DENTALTECHBLOG.COM "TECHNOLOGY WITH A SMILE"

Military scientists create gum to fight Army’s plaque problem

2014-01-22T13:43:00.002-06:00

The U.S. military is developing a new way to fight a national enemy.

A team at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research in San Antonio, Texas, is working on a chewing gum that kills cavity-causing bacteria.

Rampant tooth decay and gum disease contribute to a huge and costly headache for the military. About 40% of Army recruits enter the service with at least three cavities, Col. Robert Hale, the commander of the U.S. Army Dental and Trauma Research Detachment, “The Army has to do a lot of catch up,” he said.

All necessary dental work must be done before the troops deploy, which could mean they miss valuable basic training time. If toothaches occur overseas, the soldiers have to be pulled and taken to the nearest dentist, wherever that may be.

“We can't drill our way out of this problem,” Hale said.

Instead, the Army needed to find a way to reach future soldiers with dental disease before they become recruits, he explained.

That’s where the revolutionary “combat gum” comes in. Scientists have spent seven years on the gum, which contains an ingredient that enhances the body’s natural ability to kill the bacteria that cause plaque.

Fighting tooth decay and preventing gum disease could be as easy as chewing the gum for 20 minutes after meals, Hale said.

Combat gum is still in clinical trials, but Hale estimates it could be available with a prescription in the next three to five years. The general population could be chomping on combat gum to prevent cavities in the next seven to 10 years, he said.

Cerec milling Finally comes of AGE !!! Amazing Material

2013-02-20T09:26:00.001-06:00

This new material being released at the Chicago meeting is all the buzz at the meeting for Cerec owners...	VITA ENAMIC^® for CEREC^®/inLab^® The first hybrid ceramic with dual network structure for superior absorption of masticatory forces VITA ENAMIC is the first dental hybrid ceramic with a dual network structure. In this dental material, the dominant ceramic network is reinforced by a polymer network with each network penetrating the other to create a hybrid material that exhibits the positive characteristics of both a ceramic and a composite. In addition to enormous resilience, this innovative hybrid material also ensures exceptional elasticity. Consequently, the material is perfectly suited for crown restorations in the posterior area and enables the reduction of wall thicknesses for minimally invasive restorations. VITA ENAMIC provides precise and highly accurate milling results with high edge stability. This tooth-colored hybrid material features properties that are almost identical to those of natural teeth and produces a natural play of colors thanks to its excellent light conductivity.
	Feature/Benefits Enormous strength: After bonding to the residual tooth substance, VITA ENAMIC exhibits enormous strength. This hybrid material ensures optimal distribution of masticatory forces and the polymer network provides exceptional absorption of intraoral stress. High reliability: VITA ENAMIC is also a very reliable material. Thanks to the special dual network structure, crack propagation is mitigated by the interlinked network of polymer. Tissue-friendly restorations: In addition to high strength, VITA ENAMIC provides the elasticity required for minimally invasive restorations; healthy tooth substance can be preserved by reducing the wall thicknesses. Precise and very accurate restorations: After the milling process, VITA ENAMIC exhibits excellent edge stability, especially for restorations with thinning margins, enables accurate reproduction of morphological details and ensures precision-fit restorations. Fast and efficient processing: The excellent milling properties of VITA ENAMIC guarantee timesaving processing of the restoration and minimal wear of milling tools. Since the hybrid ceramic is already in its finished state, it can be inserted immediately after milling. Natural and tooth-colored results: VITA ENAMIC features outstanding light conductivity and can be perfectly integrated into the residual dentition, guaranteeing a natural play of colors.
	Indication: In addition to classic single tooth restorations (inlays, onlays, veneers and crowns), VITA ENAMIC is particularly suited for restorations exposed to high masticatory forces (molar area) and minimally invasive restorations. Shades: VITA ENAMIC is available in the translucency levels HT (HT = high translucent) and T (T = translucent) and in the five VITA SYSTEM 3D-MASTER shades 0M1, 1M1, 1M2, 2M2 and 3M2.
	Geometries: Package with 5 pieces (translucent oder high translucent) EM-14 (12 x 14 x 18 mm).

How Calcium Can Help Your Teeth…

2012-02-17T07:01:00.001-06:00

We tend to think of calcium for strong bones… but what about teeth? It’s essential. And manyof us are not thinking about calcium.

Good sources of calcium in our food diet include cheese, yogurt, broccoli, leafy greens like kale (kale chips are very popular)… Actually, here’s a great and SUPER EASY recipe to try. Beware, you may become addicted and never go back to potato chips! So NOT only are you cutting out the fat, you’re also getting a decent dosage of calcium.

