You may have seen the pictures going around the internet of an Iranian woman who went to the dentist with complaints of gum inflammation and was diagnosed with a condition called "strawberry gingivitis." The photos show red, inflamed gums with a puffy, strawberry-like appearance, giving the condition its telling nickname. But what is strawberry gingivitis, and should the average person be worried about developing this dangerous condition?

There are many different disorders and defects of the teeth. One you may not have heard of is enamel hypoplasia. It’s a bit of a tongue twister, but basically it means that the tooth or teeth affected do not have fully developed enamel (in fact, the word hypoplasia means "underdeveloped"). Enamel hypoplasia is caused by cells called ameloblasts, which don’t properly form or incur damage during the tooth’s development. Enamel hypoplasia presents itself on the tooth as white or brown spots, or pitting in the tooth itself.

Unfortunately, people with enamel hypoplasia often get cavities more easily and frequently on their affected tooth or teeth, so offering those teeth an extra layer of protection is vital.

If you have temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, you already know how painful this often debilitating condition can be. Unfortunately, sometimes finding relief for that pain is nearly impossible. The good news is that with neuromuscular dentistry, TMJ disorder pain can subside and you can go back to living a normal, pain-free life. But in the meantime, lingering pain doesn’t have to stop you in your tracks. Here are some tips and tricks you can try to help ease TMJ disorder pain, whether you’re under treatment for the condition or not.

With estimates of nearly 50 percent of Americans suffering from some level of periodontal disease, dentists are ringing the alarm that periodontal disease (also known as periodontitis) could be a silent killer if not treated properly. Periodontitis has already been found to contribute to everything from heart attack, stroke and cancer to high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.

Now, in a stunning new report, researchers at the National Center for Biotechnology have found further connections between periodontal disease and the chronic, neurodegenerative disease multiple sclerosis.

We all know what can happen to our teeth and gums when we don’t take good care of our oral health: cavities, root canals, gum disease and worse. But what many people don’t realize is that our oral health doesn’t just affect our teeth and gums - it affects our entire body.

In fact, a new study in the American Society for Microbiology journal mSphere took a closer look at the link between poor oral health and another area of the body: the lungs. The results were startling. The problem starts with something in our mouths called "microflora." And while the name microflora may sound pretty and cute, the microflora in our mouths are anything but.

 If you’ve decided to hop on the low-carb or ketogenic diet bandwagon to take control of your health and your weight, congratulations! Eating a diet low in carbohydrates is not just good for your waistline, but it can also help in many other ways, including lowering your risk of heart disease and diabetes and lowering your cholesterol. But while those health benefits are well known, or at least frequently discussed, many people don’t know what effect keto diets – or carbohydrates, for that matter – have on their oral health.

Patients looking for a seemingly more convenient way to get straighter teeth may soon have another option. With the advent of by-mail orthodontics, a crop of companies have begun to pilot at-home orthodontic kit sales and kiosks in stores and malls. But is this a good idea? After all, we all lead busy lives and convenience is important - but some dentists think this do-it-yourself trend could be very, very dangerous.

Dr. Gary Lederman is a dentist based in Bellmore, New York. He treats patients for a variety of oral health conditions that require orthodontic intervention – from crooked teeth to temporomandibular joint disorder. He sees this new trend of by-mail orthodontics as potentially dangerous.

What’s more romantic than roses, chocolate and dark red wine? Maybe the ability to not look like you’ve indulged in said wine. But avoiding "wine teeth" is often easier said than done. That’s because that delicious dark red liquid is full of something called tannins. These little particles not only make wine more delicious by making it taste more dry, bitter and acidic, but they also leave behind little souvenirs called "chromogens," which give wine its color – and have the pesky habit of sticking to the teeth.

With spring almost here and warmer weather on the way, now is the perfect time for a spring cleaning - of your mouth! It may not seem obvious, but changing your oral health routine each season is a must to maintain a healthy smile. Here are some things you can do to maintain your oral health this spring.

The results of an innovative new procedure were recently revealed in the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery. Five years in the making, the procedure was performed on a then-newborn baby (now age 5) who was diagnosed with the condition cleft palate in the womb. Cleft palate is a congenital condition wherein the roof of the mouth (the palate) is split (cleft) due to the palatal shelves failing to properly close during the embryonic stage.

Over the past few years, research has shown that poor oral health contributes to more than just cavities, bad breath and gum disease. It has been found to cause or contribute to everything from heart disease to diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure and even stroke. But new research is linking poor oral health - or more specifically gum disease - to the illness lupus.

Your tooth enamel is the hardest biological material in our body - harder than even bone. But despite its strength, it is still susceptible to damage from some surprisingly common culprits. Keeping enamel safe and intact is the best way to maintain the health of your teeth, but many people don’t realize these common behaviors could be putting their enamel at risk.

We all know how important it is to love ourselves - and that includes taking care of our health and hygiene. But many people don’t think of their oral hygiene when they think about self-love. This Valentine’s Day, don’t forget your oral health - it just may be the most important part of yourself to protect.

If you think of how dental technology has changed over the decades from the days of wooden dentures and boar-bristle toothbrushes, it’s pretty astounding. But for all the advances in how we care for and examine teeth, there has not been much change in the way we heal teeth - until now. That’s because scientists at King’s College in London are creating a self-regenerating tooth.

With the New Year right around the corner, many of us are making resolutions to get healthier. But if all you’re planning on changing is your diet and exercise routine, those resolutions may not be going far enough. That’s because in order to have a truly healthy body, you have to have a healthy mouth. Poor oral health has been directly linked to everything from cancer to stroke to diabetes, Alzheimer’s and even heart disease.

Thankfully, taking charge of your oral health is easy. Just follow these tips to get a healthier mouth in 2019.

When the most recent round of California wildfires began earlier this fall, little did anyone know how devastating the disaster would be - or how hard it would be to identify the dozens of victims of the wild blaze. But a grim form of dentistry - forensic dentistry - is coming to the rescue in a big way.

You know that old saying, truth is stranger than fiction? Well it's not always true, but in the case of these five tooth-related stories it sure is. If you like "news of the weird," check out these five oral health stories that prove sometimes fact really is stranger than fiction.

With a staggering 75 million Americans estimated to have high blood pressure, a new study in the publication Hypertension is calling on doctors and dentists to pay close attention to patients with high blood pressure and periodontitis. The study found that of 3,600 patients with high blood pressure, those who had healthier gums also had lower blood pressure numbers than their counterparts with periodontal disease.

According to research from the University of Central Lancashire School of Medicine and Dentistry in London, patients with periodontal disease could be at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers analyzed brain tissue samples from 10 patients with Alzheimer’s disease and 10 without. Of the samples of those who did have Alzheimer’s, four of the 10 showed signs of lipopolysaccharides associated with periodontal disease in their brain tissue.

You’ve probably heard of - and seen - an overbite before. But a lesser-known bite problem that occurs in only about 10 percent of the population is an underbite. An underbite is what happens when the lower jaw protrudes past the upper jaw. Not only is this type of misaligned bite more noticeable, but it can also unfortunately subject children to bullying and low self-esteem, among many other issues.