Posted By: gormandental on

Thursday, February 7th, 2008, 9:37 pm

Hi and welcome to my first blog post ever!  My name is Dr. Marty Gorman and I’m an implant, cosmetic and restorative dentist in Los Angeles.  Cosmetic Dentistry has no doubt been a topic of conversation at many of your recent family and social events, such as charity dinners, cocktail parties, or the backyard barbeque. 

I was recently interviewed for a TV segment on teeth whitening, whitening products and what foods stain teeth.  After the interview I realized what an important topic this really is, as everyone’s smile is the first thing people notice.  Here’s what you need to know to keep your pearly whites sparkling!

Foods and drinks that are notorious teeth stainers:

Tips to consider:

Whitening solutions:

I hope you found some of this information helpful.  More to come…

For questions – gormandental@gmail.com and www.mgormandental.com

Tags: dental care, oral health, dental health, teeth whitening, veneers

Posted By: emmaspirit on

Monday, November 5th, 2007, 11:17 am

As an eco-conscious Adult, I’ve learned that next to eating organic foods, the second best Green thing I can do for my preventative health is to brush with natural, Fluoride-free and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate-free toothpaste.

Why avoid fluoride? Hasn’t this mineral been proven to lower our risk of dental decay? Well, not exactly.  Scientists have closely evaluated the epidemiological “proof,” that fluoride blocks dental decay and the data seems at best sketchy, with some claiming that areas with little fluoride in the water have less decay overall than highly fluoridated regions. 

Fluoride can be quite toxic, hence the warnings on toothpaste cartons about swallowing the stuff! It has been linked to stained teeth, weakened bones, even, in some animal studies, cancer.  So why has it been so widely promoted as the answer to dental decay?  Industrial processing yields huge amounts of fluoride or fluroro silicic acid, a highly toxic substance. Chemical companies, sadly working with government officials, thought the best way to dispose to the material would be to dump it into the water supply and claim it as a gift for our health. The widespread fluoridation of water actually represents one of the greatest human pharmacological experiments ever conducted. 

What is so bad about Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)? This detergent/ foaming agent is often used in personal care products to create foam to properly disperse the ingredients and ensure easy rinsing. People have been conditioned to believe that the foamy suds are part of the cleaning process. However, SLS has been linked to cancer, liver and kidney damage and cataracts. Skin Deep reports that SLS may possibly be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane - a probable carcinogen.

Now I’m not a scientist. I simply prefer the no risk, no cancer option of a chemical-free toothpaste to clean and protect my teeth and gums. And whenever in doubt, I’ll listen to my premonition.

Mary Beth Gonzalez

Tags: fluoride, healthy, green, dental care

Posted By: emmaspirit on

Monday, November 5th, 2007, 11:19 am

Best Natural Dental Care Products:

Kiss My Face: Offers fluoride-free and SLS-free products with no animal ingredients, artificial colors or unnecessary chemicals.

- Wake Up: Certified Organic Aloe Vera Toothpaste, Skin Deep score: 1

- Triple Action AloeDyne Toothpaste, Skin Deep score: 1

- Whitening AloeDyne Toothpaste,  Skin Deep score: 2

- AloeDyne Fresh Breath Mouthwash: Skin Deep score: 2

Jason: A Hain Celestial Group company, their natural and organic toothpastes are fluoride-free and SLS-free.

- Healthy Mouth: Tea Tree Toothpaste, Skin Deep score: 3

- Powersmile Whitening Toothpaste, Skin Deep score: 1

Auromere: Auromere provides Ayurvedic products that are pure, authentic, cruelty-free and their toothpaste contains no fluoride or SLS.  I love their non-foaming, Cardamom and Fennel herbal toothpaste.  

Tom’s of Maine: A Colgate-Palmolive company, Tom’s of Maine sits on both sides of the fence. They offer SLS and Fluoride products as well as SLS-free and fluoride-free toothpastes with glycyrrhizin, derived from licorice root, to foam and disperse ingredients. Skin Deep scores not available for these specific recommended products but other Tom’s of Maine products scores range from 0-5

- Natural Clean & Gentle Care SLS-Free Antiplaque plus Whitening Fluoride-Free Toothpaste

- Natural Sensitive Care SLS-Free Toothpaste

Finding the right natural toothpaste for your personal needs isn’t easy. I’ve often spent more than 30 minutes at a time in the natural beauty aisle reading the detailed toothpaste ingredients. Some “natural” products sneak SLS in as one of the last ingredients. Others list sorbitol, a sugar, as one of the first ingredients. Though sorbitol, unlike common sucrose, isn’t suppose to cause dental decay, why would I want to brush my teeth and gums with sugar? Aren’t I brushing to get rid of the sugar that causes tooth decay? Manufacturers add sorbitol to appeal to the sweet tooth and sugar addictions of consumers.

We can be smarter and not fall for these tricks. We can take our toothbrush into our own hands and stop foaming at the mouth. Mary Beth Gonzalez

Tags: healthy, green, toothpaste, natural, dental care