KALE CHIPS RECIPE

1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
Directions

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.
By the way, if you think you’re not getting enough calcium in your food, you should take supplements if you’re not already doing so. This can become part of your New Year’s Plan (for life). Keep in mind, Calcium Citrate is better absorbed than other calciums. And you should check with your doctor for the right dosage for you. Calcium deficiency is more frequent than calcium overdosing in case you’re worried…

-posted by Dr. Jeff

Dried Licorice Root Fights The Bacteria That Cause Tooth Decay And Gum Disease

2012-01-13T07:57:00.001-06:00

Scientists are reporting identification of two substances in licorice - used extensively in Chinese traditional medicine - that kill the major bacteria responsible for tooth decay and gum disease, the leading causes of tooth loss in children and adults. In a study in ACS' Journal of Natural Products, they say that these substances could have a role in treating and preventing tooth decay and gum disease.

Stefan Gafner and colleagues explain that the dried root of the licorice plant is a common treatment in Chinese traditional medicine, especially as a way to enhance the activity of other herbal ingredients or as a flavoring. Despite the popularity of licorice candy in the U.S., licorice root has been replaced in domestic candy with anise oil, which has a similar flavor. Traditional medical practitioners use dried licorice root to treat various ailments, such as respiratory and digestive problems, but few modern scientific studies address whether licorice really works. (Consumers should check with their health care provider before taking licorice root because it can have undesirable effects and interactions with prescription drugs.) To test whether the sweet root could combat the bacteria that cause gum disease and cavities, the researchers took a closer look at various substances in licorice.

They found that two of the licorice compounds, licoricidin and licorisoflavan A, were the most effective antibacterial substances. These substances killed two of the major bacteria responsible for dental cavities and two of the bacteria that promote gum disease. One of the compounds - licoricidin - also killed a third gum disease bacterium. The researchers say that these substances could treat or even prevent oral infections.

The American Chemical Society is a non-profit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 163,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

-posted by Dr. Jeff

Dentist Threatens to Sue Patient for Negative Yelp Review

2011-12-02T06:12:00.001-06:00

Reputation Management is really becoming a issue in our profession this article was ABC News.com today...

Robert Lee went into Dr. Stacy Makhnevich’s New York dentist office for a sore tooth, but the year that followed turned into what one Public Citizen senior lawyer called an “unconscionable practice.”

The controversy began in 2010, when Lee went into Makhnevich’s office for a scheduled dentist’s appointment. Bleary from pain, Lee claimed he was told he had to sign several papers, including a “Mutual Agreement to Maintain Privacy,” before being treated. The form required Lee to agree not to publish any commentary or write anything disparaging about his experience with Makhnevich.

While Lee said he was hesitant to sign such a form, he claimed he was in severe pain and, therefore, gave in to the requirements.

Lee received a bill for $4,766 for the dental work, according to Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization. Lee reportedly asked the dentist to send the necessary paperwork to his insurance company, but she sent it to the wrong company. When he asked for the forms to submit them himself, Makhnevich’s office apparently refused to hand them over and referred him to a third party that required five percent of the total bill for its services.

Fed up, Lee wrote negative reviews about Makhnevich and her practice on Yelp and DoctorBase.

Lee then received a letter from the dentist demanding that he delete the post, warning him that he violated the agreement and threatening to sue for breach of contract. Makhnevich also reached out to both websites, asking for Lee’s comments to be removed, according to Public Citizen.

The sites refused to take down the negative reviews, but Makhneich reportedly claimed that a copyright clause gave her ownership of the harsh words. She then sent Lee an invoice for $100 for each day the criticism remained online.

Makhnevich did not immediately return requests for comment.

“We are now seeking a declaratory judgment from the judge to show that my client was not doing anything wrong,” said Paul Levy, Lee’s lawyer, a senior attorney at Public Citizen. “Doctors and dentists are expected to behave in an ethical manner, and to impose this sort of requirement on people who are having emergencies is unethical.”

The suit argues that the forms that Lee signed should be deemed null and void.

“Facing criticism comes with the turf of these jobs,” Levy said. “If they defame you, then that’s something else. A doctor can sue for that.”

A North Carolina company known as Medical Justice sells the agreement forms to health care providers. The company claims about 3,000 doctors and dentists use the forms, according to Public Citizen.

In response to the lawsuit Public Citizen filed Tuesday night, Medical Justice spokespeople announced the company would stop recommending medical professionals have patients sign such forms, Public Citizen announced.

“This is a form of bullying, and it’s absurd that this could possibly be an enforceable contract,” said Arthur Caplan, chairman of the department of medical ethics at University of Pennsylvania Medical Center. ”It infringes upon free speech and you can’t just have that waived away on a silence contract.”

While Caplan acknowledged that doctors or dentists can indeed get “bum raps” from bad write-ups online, “someone who is put off by one negative review isn’t a patient you’d want anyway. If there’s a pattern of bad reviews, that’s a different story.”

“This doctor is overreacting and attempting to muzzle patients,” added Caplan. “It is not a desirable reaction at all.”

