Dr. J. Peter St. Clair

Disease is defined as, “a disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant, especially one that produces specific signs or symptoms or that affects a specific location and is not simply a direct result of physical injury.” Symptoms are those which are...

There have been lots of changes over time in the materials used to restore teeth. Many of the materials I use today were not in existence when I started to practice. The most significant changes have been to materials that are tooth-colored. There are very few...

I remember seeing a commercial for a cholesterol medication in which the person playing the doctor says, “I wish my patients could see what I see.” I think there are two ways to look at that statement. The commercial showed an image of animated artery walls clogging...

There are many people who suffer with pain involving some area of the head. Toothaches can cause pain, but these are mostly avoidable with proper diet, home care and regular visits to your dentist. Teeth can also play an indirect role in facial/head pain. Orofacial...

In the first segment of this series, I discussed the role of caregivers in early dental care. Prevention starts as early as 6 months into pregnancy and continues with essential steps early in a child’s life. The second segment discussed dental care for children as...

Last week I talked about oral care for mothers-to-be and babies. Preventive care truly does start before birth. This week we journey past those early years of life. In preventive-based dental practices we go far beyond saying to patients, “you need to brush and floss...

Research shows that babies are born without any harmful bacteria in their mouths. However, once bacteria colonize in the mouth, children are more prone to cavities in their baby teeth and permanent teeth. How do they get the bacteria? Caregivers. Most parents don’t...

Every once in a while someone will say, “There must be a lot less cavities today than there were years ago because of improved home care, fluoride, etc., right?” There are. However, there are still way too many people that present with decay and most of them could use...

You’ve heard it before – three in four adults over 35 have some form of gum disease. A preponderance of clinical research reveals that gum disease poses a far greater threat to health than just losing a tooth. Periodontal disease may actually increase your risk for a...