Wisdom Teeth

Using Teeth to Determine Where you are From

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An interesting article titled “The Pb isotopic record of historical to modern human lead exposure,” appears in the journal Science of The Total Environment written by George D. Kamenov and Brian L. Gulson (vol. 490, pp. 861-870, 2014). George Kamenov is a University of Florida geology professor. The article describes how trace amounts of lead present in teeth can give clues about what geographical region the teeth (and the person) came from. What is interesting about this article, is that the lead in the teeth can be used to pinpoint the geographic area where the teeth originated from. This is because lead is composed of four different isotopes which fluctuate in different rocks and soils around the world. As children grow they inhale dust and ingest soil which contains the different isotopes of lead. As tooth enamel forms during childhood, it … Read more

Wisdom Teeth Removal: Tweets from Twitter

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As the name of this website is teethremoval.com, often discussion of removing teeth, specifically wisdom teeth, are mentioned. One way to find out what people are saying first hand from their wisdom teeth removal experience is from Twitter. Many tweet out some 140 character message with the hashtag #wisdomteeth. Below I have included many tweets with the hashtag #wisdomteeth over the past year in 2014. 1) alexis @kickrockspunk all these ppl at the movie theater eating popcorn and i’m just like slurpee w/ no straw #wisdomteeth 2) paige @paaigehattonn I feel the need to explain to everyone why my cheeks are huge when I’m out #wisdomteeth 3) David Solberg ‏@da_solberg16 Will sell soul to eat solid food #WisdomTeeth 4) weston huser ‏@westonhuser I get to be a chipmunk tomorrow #WisdomTeeth 5) Jenna Haverkamp ‏@JennaHaverkamp Dear Lord, Please don’t let me … Read more

A Study of Outcomes Related to Wisdom Teeth Removal

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An interesting article titled “A Prospective Study of Clinical Outcomes Related to Third Molar Removal or Retention,” appears in the American Journal of Public Health (April 2014, Vol 104, No. 4) written by Greg J. Huang and et al. The article is a companion article to another also on wisdom teeth in the April 2014 issue of the journal. I discussed the companion article last week in the blog post https://blog.teethremoval.com/practice-based-wisdom-teeth-removal-study/. The article opens by mentioning the controversy surrounding the removal of wisdom teeth. On one side some have advocated for wisdom teeth to be removed to prevent future pathology and minimize risks, others have advocated for wisdom teeth to be removed to prevent lower incisor crowding, and others have argued for wisdom teeth to be removed to prevent periodontal pathology. On the other side some have advocated for wisdom … Read more

Practice Based Wisdom Teeth Removal Study

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An interesting article titled “Recommendations for Third Molar Removal: A Practice-Based Cohort Study,” appears in the April 2014, issue of the American Journal of Public Health (Vol. 104, No. 4, pp. 728-734), by Joana Cunha-Cruz and et. al. In the article a dental practice based research network Northwest Practice-based REsearch Collaborative in Evidence-based DENTistry (PRECEDENT) is used. A total of 50 general dentists enrolled patients from May 2009 to September 2010.  In the study a total of 797 patients who had wisdom teeth (third molar) recommendations from their general dentist were used who were aged 16 to 22. However, the patients were asked to take a survey every 8 months and then a clinical visit 24 months later.  From this sample of 797 patients only 516 completed at least one follow up questionnaire. In the study the general dentists reported that … Read more

Bringing Rapid HIV Testing to Dentistry

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An interesting study has been performed by the University of Sydney in 2014, looking at the possibility of using rapid HIV testing before dental surgery. The study assessed 521 Sydney based dental patients and their willingness to undergo rapid HIV testing in dental settings, their preference for HIV testing type, and their willingness to pay for the HIV test. More than 80% of the patients in the study were found to be willing to undergo rapid HIV testing before a dental procedure. The technology behind a rapid HIV test has been around for more than a decade but it not currently available in dental settings. The test can be done as a finger prick or a saliva swab. The results of the HIV test can be determined within 20 minutes. The Australian Federal government announced in July 2014, that they … Read more