Human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted infection and is a major cause of cervical, vulvar, vaginal, penile, anal, and oropharyngeal cancers.  Vaccination can reduce significantly the risk of infection and subsequent cancer. According to the director of Snohomish County Public Health, only 30% of Snohomish County’s 11-12 year olds have initiated the HPV series and only 9% have completed the series.  By age 13-17, the rates are only 44% initiated and 24% completed.  The CDC, Washington State Department of Health, and Snohomish Health District are committed to increasing vaccination rates. To that end, I urge our Stanwood-Camano, Arlington, and… [ Read More ]

Everyday in our practice, we interview and screen patients for heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). We can identify heartburn on the teeth where acid has eroded potholes into the teeth. Often, we can diagnose GERD before a patient or their physician is aware of it. We counsel and refer patients for the proper care when GERD is suspected, and we reinforce how GERD can be a contributing factor not only to tooth damage, but also to some types of oral and pharyngeal cancers. Now some new information has come to light. The link between chronic GERD and some head… [ Read More ]

It may be old news by now that having an airway obstruction like sleep apnea is linked to cardiovascular disease (stroke, coronary artery disease, heart attack). But there are scores of studies that are linking sleep breathing disorders to diabetes, obesity, and now, cancer. Recent studies show a link between sleep-disordered breathing (including apnea) and the risk of colon cancer and breast cancer. The increasing body of evidence is irrefutable. Any level of sleep breathing difficulty changes our body chemistry and introduces significant medical risks. Even snoring.  That’s right—the thing that most every person does when they sleep. See us for an evaluation… [ Read More ]

A patient recently asked me about an article they read which described the potential health risks of root canals. The article contends that root canals are the source of serious threats to your health. You can find the article here: http://humansarefree.com/2014/02/shocking-connection-97-of-all-terminal.html I would say that quackery is a sound description of the article. We’ll break down some of the high points of Mr. Mercola’s advice to the free world. But let’s go “big picture” for a minute. There are two goals in performing root canal therapy for patients. 1) eliminate the bacterial infection in a tooth in order to 2) maintain… [ Read More ]