John Lennon's tooth sells for more than $31,000 at auction

2011-11-06T14:48:00.001-06:00

The tooth fairy's trash became another man's treasure Saturday when a discolored molar that once belonged to John Lennon was put up for auction.
The winning bid came in at 19,500 pounds (U.S. $31,200), according to auction results posted online.
Michael Zuk, a Canadian dentist, is claiming responsibility for the winning bid. Omega Auction House, which sold the tooth, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Saturday.
Lennon gave the tooth to Dorothy "Dot" Jarlett when she worked as his housekeeper at his Kenwood home in Weybridge, Surrey, according to her son, Barry. Jarlett, who was employed between 1964 and 1968, developed a warm relationship with Lennon, her son said.
"She was very close with John, and one day whilst chatting in the kitchen, John gave my mother the tooth (he had been to the dentist to have it removed that day) and suggested giving it to my sister as a souvenir, as she was a huge Beatles fan," he said. "It has been in the family ever since."
With the exception of the past two years, the tooth has been in Canada for 40 years after Dot Jarlett's daughter married a Canadian.
Barry Jarlett, who said his mother is now 90 years old, said it was the right time to pass it on rather than to risk the tooth getting lost.
Karen Fairweather, the owner of Omega Auction House, told CNN last month that the tooth is too fragile for DNA testing but she has no doubt about its authenticity.
"Because it's coming directly from Dot, we don't doubt the provenance of the item," she said.
Some fans will sink their teeth into anything if they feel it's worth plunking down thousands to get closer their idols. A clump of hair believed to have been trimmed from Elvis Presley's head when he joined the Army in 1958 sold for $18,300 in 2009 at Chicago's Leslie Hindman auctioneers.
Jarlett said Lennon gave his family many gifts over the years. He plans to keep a leather wallet, and his mother still has a pearl necklace Lennon gave her when he returned from Japan.

-posted by Dr. Jeff

Kindle Fire: Wild Fire or Burn Out

2011-09-30T05:16:00.002-05:00

So here we go again another iPad killer has been released. Here we are on the day of the pre-release of this device that will according to Jeff Bezos, the Amazon guru will change the tablet device industry forever. All the media hype this week has been overwhelming just like it was with the release of the Blackberry Playbook and the HP tablet. When I now reflect on those two devices and look at where those companies are today here is what I see, both companies have discontinued the devices Blackberry failed at this attempt so badly that the company stock value has been chopped in half and HP fired their CEO due to his poor handling of his attempt to make HP relevant in the tablet business. Amazons leap into this arena has all the droppings of a companies attempt to be the apple killer and yet will only strengthen apples place in the market. The Kindle Fire was released at a media event that all could attend and in front of this media frenzy stood one man with this 7-inch device and here he stood waiving this revolutionary device over his head touting all of it great capabilities. We all look on with awe and when the event was over we all wanted to touch and feel this great game changer and feel this raging fire in our own hands only to find out that it would not be available till November and no devices were available to the media to even demo…RED FLAG. The last company that did that was Blackberry and we all now what happened to that device. I have a real concern when a company can’t “ Show me the Money”. I understand Amazon wanting to get in the game but for all my tech colleagues to compare this content consumption and Amazon store device as the iPad killer is what I consider to be reckless. This 7-inch device will not even come close to what a tablet device should be but that is just my opinion, oh by the way this was written on my iPad take that Kindle Fire!!

Amazon to build 12M 'Tequila' and 'Whitney' Kindles, 3M 7-inch 'Hollywood' tablets

2011-09-27T11:08:00.000-05:00

Amazon is set to release two new Kindle black-and-white e-ink models in addition to an aggressively-priced 7-inch tablet with a color LCD screen on Wednesday, with the company considering expanding to larger 10.1-inch and 8.9-inch tablets next year to compete with Apple's iPad.

Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has detailed three new products expected to be announced at Amazon's media event on Wednesday.

Kuo notes that the most anticipated device, a 7-inch media tablet codenamed "Hollywood," will run on the older OMAP 3 processor from Texas Instruments and feature 512MB of RAM. Contrary to a recent report from TechCrunch that claims the device will launch as the "Kindle Fire" in the second week of November, he expects the device to launch in late September with estimated shipments of 3 million units by the end of the year. The analyst also corroborated a recent report that Quanta has been contracted to produce the device.

Amazon appears to be betting heavily on marketing the device as an affordable tablet meant to take advantage of its digital media ecosystem, including magazines, music, video and apps. The device is expected to be fairly spartan, as it will reportedly not include a camera, GPS, cover glass or 3G data functionality. Kuo also noted that the tablet will run an older version of Google's Android mobile operating system.

According to a channel check by Kuo, the bill-of-materials for the device is expected to be $180. Amazon may choose to price the device at an aggressive $199, Kuo said. That's cheaper than the $250 price that an earlier report had suggested.

