Back in 2014, I was kind of a blogging machine, with 29 total blog articles published that year. In 2015, partially due to some neck/shoulder problems, I wasn’t able to write nearly as much, as I had to stay away from the keyboard for several months, but I still did publish 15 total articles. Five of those were minor office announcements, but 10 of them were quite in-depth and took a heck of a lot of work. That’s the other reason I didn’t write as prolifically, because each article took much longer to research, fact-check, and verify.
Thanks to some networking and connecting with people in the science, nutrition, farming, medicine, and skeptical communities, my posts in 2015 were read by a tremendously larger audience, and I’m very grateful to all the people who helped spread the word.
Best Dental Blog Posts of 2015
➣ Fluoride is Safe and Effective: after reading way too many BS articles about the alleged dangers of fluoride, I knew it was time to write an in-depth article on just how safe and effective it is at preventing cavities. All that crap thrown around by anti-fluoridationists is just that – crap. Every single claim they’ve ever made has been thoroughly debunked and shown to be false. I do review changed AAP Guidelines, too.
➣ Water Fluoridation Does NOT Increase ADHD: this was in response to a BS article in Newsweek by an anti-fluoride journalist (Newsweek should be ashamed) about a totally crappy study that absolutely didn’t prove any connection between ADHD and water fluoridation. I took this one personally, since I’m also ADD. And while I’m at it, I should mention that French kids DO have ADHD – I’m French. That editorial letter is just as bad as this one.
➣ Why I Don’t Buy Organic Food: My oh my oh my! This one article, which was picked up and shared by a bunch of farmers on FB, has gotten more Likes, Tweets, Shares, and Comments than almost every other article on my entire website in the 8 months that it’s been up. WOW! It’s my personal story of the reading and learning that made me realize that “Big Organic” is basically a lie from start-to-finish, and that I’d been wasting my money for no benefit to the environment, my wallet, society, etc.
➣ Food Myths About – Ignore Them & Enjoy Eating: The first book review that I’ve done for the blog as a means to discuss overall nutrition, food fads, food myths, and the fascinating psychology behind why people tend to fall for such junk nutrition, all while believing that they’re the only ones who really know the right way to eat.
➣ Juicing, Fruit Juices, & Energy Drinks: Worse than Sodas?: Did you see that silly meme on social media about what happens to your body after drinking a can of Coca-Cola? Did you know it was BS and that the huge amounts of sugar from organic juices, sports drinks, and energy drinks are just as bad for your health and your teeth? If not, you need to read this article.
➣ Do You Need your Wisdom Teeth Taken Out?: Yet again, I was peeved about the “Wisdom Tooth Dental Scam* junk articles floating around the Web. No, we don’t just recommend wisdom teeth be removed to make money, and yes, we evaluate every person’s treatment recommendations on their individual needs.
➣ How Many Veneers Do You Need?: Remarkably enough, this one was motivated purely by the realization that I hadn’t written anything about cosmetic dentistry in AGES. There will be more of these coming up in 2016, especially since we’ll be adding a portrait studio as part of the office expansion, and we’ll be showing off our patients’ new smiles more. 🙂
➣ More Bad Journalism on Fluoride: Once again, Newsweek published a hatchet job by the same lousy journalist who wrote the other hatchet job article on fluoride, this time in response to a Cochrane Collaboration Review. In cooperation with Making Sense of Fluoride on Facebook, this article looks critically at both the review itself and the lousy journalism in Newsweek.
➣ A Lion, a Dentist, and a Lynch Mob: Remember Cecil the Lion and that the hunter who killed him is a dentist? Wow, did the vitriol just pour out of the Internet all over my beloved profession! So this was my response.
➣ I Love Sugar & Bacon: Once again, some lousy science journalism over-hyped some studies into saying that sugar and processed/red meats are the work of the Devil and the cause of all illness on Earth. Well, ok, not quite…but you’d have been justified thinking that from the headlines! Only…..well….NO. It’s not nearly that bad. You can eat sugar and meat in moderation and be just fine.
What’s in Store for 2016 on our Blog?
To be honest, I’m not quite sure. Our practice has grown about 30% in the last 2 years, to the point that I get home from work and don’t have as much energy to write in-depth, well-researched articles. AND I want to spend more time with my wife and daughters and my hobby of photography (www.CDPayetPhotography.com).
One thing that most likely will happen, though, is that you’ll see more videos. Once the new portrait studio is set up as part of our office expansion, I’ll also have a dedicated place to shoot short videos to talk about these topics, and I love to talk on camera. Just need to find someone to edit them for us.
So there you have it – my best dental blog posts for 2015. What did you think? What were your favorites? Least favorite? And most importantly, what would you like to read more about in the future?
