Washington’s dentures shine at dental museum

One of the star attractions at Baltimore’s National Museum of Dentistry features President George Washington’s dentures, which were made of hippopotamus ivory. The U.S.’s first president had only one tooth left when he was inaugurated in 1789, museum spokeswoman Amy Pelsinsky explained. President Washington’s dentures. All images courtesy of the National Museum of Dentistry. President Washington’s dentures. All images courtesy of the National Museum of Dentistry. “He had malaria and

Nd:YAG laser enhances SRP treatment

Using an Nd:YAG laser in conjunction with scaling and root planing (SRP) can significantly improve periodontal inflammation compared to SRP alone, according to a study in the Journal of Periodontology (August 2010, Vol. 81:8, pp. 1161-1166). A team of Swedish researchers recruited 30 patients for this split-mouth, single-masked, randomized, controlled clinical trial. They randomly assigned the mandibular left or right side as the test side (SRP with water-cooled Nd:YAG laser

Pediatrician referrals influence younger kids’ dental visits

Parents of 2- to 5-year-olds are nearly three times more likely to take their child to the dentist if the child’s physician recommends it than if no such recommendation is made, according to a study in Pediatrics (August 2010, Vol. 126:2, pp. e435-e441). In contrast, the decision to make a dental visit by parents of 6- to 11-year-old children is unaffected by the doctor’s suggestion, the data suggest. Heather Beil,

Study: Periodontitis doesn’t affect implant outcomes

Chronic periodontitis appears to have no bearing on the outcomes of immediate loading of implants, according to a four-year study published in the Journal of Periodontology (August 2010, Vol. 81:8, pp. 1140-1146). Researchers from San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, Italy, placed a total of 275 implants in extraction sockets in 37 patients: 197 in periodontally infected sites and 78 in noninfected sites. Marginal bone levels and clinical parameters (plaque accumulation

OrthoAccel signs distributors in Australia, S. Korea

OrthoAccel Technologies has signed distribution agreements with AB Orthodontics in Melbourne, Australia, and Inno Dental and Medical (Inno DMC) in Seoul, South Korea. The company’s AcceleDent system is currently being sold to orthodontic specialists in the U.K. and is slated for general market release there in September, according to OrthoAccel. The device, used to speed up the rate of orthodontic treatment, is intended for 20 minutes of daily use. “Australia

Scientists test solar-powered toothbrush

Researchers from the University of Saskatchewan College of Dentistry are testing a solar-powered titanium toothbrush that would eliminate the need for toothpaste. The Soladey-J3X solar-powered toothbrush. Image courtesy of Shiken. The Soladey-J3X solar-powered toothbrush. Image courtesy of Shiken. Led by Kunio Komiyama, D.M.D., Ph.D., a dentistry professor emeritus at the dental school, and Gerry Uswak, D.M.D., M.P.H., the dean of the school, the research team is examining whether the Soladey-J3X

Vident offers two new restorative products

Vident has expanded its line of machinable ceramics with Vitablocs RealLife, the first ceramic block offering 3D aesthetics for anterior chairside restorations, according to the company. Vitablocs RealLife maximizes the potential of Cerec technology beyond posterior teeth, Vident said. Using Sirona Cerec or inLab 3D V3.80 software, the technology enables users to change the position of the restoration in the block as needed to reproduce the individual requirements for translucency,

CariFree partners with Six Month Smiles

CariFree is partnering with Six Month Smiles to promote cavity prevention through the use of minimally invasive procedures. CariFree products combine the proven benefits of fluoride, xylitol, and neutralizing pH technology to effectively treat the infection that causes cavities, while Six Month Smiles uses nearly invisible braces to gently align teeth in as few as six months, the companies said. They will be conducting webinars at CariFree.com on August 24

4-year-old dies after dental procedure

A 4-year-old girl died after being sedated for a dental procedure at a Tulsa, OK, dental clinic. Akasmse Rose Tecumseh of Morris, OK, died August 14 after leaving the Pediatric Dental Group, according to Linda Campbell, executive director of the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry. The child was having some restorations done and crowns put on her deciduous teeth, she said. The girl had no known allergies or pre-existing conditions, Campbell

Dos and don’ts for cosmetic dentistry: Appearance matters

Make no mistake: How your practice appears to patients who are considering cosmetic dentistry may be as important as the treatment plan presentation. A patient is very unlikely to accept cosmetic treatment if the office is not aesthetically pleasing. Your office decor says a lot about your practice. Make sure it says what you want it to say! Improve your office appearance. The atmosphere of a cosmetic practice should be

Cosmedent donates $727K in products to NCOHF

Cosmedent donated dental products valued at $727,746 to National Children’s Oral Health Foundation (NCOHF), lending critical support for affiliate oral health programs serving at-risk children across the U.S., according to the foundation. The Cosmedent dental supplies were distributed to 28 members of the NCOHF affiliate network, which comprises more than 60 nonprofit healthcare programs. Copyright © 2010 HuangshanDental.com

Nd:YAG laser doesn’t enhance teeth whitening

Adding laser energy to in-office teeth whitening does not improve the whitening effect, according to a study in Lasers in Medical Science (July 2010, Vol. 25:4, pp. 503-509). Researchers from Aachen University performed laser-assisted in-office bleaching on the teeth of 20 patients using an Nd:YAG laser (1,064 nm, average power 4 W, pulse repetition rate 10 Hz, pulse duration 320 µs). The treatment was carried out in a split-mouth design,