The analyst doesn't see Amazon's forthcoming 7-inch tablet as aimed at the iPad. Instead, Kuo believes the "Hollywood" project is meant to test the waters for future tablet releases primed for release in 2012. According to him, the retailer is working on a 10.1-inch device, codenamed "Coyote," that will directly compete with Apple's iPad when it arrives in early 2012. The company is also reportedly preparing an 8.9-inch tablet with an "amazing form factor" for release in the second half of 2012, though suppliers are said to be having a tough time meeting Amazon's requirements for the device.

Reports that Amazon was preparing a tablet emerged earlier this year. Some industry watchers have predicted that the device could be the first credible challenge to Apple's iPad ecosystem, which is supported by iTunes, the App Store and the iBookstore.

But, industry insiders recently cast doubt on the upcoming Amazon media tablet, questioning whether the 7-inch form factor is a wise choice. Supply chain sources also doubted whether the company would be able to reach its rumored internal shipment goal of 4 million units in 2011.

In addition to its much-anticipated media tablet, Amazon will also release two new versions of its popular Kindle e-reader, Kuo noted. The low-end version, codenamed Tequila, may cost as little as $99 and will feature a Freescale i.MX515 processor with an integrated controller that should provide "better system design and lower cost."

The high-end Kindle, which is codenamed Whitney, will sport the same processor, while also including features missing on the Tequila, such as touch controls, 3G connectivity and a speaker. According to Kuo, the Whitney will not arrive until early October because of a "more complicated design and assembly."

By the end of 2011, Amazon is expected to ship 8 million of the upcoming low-end Kindles and 4 million Whitney models. Kuo projects total e-book reader shipments will reach 28 million units this year, with Kindle maintaining a dominant 68 percent market share.

The numbers offered by Kuo offer a glimpse into Kindle build plans and projected sales that Amazon itself does not reveal. The online retailer has never disclosed any actual sales figures for its popular line of Kindle e-readers, instead only saying that the e-ink devices are the company's best-selling product across its entire expansive online storefront.

Bruxzir Hammer test !! Enough Said !!

2011-09-16T09:56:00.002-05:00

Production Already Hitting 150,000 Units Per Day?

2011-09-08T10:19:00.001-05:00

Artist's rendition of iPhone 5 with 3.7" display
DigiTimes reports that Apple's suppliers for the next-generation iPhone are ramping toward full production capacity, with manufacturing partner Foxconn already said to be producing 150,000 iPhone 5 units per day.

Suppliers in the iPhone 5 supply chain in Taiwan have geared up production recently with volume shipments of the new Apple smartphones to begin soon. Production of iPhone 5s at OEM maker Foxconn Electronics has reportedly reached 150,000 units per day, according to industry sources.

Lens maker Largan Precision, touch panel maker TPK Holding, reinforced glass supplier G-Tech Optoelectronics and battery vendors Simplo and Dynapack are all operating at full swing currently, the sources indicated.

iPhone 5 shipments are said to be set to reach 5-6 million for the month of September and over 22 million for the fourth quarter of the year. Interestingly, the report notes that while Pegatron has reportedly been tabbed to handle about 15% of the iPhone 5 production load, the company may not begin deliveries until next year.

The report makes no mention of any distinction between the iPhone 5 and the so-called "iPhone 4S", as some sources have indicated that Apple will introduce both a revamped iPhone 5 as well as a cheaper device codenamed "N94" based on the existing iPhone 4 design. Apple has already had considerable success with its cheaper iPhone models carried over from previous model cycles, as evidenced by the fact that the iPhone 3GS continues to rank as the second-best selling smartphone in the United States, behind the iPhone 4.

Details on the iPhone 5 remain scarce, with conflicting information pointing to either an only slightly larger display of up to around 3.7 inches on a device similar in size to the iPhone 4 or a significantly larger but thinner device with a display likely around 4 inches.

Steve Jobs Biography to Include Resignation Details

2011-08-25T13:12:00.001-05:00

PCMag.com reports that Steve Jobs' authorized biography, initially slated for a March 2012 release but recently bumped up to a November 21st debut, will be updated to include details on his resignation as Apple CEO yesterday. The changes will not result in a delay for the book's release.

Publisher Simon & Schuster said the highly anticipated tell-all biography, written by acclaimed biographer Walter Isaacson, will include Wednesday night's announcement from Jobs' point of view.

Simon & Schuster spokeswoman Tracey Guest told PCMag that Isaacson "speaks to Jobs regularly and is still working on the final chapter of the book."

The biography, simply titled "Steve Jobs", is the first authorized look at Steve Jobs' life. It is being written by former Time managing editor Walter Isaacson and is based on over 40 interviews with Jobs and additional interviews with over 100 colleagues, friends, and family members. Jobs has offered his complete cooperation with the effort, making no subject off-limits and not requesting the right to review material before publication.

