The Tales Teeth Tell
The Tales Teeth Tell

Author: Tanya M. Smith

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2018-10-23

Total Pages: 297

ISBN-13: 0262348934

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What human teeth can tell us about our evolution, development, and behavior . . . This fascinating, accessible study will “put a smile on your face with its weird facts about primate dentistry and the shrinking grins of modern-day humans” (Washington Post). Our teeth have intriguing stories to tell. These sophisticated time machines record growth, diet, and evolutionary history as clearly as tree rings map a redwood's lifespan. Each day of childhood is etched into tooth crowns and roots—capturing birth, nursing history, environmental clues, and illnesses. The study of ancient, fossilized teeth sheds light on how our ancestors grew up, how we evolved, and how prehistoric cultural transitions continue to affect humans today. In The Tales Teeth Tell, biological anthropologist Tanya Smith offers an engaging and surprising look at what teeth tell us about the evolution of primates—including our own uniqueness. Humans’ impressive set of varied teeth provides a multipurpose toolkit honed by the diet choices of our mammalian ancestors. Fossil teeth, highly resilient because of their substantial mineral content, are all that is left of some long-extinct species. Smith explains how researchers employ painstaking techniques to coax microscopic secrets from these enigmatic remains. Counting tiny daily lines provides a way to estimate age that is more powerful than any other forensic technique. Dental plaque—so carefully removed by dental hygienists today—records our ancestors' behavior and health in the form of fossilized food particles and bacteria, including their DNA. Smith also traces the grisly origins of dentistry, reveals that the urge to pick one’s teeth is not unique to humans, and illuminates the age-old pursuit of “dental art.” The book is generously illustrated with original photographs, many in color.

Mental Dental
Mental Dental

Author: Sandra Mooradian Klein

Publisher:

Published: 2020-07-06

Total Pages: 148

ISBN-13:

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Enjoy some hysterical true stories like this: after experiencing such a positive outcome from her gum surgery, Hattie asked Dr. Happy Smile if she could use the soft tissue periodontal laser on her hemorrhoids. Anyone in the dental field will tell you, you can't make this stuff up!I began journaling funny stories to entertain my co-workers at our annual Christmas Party. For the past 35 fulfilling years in the dental field, I have compiled my own comical situations. Many of these stories have been shared with me and now I am sharing them with you.Please know that all names and places have been changed to be entertaining and create a belly ache!You might ask yourself why would anyone want to be a dentist let alone work for one. It's really all about you, the patient. How we can make your visit as comfortable as possible because, let's face it, you are not coming in to get your nails done!It is a true compliment to the office or staff member when a patient is so relaxed they share some "TMI" (too much information) moments.

Teeth
Teeth

Author: Mary Otto

Publisher: The New Press

Published: 2017-03-14

Total Pages: 235

ISBN-13: 1620972816

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An NPR Best Book of 2017 "[Teeth is] . . . more than an exploration of a two-tiered system—it is a call for sweeping, radical change." —New York Times Book Review "Show me your teeth," the great naturalist Georges Cuvier is credited with saying, "and I will tell you who you are." In this shattering new work, veteran health journalist Mary Otto looks inside America's mouth, revealing unsettling truths about our unequal society. Teeth takes readers on a disturbing journey into America's silent epidemic of oral disease, exposing the hidden connections between tooth decay and stunted job prospects, low educational achievement, social mobility, and the troubling state of our public health. Otto's subjects include the pioneering dentist who made Shirley Temple and Judy Garland's teeth sparkle on the silver screen and helped create the all-American image of "pearly whites"; Deamonte Driver, the young Maryland boy whose tragic death from an abscessed tooth sparked congressional hearings; and a marketing guru who offers advice to dentists on how to push new and expensive treatments and how to keep Medicaid patients at bay. In one of its most disturbing findings, Teeth reveals that toothaches are not an occasional inconvenience, but rather a chronic reality for millions of people, including disproportionate numbers of the elderly and people of color. Many people, Otto reveals, resort to prayer to counteract the uniquely devastating effects of dental pain. Otto also goes back in time to understand the roots of our predicament in the history of dentistry, showing how it became separated from mainstream medicine, despite a century of growing evidence that oral health and general bodily health are closely related. Muckraking and paradigm-shifting, Teeth exposes for the first time the extent and meaning of our oral health crisis. It joins the small shelf of books that change the way we view society and ourselves—and will spark an urgent conversation about why our teeth matter.