Dental Endangered by Severe Periodontal

The study involved 736 people with a total of 2,336 dental implants. implant dentals are tiny metal posts. They are used to replace missing teeth. The implant is put in the jaw bone. The bone grows around it, keeping it secure. Most implants are covered with a crown or cap so they look like real teeth. Some implants are used to anchor dentures.

Researchers kept track of the people in the study for as long as 12 years after they received their implants. Only 4% of the implants failed. A failed implant does not bond with the jawbone. It must be removed.

For the first four years after implant placement periodontal disease had no impact on the retention of an implant in the jaw bone. After about four years, people with severe periodontal disease had eight times the risk of having their implants fail. Smokers had about three times the risk of failure.

The authors believe that the failure rate increased after four years because periodontal disease gradually worsens if it is not treated. As a person's periodontal disease becomes worse, the bone and gum tissue around the implant is harmed. This continues until the implant cannot work anymore.

People with moderate or mild periodontal disease did not have a higher risk of implant failure than people with healthy gums.

Periodontal disease affects the gums and other supporting structures of the teeth. In advanced periodontal disease, the gums pull away from the teeth and fibers and bone that support the teeth start to break down.

Common Cosmetic Dentistry options

Cosmetic dentistry may involve: 1. the addition of a dental material to teeth or gums - examples: bonding, porcelain veneers (laminates), crowns (caps), gum grafts 2. the removal of tooth structure or gums - examples: enameloplasty etc., gingivectomy 3. neither adding nor removing dental materials, tooth structure or gums - examples: teeth whitening (bleaching). 4. straightening of teeth accompanied by improvement in appearance of face Orthodontics
Tooth bleaching is the most common cosmetic dental procedure. While many whitening options are now available, including over the counter products, dentist-supervised treatments remain the recommended procedures for lightening discolored teeth.
Bonding is a process in which an enamel-like dental composite material is applied to a tooth's surface, sculpted into shape, hardened and then polished.
Dental bridges are false teeth, known as a pontics, which are fused between two porcelain crowns to fill in the area left by a missing tooth. The two crowns holding it in place that are attached onto your teeth on each side of the false tooth. This is known as a fixed bridge. This procedure is used to replace one or more missing teeth. Fixed bridges cannot be taken out of your mouth as you might do with removable partial dentures. In areas of your mouth that are under less stress, such as your front teeth, a cantilever bridge may be used. Cantilever bridges are used when there are teeth on only one side of the open space. Bridges can reduce your risk of gum disease, help correct some bite issues and even improve your speech. Bridges require your commitment to serious oral hygiene, but will last as many as ten years or more.
Veneers are ultra-thin, custom-made porcelain laminates that are bonded directly to the teeth. They are an option for closing gaps or disguising discolored teeth that do not respond well to whitening procedures. Depending on the procedure, tooth reduction may be necessary.