Stick-on patch for patient monitoring

2011-08-12T05:41:00.001-05:00

One day monitoring a patient's vital signs like temperature and heart rate could be a simple as sticking on a tiny, wireless patch, sort of like a temporary tattoo.

Eliminating the bulky wiring and electrodes used in current monitors would make the devices more comfortable for patients, says an international team of researchers who report their findings in Friday's edition of the journal Science.

"What we are trying to do here is to really reshape and redefine electronics ... to look a lot more like the human body, in this case the surface layers of the skin," said John A. Rogers of the University of Illinois. "The goal is really to blur the distinction between electronics and biological tissue."

researchers embedded electronic sensors in a film thinner than the diameter of a human hair, which was placed on a polyester backing like those used for the temporary tattoos popular with kids. The result was a sensor that was flexible enough to move with the skin and would adhere without adhesives.

The researchers said the devices had remained in place for up to 24 hours. Rogers said in an briefing that, while normal shedding of skin cells would eventually cause the monitors to come off, he thought they could remain in place as long as two weeks.

In addition to monitoring patients in hospitals, other uses for the devices could include monitoring brain waves, muscle movement, sensing the larynx for speech, emitting heat to help heal wounds and perhaps even being made touch sensitive and placed on artificial limbs, Rogers said.

The device will help fill the need for equipment that is more convenient and less stressful for patients, permitting easier and more reliable monitoring, said Zhenqiang Ma, an engineering professor at the University of Wisconsin, who was not part of the research team. The electronic skin can simply be stuck on or peeled off like an adhesive bandage, he noted in a commentary on the report.

Rogers is a founder of the company MC10, based in Cambridge, Mass., which is working to develop commercial uses of the devices, but he declined to speculate on how soon the electronic skin would be ready for market or what it would cost.

The monitor looks rather like a bandage and contains an antenna that could be used to transmit data, though a radio to do that transmitting has not yet been tested, Rogers said.

The current design has a small coil and could be powered by induction — by placing it near an electrical coil — Rogers said. That would permit intermittent use, he said, and for longer-term monitoring a tiny battery or storage capacitor could be used.

The monitor doesn't use an adhesive, relying on a weak force called the van der Waals force that causes molecules and surfaces to stick together without interfering with motion. The ability of geckos to climb smooth surfaces has been attributed to the van der Waals force. For longer-term use the electronic skin could be coated with an adhesive.

Rogers and co-lead author Dae-Hyuong Kim, have been working on the technology for several years. They earlier worked together to develop flexible electronics for hemispherical camera sensors and other devices that have complex shapes.

Funding for the research came from the Air Force Research Laboratory, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois, and a Defense Department National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellowship.

Got cavities have some tea !!

2011-08-12T04:13:00.002-05:00

According to Caries Research, The use of the popular OOLONG Tea may help prevent caries, here is the abstract. The inhibitory effects of oolong tea extract (OTE) on the caries–inducing properties of mutans streptococci were examined in vitro. OTE reduced the rate of acid production by mutans streptococci accompanied with the retardation of growth rate of mutans streptococci, while the action by chromatographically isolated oolong tea polyphenol (OTF6) was weak. On the other hand, both oolong tea products decreased cell surface hydrophobicity of almost all the oral streptococci examined in the present study, and also induced cellular aggregation of Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus sanguis or Streptococcus gordonii. In these reactions, OTF6 showed a more pronounced activity than OTE. Furthermore, the oolong tea products inhibited the adherence of mutans streptococci to saliva–coated hydroxyapatite. These results suggest that OTF6 may inhibit bacterial adherence to the tooth surfaces by reducing the hydrophobicity of mutans streptococci, and OTE may inhibit caries–inducing activity of mutans streptococci by reducing the rate of acid production.

Speech Recognition the Apple way !

2011-08-08T15:59:00.000-05:00

Apple's latest iOS 5 Beta 5 contains the interface elements for their rumored upcoming Speech Recognition features. The screenshot below (via 9to5Mac) shows a microphone button found on the standard text keyboard in iOS. Pressing on the microphone button will bring up a microphone speech screen where you presumably start speaking.

Apple has long been rumored to be working on an intelligent assistant speech interface to iOS based on their Siri acquisition. This latest screenshot shows how the speech recognition can be called up from any standard text entry field.

We've confirmed that the above interface does exist (in dormant form) in the latest iOS 5 beta 5. Once activated, however, the speech interface isn't yet functional. Apple hasn't included all the pieces required to enable the speech recognition. Apple has been said to be in negotiations with Nuance to power the upcoming speech recognition technology in iOS 5.

