Denver, Co– Recently, there have been many movements against stalwarts of health care like vaccines, fluoride, and now flossing, but Dr. Arlo Sage, a holistic dentist, thinks something else should be added to that list: cotton. “I’m just not sure it’s safe to be putting cotton rolls and gauze in our patients’ mouths,” says Dr. Sage. “I don’t know where cotton comes from, but I do know that it doesn’t belong in a person’s mouth.”

Citing a recent study claiming that flossing is deadly, Dr. Sage thinks it’s time we stop putting dental patients at risk. “I’ve been saying for years that flossing could be detrimental, but I think that’s just the tip of the iceberg. These patients trust us to do what is best for them and we are going to put cotton in their mouths without knowing the effects it may have years down the line? I think that’s careless dentistry.” 

But what about the challenge of isolating teeth from saliva when placing restorations? “Why are we so afraid of saliva? Saliva has lived in harmony with teeth forever and now we want to separate these two?” asks Dr. Sage. “No way. Saliva in nature’s tooth bond. And have you ever seen the residue a cotton roll leaves on soft tissue? That’s all the proof I need.” Not only Sage in name, but also in wisdom.