Bad Economy Affecting U.S.'s Dental Habits

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Dental News: Tough Times For Dental Providers
The American Dental Association (ADA) reports that over than 50% of dentists have been losing money throughout 2009 because less patients are seeing their dentist, prompting many general practice dentists to rethink how they operate their practice and instilling worry about the long-term health effects of so many people skipping appointments.

Despite the fact that more dentists are willing to offer discounts and keep later hours, it seems that many people are still reluctant to shell out money for dental care. Of the dentists surveyed nationally by the ADA, about 40 percent said they delayed retirement because of the recession and 46% said they put off buying new equipment.

To combat the declining numbers of Americans going to the dentist, some dentists are offering payment plans and partnering with third-party credit companies for the first time. One dentist -- Dr. Kevin Krause of Sarasota Florida -- is offering a basic exam and X-rays for only $1. "Business is down about 25% over last year," Krause said.

Less Dental Care Means Less Dental Health
Despite tough economic times, dentists warned that some dental care cannot be neglected or the result will be advanced gum disease and tooth loss. "Just because your gum disease doesn't hurt doesn't mean it isn't progressing," says Sarasota dentist Dr. Cory Warrenbrand. "Studies have shown that gum disease can lead to heart disease. I think sometimes people lose track of how dental health effects overall health. We are health care providers, not just tooth doctors."

But the overarching economics of neglecting dental care are also proving to be foreboding as putting off regular dental visits lead to bigger and more expensive dental bills later on. The National Institute of Health estimates that for every $1 spent on preventive dental work (cleanings, exams, and x-rays) results in savings of $4 in restorative dentistry such as root canals and fillings.

Various Teeth Whitening Options

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Reprinted from Dentalplans.com

Dental care isn't only about teeth cleanings and dental checkups; it's also about helping patients feel more confident by giving them a brighter smile, and this can now be accomplished in a number of ways.

There are various teeth whitening systems available today, so individuals who want the brightest smile possible have options, as do people who want to brighten their teeth themselves.

Many dentists offer teeth-whitening services through their practices. This process involves a gel containing hydrogen peroxide that interacts with a special light that accelerates the whitening. Appointments generally last about 90 minutes and teeth remain white for up to six months.

Store-bought whitening kits will include either a gel or a whitening strip that is to be applied to teeth before bed and removed the following morning. While these kits can be effective, teeth normally don't stay bright as long as they do after undergoing whitening at the dentist's.

The American Dental Association says that brushing twice a day with toothpaste that contains fluoride can also help teeth shine.

Say Goodbye to Your Doctor & Hello to Your Dentist

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Dental News: Going to the dentist is increasingly becoming an amazingly effective diagnostic tool in the evaluation of a person's overall physical health. No other medical professional is in the position that dental health professionals are in with regard to the prevention and early diagnosis of life-threatening diseases.

Dental Diagnostic Dependence
By diagnosing and treating periodontal disease, dentists and dental hygiene is are in a better position to have a significant impact on the prevention of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer's, pulmonary and kidney diseases, pregnancy complications and several types of cancer. In fact, the link between oral and systemic health is being strengthened every day by new and ongoing research.

"Today, dentistry is no longer about treating cavities and giving patients a new smile - it is about saving lives." says Dr. Rick Coker, on board member of the Academy of Comprehensive Esthetics, an organization of dental professionals co-promote excellence in patient care and are dedicated to the sharing of advanced dental education and information.

Periodontal-ly Purposeful
The Academy recently hosted an international symposium in Scottsdale, Arizona, on cutting edge periodontal therapies that allow dentists to save the lives of their patients as well as furthering overall good dental health.

"There has never been a more exciting time to practice dentistry," says Dr. Samaha, Founder and Director of the Perio Arts Institute. "For the first time in the history of dentistry, this symposium is bringing together hundreds of dental professionals to explore the most leading-edge research, technology and concepts regarding the Mouth-Body Connection."

Google's Unique Dental Plan

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Did you know that Google is the first company -at least as far as anyone can tell- to have its own on-site dentist? That's right, a Google's main office in Mountain View, California (a.k.a. "GooglePlex"), they have a full-time dentist who not only works there during the day but also sleeps there at night as well.

