Nothing But the Tooth: An Insider's Guide to Dental Health

by Teresa Yang

Provides practical information and advice on topics related to dental and overall health. Have you ever visited a new dentist and been told you need a “smile makeover,” with the implication that if your teeth were whiter and straighter, you would be more successful and happier? Or maybe you’ve never had a cavity – and now, suddenly, you have a half dozen that require immediate attention. Perhaps you’ve been told you need a root canal or a crown or implant. What are all these things? Which procedure is best for your situation? Did you leave those offices thinking, “It’s not really bothering me. Do I need to get all this work done?” Nothing But the Tooth is a ready guide to dental health that answers all your questions and the ones you didn’t even know to ask. It begins with the most important how to choose a competent and ethical dentist – and ends with a discussion about technological advances in the dental field. Topics such as the cost of dental treatment, pediatric and geriatric dental needs, and the link between sleep apnea and your mouth are covered. Most importantly, it guides readers to a better understanding of the link between dental and overall health.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

Published August 23, 2023

About the author

Award winning dentist and educator, Dr. Teresa Yang has practiced dentistry in Santa Monica for more than 30 years. She has also taught clinical dentistry and practice management at the UCLA School of Dentistry, where she currently serves on the Board of Counselors. As a member of the Forbes Health Advisory Board, she provides expertise on dental articles. Dr. Yang is a past trustee at the California Dental Association (CDA) and served on its Foundation board.

Her articles have appeared in DrBicuspid.com where she is a contributing writer, and WestViews, a publication of the Western Los Angeles Dental Society where she serves as editor. Her general interest pieces have been published at HerStry, Mutha Magazine, The Writing Disorder, Potato Soup Journal, and Adelaide Literary Magazine.

In her spare time, she is an enthusiastic traveler, reluctant gardener, and mediocre tennis player. Read her blog at https://www.teresayangdds.com.

Reviews

[Judy Kullenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not a fan of the dentist but this book is very helpful! It really explains the why of things at the dentist and was eye-opening about dental practice. I am surprised honestly that I enjoyed it so much. Totally recommend!

[Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Call me in the clouds, but I don’t usually expect to be surprised and humbled by a book about dentistry. Yet what Dr. Teresa Yang highlights in her new book, Nothing but the Tooth: An Insider’s Guide to Dental Health, not only reminds us of the critical aspects of dentistry, but also the nuts and bolts ensuring those critical components. By being matter-of-fact and upfront, Dr. Yang makes the subject naturally compelling. Dentistry is often one of those professions superfluously maligned by professionals and customers alike, something considered a professionally and ideologically exclusive service to enter. Yet like anyone making a good argument, Dr. Yang sticks to the facts, and what’s revealed is something genuinely interesting whether or not you’re someone who finds dental medicine intriguing. That’s not just the sign of a bonafide professional in their field, but a solid writer to boot. Yang doesn’t attempt to persuade, because she doesn’t have to. And she writes from a place of compassion and her profession, using the book as something to help contribute to dental patients making informed, healthy choices. As someone who has worked in dental medicine for many years, there’s an ease with which she’s able to present each of the relevant topics the book promotes, along with a warm bedside manner congruent to a healthy, effective doctor-patient relationship. You never get the sense Dr. Yang is grandstanding to the reader, or feeling the need to flout her experience. She simply tells it like it is, and because of that Nothing but the Tooth avoids any of the narrative bumps many books written by bonafide professionals run into.

“This book will empower any dental patient—and that should include everyone—with greater understanding about dental health and procedures. In these pages, you’ll find all the information you need to help you ask relevant questions about your treatment. After all, it’s your mouth—and your good overall health,” Dr. Yang writes, at the beginning of the read. She also states, “I began writing this book, in my spare time, about ten years ago. As a practicing dentist for more than thirty years, I spent every day providing information to patients, answering their questions, and guiding them to better dental and overall health. It struck me that there was no single place for patients to gather information. Sure, they could ask Google a specific question. But what if they didn’t even know what questions to ask?”

