J. MATTHEW HOGENDOBLER D.M.D.

Best and Worst Teeth in America

What do Madison, Wisconsin and Nashville, Tennessee have that Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Lubbock, Texas don't? More gourmet coffee shops—perhaps—but that's not the answer.

According to the Center for Disease Control, a survey of 100 cities revealed that Madison and Nashville scored first and second, respectively, for having the healthiest teeth in America! Unfortunately, Philadelphia and Lubbock scored in 99th and last place.

Some of the statistics were shocking because of our perceptions about particular cities. For example, Los Angeles ranked 90th for overall dental health, and its grade was a shocking D. Just up the road, San Francisco ranked 20th and scored a healthy grade B.

For those hearty, health-conscious Pacific Northwest folks, Seattle, Washington ranked 27th with a grade B. Yet, Portland, Oregon (with a non-fluoridated water supply) received a 94 and flunked like Philadelphia and Lubbock.

This data could demonstrate that we need to rethink our perceptions about people and locations, but most importantly, it shows we need to dramatically improve our daily, home oral care programs, especially where there is no fluoride in the water supply.

Your dental health is directly related to your overall health.

We urge our patients to have dental check-ups at least twice each year. During your check-up, we can identify oral problems before they progress to an advanced stage that requires more serious treatments in order to save teeth.

At home you need to brush with fluoride toothpaste and floss, and call us immediately when you notice something that seems to be out of the ordinary or if you have a dental problem, question or concern.

Working together, we can help to keep you and your teeth healthy for a lifetime. Let's put our city at the top of the charts!