But perhaps more interesting is that that Apple seems to have gone out of its way to keep it hidden from prying eyes. Apple's certainly aware that individuals comb through every new developer beta looking for hints of upcoming features. In this instance, they've obfuscated the names of various pieces of the interface. For example, calling the microphone button "forward delete key" and the keyboard pretends to be a "Dvorak" keyboard. The move is a reflection of the increased scrutiny of Apple's moves but also the relative significance of this feature that Apple has gone out of its way to hide.

iPhone 5 Longer and Wider

2011-07-30T11:10:00.000-05:00

If new images of purported iPhone 5 cases obtained by 9 to 5 Mac are to be believed, it appears that the next-generation iPhone will offer a somewhat longer and wider form factor than the iPhone 4. The cases also reiterate other apparent changes such as the mute switch being moved to the opposite edge of the device and the form factor including a very slight "teardrop" design and rounded edges.

The most important change certainly appears to be the size, although it is difficult to say for certain just how much bigger the iPhone 5 would be than the iPhone 4 based on these cases, given that only exterior case dimensions and not interior dimensions are known.
Our new images are clear and there are appears to be a slight – not major – tear drop in the design. The case goes thick to thin from top to bottom. In addition, the sources who provided us with these two new cases have shared some dimensions. According to them, the case is 5 inches tall and 2.8 inches wide. These are tight cases so the iPhone 5 dimensions should only be a few millimeters smaller than those numbers. For comparison, the iPhone 4 is 4.5 inches tall and 2.31 inches wide.
A larger form factor naturally points toward Apple using a larger screen in the new iPhone, a claim that has been made by a number of sources. It is unclear, however, how Apple would deal with potential issues related to screen resolution, either keeping the same pixel density and increasing pixel count by a small amount or decreasing the density and maintaining the same 960x640 resolution.

Apple to buy Hulu ?

2011-07-22T07:59:00.001-05:00

Apple is considering a bid for Hulu, the online streaming service, according to a report from Bloomberg:
Apple Inc. is considering making a bid for the Hulu online video service, according to two people with knowledge of the auction.

Apple is in early talks that may lead to an acquisition offer for Los Angeles-based Hulu, said the people, who weren’t authorized to speak publicly.
There are several companies considering making offers for Hulu, with Yahoo reportedly making a bid of $2 billion but the company wanted a five-year exclusive on streaming content. Google, AT&T and a number of other companies are also in the mix, though Microsoft reportedly dropped out of the bidding earlier this week.

If sold, Hulu would retain its exclusive content licenses from current owners Disney (where Steve Jobs is a major shareholder and sits on the board) FOX/News Corp., and Comcast/NBC.

This week Apple reported that it had $76.2 billion in cash and marketable securities on hand. In October, Steve Jobs said of the cash pile, "we strongly believe that one or more very strategic opportunities may come along that we can take that we're in a unique position to take advantage of because of our strong cash position."

-posted by Dr. Jeff

Twitter as a Virtual Dentist

2011-07-22T07:58:00.001-05:00

The microblogging service Twitter is a new means for the public to communicate health concerns and could afford health care professionals new ways to communicate with patients. With the growing ubiquity of user-generated online content via social networking Web sites such as Twitter, it is clear we are experiencing a revolution in communication and information sharing. In a study titled "Public Health Surveillance of Dental Pain via Twitter," published in the Journal of Dental Research - the official publication of the International and American Associations for Dental Research (IADR/AADR), researchers demonstrated that Twitter users are already extensively sharing their experiences of toothache and seeking advice from other users. Researchers Natalie Heaivilin, Barbara Gerbert, Jens Page and Jennifer Gibbs all from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences, authored this study.

The researchers investigated the content of Twitter posts meeting search criteria relating to dental pain. A set of 1,000 tweets was randomly selected from 4,859 tweets over seven nonconsecutive days. The content was coded using pre-established, non-mutually exclusive categories, including the experience of dental pain, actions taken or contemplated in response to a toothache, impact on daily life and advice sought from the Twitter community.

After excluding ambiguous tweets, spam and repeat users, 772 tweets were analyzed and frequencies calculated. Of those tweets, 83% were primarily categorized as a general statement of dental pain, 22% as an action taken or contemplated, and 15% as describing an impact on daily activities. Among the actions taken or contemplated, 44% reported seeing a dentist, 43% took an analgesic or antibiotic medication and 14% actively sought advice from the Twitter community.

This research was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Center for Research Resources, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, the Office of the Director, and the UCSF Clinical & Translational Science Institute.

"This paper highlights the potential of using social media to collect public health data for research purposes," said JDR Editor-in-Chief William Giannobile. "Utilizing Twitter is an interesting, early stage approach with potential impact in the assessment of large sets of population information."

A perspective article titled "Using Social Media for Research and Public Health Surveillance" was written by Paul Eke of the Centers for Disease Control. In it, he states that the extensive reach of Twitter is currently being used successfully in public health to distribute health information to the segments of the public who access Twitter, but there are major limitations and challenges to be overcome before Twitter and its data products can be used for routine public health surveillance.