Plastic dentures hit the dentistry market l

An increasing number of plastics dentures companies are looking to develop products for the dental market. Amongst them is Dens3000, a Germany-based firm, which manufactures two-component PMMA teeth for dentures.
Dens3000 teeth, which the company says closely resemble natural human teeth in shape and structure, are made by injection moulding biocompatible and monomer-free "Densomid" modified PMMA plastic layers - comprising a core material and an outer "enamel" layer - of different hardness and colour.
According to patents covering the artificial tooth design, the core material can be a thermoplastic filled with siliceous glass, quartz and hydroxylapatite, as well as injection-mouldable polymer-bound ceramics. Dens3000 says that as the thermoplastic tooth comes directly out of the injection mould and does not require further working, it is "highly cost-effective", costing five to ten times less than artificial teeth produced by the conventional thermosetting plastic ram extrusion method.
The 0.1-0.73g teeth are moulded with 2.5-5.6g shot weights in four 8-cavity moulds, in a cycle time of 22-30 seconds. A full denture set has 28 teeth chosen from 144 samples in 16 different shades, three sizes and various shapes. The original developer, medical physicist Dr Reinhard Lohse, says: "I wanted to introduce a high-quality yet inexpensive plastic tooth onto the market and so make dentures that appeal to China and eastern European countries, where cost is an important issue."
Aside from cost benefits, Lohse says the PMMA teeth "are also not prone to plaque or crack formation". Dens3000 teeth have a useful life of around five to ten years. Design features include a "finger", modelled on the human tooth root that stabilises the denture base, while an external palatal/lingual slot at the tooth base and a "retention bore", with integrated undercut, strengthen the denture base to "previously unattainable levels", he says.
Lohse further developed the tooth in partnership with the IWK materials technology and plastics processing institute at Kaiserslautern University, and the Regensburg and Homburg (Saar) university hospitals. After developing production tools and prototypes, Lohse set up the Dens3000 company in 2006. The teeth are injection moulded on four electric-drive 150-tonne clamp-ing force Arburg Allrounder 520A machines, each equipped with two size 70 injection units. Earlier this year, Arburg said Dens3000 is expected to "shortly" reach full production capacity of 20 million teeth per year.
Dens3000 is also setting up a production site in China, according to the Protonia-IT foundation. Initial Chinese production is ex-pected to amount to around 40 million teeth per year, with start-up scheduled for October 2011. The project contract is being managed by the DCTA German-Chinese technology exchange foundation. Plastic materials are also making inroads in dental implants. Here, NT_Trading is using medical grade Vestakeep I PEEK from Evonik to make Dentokeep semi-finished implants, substituting titanium and cobalt-chromium metals. The material provides high implant elasticity and a similar flexing behaviour as bone, making the implants more comfortable for the patient.
Marc Knebel, medical implants sales and marketing manager at Evonik, says injection moulding already substitutes machined semi-finished parts when volumes are sufficiently high, cutting implant production costs. Knebel adds that since 1999 PEEK has become the most important substitute material for titanium in orthopaedic, cardiovascular and spinal implants, a trend partly driven by the material's high resistance to gamma rays, transparency to x-rays and biocompatibility.

Dentures Benefits

Dentures are removable dental appliances that are used to replace missing teeth. Dentures can be fabricated to replace a full set of missing upper and lower teeth, or just a few missing teeth. Because they improve the appearance of patients' smiles and restore chewing function, dentures offer many benefits to patients and can significantly enhance their quality of life.

Cosmetic Benefits The cosmetic benefits of dentures are obvious. They fill in gaps left by missing teeth so patients feel more confident about their appearance. The aesthetic advantages of dentures include:
-Replaces missing teeth or teeth that were in poor condition
-Prevents further shifting of remaining teeth
-Avoids embarrassment when smiling
-Supports facial structure and integrity
-Supports facial muscles
-Functional Benefits
Dentures offer a range of functional benefits to patients. The functional advantages of dentures include: Allows patients to eat the foods they want Improves speech (after patients get used to wearing dentures) Typically lasts between five and 10 years (with proper care) Price
Dentures tend to be the least costly solution for replacing missing teeth. Alternative treatment options such as dental bridges or implants are generally more expensive and require more extensive treatment. However, dental bridges and implants do offer a better fit, increased comfort, better chewing ability, and a more natural appearance. For these reasons, dentures-wearers may want to ask their dentists about these alternative treatment options. Your dentist can let you know if you are a good candidate for dentures, dental bridges, or implants, and let you know the cost of these options.
Contact a Restorative Dentist DocShop is an online dental directory that connects patients with experienced dentists in their areas. Contact a qualified restorative dentist today so you can schedule a consultation. During your appointment, your dentist will educate you about the tooth replacement options that are available to you.

Survey: 35% of Americans cut back on dental visits

September 1, 2011 -- In the past year, more than one-third of people in the U.S. who regularly visit the dentist have cut back, according to a recent public opinion survey commissioned by Oral Health America.

The survey also found that a greater number (47%) of larger households and those with younger children have cut back on their visits to the dentist in the past year.

These findings are one of the many reasons why OHA has launched its second annual Fall for Smiles campaign, the organization announced. The campaign aims to remind policymakers and the public about the importance of dental self-care, regular dental visits, healthy food choices, and avoiding tobacco products.

Fall for Smiles runs through the end of October. Dental offices, health educators, school dental program officials, parents, and others can find tools to promote healthy mouths, including a social media guide, coloring sheets.

The Fall for Smiles survey, sponsored by Oral Healthcare Can't Wait and Plackers, was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive in June 2011.

