Dental Academy Urges Responsible Use of Natural Remedies

Dental Academy Urges Responsible Use of Natural Remedies

CHICAGO---A consumer alert from the Academy of General Dentistry(www.agd.org), suggested dentists talk with their patients aboutnatural remedies to avoid contraindications and to use caution with some herbal remedies.

Eric Shapira, DDS, noted that some herbal remedies could be useful, but that consumers should be informed of the risks and benefits. "Stop, look and listen applies to the health food counter as much as the intersection," he added. However, he did make a few recommendations of herbal remedies for oral health, including use of wet black tea bags to relieve pain from canker sores and swollen gums, and use of zinc lozenges to ease sore throat pain.