-posted by Dr. Jeff

Checkdent adds social network

2011-05-17T06:07:00.002-05:00

Checkdent has relaunched its video and education website with the addition of a social network for dentists and patients.

The site offers a number of new features, including the following:

Dental health forum where patients can get answers from dentists and other users on popular topics such as teeth bleaching, braces, third molars, and root canal treatments
Collection of more than 200 educational dental video clips and 300 articles continuously updated and added by a team of experts
Interactive dentist directory with profile pages linked to the Checkdent social network
Option for verified patients to write reviews and rate dentists on topics such as chairside manner, patient information, and average wait time

First group of Minn. dental therapists set to graduate

2011-04-18T07:51:00.002-05:00

Two years after Minnesota became the first state to approve a law allowing midlevel dental practitioners, seven women students will complete the two-year program to be licensed dental therapists (DTs) and will receive a master's degree as oral healthcare practitioners when they graduate in June. After they have applied for and received their dental therapist license from the Minnesota Board of Dentistry, DTs will be allowed to perform basic preventive and restorative procedures and primary extractions only with the onsite supervision of a dentist.

And all the students plan to go on to the next level -- to become certified advanced dental therapists (ADT) -- after completing 2,000 hours of dental therapy clinical experience. ADTs will able to practice at facilities such as nursing homes, within the dental therapy scope of practice. They will be able to perform nonsurgical extractions of mobile permanent teeth under a dentist's general supervision with a collaborative management agreement.

In their scope of practice, ADTs will be able to do oral evaluations, assessments of dental disease and the formulation of an individualized treatment plan authorized by the collaborating dentist.

The concept has been the subject of intense controversy and debate in the dental community, especially by the ADA and state dental associations, with many denouncing midlevel dental practitioners as providing "second-class" treatment and a Band-Aid approach to the epidemic in the U.S.

U.S. to see 36% increase in hygienists through 2018

2011-04-18T07:44:00.002-05:00

The number of dental hygienists is expected to rise 36% through 2018, according to recent data disclosed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This projected growth is seen to address the increasing demand for dental care, ranking the dental hygiene career as among the fastest-growing occupations, according to CareerToolkits.com.

Air Floss a Sonicare innovation !!

2011-04-05T10:15:00.003-05:00

COLOGNE, Germany: The maker of the Sonicare toothbrushis presenting a new product for easy and efficient interdental plaque removal. The Sinocare AirFloss features microburst technology which is said to remove up to 99 per cent more plaque in-between teeth than brushing with a manual toothbrush alone, according to Philips consumer testing.

Dental professionals often struggle to get patients to floss on a regular basis. According to Philips, the Sonicare AirFloss has been specially designed to address this problem by improving ease of use while maximizing interdental plaque removal and thus periodontal health.

“What's unique about AirFloss is it's a completely new category for oral care,” says Dr. Ian Peace from the University of Sheffield. “It works by using a rapid burst of air and water droplets to thoroughly fill up the interproximal area and force biofilm out.” He added that Sonicare AirFloss also has a noticeably positive effect on patient compliance as it both quick and painless and makes a real difference to the standard of patient’s overall oral health.

At IDS 2011, dental practitioners will now be able to get hands-on the SoniCare AirFloss themselves. Despite its microburst technology, the product has an ergonomic handle and a slim angled nozzle designed for easy access to all areas of the mouth even hard-to-reach back teeth. The point and one-button operation cleans the entire mouth in less than a minute, while using less than one teaspoon of water for two full cleaning sessions, the company said.

“We understand the struggle that many dental practitioners have to experience in getting patients to regularly clean the spaces between their teeth. Sonicare AirFloss was developed to improve oral health with an easy-to-use device that dentists and their patients will love to use on a daily basis, “ Erik Hollander, Senior Marketing Director of Philips

Former dental student awarded $2M over expulsion

2011-04-01T12:15:00.001-05:00

A former University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) student who was dismissed after his patient suffered two cuts on the lip during a dental procedure has won a $2 million lawsuit against the school.

In July 2008, Jason Vladimer was nearing graduation at UMDNJ's dental school when he accidently cut a patient's lip with a bur during a routine restorative procedure. The patient also incurred a second cut from a dental dam clamp.

The cuts were "minor" , according to Vladimer's attorney, Charles Schalk. The patient was unharmed, Schalk said.

The incident led to Vladimer's dismissal in January 2009. Valdimer, who had been an honors student, subsequently sued the school, alleging that his dismissal was "arbitrary" and violated "due process."

During a three-week trial in Essex County Superior Court earlier this month, Schalk argued that his client was denied procedural and substantive due process; on March 21, the jury decided in Vladimer's favor. He was awarded $2 million for future economic losses and $25,000 for emotional distress.

The dismissal cost Vladimer his career, which is why the jury award was so high, according to Schalk. Vladimer had been accepted into the University of Iowa's periodontal program, but now no school in the U.S. will accept him with the expulsion on his record, he added.