Think of it as the ultimate form of dental insurance benefits.

Affectionately known as "Google Tooth (Beta)", Sam Gustard, DDS is Google's first on-site dentist since he started back in the summer of 2009. Not only does Dr. Gustard have here is own office and living quarters at GooglePlex, he also has his own dental blog where he explains the benefits of a large company having its own on-site dental office.

"Actually, I'm surprised more companies of their size don't have their own dentist. Just do the math: with 3000 employees visiting the dentist twice a year on weekdays, that's 24 patients a day, which is more than a full load. Do you want those people staying at work or leaving the office for several hours each time?", says Dr. Gustard. "On top of that, the after-hours service is key because people here are night owls, and a dental emergency could leave someone unable to work for quite some time during a key product release."

Do Google employees have any distinctively-Google dental care problems? "Late nights, stress, and cans of Coke seem to be a common thread among programmers, all of which hasten enamel decay and onset of gingivitis." said Dr.Gustard. "Hey, I don't mean to get too techie here. Just a reminder to keep that dental health in mind as you go about your day."

How cool is that? Well, it's cool at least until you run into your dentist in the cafeteria just as you bite into a big, fat candy bar.

The Tooth Fairy: A History

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Everyone knows that when a child loses one of their baby teeth they should leave it under their pillow were the tooth fairy will replace it with money. But what few people know is that this seemingly innocuous tradition actually has its roots in witchcraft, walking the earth as the undead and all that good stuff.

Not So Jolly Ole' England
Perhaps the oldest tradition dates back to England in the Middle Ages where it was believed that if a child's tooth fell out, that child must drop it into a fire to avoid having to look for it after they died. The addition of fire into the story undoubtedly conjured up images of witchcraft to superstitious Englanders during the Middle Ages so not surprisingly, suspected witches were often burned because people believed money appeared after they threw articles into fire. When a witch burned a piece of hair, clothing or teeth from a person, she supposedly obtained power over them. Parents may have prompted children into keeping teeth or burning the teeth themselves in order to keep themselves free of demon possession.

Additional Histories
Many European cultures had folklore surrounding the loss of a child's baby teeth (a.k.a. milk teeth) which usually happens between the ages of 5 and 7 years. Some cultures placed the tooth in a tree or threw it to the sun. Other rituals involved having an adult swallow the tooth or burn it. For instance, the Vikings had a ritual which they called the "tooth fee" whereby a small gift was given to a child when its first tooth appeared.

One Final Question
However, the one question that no tooth fairy history, myth or tradition ever answered is what the tooth fairy did with the teeth once they took exchanged it for money.

They probably sell it on eBay.

Replace Your Toothbrush With Chewing Gum?

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Dental News: University of Kentucky researchers have developed a chewing gum that can help replace both the toothpaste and a toothbrush, thus improving the health of soldiers in the field as well as children in poor countries.

That's right, Gum.

Developed via what's known as the "military gum project,", researchers have found that an antimicrobial, known as KSL, can be infused in chewing gum. KSL is anti-adhesive and abrasive agent that disrupts and helps dissolve plaque and, as every toothpaste commercial has told us for years, fighting plaque is key to good oral hygiene.

Since World War I, thousands of American soldiers have suffered from the extreme form of gingivitis that can result in painful ulcers, infection and bleeding gums. You’ve probably heard it called "trench mouth." Even today, about 15 percent of all U.S. Army sick calls are related to dental problems.

The gum could also be key in protecting children in impoverished nations from potentially deadly infections. For example, she said, children born with AIDs in Africa often have serious and painful dental problems. The gum could enhance their quality of life.

Some Dentists Now Offering Botox

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Dental News: The same person who fills your cavities also could be filling your wrinkles with Botox.

Some dentists now are offering cosmetic procedures such as Botox. Dr. Michael Firouzian of Columbus, Ohio started offering Botox and other dermal fillers after some of his patients asked about it.

"I found out that it’s something within our scope that we can do. I went down to Florida and did some training, and I had a plastic surgeon come in for a whole week and I trained with him," Firouzian said.

