Health

Estrogen therapy can help reduce gum disease

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Estrogen therapy has been credited with helping women manage a wide range of menopause-related issues, such as hot flashes, improving heart health, and maintaining sexual satisfaction. New research suggests that estrogen therapy used to treat osteoporosis can lead to healthier teeth and gums. During menopause estrogen levels reduce and women become more vulnerable to health issues such as loss of bone mineral density which can lead to osteoporosis. During menopause changes in oral health also are common as teeth and gums become more susceptible to disease, leading to inflammation, bleeding, pain, and potentially lost teeth. In the research, 492 postmenopausal Brazilian women aged 50 to 87 years, 113 in osteoporosis treatment and 379 not treated, were evaluated to determine whether osteoporosis treatment could help increase the bone mineral density in their jaws and improve oral health. The study found that … Read more

Bacterium goes from the mouth to the heart to cause disease

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The human mouth can have more than 700 different species of bacteria. Under normal circumstances these microbes co-exist as part of our resident oral microbiota but when they spread to other tissues via the blood stream, the results can be catastrophic. Researchers from the University of Bristol have revealed a potentially key molecular process that occurs in the case of infective endocarditis, a type of cardiovascular disease in which bacteria cause unwanted blood clots to form on heart valves. If untreated, this condition is fatal and even with treatment, mortality rates are high. There are over 2,000 cases of infective endocarditis in the United Kingdom (UK) annually and the amount is rising. The research involved the use of the UK national synchrotron facility, Diamond Light Source. Using this giant X-ray microscope the team was able to visualise the structure and … Read more

Method to Reduce Dental Implant Failure

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Fifteen million Americans have crown or bridge replacements and three million have dental implants. Dental implants can be successful for many patients; however, five to 10 per cent of all dental implants fail. The reasons for this failure are mechanical problems, poor connection to the implanted bones, infection or rejection. When failure occurs the dental implant needs to be removed. The main reason for dental implant failure is periimplantitis. This destructive inflammatory process affects the soft and hard tissues surrounding dental implants. When pathogenic microbes in the mouth and oral cavity develop into biofilms, periimplantitis develop on dental implants. A research team from the School of Biological Sciences, Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry and the School of Engineering at the University of Plymouth, have joined forces to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a new nanocoating for dental implants … Read more

Filing Billing for Dentists to Help Patients

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An interesting article titled “You want me to do what?” written by Douglas Auld appears in the March 2016 issue of JADA. The article discusses a patient who has an an abscess on a mandibular right third molar which requires extraction. The treatment was done in December and the patient had already used their full benefits from their dental insurance for the year. So the patient suggested to the dentist to bill for the extraction in January and also suggested to file it as a surgical extraction and apply the difference to his balance. The article asks if it is ethical for dentists to do any of this. The article states that a dentist has a duty to communicate truthfully with third parties. It says “A dentist who submits a claim form to a third party reporting incorrect treatment dates for the purpose of … Read more

The lowdown on pulling teeth (the official way)

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It’s an old saying, but if we get into the serious nature of pulling teeth there are some interesting views to read. As you might expect, this isn’t a two-minute procedure. There’s a whole host of information to dissect and whether you go to Limerick dentists or ones at the other side of the country, the advice stays the same. We’ll now take a look at how you should approach pulling teeth and what you need to take into account to make it as painless as possible. Who may require a tooth extraction? While most people are under the assumption that a tooth extraction should only be carried out if you have suffered some damage in your mouth, this isn’t necessarily the case. In truth, the options are endless and we could pen a dissertation mulling over each of them. … Read more