Zirconium dental crowns

Gold has always been the strongest most durable material for dental crowns (caps), and it still is. But patients are asking, “With today’s technology, isn’t there a tooth-colored crown that is unbreakable?” Until recently, the answer was always “no.” But once zirconium arrived on the scene, everything changed. Besides being the strongest metal-free crown, zirconium offers excellent long-term stability with no allergenic risks.

The Strongest

BruxZir™ Solid Zirconia is a full-contour solid zirconia crown or bridge with no porcelain overlay. More brawn than beauty, BruxZir is a great alternative to full metal crowns on back molars. Virtually chip-proof, these crowns and bridges are the ideal restoration for bruxers and grinders, implant crowns and areas with a tight bite.

Designed and milled using computer aided design and modeling (CAD/CAM) technology, BruxZir is heated for 6-10 hours at 1,530 degrees Celsius. The final crown or bridge emerges nearly “bulletproof” and is glazed to a smooth surface. BruxZir Solid Zirconia crowns and bridges are backed by a seven-year replacement warranty.

Strength and Beauty

Lava™ crowns combine the esthetics our patients demand with the strength they need. Lab tests have shown that the fracture toughness and flexural strength of Lava™ crowns are significantly higher than any other all-ceramic restorations. There is no metal to show through the ceramic, and no unsightly black lines at the edges.

This esthetic restoration is built on a foundation of the same zirconium used in the BruxZir crowns using CAD/CAM technology, which gives the final restoration a superb fit, and porcelain, which gives beautiful, translucent opalescence. After heating the foundation for ten hours to establish strength and fracture resistance, the framework is layered with the most esthetically pleasing porcelain material. The final restoration demonstrates exceptional marginal fit, tooth-like translucency and long-term durability. These crowns and bridges are touted as one of the most attractive and clinically proven all-ceramic restorations available today.

Is Gold Obsolete?

Even at over $1,800 an ounce, gold crowns are still necessary at times, depending on the bite, size and shape of the remaining tooth and esthetic demands of the area. Because gold is malleable and softer than zirconium, it may be gentler on the bite. In some cases, we would rather the gold wear out than damage the jaw joint. We usually reserve gold for the last molars in the mouth where they are hidden and the forces are much greater.

But whereas gold was once the only real long-lasting option for crowns, thanks to zirconium, patients can now opt for a durable, non-allergenic and attractive crown that looks much like their natural teeth.

man dies of dental diease

In an especially shameful episode that highlights the plight of those in the U.S. without medical insurance, a 24-year-old father has died from a wisdom tooth infection. Unable to afford both pain killers and antibiotics, Kyle Willis of Cincinnati, Ohio died after the infection spread.
LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - "He [Willis] might as well have been living in 1927," Dr. Jim Jirjis, director of general internal medicine at Vanderbilt University said. "All of the advances we've made in medicine today and are proud of, for people who don't have coverage, you might as well never have developed those."
Jirjis says that people like Willis, without access to care often dies of conditions that were much more common decades ago.
Prior to his death, dentists told Willis his infected wisdom tooth needed to be pulled. Willis decided to forgo the procedure, because he was unemployed and had no health insurance.
When his face started to swell and his head began to ache, Willis went to the emergency room, where he received prescriptions for antibiotics and pain medications. Willis couldn't afford both, so he chose the pain medications. The infection spread, causing his brain to swell - he died last week.
"People don't realize that dental disease can cause serious illness," Dr. Irvin Silverstein, a dentist at the University of California at San Diego says. "The problems are not just cosmetic. Many people die from dental disease."Tragically, Willis' story is not unique. In 2007, 12-year-old Deamonte Driver also died when a tooth infection spread to his brain. The Maryland boy underwent two operations and six weeks of hospital care, totaling $250,000. Doctors said a routine $80 tooth extraction could have saved his life.
Deamonte's family was uninsured and had recently lost its Medicaid benefits, preventing the boy from having dental surgery.
"When people are unemployed or don't have insurance, where do they go? What do they do?" Silverstein said. "People end up dying, and these are the most treatable, preventable diseases in the world."
The Kaiser Family Foundation reported earlier this year said that 33 percent of people surveyed skipped dental care or dental checkups because they couldn't afford them. A 2003 report by the U.S. Surgeon General found that 108 million Americans had no dental insurance, nearly 2.5 times the number who had no health insurance.