We’re the father-daughter team behind Ask the Dentist

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We started a blog in 2010 because no one was talking about how important oral health is to overall health. The latest scientific advancements in the oral microbiome and dental sleep medicine weren’t making it to the public.

Since then, Ask the Dentist has become one of the largest dental health sites on the web, with millions of readers each year. Our goal is to help you optimize your dental health to unlock better health and well-being.

To your health,

Mark & Catharine

Mission

To help people understand the importance of oral health to overall health.

Philosophy

We take a root cause approach

We must ask “what” is going on as well as “why?” By looking to root causes in dentistry, we prevent illness before it happens by identifying nutrition and lifestyle solutions.

We write simply and clearly

When patients have doctors who explain things simply and clearly, they’re able to make better health decisions for themselves and their families.

We cite credible sources

We cite only primary research sources that are well-designed, well-conducted, and peer-reviewed. You can expect to see links and full citations for peer-reviewed research from trustworthy sources, like PubMed. We’ll also be open about what kind of study you’re looking at and what its limitations might be, including, who funded that study and why might that be?

Our articles are medically reviewed by Dr. B.

All articles are either written or medically reviewed by Dr. Burhenne.

We welcome people who are afraid of the dentist

Being afraid of the dentist is very common. We keep this in mind in our writing to help you feel safe and confident in the dental chair.

We don't do shame

Ever read an article on the internet that made you feel bad for your health-related decisions? Us, too. And it sucks, especially when you’ve been doing your best.

It’s our job to present you with information and options. We want you to walk away empowered, not ashamed.

We suggest products that we’ve actually tested

When we review a toothbrush or any other product, you can trust that we’ve used it ourselves and thoroughly tested its effectiveness.

We’re open about how our website makes a profit

Ask the Dentist is supported by readers via website ads and the purchase of affiliate products.

Buying an affiliate product will never cost you a penny more. If you’d rather not buy through an affiliate link, we encourage you to Google the name of the item you’d like and purchase it that way.

See an ad you don’t like? Please use the “report” link at the bottom of each ad. If you’d rather not see ads on our site, you can install an adblocker plugin on your browser. All of our content will remain totally public and free, even with an adblocker installed.

We also produce thorough downloadable guides on a variety of topics, for a small price, available on our store page.

We’re easy to reach

We are easy to reach via email. Drop us either of us line at [email protected] and [email protected]

About Us

Mark Burhenne, DDS

"Dr. B" & Co-founder

If you had told me that I was going to get fired from my first job out of dental school, I wouldn’t have believed you.

The job was with a dental clinic chain, which I quickly learned was in the business of churning out as much dental work as possible, as quickly as possible—not in helping people.

I went to dental school because I love to teach. The word “doctor” comes from the Latin root for “teacher.” But at this clinic, teaching was viewed as turning away a paying customer.

I stuck it out for a whopping total of nine months, finding every loophole to help my patients work the system, until one day I was caught and promptly fired.

What a gift that experience was. After getting fired, I knew I wanted to start my own clinic, set my own code of ethics, and treat my patients how I knew was right, not how was dictated by corporate or an insurance company.

What I love about Ask the Dentist is getting to work with my daughter, and getting to teach not only my patients here in Northern California, but readers all around the world. Thank you for being here!

[email protected]

Catharine Burhenne

Managing Director & Co-founder

The inspiration for Ask the Dentist struck while I was working at Google. At the time, the company was working on a product called Google Health, which allowed people to search their health records online.

Google struggled to onboard hospitals and was shut down in 2013, saying this: “We continue to be strong believers in the role information plays in healthcare and in improving the way people manage their health, and we’re always working to improve our search quality for the millions of users who come to Google every day to get answers to their health and wellness queries.”

A health revolution wasn’t coming from online health records. It was going to come from online information. I knew I wanted to be a part of that.

Since then, my dad and I have worked to make Ask the Dentist a trusted resource for millions of people. We take the trust you place in us seriously, and we hope that Ask the Dentist empowers you to be healthy and thrive.

[email protected]

Contact

Need to get in touch? Please choose from the options below.

Do you have a medical question?

Dr. Burhenne is unable to give personal health advice. As much as he wishes he could help each reader individually, he cannot offer specific advice for anyone other than his patients. You must consult your dentist.

If you’re facing a medical emergency, call your local emergency services immediately, or visit the nearest emergency room or urgent care center.

Need to report an inaccuracy or site issue?

Please email our managing editor: [email protected]

Mailing Address

2261 Market Street #509
San Francisco, CA 94114