Researchers from the University of Louisville School of Dentistry and their colleagues have discovered details of how proteins produced by oral epithelial cells protect humans against viruses entering the body through the mouth. They also found that oral bacteria can suppress the activity of these cells, increasing vulnerability to infection. A family of proteins known … Read more
Many people were lax about their oral health care in 2021 due, at least in part, to the avoidance of dental care because of the pandemic. Now, Dr. Alan Law, President of the American Association of Endodontists (AAE), said a survey commissioned by his agency showed that 43 percent of Americans say tooth pain caused … Read more
Creating restorations with Aura Easy composite can help close small black triangles with ease. BLACK TRIANGLES, ALSO KNOWN as open gingival embrasures, are spaces or gaps of missing gum at the cervical embrasure above the contact point and are a common dental issue seen in approximately 30% of adults. The main determinant of the inter-proximal … Read more
Bruxism is Up – Keep Your Repairs Beautiful and Budget Friendly While chipping a tooth is often the result of an accident, falls or intense contact sport injuries, chipped teeth can also occur from seemingly harmless daily occurrences such as stress, bruxism, ill-aligned bites, nail biting, chewing on hard foods or surfaces (like ice, … Read more
The print version of the Telegraph has reported a new study on the links between gum disease and the risk of chronic health conditions, claiming “gum disease increases the risk of developing mental health problems by more than a third.” The study, led by researchers at the University of Birmingham, found a link between the two, but … Read more
Stress and anxiety connected to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is revealing itself in people’s mouths, say dentists who report increasing cases of patients with cracked, broken and damaged teeth over the past 20 months. Bruce Ward, a Vancouver-area dentist, said he’s noticing the pressures of the pandemic are causing more people to involuntarily clench their … Read more
TikTok users are taping their mouths shut before bed and say the practice, called mouth taping, leads to higher quality sleep and better oral health. Researchers have only studied mouth taping on small groups of people with sleep apnea and asthma. One study showed mouth taping could be beneficial for people with sleep apnea, while another found it ineffective for people … Read more
Must Love Kids, a Vancouver pediatric dental practice, pledges to contribute $2400 per year to Clark County Food Bank and challenges other area dental practices and children’s healthcare providers to contribute to The Food Bridge, a fundraising campaign aimed to raise $20,000 in monetary donations to Clark County Food Bank. Proper nutrition has been linked to … Read more
Tooth decay is a common and unfortunate problem for many of us, but two University of Otago studies show it is also an issue for other primates, as well as our fossil relatives and ancestors. Dr Ian Towle, the former Sir Thomas Sidey Postdoctoral Fellow in Otago’s Faculty of Dentistry, says cavities are often considered to … Read more
We go through life on many roads picking up information and details as we grow, mature and age. The journey of life is a journey of knowledge. How do we gain knowledge? How do we know what we know? The ancient Greeks created a branch of philosophy dedicated to this question called epistemology. A quick … Read more
Dr. Clare Whitney Co-owner of Downtown Dental, Calgary, Alberta How would you define or summarize your practice philosophy? I enjoy doing dentistry, but I really value forming meaningful connections and relationships with my patients. I aim to deliver clinical excellence while caring FOR my patients. I appreciate getting to know people, sharing conversation and a … Read more
Introduction Neutrophils (Polymorphonuclear neutrophils or PMNs) are a highly abundant white blood cell type, that are the first cells recruited to acute sites of infection. Through their essential role in immune surveillance and maintenance of organismal homeostasis, PMNs innately recognize tissue damage and infection, quickly home to relevant sites throughout the body and destroy invading … Read more
Introduction Dental plaque, what has been re-termed “oral biofilm”, has long been connected with periodontal problems and to a lesser extent caries related to the bacteria contained within it. Oral bacteria have long been ignored for any effects outside the oral cavity. Yet, research has been accumulating directly connecting a link between oral health and … Read more
Introduction Most restorative dental treatment is because of dental caries, the most-prevalent disease in humans. Unchecked dental caries infection causes dentinal spread (cavitation) and destruction of tooth surfaces. Although we have been well trained as dental clinicians to diagnose caries lesions as early as possible, identifying the presence of early caries lesions proves to be … Read more
Implant supported dentures provide many individuals with a better quality of life, but this is not without some challenges. Specifically, what is the recommended self-care for this type of prosthesis? There are two areas for discussion: removable dentures and fixed dentures. Research in the area of implant self-care is limited and often based on low-level … Read more
Statement of Problem It has been established that maintenance is of utmost importance in the delivery of comprehensive prosthodontic treatment. Therefore, consideration of the possible factors which impact the maintenance phase is essential to take into account during the treatment planning stage. Although, most clinicians recognize the importance of prosthesis maintenance, few of them are … Read more
The main objective in the treatment of periodontitis is removal and disruption of bacterial biofilm.1 This can be performed via non-surgical approach (scaling and root planning/SRP) or via surgical approach by employing open flap debridement (OFD) for deeper inaccessible periodontal pockets.2 Along with oral hygiene instructions for improved oral care at home, this can result … Read more
INTRODUCTION Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease that affects the hard and soft tissues that surround the teeth and is estimated to affect 10-15% of the world population.1 Following the 2017 world workshop on the classification of the disease, a system was created to encompass the staging and grading of the disease.2 There are four stages … Read more
In looking back at 2021, I wanted to leave you a “Last Word” of what I considered gamechangers that had an impact on this last year. COVID-19 Vaccines COVID-19 has changed the way we practice both physically and emotionally. Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson are the companies that created our vaccines in break-neck … Read more
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak in Wuhan, China, was first reported on December 31st, 2019. These initial coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases caused by SARS-CoV-2 were linked to an animal wet market. Similarities between SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses suggest that bats may be natural hosts and potential reservoirs for this virus, … Read more