Journal of Endodontics Research - Blogs

Dentistry Of Future?

JofER editor — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:00:00 CST

A team of researchers lead by Professor Dr Thimios Mitsiadis at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, has identified a gene responsible for the formation of enamel, which is the key component of the teeth. The experiments were accomplished in mice carrying a deletion of the transcription factor Tbx1, a gene that plays a principal role in several human malformations (heart, thymus, parathyroid, face, and teeth) associated to the DiGeorge syndrome."Subjects afflicted by DiGeorge syndrome exhibit teeth with enamel defects. We have demonstrated that a direct link between impaired Tbx1 function and enamel defects exists. Enamel forms via the mineralization of specific enamel proteins that are secreted by dental epithelial cells called ameloblasts. Our results clearly show that teeth of Tbx1 null mice lacked enamel and ameloblasts," explains Prof Mitsiadis.These findings, just published in Development Biology, represent a major contribution to the understanding of the production of enamel, the "hardest organic tissue" found in nature. An American group of researchers from the University of Oregon have also shown a relationship between another transcription factor (Ctip2) and the production of enamel, but in the words of Prof Mitsiadis "our investigations better demonstrate the lack of enamel in teeth. Because of the early lethality of the Tbx1 mutant mice, we have used long-term culture techniques that allow the unharmed growth of teeth until their full maturity. No such studies were performed from our American colleagues." Could dental treatment benefit in the future from this revolutionary study? The answer is definitively "yes." "The understanding of the genetic code controlling tooth development and repair will permit us to imagine and generate new products and replacement tissues for injured and unhealthy teeth. However the requirements for functional tooth repair and/or formation are complex. Yet, a single approach has not allowed an effective clinical therapy," says Prof Mitsiadis.Is it possible to use dental stem cells to stimulate the growth of new enamel? This represents the biggest challenge in the discipline of tooth engineering. "Our results show that Tbx1 is involved in the maintenance of dental epithelial stem cells that are responsible for ameloblast formation. In some cases of genetic tooth anomalies, regeneration and repair of teeth could be treated by stem cells. Aggregates of dental stem cells could be used in the future for local transplantation in the dental tissues," explains Prof Mitsiadis.Table 1. Characteristics of curved root canals (n = 30 teeth per group).

Man pulls out 13 of his own teeth with pliers 'because he couldn't find an NHS dentist'

JofER editor — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:00:00 CST

A former soldier pulled his own teeth out with a pair of pliers because he could not find a dentist to take on NHS patients.Iraq War veteran Ian Boynton could not afford to go private for treatment so instead took the drastic action to remove 13 of his teeth that were giving him severe pain. The 42-year-old, from Beverley, East Yorkshire, had not had his teeth looked at since seeing the army dentist in 2003. He had not been registered with a dentist of his own since 2001.He said: 'I've tried to get in at 30 dentists over the last eight years but have never been able to find one to take on NHS patients.' But when Mr Boynton started suffering from toothache in 2006 he decided to take drastic action. He said: 'I started having pain in a front tooth, which protruded slightly more than the others. I was constantly fiddling with it and wiggling it because it hurt so much. 'In the end I knew it had to come out and had to use the pliers to pull it. Amazingly, it did not hurt as much as you might think.'I think I'd been prising it that much in the meantime that I'd been killing the nerve.'In the last two years Mr Boynton has pulled out 13 top teeth including molars, incisors and canines. He now only has two teeth left in the roof of his mouth. He served as a medic in Iraq in 2003, but six months after leaving the Territorial Army had an accident while working as a paint sprayer that aggravated an old back injury. Unemployed Mr Boynton, who is single, said: 'It's a horrible situation to be in when you can't afford to go to the dentist when your teeth were so bad.' In a stroke of ill-timed luck he has now finally found a dentist to take him on.Mr Boynton said: 'I think the situation has improved slightly because of all the uproar. Unfortunately it came too late for me. 'I desperately needed a dentist because, although I'm no longer in pain, I need to have false teeth as I'm finding it difficult to eat.'Unfortunately I can't make false teeth myself.'A spokesman for NHS East Riding of Yorkshire said Mr Boynton's case gave an 'inaccurate scare-mongering picture of dental service provision in East Yorkshire based solely on the claims of one man'. The spokesman said: 'As well as 34 dental practices, we have seven dental access centres across East Riding of Yorkshire, including Beverley, where Mr Boynton could access a full range of NHS dentist services. 'So there is absolutely no reason why anyone should have to resort to pulling out their own teeth. NHS East Riding of Yorkshire has invested around Â£1 million in helping dentists target new patients. At many of our dental practices appointments are being offered to new patients within two weeks.'Our local out-of-hours and Accident and Emergency Services would have both been able to give Mr Boynton details of how to access emergency/urgent dental services if he had approached them.'

