Managing the oral side effects of cancer treatment

Dentists can play a key role in helping cancer patients endure the oral side effects of cancer treatments, according to Sol Silverman, D.D.S., M.A., professor of oral medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Dentistry, at the recent California Dental Association (CDA) fall seminar. The goal is to make them as comfortable as possible, he emphasized in his session, “Oral Complications of Cancer Treatments and Dental

What the candidates’ smiles say about their personalities

Editor’s note: Helaine Smith’s column, The Mouth Physician, appears regularly on the HuangshanDental.com advice and opinion page, Second Opinion. While watching the recent debates, I found myself analyzing the presidential candidates and their smiles and concluded that their smiles give clues into their personalities — and possibly their governing style. John McCain’s yellow teeth and a gold crown on his upper right molar show his age. He probably got that

Low-dose Dex shows promise for general dentistry

An intravenous sedative that induces a more natural, sleeplike experience with fewer side effects than other sedatives could find its way into dental offices in the near future. A recent study in Anesthesia Progress concludes that intravenous dexmedetomidine (Dex), commonly used in intensive care units following surgery, is appropriate for use by anesthesia-trained professionals in certain dental applications (Fall 2008, Vol. 55:3 pp. 82-88). “Dex induces a sedative response that

Michigan Dental Association sues to stop illegal practice

A Michigan man has been stopped from illegally practicing dentistry, following a lawsuit filed by the Michigan Dental Association (MDA). Oakland County Circuit Judge Daniel O’Brien issued a preliminary injunction October 1 against Everett VanDenEeden, doing business as Smile-Rite Denture Center. Under the court order, VanDenEeden is restrained from engaging in the unauthorized practice of dentistry. The MDA charged that VanDenEeden had been illegally practicing dentistry by diagnosing and fitting

Milestone acquires patent rights, resolves litigation

Milestone Scientific has acquired additional patent rights for painless anesthetic injections, including rights related to controlling pressures used in providing these injections. In connection with this acquisition, Milestone Scientific will terminate its Declaratory Judgment action against Dr. Milton Hodosh related to claimed infringements of his patent rights, and Dr. Hodosh will terminate his existing infringement action against Milestone Scientific, according to a company press release. “We are pleased to have

Let’s be more than just tooth plumbers

Editor’s note: Helaine Smith’s column, The Mouth Physician, appears regularly on the HuangshanDental.com advice and opinion page, Second Opinion. Welcome, and thank you for reading my first blog posting on Dr.Bicuspid.com. I am delighted to share my thoughts and views on the many interesting topics that we encounter while practicing modern dentistry. This weekend I was reading my favorite newspaper, Investor’s Business Daily, and there was an article that cited

Kettenbach enters U.S. dental market

Kettenbach, a German producer of impression materials, will now sell its dental products direct to the U.S. dental market. The company’s U.S. division is headquartered in Huntington Beach, CA. To mark its entry into the U.S. dental market, Kettenbach has introduced its full line of Futar bite registration materials, including Futar D, the leading bite registration material in Germany, according to a company press release. “Kettenbach has developed into a

Lack of antibiotics costs dentist $2.6 million

An Oklahoma dentist’s decision not to pretreat a diabetic patient with antibiotics prior to extracting her abscessed tooth may cost him $2.6 million. That is the amount a Comanche County jury has awarded the husband of Linda Culberson, who died in January 2004 from an infection after Robert Morford, D.D.S., of Lawton, OK, pulled her tooth. Mrs. Culberson, 58, went to Dr. Morford’s office in April 2002 with “a chronically

Medicaid dental program comes under fire

A new report issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals that a third of all children covered by Medicaid receive no dental care, and approximately 6.5 million children in Medicaid have untreated tooth decay. The GAO report, commissioned in 2007 after two young boys died from complications resulting from untreated tooth decay, estimates that in 2005, 1.1 million children between the ages of 2 and 18 in Medicaid had

Johnson & Johnson launches new toothbrush and floss

Johnson & Johnson has introduced the New Reach Ultraclean Toothbrush and Floss, which provide superior plaque removal, according to the company. New Reach Ultraclean Floss has microgrooves that flex to adapt to the contours between the teeth. The toothbrush features an angled neck designed like a dental instrument, multilevel bristles, a dense cleansing tip, and an ergonomic handle. The toothbrush and floss will be available at food, drug, and mass

Dentist forcibly repossesses patient’s bridges

It’s infuriating when patients don’t pay their bills. Sometimes it’s so infuriating that you might feel like going to their homes, tying them down, and ripping out their teeth. A German dentist did just that, according to reports in European newspapers. In the town of Neu-Ulm, the unidentified dentist is under investigation for assault and theft after bursting into his patient’s home, tying her hands, and extracting the two bridges

High-strength Vivadent ceramic available for D4D

D4D Technologies has announced that Ivoclar Vivadent’s high-strength IPS e.max CAD LT ceramic blocks are now available to fabricate chairside restorations with the E4D Dentist system. The IPS e.max CAD LT material, already available for Cerec milling, is nearly three times the strength of other millable ceramics for chairside restorative systems, according to a D4D press release. It is available in 13 shades and two block sizes (C14 and I12).