From this standpoint, Dr. Yang is able to earnestly flesh out Nothing but the Tooth into a dynamic, all-encompassing guidebook for the consumer – covering everything from relevant dental services, to dental insurance, to exposes on expenses related to dental health, to proclaimed ‘orthodontal secrets.’ All the while she makes the narrative feel fun, entertaining, and invigorating – breathing life into what could otherwise by a dry, intellectually exclusive set of topics relevant to folks but communicated in a manner not effective, and therefore not empowering, for them to have full comprehension and decision-making abilities regarding healthcare.

The book is an act of public service, while simultaneously being an interesting dissection of the dental health profession at large.

Grade: A

[Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a very good educational book. Everything you could learn about your dental health and dentistry is found in one source, which is nice. It reinforced and reeducated me on some stuff I knew previously, and it also helped me understand some parts about my dental health that I wasn't aware of previously. It helped me go through my oral health journey.

I do feel like it's a book that should be accessible to a majority of people. In schools, or parents giving it to their children at a certain age. I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the subject in a non-judgemental approach. Sometimes approaching a professional can be scary. You will get most of your questions answered here.

[Aschelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe this should be required reading for anyone over the age of 12 and taught even younger. It was an informative walk through dentistry and had me questioning my last appointment and when I could get in again.

[Saby Samar · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author Teresa Yang, DDS, who has worked as a dentist for over three decades in the USA, reveals a lot about dentists, dentistry, allied boards, types of patients, future of dentistry with AI and much more in between. I was surprised to know that in the United States going to dentist is a costly affair. Their fee and service charges are expensive, and many could afford dentist services there. Why? She explained that with credible data and facts.

The USP of the book is that it explains how to navigate for a dentist. Right from the beginning, she begins laying out points, one after another. She guides you how to find a good dentist offline and online, how to authenticate their work, etc. The book is written from two perspectives – dental patient and dentist. There is a lot of inside working in the life of a dentist. She also introduces types of orthodontics that deal in dentistry, which otherwise remain hidden to normal folks.

The author like an expert dentist provides expert advice on oral hygiene practices and offer personalized treatment ways that will help millions of people in gaining a positive dental experience in their states. Besides, she issues consultative coverage on drills & fills and crowns – and what all medical documents and reports are needed in the dental clinics. The book is truly an insider’s guide to dental health with practical guidance. The book blends a doctor’s memoir, medical knowledge and other common guiding practices. Teresa Yang writes clearly with proper sub headings and pointers, making the absorption of knowledge in a simplified way. I recommend this book to all before you go to a dentist.

[Kathy Natriello · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not able to put down Nothing But the Tooth: An Insider's Guide to Dental Health, by Teresa Yang. It is clearly written, well organized and covers a range of relevant topics that extend beyond the dental patient experience to include the cost of quality dental care, dental insurance, and making good dentistry more accessible to the underserved. With her passion and commitment to her patients and to dentistry Dr. Teresa Yang has written a book of tremendous value to all of us as dental patients as well as to the dental industry.

Kathy Natriello

[Alice A · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to like this book, and I want to trust this author/dentist. My concern for years now, is that so many dentists can't be trusted. Sorry to say. I've been searching for a decent one and have asked many friends, family, and co-workers for a recommendation. I appreciate Dr. Yang's book and the info inside. Nonetheless, I've had many unpleasant, unnecessary, and confusing encounters in many dentist offices leaving me jaded and looking for education and verifiable facts on this topic. Meanwhile, in the name of prevention, I am dedicated to the best dental hygiene including a low sugar diet, daily flossing and brushing, carefully selected toothpaste, etcetera.

[Jack Silvera]

I was very surprised to find that this information packed book was also a “page turner” where every page is packed with information that I can utilize in my everyday life & also pass on to my children & they will certainly benefit from all the real well explained information. This book should be kept visible so that one can always refer to it when they need dental or a health related guide. I also will recommend it too my kids as their families grow.
Jack

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and answered some questions I had about my kids’ teeth/dental work.