Plastic Surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Donaldson said that a week of training can’t compare to years of training required for board certification in plastic surgery. He said patients should stick with plastic surgeons for any cosmetic procedure.

"From my end, a plastic surgeon has specific training in cosmetic services and reconstructive services. It’s the safest bet to have those procedures done," Donaldson said. "Materials like Botox injected into the wrong anatomical area can cause things like eyelids to drop and different facial expressions to disappear."

Firouzian said he knows and understands the risks. "As dentists, we are fully trained in knowing all the anatomy and knowing where all the nerves are. This is a service we offer to our own patients with a full understanding that there are certain guidelines we have to abide by," Firouzian said.

The Ohio State Dental Board has ruled that treatments, such as Botox, are within the scope of practice for dentists as long as they are limited to the facial areas while the American Society of Plastic Surgeons said Botox falls squarely within the practice of medicine and should only be done by a board-certified plastic surgeon.

This article courtesy of nbc4i.com

Poor Dental Health Affects The Brain

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Dental News: The Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry is reporting a study that finds gum disease -due to a lack of proper dental health- in the elderly is linked to reduced cognitive ability.

The study, done by the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, found that test subjects with the highest levels of the gum disease-causing pathogen Porphyromonas Gingivalis were three times more likely to struggle with the verbal memory tests, and twice as likely to fail on both delayed verbal recall and subtraction tests.

The study was led by Dr James Noble and found that adults with the highest levels of this pathogen were two times more likely to fail three-digit reverse subtraction tests. This can happen by causing inflammation throughout the body, a known risk factor for loss of mental function.

"Despite the association of periodontitis with stroke and shared risk factors between stroke and dementia, to our knowledge, no epidemiological studies have investigated periodontitis relative to cognition," the study revealed. "Although results presented here are preliminary and inconclusive, a growing body of evidence supports exploration of a possible association between poor dental health and incident dementia."

Panic Button Lets Patients Control Dental Drill

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DENTAL NEWS: Does the sound of a dental drill freak you out to the point where you avoid going to the dentist even though you need to go?

Well, there's good news as a new hand-held device known as "The Dental Button" that allows dental patients to press a button to immediately stop the dentist's drill to relieve pain or just calm the nerves.

"You have no control, you have people leaning over you. It's almost primal. Your throat is exposed," says Philadelphia dentist Dr. Jerald Matt who uses the Dental Button.

This device can help calm patients suffer from anxiety causing them to hold their breath, tremble and fidget in the dentist’s chair. Whether they suffer from a little anxiety or intense fear, the dental button puts control of the drill in the hands of the patient as a dentist cannot continue drilling until the patient resets the system.

This control puts people like Joann Bay-Dee, a patient of Dr. Matt, more at ease when normally she can hardly sleep the night before a dental appointment.

"I had control over the instrument," said Bay-Dee who only stopped the drill twice during her routine appointment.

"When someone is more relaxed and they're breathing easier, things go more efficiently," said Dr. Matt, adding that the button didn’t interfere with his work.

The company that manufactures the Dental Button, m2partnership (that's what it calls itself according to its website), is not without marketing savvy as the company's website enables visitors to locate a dentist who uses this product in their practice. Click Here to see which dentists in your area use The Dental Button.

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DENTAL VIEWS: I can't help wondering how much "fun" the Dental Button is for the dentist. Could you imagine trying to work out a patient who is stopping the drill every 10 seconds? I can... and that's why I'm not a dentist. Well, that and the fact that I'm too lazy to go to dental school.

Dental Anxiety Leads To Poor Oral Health

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DENTAL NEWS: People with anxious personalities are more likely to have poor oral health, including decayed or missing teeth, a study done by the University of Otago in New Zealand has found.

Those with dental anxiety were more than just people who visit the dentist with a feeling of trepidation as the dentist looms over them with drill in hand; they were so frightened at the prospect of visiting a dentist or having dental procedures that they would avoid the dentist altogether - until the problem became so serious that treatment could no longer be avoided. Consequently, sufferers of dental anxiety end up with more tooth decay and more missing teeth than those who are not.

