Last week a friend of mine, whom I will call Craig, called me to tell me about his dental problem. His story is a recurring concern I have about some dentists performing an inadequate dental exam. A lack of an in-depth exam can result in continued pain for the patient and also expensive, unnecessary, and possibly harmful treatment. Craig’s problem Craig told me that several weeks ago he had so
How does actual tooth movement with clear aligners compare with intended results? Are certain tooth movements easier to achieve than others? Researchers used 3D imaging software to examine the differences between predicted and achieved results. They conducted a retrospective study of nearly 400 teeth in 20 adults patients treated with Invisalign aligners (Align Technology) who required further refinement after initial treatment. The results indicated that predicted and achieved horizontal tooth
Poor oral health has been once again linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD). A recent study found that adults with periodontitis and poor oral hygiene habits may be at an increased risk for heart troubles. The study, which is one of the latest to link heart health to oral health, included thousands of adult participants from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. It is also one of the first
The introduction of new materials for CAD/CAM systems and improvement in bonding techniques have made treatments such as ceramic laminate veneers possible. But how do these veneers hold up over five years? Researchers studied two glass-ceramic blocks to find out. For their study, they used Ivoclar Vivadent’s IPS Empress CAD and IPS e.max CAD blocks. While the survival and success rates were good for both, one scored better, the researchers
Dental support organization Dental Care Alliance (DCA) has affiliated with Eckels Orthodontics, which has offices in Ohio and West Virginia. The offices are located in Marietta, OH, and Parkersburg and Ripley, WV. DCA has more than 270 affiliated dental offices across 15 U.S. states.
Dear DrBicuspid Member, In their latest Legal Cases column, William S. Spiegel and Dr. Marc Leffler present a case in which a patient having two teeth extracted had a seizure in the chair and later died. Complicating matters was that the treating dentist had received his license only a week earlier. Read on to learn how the case was resolved and what you can do to help your practice. Read more
A commercially available obturation material may better at preventing vertical root fractures than gutta-percha, according to a new systematic review that looked at vertical root fracture incidence in more than 650 roots. The review found that roots obturated with Resilon (Resilon Research) were significantly less likely to experience a vertical root fracture than those sealed with gutta-percha. The results were published in BMC Oral Health (June 13, 2018). “A meta-analysis
D. Walter Cohen, DDS, died on June 29 at age 91. Dr. Cohen was dean emeritus of the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) School of Dental Medicine and former president of the Medical College of Pennsylvania. Dr. Cohen graduated from Penn’s dental school in 1950. He returned to Penn as an assistant instructor and later established the school’s department of periodontics and served as its first chairman. He founded the D. Walter Cohen
Mandibular advancement devices can help treat obstructive sleep apnea, but they must be worn nightly for life and are thought to cause long-term dental and skeletal side effects that have not been well defined. Researchers conducted a review to learn more about these issues and how they evolve over time. They identified studies on dental or skeletal side effects in adults who used these devices over the long term and
Tooth cavities or dental caries are holes in your teeth caused by tooth decay, which in turn happens when specific bacteria types produce plaque acid that destroys the enamel of your teeth and its underlying dentin layer. The signs and symptoms of dental caries include pain when chewing, toothache, and tooth sensitivity to cold, hot, or sweet food and drinks. Because cavities can penetrate into the tooth structure beyond the
Dental supply manufacturer Young Innovations announced it has acquired Johnson-Promident. Johnson-Promident is a manufacturer and supplier of handpieces, preventive consumables, infection control products, and rotary instruments. This is Young Innovations’ 10th acquisition in four years, according to the company. Young said that Gary Kris, Johnson-Promident’s CEO, will serve in an advisory role. The transaction price was not disclosed.
3Shape has announced that its Trios intraoral scanner now digitally integrates with the Alineadent clear-aligner system. The integration allows practitioners to choose Alineadent from the 3Shape app and send their scans to Alineadent for planning and delivery of a clear aligner. Almost 400 bracket libraries and orthodontic providers are integrated with its orthodontic software, according to 3Shape.
