Dr. Oz’s Sharecare Website helps inform consumers

In 2009, Dr. Mehmet Oz and Jeff Arnold and created a website to help answer people’s questions about health issues.  The goals of the website, called “Sharecare” is to “answer the world's questions of health and achieve a collective wisdom by developing a comprehensive database of all of the questions of health and wellness and actively recruiting industry experts to answer them. Leading physicians, nurses, hospitals, clinics, authors, healthcare companies and non-profits connect, interact and share their collective expertise encouraging consumers to ask, learn and act upon questions of health.  I have recently joined the Sharecare network of professionals in the “Dental and Oral Health” category.

The Sharecare platform allows experts in all fields of medicine to post a personal profile, bio and credentials, share information with friends and groups, and post blogs.  The most important thing the expert has to do is answer questions that people post on the site.  http://www.sharecare.com/user/dr-jerry-gordon  The questions and answers are also posted on the expert’s profile. 

Here are a few examples of recent dental questions that I answered:

Q: How can I make better food choices to prevent tooth decay?

A: Both diet and oral hygiene impacts the rate of tooth decay. Foods most likely to promote cavities are sticky candy and fruits like raisins. Certain beverages can also damage teeth like soda (both regular and diet) and some sports drinks. Certain foods can have a positive effect on oral health like apples, yogurt, and cheese.

To prevent tooth decay, brush after every meal and before going to
bed with a fluoride containing toothpaste. See your dentist regularly for
examinations and professional cleanings.

Q:  If I have experience abuse in the past, will I be afraid of the dentist?

A:  One of the most common reasons that people fear the dentist is because they had a dentist cause them physical pain during treatment, and then criticized them
when they complained. Dentists who practice this way do cause their patients
emotional trauma that could be considered abuse. I suggest you find a compassionate dentist who has a good reputation with treating fearful patients.
Ask friends or family members who they recommend.

The great thing about Sharecare is that many of the questions that people ask are
those that most people have but may be reluctant to talk to their doctor about.
Now people can go to the Sharecare website and ask whatever health care
question they want, or simply search the site to see if their question has
already been answered.  With the aid of this information, they will be more prepared to talk to their doctor about their condition and the prescribed treatment.

Source:  http://www.sharecare.com