Dr. Mark Burhenne | Dentist

But the good news is my grandkids get the benefit of this experience and, if you’re following me @askthedentist you will now too. I’m so glad you’re here. —Dr. B

Clove oil is one of the more potent broad-spectrum antimicrobials you can put in your mouth.

The people who quit because of the blood are the ones who never give it the chance to heal. If you see blood, it means KEEP FLOSSING! Don’t stop!

✨🚫 STOP “in-and-out” floss swipe. ✅ START using the right flossing technique: gently curve the floss into a “C” shape around each tooth and glide it below the gumline. Can you spot the difference?

Save and screenshot for your next dentist appointment. Follow @askthedentist for more mouth-body science like this.

1) Distilled white vinegar and/or baking soda: ditch the Efferdent, and use this instead! 2) Sea salt: for a canker sore, stir in warm water until no more will dissolve (a supersaturated solution) and swish 30-60 sec 4x a day

I wish I could go back and tell myself at age 35... If your child snores, stops breathing at night, or wets the bed after age five, don’t wait…

If you had teeth pulled as a kid to make room for braces and you wake up tired, grind your teeth, or snore, this is for you…

The sign out front still says “Family Dentistry.” The same hygienist greets you by name.

A lot of bad dental advice on Instagram says you need to disinfect your mouth, kill oral bacteria, or worse, use “all natural” essential oils like peppermint and clove 💀

If you know me, you know the next time we see each other, I’m going to ask if you’ve booked that sleep study and switched to an airway dentist from @functionaldentistdirectory yet… #dentalsleepmedicine #bruxism #sleepapnea

Do NOT skip the caption👇

Which one should I break down in detail in my next post? -Dr. B

Follow for more mouth-body science that might just change your life

If you have diabetes and your dentist isn’t asking about your gums, you are not getting complete care..

Chronically elevated blood sugar feeds the exact bacteria that drive gum disease. The same bacteria linked to cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, and early tooth loss..

Dentists and hygienists - which ones keep you up at night? 👻 🍿

Save this for the next time a tooth wakes you up at 2am. This is the 3-3-3 method. It’s what I used to tell any patient who called me on a Friday night when the office is closed, to help them get through the weekend.

1) A sore or ulcer that hasn’t healed in two weeks ESPECIALLY if it’s painless 2) A white or red patch on your tongue, gums, or inner cheek

Goldfish crackers may seem like a harmless snack, but they’re one of the worst foods for your teeth! They, like other simple starches, turn into sugar quickly, feeding harmful bacteria that lead to tooth decay and bad breath.

So here’s what that actually looks like: Someone does everything right. They see their cardiologist. They watch their diet. They take their medication.

If your dentist only checks for cavities, they’re missing something your gastroenterologist would want to know about. A 2024 meta-analysis of 16.6 million people found that gum disease is associated with a 21% increased risk of colorectal cancer - consistent across 19 studies.

Steal this next time your hygienist tells you to floss more…

I guess that’s what you get with two parents with medical backgrounds!

Before everybody asks in the comments, no, Welch’s fruit snacks are NOT better than candy! -Dr. B

Let me save you $$$ in gum graft surgery right now… You are not scrubbing the bathroom floor when you brush your teeth! Aggressive brushing physically abrades the gum tissue away from the tooth root, and once it recedes, it doesn’t come back.

Lies we’ve been told about cavities: ⬇️⬇️⬇️ 1. Cavities are caused by sugar. Sugar feeds the bacteria, but the cavity only forms when your mouth stays acidic long enough to pull minerals out of enamel.

Save this for next time you brush! Notice my hand shape in the second part of this video… Brushing like the first part of this video causes cavities, sensitivity, and yellowing and graying of the tooth because it’s too hard on enamel.

🤷🏻‍♂️🙃

if your child is breathing through their mouth, their saliva dries up. And saliva is the only thing standing between your child’s teeth and decay.

Most people are rushed into fillings for what’s actually called an incipient lesion—the earliest stage of decay. That’s not a full-blown cavity. It’s a warning sign—and often, it’s reversible.

If you do any of these, let’s fix it right now. 1. Switch to your non dominant hand to brush — that’s to give you a sense of how gentle you should be!

You’re probably focused on sleep schedules, screen time, and whether they’re eating enough vegetables. What almost no one tells you about?

Bet you’ve never heard these from your dentist before… 1) Chew xylitol gum after meals Xylitol starves cavity-causing bacteria and boosts saliva - your body’s natural enamel repair system.

Crazy fact: the organ that has the biggest impact on how long (and how well) you live… Is your oral microbiome — the community of bacteria in your mouth.

You might feel clean after brushing (or after a quick shower), but without flossing (or wiping), you’re leaving the worst stuff behind. Both flossing and wiping remove trapped, decomposing material 💩

Most women have never heard this from their dentist. There’s a bacterium called Fusobacterium nucleatum that lives in diseased gums. When your gum tissue is inflamed — even the low-grade, just a little bleeding kind — it creates an opening straight into your bloodstream.

