It’s hard to tell a toothless patient to wait six months for a new set of choppers. So, not surprisingly, dentists have long chafed against the established procedure of letting implant surgery heal before loading. Now researchers suggest that the delay may be unnecessary; in many cases, dentists can load an implant with its abutment and a temporary crown on the same day they place the implant. Several recent studies
Scientific American has reopened an age-old debate in its January issue with a feature story titled “Second Thoughts about Fluoride.” Author Dan Fagin focuses on a 2006 report issued by the National Research Council (NRC) — based on two years of reviewing studies. The bottom line? The report suggests the Environment Protection Agency’s (EPA) current limit (4 mg/L) of fluoride in drinking water should be lowered to protect children from
Are you always on the look-out for easier, more efficient techniques of delivering anesthesia? When it comes to numbing mandibular first molars, buccal infiltration (BI), using 4 percent articaine, works faster and has the same success rate as the inferior alveolar nerve block (IANBs) method, according to a new study in the January 2008 Journal of Endodontics. Although IANB is considered the “anesthesia of choice” for these teeth, it doesn’t
What’s that burning smell? According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the smoke could be coming from your patient — if your electric handpieces aren’t properly maintained. Already patients have been severely scorched, the agency warns. An air-driven hand tool will alert the operator to maintenance problems, according to an FDA media release. But an electric tool gives no warning when a bur dulls or gears or bearings clog.
Every dentist loves a good challenge. So why not try multiple implants on a patient with generalized aggressive periodontitis (GAgP)? According to a new study in the Journal of Periodontology, partially edentulous subjects treated for GAgP can be rehabilitated successfully with osseointegrated implants, even though they show more bone and attachment loss than periodontally healthy patients. Researchers observed five patients with GAgP and five periodontally-healthy patients treated with osseointegrated implants,
What if you could fill without having to drill? Scottish dentists have experimented with the approach on primary molars for years. Now a new study suggests the technique works. The study examined the Hall technique, in which dentists do not prepare the surface of the tooth they are treating or use anesthesia. Instead, they simply cement a preformed metal crown over the surface, sealing the cavity underneath. If more studies
Denturists — nondentists who make dentures — are flourishing in Kentucky and other states, despite laws against them, according to an article in today’s New York Times. The high cost of dental care, combined with a plague of tobacco and methamphetamine use has left many Kentuckians without teeth, the article reported. Denturists are allowed to practice independently in Idaho, Maine, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. In Arizona and Colorado, they can
The patient’s knuckles whiten and his eyes roll as he clutches the arms of the chair. Suddenly he chomps on your fingers. As you start back in pain, he leaps to his feet, knocks down several thousand dollars worth of equipment, and dashes for the exit… without stopping to pay his bill. Nightmares like these — and the availability of new oral anti-anxiety drugs — help explain why more dentists
How much are patients willing to pay for cosmetic procedures? $495,000 per practice, per year! Or so calculates an American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry survey. Based on responses from 5,500 members, the big picture is pretty big: Cosmetic procedures earned dentists $2.75 billion in 2006, a 15% increase over 2005. Some other notable findings: The projected number of cosmetic dental patients, based on survey results, was approximately 485 patients per
That dazzling-white Hollywood smile is most patients’ dream, and their enthusiasm will likely grow — if insurance foots the bill. And that’s exactly what the Guardian Life Insurance Company of America is doing. In a recent move, the company has expanded its dental plan coverage to include teeth whitening, citing client and broker demand as the key reason. “We believe that there is value in offering cosmetic teeth whitening because
Having a hard time convincing some patients that they really need cosmetic work? Maybe patients think their smile looks better than you think it does. Or so says a study in the latest issue of JADA. The study looked at 78 adults visiting a private practice in rural Norway. They were asked to rank their smiles on a visual analog scale, with one end of the spectrum being “not pleased”
What do IRS audits and root canals have in common? They both strike terror in the hearts of people. But there is a simple way to reduce the trauma of getting a root canal — go to an endodontist. At least that’s what a recent press release from the American Association of Endodontists claims, which points to an L.C. Williams & Associates poll. The poll’s not-so-surprising results: almost half of