Dentist in a Supermarket

JofER editor — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:00:00 CDT

The clinic will be open seven days a week and shoppers will be able to pop in for treatments while buying groceries from 8am to 8pm. It is offering check-ups by private dentists for Â£16 in what could become a clear challenge to the NHS.The venture comes amid a shortage of NHS dentists, which has already seen 35,000 patients driven to travel abroad for treatment to countries including Hungary, Poland and Croatia. It is the brainchild of celebrity dentist Lance Knight â" whose patients include boxer Amir Khan and models Caprice and Danielle Lloyd â" and replaces a dry cleaning shop at a large branch of Sainsburyâs in Sale, Greater Manchester.It follows the first in-store GP surgery, which opened at a nearby Sainsburyâs. Yesterday the first patient to be treated was social worker Mary Gilfoyle, 51.She said: âI thought it was brilliant. I have even had a white filling. âI am with an NHS dentist but that would have cost Â£55 â" and they couldnât see me for two days.âModel Alex Leigh, 29, had her teeth whitened.She said: âAnything that lets you kill two birds with one stone is brilliant when we all lead such busy lives.âCheck-ups are 20p cheaper than the NHS. Fillings start at Â£30, while an NHS dentist would charge Â£45.50, regardless of the number of fillings. Having a tooth removed will cost from Â£40, a hygienistâs appointment is Â£30 and teeth whitening will set shoppers back Â£295. New statistics show that 27million people have been treated by NHS dentists since they negotiated a new contract two years ago, a drop of 1.1million. Dr Knight claims that in some areas half of the population are not registered with an NHS dentist because of chronic shortages. He said: âThis isnât some gimmick, it is about giving something back to the community and putting patients first.â If the pilot surgery succeeds, he would like to roll surgeries out across Britain.The Daily Express has reported how Hungarian dentists have toured the country, offering treatment from mobile surgeries in tents with charges 70 per cent cheaper than other private dentists.www.express.co.uk

Fictional dentists

JofER editor — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:00:00 CDT

Bernard from the TV series Lost.Matthew Brock from NewsRadio. (Although he gave it up to work in radio and is only seen practicing in one episode)Dr. Tariq Faraj from Oz (TV series).Bob Fish, a title character in Bob and Margaret.Ben Harper from British sitcom My Family.Oz from The Whole Nine Yards and The Whole Ten Yards.John Patterson in For Better or For Worse.Dr. Frank Sangster in Novocaine (film).Orin Scrivello, D.D.S. (Steve Martin) - Little Shop of Horrors (1986 film)Christian Szell from William Goldman's Marathon Man, later a movie by John SchlesingerCapt. Walter Koskiusko Waldowski, "Painless Pole" in MASHTim Whatley, from the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, alleged to be an insincere convert to Judaism.Dr. Wolfe from The SimpsonsIsaac Yankem, DDS, professional wrestler portrayed by Glen Jacobs in the WWF (now known as Kane)Orson Hodge from Desperate HousewivesSheldon Kornpett (Alan Arkin), Manhattan dentist in the 1979 comedy film The In-LawsThe W.C. Fields character in the 1932 short film The Dentist

PearlyWhites v.2.0.2

JofER editor — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:00:00 CDT

Is a new AdobeÂ® PhotoshopÂ® compatible Plug-In filter that automatically whitens and brightens teeth. Digital cameras are known to add a yellow cast to teeth. PearlyWhites automatically restores teeth to gleaming white. PearlyWhites may also whiten the sclera of the eye as it looks for white elements when surrounded by flesh tones.PearlyWhites can be run on individual images or be combined with other Image Trends Plug-Ins in a Photoshop Action and applied to a set of images in batch mode.Free download (394 Kb)Installation: copy in a folder \Adobe Photoshop CS3\Plug-Ins\and to register with any serial number.Other methods: Teeth Whitening Photoshop Tutorial

Old dentistry

JofER editor — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 CDT

Dentistry CabinetColumbia Chair (Smooth Noiseless Movement)Sindecuse Museum of Dentistry: Dental Instruments

Ugly Betty's $10m smile insured

JofER editor — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:00:00 CDT

America Ferrera, star of US TV show Ugly Betty, has had her smile insured for $10m (Â£5m).Insurance market Lloyds of London said the policy was taken out by a tooth product company which is working with the actress on a US charity campaign. Ferrera, 23, plays Betty Suarez - an ugly duckling with braces on her teeth - who works at a snobby New York fashion magazine. She said she was "flattered" to have had her smile insured.A spokesman for Lloyds said they had 300 years of experience of unusual insurance requests, including Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richard's fingers and Marlene Dietrich's legs. One underwriter was once even approached to insure an un-named celebrity's chest hair, the company said. Ferrara said: "It's very flattering to have my smile insured for $10 million, it's not something that I ever imagined happening."Ferrara won best TV comedy actress and the show best comedy at the 2007 Golden Globes.

DentiSign

JofER editor — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:00:00 CDT

For dental patients that want a better dental experience.For anyone that fears going to the dentist.For dental professionals that want to provide a better dental experience.For dental professionals with an interest in dental anxiety management.For dental professionals that want to improve the patient-dentist relationship.www.dentisign.com

Dentistry Dictionary, Glossary and Terms directory

JofER editor — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:00:00 CDT

A Comprehensive Directory of Dentistry Dictionary, Glossary and Terms listings that contain dental Terms and Terminology.A dictionary of dental termsExtensive and comprehensive dictionary of Dentistry and Orthodontic terms.Oral Physiology DictionaryA Dictionary designed to assist students studying Oral Physiology, cross referenced and cross linked.Dental Implant GlossaryDetailed glossary of terms used in relation to Dental Implants.Glossary of Dental TermsDental Glossary with dictionary style definitions of commonly used dental terms.

Are you at Risk for Cavities?

JofER editor — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:00:00 CDT

Tooth decay (often referred to as cavities) is the single most common chronic childhood disease. In fact, it's five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever. Also, many adults have untreated cavities (e.g., 27% of those 20-39 years, 21% of those 40-59 years, and 19% of those 60 years and older).This risk assessment tool is designed to help you and your dentist identify factors that might increase your risk for cavities. Take the quiz by clicking on the link below and share the results with your dentist at your next dental check-up.Please note that this tool serves to provide a guideline as to your risk for cavities. It is important to visit your dentist on a regular basis and discuss your oral health.Take the "Cavity Risk Assessment" Quiz