This section will be updated every month or whenever something interesting happens in our profession. We will also eventually post our patient newsletter at this site and we'll send you a message to let you know about it, if you give us your email address. We'll also tell you about any exciting news about our office. C'mon, there must be something exciting in dentistry.

• You may have seen recent dental episodes on our watchdog television programs (60 Minutes II, 20/20) whose credo is our-right-to-know-supercedes-our-right-to-exist. Thank God for the media. "Too many minutes" addressed the issue of being put to sleep in the dental office. The American Dental Association had answers to the questions the reporters asked. Of course, when some reporters edit to prepare the final version of their expose´, they just happen to leave out 90% of what the facts are. In this case, the fact is that oral surgeons (who usually perform outpatient anesthesia) have the lowest mortality rate in the entire country. Also, pediatric dentists sedate some children who have difficult behavior. Using the guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, there has never been a fatality in a dental office. However, whenever you are put to sleep, there is always a risk. That is a risk that the patient assumes. In Ohio, dentists who use intravenous sedation (drugs injected into a vein) must have a special license to do so. This is additional protection for the patient.
  
  
• Too much fluoride? Yes, researchers have found that overzealous parents can give their children (under age eight) too much of a good thing. If large quantities of a fluoride toothpaste are used in conjunction with fluoridated drinking water and fluoride supplements from the dentist or pediatrician, then fluorosis can develop. This is when white, brown, or yellow spots can develop on the enamel surfaces of teeth. They aren't pretty and they are frequently seen where an excessive amount of fluoride is naturally present in the water supply (many areas of Texas, for example).
  
  
• Dental researcher reports on sleep apnea. Dr. Arthur Friedlander published a study in the November, 1998, issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association, that symptoms of sleep apnea are; chronic loud snoring, gasping or choking during sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness, accidents at work or during driving, personality changes. Signs of sleep apnea are: obesity (especially in the neck), hypertension, narrowing of the throat. In our office, we fit patients for snoring appliances that sometimes help decrease sleep apnea.
  
  
• Watch for more exciting issues of 'What's New in Dentistry' at this site.
  
  
• Coming soon: Our Patient Newsletter.