Wisdom Teeth

Lasers to Detect Tooth Enamel

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A group of researchers in Australia and Taiwan led by Wang, Fleming, and their colleagues showed that they could analyze the health of  extracted human teeth using lasers. This is done by measuring how the surface of a tooth responds to laser-generated ultrasound. This allows them to then valuate the mineral content of tooth enamel. Enamel is the hardest and most mineralized substance of the human body which engulfs teeth in a protective layer. Enamel constantly undergoes a cycle of mineral loss and restoration, in which healthy teeth maintain a high mineral content. If the balance between mineral loss and gain is lost, teeth can develop areas of softened enamel which are precursors to cavities and damaged teeth. This research could lead to the ability to assess oral health and predict emerging dental problems, such as tooth decay and cavities … Read more

Win a Smile MakeOver

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I wanted to alert anyone who might be interested, that 1-800-DENTIST® is running a $30,000 smile makeover contest until mid November of 2009. To learn more you can visit www.1800dentist.com/my-smile-bites. You will need to submit and create a 2 minute video of yourself which discusses your smile and what you think would make it better. After your video is uploaded, family and friends can vote and help you become the winner of the contest.

Stone Left Blind After Wisdom Teeth Removal

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Earlier this year I reported on a teenager Austin Stone who was left in a coma after having his wisdom teeth removed due to complications from a faulty medical gas system https://blog.teethremoval.com/wisdom-teeth-removalleads-to-coma/. Stone was very recently able to walk at his High School’s graduation ceremonies and receive his high school diploma.  However, he was left blind, hard of hearing, and now has speech problems. A special ceremony was arranged for him to receive his diploma and his father helped him walked to the stage. To learn more visit http://www.tonganoxiemirror.com/news/2009/sep/10/homecoming-hero/

Stronger Cavity Fillings Made from Human

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A new dental filling material uses parts from the human body for controversial ingredients in existing composite or plastic, fillings is currently being developed. The new material appears stronger and longer lasting  with the potential for reducing painful filling cracks and emergency visits to the dentist. Julian X.X. Zhu and colleagues point out that dentists increasingly are using white fillings made from plastic. This is because the traditional fillings contain mercury, which has raised health concerns  consumers and environmental issues. Even so, many plastic fillings contain controversial ingredients  linked to premature cracking of fillings and slowly release bisphenol A, which is potentially toxic to humans and the environment. The new materials developed do not contain any of these controversial or potentially harmful effects. The use bile acids which are produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder to aid … Read more

Treatment Varies Wildly Among Dentists in UK

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There is an extremely interesting article posted by Ross Slater over at http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/08/24/private-dentists-mirror-investigation-finds-treatment-varies-wildly-115875-21619929/. The article discusses how Ross went to visit six (6) different private dentists in the UK after having not seen an NHS dentist for over a year. He wanted to see what they would say about his teeth and not all the dentists that he had no current problems with his teeth. The results were quite surprising. As the number of fillings recommended varied from zero (o) to five (5). The total bill was also wildly varied at each dentist as was the teeth that needed fillings when it was told one was needed. Read the entire article if you are interested to learn more about the varying dental care found.