In my daily practice, I often find infected teeth that the patient is entirely unaware of. Most often, I find asymptomatic infections on radiographs (x-rays). Sometimes, I can see what appears to be a pimple on the gums adjacent to the tooth, usually at the level of the root tip. The pimple is usually on the cheek side (buccal). However, they are occasionally found on the tongue side (known as the palatal on the upper and lingual on the lower). Technically a pimple around a tooth is known as a dentoalveolar fistula. I will talk about what they are, how they form, what to do if you have one, and how to prevent them.

You May Have Tori Growing In Your Mouth. What Are They and Should You Be Concerned?

Many of us have bony lumps either on our palates, on the tongue side of the lower jaw, or both. The growth is called a torus when singular or tori when plural. They are classified as tori palatinus or palatal tori when on the palate. When they are on the tongue side of the mandible, they are classified as tori mandubularis, mandibular tori, or lingual tori. They can also appear on the gums opposite the lips on the upper and lower jaws. When they appear there, they are called buccal tori or exostoses. They are usually nothing to be concerned about from a medical, dental, or esthetic perspective. However, sometimes they can be problematic and require removal. This post will discuss tori, what they are, how to get them properly diagnosed, and, finally, how to treat them if they are problematic.

The Shrinking Face Epidemic Is Happening Right Under Our Noses and It is Killing Us!

I want to share a shocking brief digital simulation showing how our faces have been drastically shrinking over several hundred years. I got it from Dr. Michael Gelb DDS in NYC, who got it from best-selling author James Nestor. Please concentrate on the lower face; you will see how the jaws are shrinking and moving back toward the throat. This causes the tongue to partially or fully occlude the airway, especially when we sleep. You should also notice how the face is less attractive now. In fact, it is rare to see someone who has realized their potential for full facial development. People with properly developed faces will always have straight teeth, room for their wisdom teeth, superior beauty, and better health. Whatever they do for a living, they appear to be actors and models. Since most of us have underdeveloped faces, this epidemic has gone primarily unnoticed by us, including most physicians and dentists. This needs to change because, as you will see in this post, it is one of the major contributing factors for many, if not most, of our modern health problems.