Super Glue, Painless Root Canals & "Too Perfect" Smiles

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Dental News
The Chicago Dental Society just released the results of a survey of 300 of their members with some extremely interesting findings including;

* Almost 70% of dentists had a patient who tried to self-treat themselves before visiting the dentist. Among these self-treatments were using Super Glue to repair broken crowns or dentures and filing chipped teeth with an emery board. Several dentists also reported treating patients after they attempted to give themselves a root canal with a power tool

* Dental Myth #1 among the majority of dentists surveyed is that root canals are painful. Those dentists surveyed feel that advancements in dental technology have made this comment in dental procedure almost pain-free nowadays

* Basketball causes more dental injuries than any other sport. Over 30% of dentists reported treating patients who suffered an injury from playing basketball while 20% said they treated patients who got injured playing hockey. Only 15% of dentists surveyed claimed to treat dental injuries related to either baseball or softball.

* Over 50% of dentists surveyed believe that smiles are getting "too perfect" these days to the point where they look artificial

* Sweet tooths' aren't just for dental patients as almost 25% of dentists surveyed admitted that ice cream is her favorite treat, followed closely by cookies and pie. Surprisingly barely 6% of dentists claim they don't like sweets at all

* Most people (nearly 70%) are avoiding getting needed dental treatment because of the economy. However, this amount is down from last year's figure of over 75% who delayed visiting the dentist for economic reasons

The Chicago Dental Society conducted the survey in advance of it's 146th annual Midwinter Meeting which brings together 30,000 dental professionals. The Midwinter Meeting is a forum for dentists to learn about new products, technologies, and methods in dental care.