Toothy subject
painlessly presented

Taking fear and myth out of dentistry is about as hard as ... well, the old mistaken myth of pulling teeth.

In a just-released book, "The Whole Tooth," Martin T. Nweeia, D.D.S., answers questions you may have wanted to ask your dentist, and discusses problems you probably never imagined, such as blue bumps (lesions caused by mucous buildup in severed salivary gland ducts) and hairy tongue (growth of keratin on tongue cells due to poor oral hygiene, use of tobacco, medications or disease).

Nweeia, a former general practitioner in Honolulu who now has a practice in Sharon, Conn., wrote a dental column for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin while he was here. His book is compiled from information presented in his column. Illustrations are by former Star-Bulletin artist Kevin Hand.

The book's 17 chapters cover topics from anesthetic dentistry to xerostomia (dry mouth), in a question-and-answer format.

Nweeia will sign copies of his book noon Saturday at Border's Waikele and noon Sunday at Border's Ward Centre.

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