Dr. J. Peter St. Clair

Dental hygienists love it when they make suggestions to patients about home care and their dreams are answered when the patient returns 6 months later with noticeable improvement. It might be as simple as adding a good electric toothbrush or waterpik to the patient’s...

Let’s use this hypothetical situation: You have not been to dentist in a while (pick a time frame), you are well aware you need some dental work, you were given the recommendation of a dentist by a friend…..and, you decide to visit that dentist and four other dentists...

I have had a few patients ask recently about the order of oral hygiene activities. Does it matter if you brush or floss first, and should this be done before or after breakfast? Based on available research, it seems opinion matters as much as scientific facts. A...

It is not uncommon for me to get a strange look when I ask a patient about snoring in the dental office. After an explanation about some of the reasons I include this on my medical history form, the patient will often say, “Well, I don’t snore but my spouse (usually...

This week the topic has nothing to do with dentistry. It is a topic that some will be able to relate to and others may not. It is a topic that some may appreciate and others may criticize. It may be something you have thought about before or maybe have never thought...

Last week I discussed some of the content that was presented in a recent U.S. News & World Report which featured seven pages of information on dentistry. This is a continuation of that. One of the columns in this section of the report entitled, “Guarding Kids’ First...

A recent U.S. News & World Report featured seven pages of information on dentistry. Although I was surprised that most of the information was accurate, as the media often skews the facts to make a point, there were a few things that I felt needed clarification. The...

Baseball season is here. Here’s a lesson about why it’s important to protect your teeth no matter what you are playing. In the spring of 1939, in celebration of the 100th year anniversary of baseball, catcher Joe Sprinz of the Pacific Coast League’s San Francisco...

Dental caries (cavities, decay) is still very prevalent in today’s society. There are many factors that contribute to dental decay. In addition, there are some people who are more susceptible to decay than others. In a recent article in the Journal of the American...

Last week I introduced a couple who had been seeing the same dentist for 30 years and were finally forced to make a change due to the dentist’s retirement. They visited a “new” dentist and were turned off because the dentist recommended significant treatment. Then...