Imaging aids removal of aspirated dental crown

A chest x-ray helped identify a 9.5-mm dental crown discovered in the lung of an 81-year-old man admitted to the hospital for meningitis. The international team of authors behind the case published their report in the August issue of Radiology Case Reports. Patients with respiratory alterations or who appear to have missing dental elements or loosening teeth following an accident or emergency should undergo imaging to prevent serious complications, the

Ormco debuts Damon Ultima braces lines

Ormco has unveiled its Damon Ultima system of passive, self-ligation braces. The system features a round-sided rectangular wire and parallelogram-shaped slot in the bracket. Ormco designed the features to give orthodontists control of rotation, angulation, and torque for faster and more precise finishing, the company said. The brackets are available in neutral, retrocline, and procline options and are designed for the center point of the slot to line up with

Want a Lifetime of Healthy Smiles? 6 Dental Care Tricks for Kids

As family dentists serving Middleburg Heights and Cleveland, we’ve treated generations of family smiles. We began treating many of our adult patients when they were children. Now that they’re adults, we treat their children too. For us, dentistry is a family tradition. You can never begin too early — the sooner you start a kid down the road to great dental health, the healthier and more beautiful their smiles will

Exocad unveils new partial-denture design software

Align Technology’s Exocad has rolled out PartialCAD 3.0 Galway, a module for removable partial-denture frameworks. The release includes the following features: ul.editorialList li {margin-bottom:6px;} Accurate fits from attachment-based partial-framework designs without scanning the attachment itself or the accessory parts Interaction of the crown-and-bridge workflow with the partial-framework workflow to reverse plan the restoration Ability to design multiple separate elements, including framework, teeth, and gingiva, through integration of partial-framework design with

Rise in adverse events for TMJ implants prompts FDA update

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 17 released updated information about temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) implants, including the number of reported adverse events and ways the agency is engaging with patients. An influx of reports on adverse events related to TMJ implants triggered the FDA to increase engagement with patients diagnosed with TMD and to review postmarket studies. The FDA requires premarket approval (PMA)

Rare 4-cm mucocele removed from child’s submandibular gland

Clinicians removed a rare 4-cm mucocele that extended from the submandibular gland to the floor of the mouth of a 9-year-old girl. The case was published on June 16 in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery Case Reports. This type of mucous-filled, cystlike lesion occurs in the oral cavity; it rarely occurs in the main salivary glands. This case is one of only 14 involving a mucocele in the submandibular gland

Dental Dose: The brief history of cocaine in dentistry

Dental Dose is a twice-monthly video series featuring pharmacologist Tom Viola, RPh. In each episode, Viola shares bite-sized pieces of dental pharmacology news, facts, and myths. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, cocaine was an anesthetic agent of choice in dentistry, noted Tom Viola in the latest episode of Dental Dose. But perhaps more surprising, cocaine has accepted medical uses as an anesthetic agent to this day. About a

Align donates $1M to Operation Smile

Align Technology announced that the Align Foundation has donated $1 million to Operation Smile in celebration of the company’s 10 million Invisalign smiles milestone. The donation is intended to help children worldwide by raising awareness and generating support and funding for Operation Smile, a global surgical nonprofit. Operation Smile provides surgery and ongoing care for people affected by cleft lip and cleft palate in resource-limited environments, Align said.

Kids skip the dentist after general anesthesia procedures

Researchers from Scotland found a significant drop in dental care visits after children in the U.K. underwent general anesthesia for dental procedures in a recent study. The findings were published on June 4 in the European Archives of Paediatric Dentistry. While 85% of children in the study attended a dental exam in the 12 months before their dental general anesthesia (DGA) appointment, only 58% had an appointment the following year.

Young Innovations, TeamSmile announce partnership

Young Innovations and TeamSmile have announced a partnership to advance TeamSmile’s goal of providing disadvantaged children with dental care. Young Innovations will provide a variety of products, including disposable prophy angles, prophy paste, handpieces, and hygiene curettes and scalers, which will be used by TeamSmile to provide services to children across the U.S., the companies said. TeamSmile partners with professional sports teams and college athletic departments to set up dental

Forensic dentist publishes latest crime novel

University at Buffalo forensic dentist Dr. Mary Bush has published a new novel, The Secrets We Bury, the latest in a Buffalo, NY-based crime series. The series follows Valentina Knight, a dentist turned death-scene investigator. Knight must unravel the mystery behind the murder-suicide of a mother and child where nothing is as it seems, according to the publisher. Bush is a forensic dentist who has participated in prominent criminal investigations.

Oral-systemic health webinar scheduled

Procter & Gamble’s (P&G) Crest + Oral-B, the Smile Generation, and dental service organization Pacific Dental Services are hosting a webinar on oral-systemic health. The webinar will focus on the link between periodontal disease and brain conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease. It will be held on June 25 at 9 a.m. Pacific time, and attendees can earn 1.5 continuing education credits.