong decision, so it is often about finding the lesser of two evils. This is why it is important to do as much research as you can, and to find…
This episode is all about one of the most hyped-up topics in dentistry: whitening. While Dr. B has spoken on the topic previously and there is plenty of information available on his website, today’s episode looks at whitening in the context of a new substance on the market that claims to be safer than conventional…
In today’s episode, Dr. B answers a listener’s question about whether the Epstein-Barr virus is responsible for her bleeding gums. EBV is a systemic infection with an oral manifestation meaning it acts as a great springboard to talk about the oral-systemic connection as well. EBV is more colloquially known as the ‘kissing disease’ and commonly…
The majority of consumers take it as a given that all kinds of toothpaste from major brands are safe and effective. But as Dr. B will attest in today’s episode, this is not necessarily the case. Most toothpaste brands use harsh surfactants and chemicals to keep their manufactured batches homogenous. These act as a disinfectant…
Sjögren’s is an autoimmune disease that wreaks havoc on your immune system. One of the major symptoms of the disease is a dry mouth, the result of attacks on your saliva glands. As saliva plays a pivotal role in speaking, swallowing, and eating, having a dry mouth can be highly problematic. This issue does not…
Today we dive into a question that has been a sensitive topic for a long time. We are talking about the dangers of fluoride and providing some advice for the best practices for parents wondering about steps to take to prevent their children from ingesting the chemical. This subject has been discussed for decades now,…
If you have ever been prescribed toothpaste such as PreviDent 5000, you might have wondered how they work and whether there are any non-fluoride alternatives. The good news is there are, and they are extremely safe to use. In today’s episode, Dr. B shed light on hydroxyapatite toothpaste and why they are such great replacements…
If you haven’t heard of miswak, you are not alone. Despite its prevalence in many Muslim and Arab countries, it is not widely known around the world. Miswak is a tooth-cleaning twig or chewing stick made from the roots of the Arak tree, Salvadora persica. In today’s episode, Dr. B sheds some light on this…
If your child is having difficulty with anxiety or concentration it is a good idea to consider whether poor sleep is the culprit. Today on the show, Dr. B responds to a question from a listener in which she asks if it is a good idea to suggest mouth taping to her 14-year-old daughter. Dr….
An issue that causes a great deal of confusion is whether or not patients need to premedicate before a dental procedure. While your physician may recommend one thing, your dentist might say another, and as a patient, this can be stressful and anxiety-inducing. In today’s episode, Dr. B sheds light on this topic and talks…
For today’s episode, we are focusing on clenching, looking at some of the root causes, risk factors, and links to gum recession. This is an important and complex topic that comes up a lot in dental work, with some notable progress being made in understanding it in recent decades. It is also a great proxy…
There are many factors that can attribute to cavities, many of which, play an important role in the management of oral hygiene. In today’s episode, Dr. B goes dives into an explanation behind the factors that need to be addressed when taking oral care into consideration. He shares some key points regarding the dry mouth…
Cavitations are not widely recognized in the field of dentistry, despite a growing body of evidence to support their effects on the body. In today’s episode, Dr. B explains what cavitation is, how this empty space in your body – where no bone exists – links to chronic disease, and walks us through steps to…
Gum recession is something that affects many people of all ages. Today, Dr. B explores this common issue, what the symptoms are, and gives insights into the most common causes of the condition. These include aggressive orthodontics, food trauma, and tongue and lip-ties, among others. We also hear about ways that you can prevent your…
Oral health is about so much more than cavities. It is linked to our overall health, and there are ties between a lack of oral health and chronic health struggles later in life. Fluoride is a controversial topic, and in today’s episode, Dr. B talks about this prevalent neurotoxin. We begin by hearing about why…
Finding the right advice and navigating the system when it comes to treating sleep apnea can be frustrating. So, today, Dr. B is addressing five relevant questions related to sleep apnea. These are questions that he and his wife had and struggled to answer, even as medical professionals, when they found out about their sleep…
Most of us are familiar with Dr. Bronner’s, a company that produces a host of hygiene products, including hand and body soaps, toothpaste, and hand disinfectant. You might have seen that they say that their castile soap can be used as toothpaste, but is this safe? In today’s episode, Dr. B dives into what castile…
There is an apparent dearth of literature and conversation on the topic of tongue-tie surgery for adults and today’s listener question asks why that is. There are a few probable and possible reasons for this, and it is very relevant to ask the question in the first place, as treatment of the condition is as…
If you have ever been in a situation where your partner or a friend, who is not as careful with their oral health as you are, comes back with a clean report while you’re struggling with cavities, you know how frustrating this can be. So, why do some people get more plaque than others? It…
Grinding your teeth at night, or sleep bruxism, is a common problem, and dentists have typically taken a teeth-protection first approach through night guards or TMJ splints. As research emerges around the topic of sleep bruxism, findings show that there is a link between sleep and nighttime grinding. In today’s episode, Dr. B talks about…
Dr. B loves answering your questions. Record a voicemail for your chance to have it answered in a future episode.
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