The Internet and Oral Health

A look at the pros and cons of web based dental advice.

The internet is here to stay, and many of us use it on a daily basis, whether for work, or for pleasure. As we know though, the internet, whilst being full of useful information, can also be used to spread, sometimes innocently, many lies and untruths. Whilst this is often done for political purposes, it can also have an effect on our health, including our oral health.

Benefits

First of all, we should acknowledge the usefulness of the internet in oral health care. Of course, you would not be reading this blog now if it weren’t for it!

A few patients that have visited our Burton on Trent dental practice to have a dental implant placed, have told us that they had watched videos on YouTube and now understood better what actually happens during the procedure. Whilst some would probably prefer not to know, one factor of dental phobia is sometimes a fear of the unknown, and factual information such as this can be helpful.

It is also excellent in helping to spread the educational aspects of oral health, and especially those which are easily preventable, yet devastating when they strike, such as gum disease.

Negatives

It isn’t all good though, there are many sites that spread misinformation, sometimes even maliciously. By and large though, as far as oral health is concerned, much of the misinformation that patients come across is passed around via social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. This is usually well intentioned but, unfortunately, often incorrect. Whilst some of these can be relatively harmless, others may be more harmful.

Some of this comes from the extreme end of the ‘alternatives’. Whilst we are more than open minded about natural remedies, some of the ‘information’ that gets passed around is simply very wrong and, very likely, harmful to health.

This becomes a major issue particularly when passed around by friends who we trust. Because of this, some of this incorrect information is also trusted and can lead to poor general and dental health.

Advice

At Mike Allen’s Dental Practice, your local dentist in Burton, we would recommend to our patients that they express caution with this type of internet information, particularly where you feel it to be a little off beam and quirky. Whilst oral health advice offered on a professional dentist’s website should be reliable, we would ask that you do not do anything drastic based on other posts.

We are highly trained in the dental profession for a specific reason; to help people have good oral health and this is our goal. Scare stories, hearsay and “quack” remedies will achieve little except perhaps for lost teeth and poor oral health and should largely be ignored.

If you have a particular concern about any aspect of dental health that you may have read about and need the information validated, we are happy to discuss this at your regular check-up at Mike Allen’s Dental Practice.

Please call us today to arrange yours, on 01283 845345.