Our success in life depends greatly on how well we communicate in our personal and professional lives. When we communicate positively and effectively we inspire connections and build happier, healthier and higher performing relationships. Our ceiling of success then becomes like the old expression, the sky’s the limit. Unless you live in some remote jungle, … Read more
The prevalence of impacted cuspids is approximately one to two percent of the population. For those individuals with impacted cuspids who seek orthodontic treatment, they can expect more complicated mechanics and increased treatment time. There is a similar prevalence of cases with peg lateral incisors. These situations also present challenges for the orthodontist and the … Read more
In our last article in Oral Health Labs’ Fall 2015 edition, we looked at how digital dentistry is slowly crossing the adoption cycle chasm. Digital dentistry has been slow in coming, largely because the learning curve for new methods and tools is steep indeed. Given their professional responsibility for patient care, dentists have every reason … Read more
This article is the second in a series for Oral Health. The first article was published in the August 2015 issue, with the title “Surgical Risk Factors in Implant Dentistry: Influence on Failures and Bone Loss”. Table 1 in this article, organizes risk factors in implant dentistry into four categories. These were introduced in the … Read more
Introduction The long-term success of dental implant surgery is dependent, in part, on accurate planning and placement of the implant.1 Currently, there are many digital planning systems available to aid the clinician in pre-operative treatment planning, although the main challenge with these planning systems is to accurately transfer the digital plan to the clinical situation. … Read more
Waldorf Astoria, NYC A continuous increase in demand for dental implant treatments as a result of growing consumer awareness, an ageing population, growing accessibility as well as greater product availability, has accelerated the demand for education in this field. With its global symposium in particular, Nobel Biocare has established itself as a provider of top-level … Read more
I am honoured to have been selected as an editor for the implantology issue of Oral Health. My father, Blake Nicolucci, has had an extensive career full of accolades and I can only hope to achieve some of what he has accomplished. He has served both Oral Health and the profession as a whole with … Read more
In a perfect world, after the extraction of a tooth, there would be complete preservation and restoration of the original ridge volume via the natural process of tissue modeling, which is ideal for future implant placement. Commonly, and unfortunately, this is not the case. Regardless of whether tooth removal is atraumatic or not, healing of … Read more
Introduction The use of a surgical guide is nothing new or revolutionary as clinicians have always had a need to more precisely position implants during surgery. Nearly 25 years ago, we at the Institut Canadien d’Implantologie developed a surgical guide. We wanted a better solution for the problems of conventional guides, which were often left … Read more
Much has evolved about the placement protocols and usage of endosseous dental implants. Early on, the osseointegration of dental implants was imagined as a way to restore patients with total or near-total edentulism, through the stabilization of a removable prosthesis. Initial protocols called for several months of healing after tooth removal. It was recognized that … Read more
To satisfy the ideal goals of implant dentistry in a predictable manner, hard and soft tissues should present in ideal volumes and quality. The alveolar process is affected so often after tooth loss that socket grafting is usually indicated to achieve optimal results. Reasons for socket grafting include an improved esthetic appearance particularly in the anterior alveolar ridge, preservation of remaining … Read more
In an industry that offers so many options and emerging products restoratively, many of us have never heard of one of the new and extremely useful phenomenons: the Screwmentable. What is a Screwmentable? It’s a restoration consisting of an abutment, a crown and a screw. To many, that doesn’t sound any different from a screw-retained … Read more
Periodontal diseases are amongst the most common inflammatory disease in humans. It has been previously accepted that periodontitis is infectious in origin; newer data suggests that while infection with specific periodontal pathogenic bacteria is necessary for periodontitis to develop, infection alone is insufficient for the development of the disease. Significantly, the role played by the … Read more
Introduction The use of video in dentistry is increasing steadily in private and academic education, as well in regular practices. As the technology becomes more affordable and easier to use, video is becoming a common tool for communication, documentation and education. Video provides many advantages including live-stream demonstration, the creation of case studies for students, … Read more
The Need It is estimated that 30% or more of the adult population is partially or totally edentulous. For the edentulous patient, dentures offer many advantages when compared to other alternatives. They can be esthetically pleasing, easy to maintain and cost effective; however, these benefits are often hampered by patient discomfort, difficulties in chewing, problems … Read more
Introduction Fluorescence visualization (FV) as an adjunctive tool for general dental practitioners in routine soft tissue oral examinations was first introduced as the VELscope™ in 2006 by LED Dental. Since that time there has been a significant amount of clinical research evaluating its use in both routine oral examination and surgery. This clinical research has … Read more
ABSTRACT Gum disease starts between the teeth. The interdental space is the most vulnerable yet most neglected area of the mouth because of its anatomy and the fact that most people hate to floss. There are many floss alternatives that are currently available that are much easier to use than floss, which would not only … Read more
Patients often avoid dental care due to the fear of pain that they perceive they will feel either related to the local anesthetic injection or during drilling to remove caries. This can be especially traumatic for pediatric patients who can be uncooperative following the sensation of the injection.1 Frequently; the hard tissue laser allows treatment … Read more
Introduction One of the most common non-infectious complications resulting from dental care is jaw joint and muscle strain/sprain. Jaw joint and muscle strain/sprain are characterized by acute joint pain, limited range of motion, muscle tenderness, and muscle and joint dysfunction. If left untreated, these can progress into a chronic condition. This article presents a treatment … Read more
Introduction Both chairside and laboratory digital technologies in dentistry are rapidly changing the way crown and bridge restorations are being fabricated for our patients. Traditional indirect techniques have always presented an opportunity to introduce inaccuracies into the fabrication process. Some of these potential errors include: 1) incorrect water-powder ratios of the dental stone, 2) hygroscopic … Read more