teeth

Gum Disease More Common With Old Age

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A recent study which appeared in Nature Immunology shows that the deterioration in gum health which occurs with increasing age is associated with a drop in the level of a chemical called Del-1. Periodontitis is a disease of the gums which causes bleeding and bone loss which can, over time, lead to loss of teeth. Periodontitis  is caused by an over-active immune response to bacteria that grow in the mouth. As people age they are more likely to suffer from inflammatory diseases, including gum disease. The new research investigated gum disease in young and old mice and found that an increase in gum disease in the older animals was accompanied by a drop in the level of Del-1. Del-1 is known to restrain the immune system by stopping white blood cells from sticking to and attacking mouth tissue. In mice that had … Read more

Fish Oil to Help Periodontal Disease

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I have previously discussed in this post https://blog.teethremoval.com/omega-3-fatty-acids-inversely-proportional-to-periodontitis/ that you should be taking omega 3 fatty acids such as fish oil regularly. This is because omega 3 fatty acids have been found to be inversely associated with periodontitis which is inflammation of the tissue surrounding the teeth. Recently researchers in Australia reviewed evidence from eight unique studies that involved humans to evaluate whether fish oil supplementation could be an adjunct therapy for periodontitis. Their review of these studies showed that improvements in clinical measures were common in all studies, but were scientifically significant in two that used a combination of fish oil and aspirin. Although not conclusive, intake of fish oil is recommended for health benefits which extend beyond just your teeth. Dr. Alison Coates from the University of South Australia says: “I would recommend that people ensure they have a … Read more

Dental Cleanings May Reduce Stroke and Heart Attack Risk

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A study in Taiwan looked at those who have had professional tooth scraping and cleaning performed and found that they had reduced risks of stroke and heart attack. The study showed that more frequent scraping/cleaning was associated with more reduced risk compared to never having teeth cleaned/scraped or occasionally having it performed. The study looked at over 100,000 people and found that if either a dentist or dental hygienist scraped and cleaned teeth those people in that group had a 24% lower risk of a heart attack and a 13% lower risk of a stroke when compared to those who never had a dental cleaning performed. The people in the study were followed for an average of 7 years. The study was conducted using data from the Taiwan National Health insurance data base. One of the researchers was Emily (Zu-Yin) … Read more

Second Opinion Advertisements for Dentists

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An article in The Journal of the American Dental Association titled “Are Advertisements That Offer ‘Free Second Opinions’ Ethical by Rod B. Wentworth (October 1, 2011, vol. 142, no. 10, pages 1199-1200) talks about the ethics involved with dentists advertising “free second opinions.” In the article it says “So simply offering free second opinions is not in and of itself unethical. It is perfectly acceptable for a patient to seek a second opinion. In fact, dentists should consider suggesting that their patients obtain second opinions, especially when they have questions or concerns about the appropriateness of the recommended treatment.” One issue raised in the article is that in a second opinion, if a patient has any x-rays they should be sent along with the patient for the second opinion to avoid unnecessary radiation. The other issue raised is giving second … Read more

Do Teeth Define Your Personality?

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I was alerted to an interesting infographic that was just produced by http://submitinfographics.com/ The infographic discusses some different characteristics of teeth. It also discusses some statistics about how 164 million work hours per year are spent treating dental problems for adults and 51 million school hours per year are spent treating dental problems for children. (Click to enlarge) [Via: Carrington College’s Dental Assisting Training Program]