When dentists discover cavities in their patients, they are often filled with a tooth-colored material that looks just like a person’s own teeth. However, tooth-colored fillings usually require replacement every five to seven years, often because tooth decay has formed under the filling. A researcher at the OU College of Dentistry in Oklahoma City is … Read more
A Point St. Charles community health clinic that played a key role in persuading the provincial government to end so-called medical accessory fees is now calling on Quebec to expand public dental care in the province. The non-profit clinic, which serves 14,000 mostly low-income residents, is urging the government to expand as a first step dental coverage … Read more
A new study has found genetic makeup does not predispose people to tooth decay, however, the research did find that children with overweight mothers are more likely to have cavities. The paper, published in the latest edition of Pediatrics, estimates that one in three Australian children have tooth decay by the time they start school. Lead researcher Dr. … Read more
After examining data gathered in a first-of-its-kind provincial study, University of Toronto clinician-scientist Marco Magalhaes has a vital message to convey: Dentists in Ontario are detecting more cases of oral cancer and pre-cancer than ever before – and it’s saving lives. The study, published in the Journal of the American Dental Association, looked at 63,483 biopsies submitted to the … Read more
A University of Sydney study has revealed that tooth decay (dental caries) can be stopped, reversed, and prevented without the need for the traditional ‘fill and drill’ approach that has dominated dental care for decades. The results of the seven year study, published today in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, found that the need for fillings … Read more
Patients visiting the dentist for lesions to the jaw and teeth could be victims of domestic violence, U.S. researchers warn. Oral biomarkers that might signal domestic violence include tears, fractures, breaks, and chips in the teeth and mouth. Published in the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma in mid-April, the article reports that up to 75 per … Read more
Children who develop cavities and gum disease may be more likely to develop risk factors for heart attacks and strokes decades later than kids who have good oral health, a recent study suggests. Researchers did dental exams for 755 children in 1980, when they were eight years old on average, then followed them through 2007 … Read more
The Evolution of Surgical Navigation Transformative technologies are altering the developmental framework in dentistry. Digital imaging, diagnostics and impressions, the use of computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) for prosthesis fabrication and lasers for soft and hard tissue alterations can achieve degrees of bio-minimalism that were impossible a few scant years ago.1-5 Nowhere is this more prevalent … Read more
Bridge to Health was founded in 2012 by six passionate health care professionals brought together by a common desire to provide health care to those in tremendous need. In 2013, Bridge to Health set out with their first team and have been changing lives in underserved rural communities in Southwest Uganda and Kenya ever since. … Read more
Introduction Amidst various technologies and treatment options for replacement of one’s tooth, dental implants have become the standard of care in present day practice. No longer are we enamoured by the body’s ability to accept an endosseous implant as its own. The landmark phenomenon of osseointegration by which titanium fuses to bone at a microscopic … Read more
The restoration of endodontically treated teeth (ETT) has been guided historically by anecdotal empiricism rather than biomechanical dynamics. Decisions regarding the configuration of the restoration, the diameter of the post channel and the post and core materials to be used have plagued foundational dentistry for decades.1,2 The loss of coronal tooth structure due to caries,3 … Read more
Introduction Consider a new patient who has come to a dental office and undergoes a screening examination. A quick look at any missing teeth may prompt a dentist to ask, why were these teeth lost? While patient responses may be vague, the answer often involves fractured endodontically treated teeth (ETT). For the most part, teeth … Read more
Introduction One of the most infamous canals we chase in endodontics is the second mesio-buccal (MB2) canal of maxillary molars. It’s often referred to as the “fourth canal” and is one of the most frustrating aspects of maxillary molar root canals. We have known of the presence of the MB2 canal for over a century. … Read more
As a child growing up in the sixties, I was a great fan of the famous “Star Trek” television show starring William Shatner. The original series debuted on September 8, 1966. The show tells the tale of the crew of the starship Enterprise and its five-year mission “to boldly go where no man has gone … Read more
The Pulse To truly feel the current pulse in dentistry, you must listen to what other dentists are thinking and saying. Online message boards are a great place to participate in the conversations that dentists are having. These forums give us a sense of the current trends. Social media is the emerging wave of communication … Read more
Introduction Earlier this year the Canadian Association of Hospital Dentists joined the Choosing Wisely Canada campaign. Choosing Wisely Canada is the national voice on reducing harm to patients. Modeled on the Choosing Wisely campaign in the United States, an initiative of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation, it is a national, clinician-led and … Read more
Let’s not beat around the bush: patients can and will leave your practice because of you. Dissatisfaction with a dentist or their team is the number one reason for patients finding a new practice. However, it’s crucial to note: patients want to be loyal and stay. You already know that chairside manner is the most … Read more
A visit to the dentist typically involves time-consuming and sometimes unpleasant scraping with mechanical tools to remove plaque from teeth. What if, instead, a dentist could deploy a small army of tiny robots to precisely and non-invasively remove that buildup? A team of engineers, dentists, and biologists from the University of Pennsylvania developed a microscopic … Read more
An emerging new type of oral cancer in men has increased over the last 15 years.1 The culprit is human papillomavirus (HPV), and key social factors are contributing to its growth. April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, and with the ongoing rise in cases of throat cancer linked to HPV,2 many medical and dental professionals are encouraging … Read more
Maureen and Gary Myers of Odessa are waiting – and have been for more than four years now. In September 2014, their 39-year-old son Tommy went in for a cleaning at Grand Dentistry in New Port Richey. Tommy, a special needs patient with Down Syndrome, was sedated by Dr. Veronica Thompson. Records show that, within minutes, … Read more