teeth

Is it Possible to Regrow Teeth Enamel?

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According to the National Institutes of Health the most prevalent form of chronic disease is tooth decay. Janet Moradian-Oldak at USC has  investigated methods to regrow tooth enamel which is a difficult undertaking as tooth enamel is not a living tissue. She collaborated with Sauma Prajapati and others to investigate matrix metalloproteinase-20, an enzyme found only in teeth which facilitate organized enamel crystal formation. Her team is the first to define the function of an enzyme for preventing protein occlusion inside a crystal. MMP-20 is released at a very early stage of enamel formation. MMP-20 chops up proteins during the crystallization of enamel. Together with other enzymes, it gets rid of ‘sludge’ so the enamel making cells in the body can add more mineral and make enamel, the hardest bioceramic in the human body. The team also looked an amelogenin-chitosan hydrogel which could repair early tooth decay … Read more

Does the Sound of the Toothbrush Brushing Effect Quality?

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A group  of researchers in Japan have discovered that how effectively we clean our teeth and how satisfied we are with quality of the brushing depends on the sound of the bristles scrubbing against the enamel.  The team used a tiny microphone in a modified toothbrush to ‘sample’ the sound being made in the mouth during brushing and to modulate it and then feed that sound back to a group of volunteers via headphones to see what effect the sound has on cleaning efficacy and satisfaction. The team found that if they manipulated the pitch, or loudness and frequency, of the brushing sound they could change the volunteers’ perception of comfort experienced and accomplishment of brushing. It was also demonstrated that if they gradually increased the frequency as teeth cleaning progressed, the volunteers felt like the process was more comfortable and at the end of … Read more

No Drill Dentistry Can Prevent Tooth Decay

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Research published in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology has shown that the need for fillings can be reduced by 30 to 50% through preventative oral care. This means that many previous fillings are not needed when dental decay occurs. As such a preventative approach can be beneficial when compared to current dental practices. Dentistry has been traditionally practiced with the believe that tooth decay rapidly progressed and the best way to manage it was to identify early decay and remove it quickly to prevent the tooth surface form developing cavities. After the decay is removed the tooth is restored with a filling material. Fifty years of research studies have shown that decay is not always progressive and develops more slowly than previously thought. It can take an average of four to eight years for decay to progress from the tooth’s outer layer to the … Read more

Experts Insist Flossing Does Nothing to Limit Tooth Decay…Could They Be Correct?

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When it comes to orthodontics health and habits, it always seems that someone is telling us what we can and cannot do. Perhaps that is why those studies that make us feel better about not always following the rules makes us feel better. Findings published for the past decade about the effectiveness of flossing on tooth decay has been mixed. Some studies have found that it has no relation to tooth decay while others insist that tooth health is directly related to nothing more than flossing. There seems to be some truth to the scientific findings that the shame we all get by our dental hygienist may not be well founded. Could it be that we need not feel ashamed that flossing is not on our lists of to-dos? The research shows that if you don’t make a daily routine … Read more

Blueberry extract could help treat periodontitis

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In an article by Amel Ben Lagha and et al titled “Wild Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifoliumAit.) Polyphenols TargetFusobacterium nucleatumand the Host Inflammatory Response: Potential Innovative Molecules for Treating Periodontal Diseases,” a discussion is made that blueberry extract could be used for treating gum disease (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2015; 63 (31)). Gum disease occurs when bacteria form biofilms or plaques on teeth and the gums become inflamed. In ore severe cases this condition is called periodontitis and requires antibiotic use. By potentially using blueberry extract instead of antibiotics periodontitis could be treated. When gum disease occurs the gums get red and swollen an can bleed easily. If the condition is not treated periodontitis can occur. In order to treat periodontitis dentists scrape off tartar and use antiobitics. Researchers have been exploring other natural ways to treat gum disease. As … Read more