Anxious People Make Anxious Dental Patients
Researchers, lead by Professor Murray Thomson, of Otago University's Department of Oral Sciences found that they tended to be "the glass-half-empty" personality type - people who, as a rule, would be anxious about other things, such as heights.

Professor Thomson says the study has implications for the dentistry profession and for the public. "This gives the dental profession a good understanding of what makes (dental anxiety in) people, and to be mindful that some people can grow out of it," he says. "For the public, it's useful to know that, if you take the path of least resistance and avoid dental care, then in the end you will be worse off, not only dentally but also in terms of appearance, social interactions and your quality of life."

Related Post: Lavender Scent Calms Dental Patients

New Technology a Boon For Dental Patients

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Going to the dentist is becoming less painful all the time. Witness a dentist in Wichita Falls, Texas who's using cutting edge technology to make the whole cosmetic dentistry experience easier for his patients.

For patients needing a dental crown, Dr. Richard Guess DDS of the Maplewood Laser Dental Clinic has a machine that makes a dental impression using a series of photos. The pictures are e-mailed to a lab where the crown is made, making the whole process less messy for workers and faster for patients.

This digital-based technology is a vast improvement over the old way of taking a dental impression for crown that used a tray, mold that patients often gagged on and a string around the tooth pushed under the gums.

"Compared to the old tray impression method, the laser scan reduces the risk of any distortions. It's less time in the chair when we put a crown on because there are no adjustments. It's ready to go," said Dr. Guess. "It's important to keep up with the times and the new ways of thinking about old problems."

In addition to digital imaging for impressions, the clinic has also recently starting using a carbon dioxide laser to treat gum disease. Patients no longer need painful surgery or a long recovery. The state-of-the-art laser also allows Dr. Guess to perform additional in-office procedures such as biopsies, treating cold sores, removing burst blood vessels and getting rid of cold sensitivity.

"It's exciting (one were happiest) is when we're saving a patient time, causing them less pain and taking care of things we wouldn't have been able to treat before," said Dr. Guess who added that using the laser also eliminates any bleeding or scarring for the patient and even allows some procedures be done without anesthesia.

Despite the availability of this new technology, patients at the Maplewood Laser Dental Clinic always have the option of using the older methods of dental care with no difference in price.

Periodontal Disease Especially Dangerous To Diabetics

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The International Diabetes Foundation (IDF) recently released new clinical guidelines that reinforce what prior research already suggested: that management of periodontal disease can help reduce the risk of developing diabetes and also helps people with diabetes control their blood sugar levels.

Studies have suggested there is a two-way relationship between diabetes and periodontal disease, and the IDF guideline outlines helpful guidance for health professionals who treat people living with and at risk for diabetes.

"Everyone should maintain healthy teeth and gums to avoid periodontal disease, but people with diabetes should pay extra attention," said Dr Samuel Low of the University of Florida College of Dentistry. "Periodontal disease triggers the body's inflammatory response which can affect insulin sensitivity and ultimately lead to unhealthy blood sugar levels. Establishing routine periodontal care is one way to help keep diabetes under control."

The American Dental Association (ADA) says other oral health problems like tooth decay and fungal infections are also associated with diabetes but that brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and flossing helps remove the plaque that can lead to oral hygiene issues.

Caucasian Men Grind Their Teeth The Most

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A new study by the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) found that nearly 1 in 4 patients with sleep apnea also suffered from bruxism (teeth grinding) and use more prevalent Caucasian men than any other group.

The researchers found that bruxism was higher in men than in women -- 43% vs. 31% -- while Caucasians had the highest rate of bruxism compared to the ethnic group with the next highest level, Hispanics, 35% vs. 19%, respectively

It is estimated that 8% of the general US population suffers from bruxism, a condition frequently associated with a preexisting dental or jaw disorders, as well as stress.

Untreated bruxism can lead to excessive tooth wear and decay, periodontal tissue damage, jaw pain and temporo mandibular joint or TMJ pain, headaches, and sleep disturbances for patients and their bed partners.

"Bruxism can be both a daytime syndrome as well as a nighttime syndrome, but it is bruxism during sleep, including short naps, that causes the majority of health issues," said Dr. Shyam Subramanian, MD, FCCP, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.

For more information about Bruxism, see also April 2009 Post