The Complete Book of Dental Remedies [Paperback]

Flora Parsa Stay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1995

Provides information on choosing a dentist, oral anatomy, and nutrition; provides a dictionary of dental disorders; and explains dental procedures such as filling teeth, root canals, and proper brushing and flossing techniques.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Dental care is a part of health maintenance that is often overlooked. A trip to the dentist for routine hygiene or treatment of a problem is often a source of anxiety. Popular medical books are easy to find, but there are few books on dentistry for lay readers. Written by a dentist interested in health education, The Complete Book of Dental Remedies fills this gap in health collections.

The book contains three sections. The first provides an introduction to oral anatomy, information on choosing a dentist, and basic facts about nutrition, homeopathy, and herbal therapy. The second is a dictionary of dental disorders. Among the subjects covered are cavities, gum disease, dry mouth, eating disorders and tooth problems, and the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) as a possible cause of migraines. Entries include a description of the disorder followed by nutritional advice and the conventional, homeopathic, and herbal treatments for it. The author is careful to explain the limits and necessary precautions for alternative therapies and the need for conventional treatments for such conditions as cleft palate and cavities. The third explains dental procedures such as filling and extracting teeth, root canals, fitting dentures, and proper brushing and flossing techniques. A few black-and-white illustrations, a glossary, a brief bibliography, and lists of professional organizations and dental schools complete the text.

Although it lacks the depth of The Mount Sinai Medical Center Family Guide to Dental Health (Macmillan, 1991), the information this book provides on alternative treatments and its consumer-oriented approach make it a valuable complementary source and a good addition to consumer-health collections. It is inexpensive, so both reference and circulating copies are affordable.

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Avery (November 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895296578
• ISBN-13: 978-0895296573
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #563,902 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't grin and bear a toothache -- here's help, June 25, 2000

By 

Lynn Bulmahn - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Book of Dental Remedies (Paperback)

If the word "dentist" brings to mind a certain song from "Little Shop of Horrors," you may have avoided your twice-a-year visits to such a professional. Sometimes, it catches up with you. What do you do if your filling falls out or you break a tooth? Don't panic. But don't avoid taking action.

Grab this book. California dentist Flora Parson Stay says she wrote this helpful volume after finding few references on dentistry for her patients.

And she's right. Hey, the only remedy for toothache I can ever remember reading is in Mark Twain's fictional Tom Sawyer -- out-of-date information from the same kid who took dead cats to the cemetary to get rid of warts. Not to worry. Dr. Stay, who has more than two decades' experience as a DDS, gives modern advice for toothache sufferers.

This is stuff we need to know. Too often, we have our family first aid kit equipped for every kind of emergency -- except dental ones. This book needs to be kept right next to your regular First Aid manual.

If your Little Leaguer gets popped by a bat, or fields a fastball that knocks his tooth out, did you know you can re-attach it? For real. Stay's on son suffered such an accident. His tooth reattached itself -- yours can, too. Surprise!

Knocked out teeth may be successfully replaced if done within a half-hour's time, Stay advises. Never hold the tooth by the root. Simply rinse off any blood or dirt and replace it in the socket. Then, get to the dentist immediately.

If you can't get to the dentist within that golden 30 minute time period,she says, keep the knocked-out tooth wrapped in a moist cloth or gauze, or placed in a container in milk. Dr. Stay says adults can simply leave the tooth under their tounge until they're seen by the dentist; this is a potential choking hazard for children, however.

Dr. Stay tells you how to put together a dental first aid kit, and what to do if you have an abcess, a cracked tooth, a lost filling or problems with your wisdom teeth. If your temporary crown falls out, stop by a drugstore for a temporary fix-it kit. There's information for denture wearers and people who may have suffered a broken jaw. Advice when to -- and when not to -- use over-the-counter painkillers for the hurt in your mouth.

Don't call the Tooth Fairy, consult The Complete Book of Dental Remedies instead. You'll feel better fast and have reason to smile.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Patients Who Want to Be Well-Informed, November 2, 2006

By 

BookwormX (Pensacola, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Book of Dental Remedies (Paperback)

This is a comprehensive handbook for consumers which describes conventional, homeopathic and herbal remedies as they apply to dentistry. Most dental patients are never fully informed about the real causes of dental disease, and most patients are unaware of the variety of remedies available. Dr. Stay explains that bacteria, especially streptococcus mutans and other organisms, produce plaque-forming toxins from ingested sugars. Consumption of refined carbohydrates feeds bacteria, leading to dental cavity formation which is the most common disorder in humans; about eighty-five percent of the population has some form of gum disease. She provides detailed descriptions of the various filling materials which can be amalgam, composite resins, porcelain, or gold; explains why different metals should not be present in the same mouth; and that some dental procedures may affect an unborn baby, particularly at certain crucial times during its development. Amalgam fillings may be the major single source of mercury exposure. Gold inlays are the best filling material and may last more than twenty years. As far as I know, this is the only book of its kind and is well worth the money. Unfortunately, it's very difficult for most people to find practitioners who offer the choices of remedies described in this book, and most dentists refuse to discuss the amalgam controversy with patients.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars totally worth it, January 30, 2007

By 

erica2 (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Book of Dental Remedies (Paperback)

I have to admit, I haven't read any other similar books, but we were given this book by a friend, and have found it very helpful. I'd give it 5 stars, except for the fact that it's getting a bit dated now. (I'm surprised there hasn't been a revised edition.) Anyway, it's full of helpful information and explains just about everything the layperson would need to know. The author has also studied acupuncture and some alternative medicine, so it is informed with that too i.e. helpful herbs, acupressure points, nutritional prescriptions, etc. It very well organized, and the author is clearly knowledgable and at the top of her game. I think she has a good integration between traditional dental advice and more "alternative," for lack of a better word. If you're going to have any major dental work done, you should definitely peruse this book before proceeding. By the way, she includes some excellent advice on how to pick a dentist.