👋Down here! Dental advice I’d never follow — and I was in private practice for 40 years. “Use ACT mouthwash to get rid of bad breath.” The alcohol dries out your mouth, which destroys the saliva that was actually keeping odor-producing bacteria under control — so your breath just gets worse.

if your child is breathing through their mouth, their saliva dries up. And saliva is the only thing standing between your child’s teeth and decay.

Sorry, I had to 😆 Just a misfit toy, living out his dentist dreams. Who gets the reference? #nineties #90strend #hermeytheelf

Your bleeding gums might be destroying your brain. This isn’t one study. This isn’t correlation being confused with causation. This is a biological mechanism that has been identified, replicated, and published across immunology, neurology, and microbiology.

The 90s, for me, were about striking out on my own in private practice (after being fired from my first job out of dental school) and my wife and I becoming parents to three incredible women. Feels like yesterday! #nineties #dentist #bayarea #90s #90sdad

I can’t tell you how many patients used to come in for a regular teeth cleaning, and when I’d ask about nighttime urination, their eyes would go wide: “Wait...how did you know?!”

So here it is — unfiltered.

I have sat across from hundreds of parents who came to me for a teeth cleaning and left with a conversation they weren’t expecting.

I get it. You’re exhausted. The snoring is unbearable. But before you make the couch his permanent address, here’s what 40 years in dentistry has taught me: snoring isn’t an annoying habit.

1. If you wake up with a dry mouth, you’re not just thirsty—you’re mouth breathing all night. That means more cavities, bad breath, and way less oxygen to your brain. Tape your mouth. Train your nose. It will change your life.

You don’t have one immune system… you have TWO. The first is in your gut. The second is in your mouth.

The #1 cause of cavities is mouth breathing - NOT a lack of fluoride. A child who mouth breathes is not getting the quality sleep they need to thrive. In 2026, we can no longer call this “prevention.”

when your child eats Goldfish or cheddar bunnies, the starches break down into sugar and coat the teeth in this sticky paste that clings into every groove. I can literally see it stuck in the deep pits of molars hours later. It’s worse than candy.

I wish more people realized that mouthwash can harm more than just the oral microbiome—it can also impact blood pressure.

Columbia University researchers just linked gum disease with Alzheimer’s-type brain changes on MRI — actual shrinkage in the memory centers of the brain. Source: DOI: 10.1002/alz.13683

You don’t need more sleep. You need better breathing. If you’re waking up groggy, wired but tired, grinding your teeth, or have been told you have a “small mouth” or a “big tongue”… you might have an airway issue than needs addressing!

Parents, please stop pinning your child down and attacking your child with a toothbrush. All this does is cause dental trauma and/or dental phobia.

Just because it’s fruit doesn’t mean it won’t cause cavities. Dried fruit is often WORSE than candy because of how it sticks in the grooves of the molars like in this diagram. As a dentist who practiced for over 40+ years this is often the piece of advice I give that shocks parents the most.

I’m a dentist and I would NEVER use mouthwash twice a day.

I used to think saying “We’re not buying the goldfish crackers today” before walking into the store would save me from the snack aisle battles. But it never worked. The second they saw that darn orange box, it was begging, whining, and disappointment on repeat.

Your dentist can treat disease for $$$, but only your habits can prevent it. This is why I always say the BEST dentistry is NO dentistry. Follow along to learn more. -Dr. B

I’m a dentist and I would NEVER use mouthwash twice a day. Here’s what a 3-year study found: 49% higher diabetes risk Nearly DOUBLE the risk of high blood pressure

If you ask why I’m so “obsessed” with health, it’s because my parents never got the opportunity I’m getting now - to be a part of my grandchildren’s lives.

Prebiotics, cute branding, low sugar... what’s not to love? Every sip bathes your teeth in acid. And not just a little—it’s enough to weaken enamel, feed harmful bacteria, and disrupt the delicate balance of your oral microbiome, leading to bad breath and cavities.

Here’s my no-go list 👇

Hygienists are the MVPs of dentistry. Thank yours!

1. If you wake up with a dry mouth, you’re not just thirsty—you’re mouth breathing all night. That means more cavities, bad breath, and way less oxygen to your brain. Tape your mouth. Train your nose. It will change your life.

1) You probably don’t need whitening—you need a cleaning. If it’s been over 6 months, stains that can be removed are the real reason your teeth look yellow. 2) Most “whitening” is stain removal—or should be. Coffee, tea, wine, and mouth breathing cause buildup. Bleaching won’t fix that.

❤️Share and save because every child deserves the gift of great sleep. As a dentist and a father and now grandfather, I have seen firsthand the life-changing difference these things make. To learn more, comment AIRWAY and I’ll DM you a checklist for your child’s next dental appointment.

Bleeding gums today. Memory loss tomorrow?