I’m writing to you from our barn here in Napa Valley on a gorgeous, bluebird day. I hope many of you are enjoying a day off today, whether for President’s Day or Carnevale.
Lots of exciting things to share today, starting with a new episode of the podcast, where I’m joined by my friend and IFM-certified pediatric dentist, Dr. Staci Whitman and an exciting tongue tie-focused Q&A I hope you’ll join me for this Wednesday—mark your calendars. 📆
1. NEW EPISODE: What’s the difference between a canker sore and a cold sore? (Listen to the episode) 🎧
Don’t miss this episode where we talk root causes of cankers and cold sores, how to prevent them from happening, and what to do when you get one. We go into how they relate to oral microbiome, allergies, toothpaste ingredients, essential oils, stress and fatigue, and even nutrition, as well as our #1 favorite remedy when an outbreak occurs: salt 🧂
2. It’s possible that many cases of ADHD are actually misdiagnosed sleep apnea ðŸ§
If your child has ADHD-like symptoms, doesn’t seem to sleep well, or is grinding their teeth at night, these are all tell-tale signs to go the sleep study route. If this is you or your child, check out this study “Obstructive Sleep Apnea Mimics Attention Deficit Disorder,” certainly request a sleep study from your pediatrician (don’t be surprised if you need to do some self-advocacy work here—don’t take no for an answer!) and get a copy of my book, which is a good guide for how to navigate the crazy world of sleep medicine and get the care you need.
3. Got questions about tongue tie in adults? 👅
Tongue tie is often thought of only in terms of infants and breastfeeding, which is VERY important. BUT a tongue tie release isn’t ONLY for breastfeeding—adults and older children can benefit tremendously from a tongue release as well. If you’re wondering about tongue tie release for yourself or your children, you won’t want to miss this week’s Instagram Q&A with Jacqueline Carcaramo, RDH, functional hygienist and Harvard Med writing scholar, who will be answering tongue tie questions and talking about her own tongue tie release she had as an adult. Submit your questions on @askthedentist this Wednesday.
4. What is the safest way to whiten your teeth? 🦷
There is no perfectly safe way to whiten teeth. However, having said that, there are a lot of people out there (myself included) who want to whiten our teeth anyway. I liken it to cosmetic surgery—it’s a personal choice. And it shouldn’t be your dentist who brings it up—it should be you who brings it up, if that’s your choice. The EU has much stricter standards than we do here in the US. In this new blog post, I discuss my requirements for the safest, most effective method to whiten teeth.
Have a great week,
P.S. The water filter I use is this one. This is the best, easiest, cheapest way to filter one of the worst neurotoxins out of our water. I use mine every day.
🦷 Mondays (Tuesdays?) with Mark: X-rays, Oral Microbiome, and Fluoride Shaming