NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Oct. 17 To keep dementia at bay, take care of your teeth. That seems to be the message of a new study in which researchers found a possible link between tooth loss or having very few teeth — one to nine, to be exact — and the development of dementia later in life. The research team analyzed dental records and brain function test results accumulated over
Maxwell H. Anderson, D.D.S, M.S., M.Ed., doesn’t spend much time filling cavities these days. Instead, he’s hard at work putting other dentists out of that business. Dr. Anderson is CEO of C3 Jian, a California start-up that’s developing medicines to suppress caries-causing bacteria. And this is just one of many companies around the country working on similar techniques that could send caries the way of polio and small pox. These
A new fibrin adhesive made from an enzyme found in snake venom is more effective at closing surgical incisions than traditional sutures, according to a new study in the October issue of the Journal of Periodontology. “This unique adhesive may stimulate faster tissue repair…compared to traditional sutures used after surgery,” notes study author Monica Barbosa, PhD, Bauru Dental School at the University of Sao Paulo in a press release. The
SAN FRANCISCO – In his recent freewheeling talk at the recent ADA convention held in San Francisco, Gordon Christensen paused to ponder periodontal disease and treatment of same. While there’s much speculation about different clinical approaches, Christensen came down on the side of conservative periodontal therapy–even though he admits that “collective” research on conventional therapy is lacking. His “proven components of conservative periodontal therapy:” Education, education, and more patient education
Every year millions of toothbrushes go out of commission, splayed, flattened, mildewed, rejected. And twice a year, the average dental patient hears yet another lecture from his dentist about brushing more thoroughly. The convergence of these two factors means a huge market for any company that can prove its toothbrush is better than the competition … or even just better than the average. The latest salvo in the toothbrush wars
The dark truth behind those bright smiles OK, here’s the part of the story you’ve been waiting for. Is cosmetic dentistry your road to riches? On one hand, pay for dentists has never been better. According to surveys conducted by the ADA, average annual salaries for dental practitioners rose from $166,000 in 2000 to nearly $186,000 in 2004. The number of cosmetic procedures rose 12.5% over roughly the same period,
SAN FRANCISCO — More obvious than a sore thumb, an off-color tooth can mar the brightest smile. Yet whitening just one tooth — without affecting its comrades — presents so many challenges that dentists of the past have often counseled their patients to live with the problem. Now three trends are converging to make whitening a single discolored tooth increasingly worth while, said John D. West, DDS, MSD, a Tacoma,
The dark truth behind those bright smiles Ah, for the glamorous life of a cosmetic dentist. No more bratty kids or cranky codgers filling up the waiting room. No more extractions, fillings, or root canals. You’ll spend your afternoons bleaching Lindsay Lohan’s teeth or straightening Ashton Kutcher’s smile. Who knows? You could end up with your own Extreme Makeover-style reality TV show. Before you decide to enter into the realm
There are lots of good reasons to stop smoking, and now the Journal of Periodontology has yet another one. According to a new study published in the September issue of the journal, smokers take far longer to recover from periodontal plastic surgery than non-smokers. The study looked at 10 smokers and 10 non-smokers for two years. Both groups underwent treatment to help soft tissue reattach to the root surface of
A kernel of popcorn that went unpopped. A piece of ice like an iceberg. Grueling nighttime grinding. Who knows what started a fissure down the length of that tooth? As the pain mounts, so does the frustration, because longitudinal tooth fractures — which extend through the long axis of the tooth and expand with time — are often invisible to the naked eye and difficult to detect with conventional radiology.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) July 6 Dental assistants who work with substances called methacrylates may be at risk of developing asthma or chronic respiratory symptoms, a study has found. Methacrylates are used in dental filling materials and bonding agents, like those used to cement porcelain veneers, crowns, and orthodontic brackets. Dental assistants are exposed to airborne methacrylate particles when mixing these materials or during placement or removal of dental restorations.
Coffee can be complicated and tobacco tenacious, but the toughest tooth stain dentists grapple with is the dark blue-gray caused by tetracycline. How dark can it be? So dark that doctors now avoid prescribing this antibiotic to children lest they spend a lifetime afraid to smile. So dark that none of the professional tooth-color reference scales go this far toward blackness. Yet dentists are gaining ground in the effort to
