The Cavity CapitalsSee if your hometown's ranking will make you smile.
Julie Stewart, Men's Health
St. Louis is a great city. There's a lot to smile about—except for the smiles themselves. St. Louis is the town with the worst teeth, the most dentally challenged in the land. In other words, it failed our oral exam. (If you think you can pass our oral examination, try 7 instant health checks that might save your life.)
Since we are talking about the Show Me State, here's our evidence: We looked at community water fluoridation (CDC), the percentage of people who saw a dentist in the past year as well as the percentage who've had teeth extracted (CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System), the percentage of households using dental floss (Mediamark Research), the money spent on oral hygiene products (Bureau of Labor Statistics), and the number of dentist offices per capita (Census Bureau). After we crunched the numbers, we brushed and flossed.
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America's Worst Teeth
1. St. Louis, MO: F
2. Philadelphia, PA: F
3. Newark, NJ: F
4. Baltimore, MD: F
5. New Orleans, LA: F
6. Jackson, MS: F
7. Jersey City, NJ: F
8. Milwaukee, WI: D-
9. Kansas City, MO: D-
10. Dallas, TX: D-
The five nutrients you're missing out on
11. El Paso, TX: D
12. Detroit, MI: D
13. Lubbock, TX: D
14. Miami, FL: D
15. Buffalo, NY: D
16. Chicago, IL: D
17. Memphis, TN: D
18. Montgomery, AL: D
19. Pittsburgh, PA: D
20. Birmingham, AL: D
21. Tucson, AZ: D
22. Tampa, FL: D+
23. Los Angeles, CA: D+
24. Jacksonville, FL: D+
25. Cleveland, OH: D+
26. Louisville, KY: D+
27. Fort Wayne, IN: D+
28. Tulsa, OK: D+
29. Oklahoma City, OK: D+
30. Corpus Christi, TX: D+
31. Fort Worth, TX: D+
32. Providence, RI: D+
33. Rochester, NY: D+
34. Oakland, CA: C-
35. Houston, TX: C-
36. Toledo, OH: C-
37. Charleston, WV: C-
38. Orlando, FL: C-
39. New York, NY: C-
40. Lexington, KY: C-
41. San Antonio, TX: C-
42. Denver, CO: C-
43. St. Petersburg, FL: C-
44. Cincinnati, OH: C
45. Hartford, CT: C
46. Fresno, CA: C
47. Boston, MA: C
48. Richmond, VA: C
49. Las Vegas, NV: C
50. Columbia, SC: C
51 Durham, NC: C
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52. Billings, MT: C+
53. Bakersfield, CA: C+
54. Sacramento, CA: C+
55. Phoenix, AZ: C+
56. Washington, DC: C+
57. Indianapolis, IN: C+
58. Arlington, TX: C+
59. Columbus, OH: C+
60. Atlanta, GA: C+
61. Reno, NV: C+
62. Nashville, TN: C+
63. Madison, WI: C+
64. Little Rock, AR: C+
65 Albuquerque, NM: C+
66. Modesto, CA: C+
67. Wichita, KS: C+
68. Wilmington, DE: B-
69. Spokane, WA: B-
70. San Diego, CA: B-
71. Riverside, CA: B-
72. St. Paul, MN: B-
73. Grand Rapids, MI: B-
74. Minneapolis, MN: B
75. Austin, TX: B
76. Cheyenne, WY: B
77. Aurora, CO: B
78. Charlotte, NC: B
79. Salt Lake City, UT: B
80. Honolulu, HI: B
81. Manchester, NH: B
82. Portland, OR: B
83. Yonkers, NY: B
84. San Francisco, CA: B
85. Burlington, VT: B
86. Greensboro, NC: B+
87. Des Moines, IA: B+
88. Omaha, NE: B+
89. Portland, ME: B+
90. Seattle, WA: B+
The Best Teeth
91. Colorado Springs, CO: A-
92. Anchorage, AK: A-
93. Raleigh, NC: A-
94. Anaheim, CA: A-
95. Virginia Beach, VA: A-
96. Sioux Falls, SD: A
97. Lincoln, NE: A
98. Boise, ID: A
99. Fargo, ND: A+
100. San Jose, CA: A+
ARE DENTAL X-RAYS SAFE?
The scariest tool in a dentist's office isn't the drill. Earlier this year, British and Kuwaiti researchers found that multiple exposures to dental X-rays may increase your risk of developing thyroid cancer. "If our findings are confirmed, then the routine, periodic use of dental X-rays will need to be reconsidered," says study author Anjum Memon, M.B.B.S., D.Phil. Contact the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health (fda.gov/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/ CDRH) and say you want dental X-rays added to its list of safety reviews. And at your next checkup, request a thyroid collar, a lead shield that covers your neck.
MISSED A SPOT
You may need to brush up on your brushing technique. "I see the most problems with missed surfaces on the cheek side of the upper molars," says Connie White, D.D.S., a professor of dentistry at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. That's because when you open your mouth wide to reach the back teeth, the insides of your cheeks are pulled taut, limiting the movement of the toothbrush. The fix: Open your mouth only about a third of the way.
For more on the sources for our statistics and to see additional city rankings, go to MensHealth.com/metrogrades.
More from MSN Health:
- Good Taste: Top 5 Foods to Prevent Bad Breath
- Toothbrushing May Stave Off Heart Woes
- 11 Tips for a Healthier Smile
- America's Fittest Cities
Nov. 19, 2010
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