We’ve spent the year scouring the Internet to keep you up to date on the top dental-related stories for 2014.  Here are the 10 stories that received the most shares across social media during 2014.  Here they are, in the order of most social shares.

Top 10 Most Shared Dental Headlines of 2014

10. Little Girl Gets Real with the Tooth Fairy, Santa, and the Easter Bunny in One Soul-Crushing Blow

The parents of 9 year old Lexi found out the (very) hard way that the jig was up when they found this letter from her.  It’s so hard to keep the magic alive for kids these days!  Read the original post here.

9. Old-School Dental Tools that are Quite Terrifying

What is it with people wanting to make themselves more anxious about dentists than they already are?  This post about old (let’s just call them ancient, OK?) dental tools used WAY BACK when the earth’s crust was cooling received a lot of attention this year.  Folks, let’s be frank here. We’re in the dental field and this stuff terrifies us, too.  Here’s the link.

8. Beyoncé Lied To Me! 

This poor teen was so disappointed to wake up from dental surgery and find that Queen Bey was not at his side to comfort him.  For what it’s worth, we’d love to have Beyoncé hang out at our offices to give our patients post-extraction hugs, too!  This hilarious video during his ride home on YouTube has more than 30,000 views since it was published on October 3rd.  Here’s the video link.

7. Doctors Find Tooth Growing Inside Man’s Nose

For those with delicate stomachs, do NOT click this link.  If you’re a glutton for punishment like we are, click away.  According to this article from IFLS (we can’t explain the acronym – this is a family dental site, after all), up to 4% of people have hyperdontia, or more teeth than normal.  Its just that most of the time, they don’t grow out of your nose.  This story has seen more than 43,000 shares on Facebook.

6. Beware of “Unnecessary” Wisdom Tooth Extractions

This story got lots of social shares this year.  Basically, the article warns of “unnecessary” wisdom tooth extractions.  In fact, this article got so many shares that we wrote an entire article on wisdom teeth in our Resource Library.  News flash: we agree (to the basic theme, anyway).  The more teeth you are able to keep for life, the stronger and healthier your smile will be.  However, wisdom teeth can also cause lots of problems, from crowding to pain and even tooth loss.  All surgeries and extractions include risks.  You should definitely feel comfortable talking with your dentist about your wisdom teeth and overall oral health.

5. Coconut Oil, the “Miracle” Dental Bacteria Killer

Aah, the many uses for coconut oil.  This substance received honorable mention in one of our “dental health DIY trends” blog posts.  As it turns out, although we wouldn’t classify it as a “miracle”, coconut oil does have known anti-microbial properties, and combined with regular brushing and flossing, as well as professional dental checkups, can indeed be a positive addition to your dental health regimen.   Here’s one article on this topic with lots of shares.

4. Doctors in India Remove 232 Teeth From Mouth Of Teenage Boy

This is another article that is not for the faint-of-heart (or stomach).  This teen was diagnosed with complex composite odontoma, which results in the abnormal growth of tooth like structures.  In this case, this poor kid ended up with 232 extra “teeth” that had to be removed during a 7-hour surgery.  Luckily this condition is also very rare.  Our official comment: GROSSSSS.  But yet, kind of cool. Here’s the article from IFLS.

3. Proctor & Gamble, makers of Crest Pro-Health, Remove Microbeads from Toothpaste

This story received a lot of attention this year.  Proctor & Gamble, makers of Crest Pro-Health toothpaste, agreed to remove what are known as “microbeads” from this line of toothpaste, after dentists and hygienists discovered some of these microbeads were embedded in the gums of patients.  1st Family Dental decided to remove this toothpaste from our inventory as a precautionary measure.  You can read our press release here.

2. New Tooth Decay Treatment Can Mean No More Dental Fillings

It’s not surprising that this story got a lot of attention this year.  Who doesn’t love the idea of never needing a dental filling again?  This new treatment under study at Kings College London is called Electrically Accelerated and Enhanced Remineralisation (EAER).  The treatment is supposed to work by accelerating the natural movement of calcium and phosphate minerals into the damaged tooth.  More research is needed to determine if this treatment will be effective and widespread.  We’re keeping an eye on this new technology!

1. 33 Before & After Photos that Prove Good Teeth Can Change Your Life

Let’s end 2014 on a happy note.  This post from buzzfeed received the most social shares this year, and we’re not surprised.  A great smile is not only good for your overall health, it can do wonders for your self-esteem, career and relationships, too!  Check out these before and after photos of celebrities that prove how much a great smile can change your entire appearance.  We’re happy to see a wide range of ages, as well.  It’s never too late to make your smile as healthy as possible!

From all of us at 1st Family Dental, we wish you a happy, healthy and safe New Year!