Vladimer has since moved to Israel and is now pursuing a joint degree in biology and computers.

The patient whose lip was cut during the procedure also testified at the trial. David Smyly came all the way from Florida and was "very supportive," according to Schalk.

"He said that Jason was the best dentist he had in his entire life, and he could not believe Jason was expelled," Schalk said.

UMDNJ refused to comment on the verdict, although Jeffrey Tolvin, a school spokesperson, sent DrBicuspid.com a statement saying that the school was "very disappointed" in the jury's decision.

"We believe our actions in this case were all appropriate," the statement read. "The university will be reviewing the decision to determine the potential for an appeal."

Google's Chrome is done playing games !!

2011-03-22T07:26:00.001-05:00

For a few weeks now, anyone using Chromium (the open source browser on which Google Chrome is built) will have noticed something: a completely new icon. It’s simpler and cleaner, and overall looks a little bit less like a Simon. And more recently, users of the developer builds of Chrome will have likely noticed the new icon as well. And soon everyone will see it, Google explains in a post today.
“A fresh take on an icon” outlines why Google felt they had to change the Chrome icon. From a philosophical perspective, a “simpler icon embodies the Chrome spirit — to make the web quicker, lighter, and easier for all.” But the real reason for the new icon is something simpler still: they wanted to make it easier for people to recreate.

The key blurb:

Even before this effort, the new version of the Chrome logo was already being conjured up by Googlers and Chrome fans. Numerous creative reinterpretations have organically moved the icon towards simplicity and abstraction, so it felt right to make the icon structure cleaner and easier to recreate.

As is the norm at Google, they also say the process for designing the new icon was a “group effort”. “Collectively, we explored many variations, tried the icon in several different contexts, and refined the details as we moved along. It was important to maintain consistency across all media, so we kept print, web, and other possible formats in mind.” Obviously, this collective design process is pretty much the opposite of rival Apple’s approach. But sometimes that means putting out icons like this.

I will say that I like the new Chrome icon a bit better than the old one. Because it’s less 3D, it does look less clickable and as such, less like the aforementioned Simon game. It also looks more like a spinning wheel, giving the illusion of speed. At the same time, it looks a bit like a hurricane symbol — and they also removed the shine that seemed to give it a chrome finish.

Google says to look for the new icon on the beta and stable builds of Chrome in the coming weeks.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

"Google Circles"Looms, But do Google's Nerds 'Get' Social?

2011-03-13T18:00:00.000-05:00

It's not a revelation Google might take another stab at the massive social networking space, and not an unreasonable idea that it would announce the new service here at SXSW interactive, which is all about social networking sites and apps. So today ReadWriteWeb had the story,reporting that Google will announce a social networking site -- Google Circles -- here at South by Southwest in Austin.

Google Circles, ReadWriteWeb's Marshall Kirkpatrick explains, will allow people to share photos, videos, and status messages with people in their social circle. Google's site will be unique, the speculation goes, because it will seek to understand how we relate to our various social networking friends, determine how truly close to them we are, then adjust the amount of content we share with those people.

If it works well, this could be a major selling point against rival Facebook which, by and large, seems to want us to be close friends with as many people as possible, and share our intimate content accordingly.

But my question still remains: Does Google really "get" social? Services like "Buzz" make me think they don't. The nerds at Google probably spend a lot of time at work, looking at white boards and computer screens, thinking about code. They may have deep theoretical thoughts about social networking.

But do they have a good enough understanding of the nuances of human social interaction in real life to craft an online service that can weave into the natural fabric of the lives of normal people?

Anyway, a little later today, Liz Gannes at All Things Digital threw cold water on the idea that Google Circles would debut here at SXSW. She says Google flatly denies this will happen, but, Gannes writes, Google did not deny that a new social networking service is being developed. But the company did tweet, as @googlesxsw, that "We're not launching any products at #SXSW but we're doing plenty else."

Apple to Release iOS 4.3 Today? Personal Hotspot Device Limits ?

2011-03-08T11:36:00.000-06:00

BGR reports that Apple is preparing to release iOS 4.3 today at the company's usual 1:00 PM Eastern / 10:00 Pacific timeframe for iOS releases. A release today would be a bit of a surprise, given that Apple announced last week that the update would launch on Friday alongside the iPad 2 debut. BGR does, however, have a strong track record of pinpointing iOS build numbers and releases.

Apple seeded the golden master version of iOS 4.3 to developers last Thursday.

Today's report also addresses the issue of personal hotspot device limitations, following considerable discussion around the fact that Apple's iOS 4.3 pages for some markets mention that users may only utilize the hotspot via Wi-Fi with up to three devices simultaneously, while pages for other markets place the limit at five devices.

According to BGR, iOS 4.3 supports three devices via Wi-Fi by default, but can support up to five if requested by carriers.

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