A Guide for Those Who Care about Their Smile


Scientists: Proper Dental Care Lowers Alzheimer’s Risks

Our dental health and our dental care routines are strongly linked to our general health, and those people who take care about their teeth properly (brush and floss daily, and visit their dentist on a regular basis) always have better health, lower risks of infections and cardiovascular diseases, reduced risks of psychological disorders and obesity.Good dental careGood dental care is a key factor to excellent overall health and longevity. Recently, the findings of one more related study were published proving that fact. According to the newest conclusions of an expert team at the University of California, those aging people who spend lots of efforts for keeping their gums and teeth healthy have much lower chances to suffer from dementia-like brain disorders, including reduced Alzheimer’s risks.

The scientists analyzed the data on over 5,000 aging people of the USA collected for over 18-year period of time. Certainly, dental care and dental care routines of the participants were the main points of focus of the study. It turned out that there are actually strong links between good dental care habits and mental health of the elderly. The experts reported that those participants of the study who reported brushing their teeth less than once a day had up to 65 per cent higher dementia-like brain disorders and Alzheimer’s risks compared to those aging people who had a habit of daily brushing and flossing their teeth, whether the teeth are natural or not. It was found important that proper dental care also allows enjoying reduced risks of inflammations caused by gum disease related bacteria.

Annlia Paganini-Hill, one of the study leaders and an expert from the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of California commented on the findings of her research group as the following: “Not only does the state of your mind predict what kind of oral health habits you practice, it may be that your oral health habits influence whether or not you get dementia.” California University experts suggest that the connections between good dental care and reduced Alzheimer’s risks are linked to the effects of gum disease related bacteria. They are convinced that improper dental care leads to excessive growth and development of this kind of bacteria which can get into the person’s brain, initiate inflammation processes and cause dementia-like brain disorders.

The findings were recently published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society and evoked numerous reactions from other experts’ side. Some found these conclusions very interesting and important for modern society, at the same time some experts underlined that the findings of California experts should not be considered valid since there were no dental examinations and close analysis of dental health of the participants. Neglecting such factors as the number of teeth or the condition of teeth can not make good dental care a sufficient factors form Alzheimer’s risks reduction. It is  a known fact that such things as improper nutrition and head injury play a key role in dementia-like brain disorders development. However, a lot of specialists value the findings quite high. Amber Watts, dementia expert from the University of Kansas said: “I would be reluctant to draw the conclusion that brushing your teeth would definitely prevent you from getting Alzheimer’s disease.”

Tags: Alzheimer's risks, dementia-like brain disorders, good dental care

Cosmetic Dentistry: A New Marker Of Dental Stem Cells Is Found

dental stem cellsIn the last few decades, cosmetic dentistry has been one of the most striving branches of dental science. A great deal of studies and researches of the recent times have given us new amazing technologies and approaches to making our smile look shiny and bright. Hundreds thousands of people around the globe opted and received such popular cosmetic dentistry services as dental veneers (currently the most demanded cosmetic dental procedure) or dental implants which totally changed our imagination about the possibilities of modern cosmetic dentistry. These kind of services have become not only unique and the best solution to our special goals, but also helped in solving serious dental problems and conditions. Nowadays, qualified cosmetic dentists in Perth and throughout the world are offering absolutely amazing aesthetic dental designs and other high quality cosmetic dentistry services based on the newest developments of dental science.

Many experts are saying that the function of modern cosmetic dentistry has gone beyond just changing the look of our teeth and giving us a gift of natural shiny smile. It also includes understanding the causes and looking for an effective treatments for worn teeth. Today’s specialists have to thoroughly study, evaluate and eliminate the factors causing dental wearing out in their patients, before offering any kind of cosmetic restoration procedure. It is required by modern treatment protocol, and it is actually the only way to long life of our teeth. If the causes and factors that resulted in extreme teeth wearing out (or at least the most important ones of those) are not taken into account and eliminated, cosmetic dental procedures will not save our teeth from further destructive processes, and they will go on getting worse in the same way as the natural teeth before.

Generally speaking, in modern cosmetic dentistry, there are two most commonly used ways to replace a missing tooth. The first is an old technology of closing the space by placement of a bridge between the neighboring teeth. Another way is a more recent technology of placing dental implant. Certainly, new dental elements should be totally integrated with the environment, and using own biological materials of  the patient for creating new teeth could be a perfect solution to guarantee that. Unfortunately, it is still impossible to do that, however, it is reported that today’s dental science is getting much closer to that. According to the findings of a scientific team at the Institute of Biotechnology in Helsinki, Finland, a new marker for dental stem cells can be used to achieve totally new goals of cosmetic dentistry. The newly discovered marker, transcription factor Sox2, is expressed in the stem cells of the mouse incisor and can help to say a new word in cosmetic dentistry.

Stem cell researches are considered very promising and have been actively carried out in many scientific fields. At the same time, the studies of dental stem cells have been substantially slowed down due to the absence of specific markers. The discovery of Finnish experts has now opened a way for more research, and, in particular, the identification of this marker can possibly allow to find out new methods and approaches to describe the differentiation, division, and migration of dental stem cells. Many specialists are convinced that this discovery is a key step and will soon turn into a new technology of producing new dental materials from stem cells. According to Dr. Rabanus, one of practicing cosmetic dentistry expert in San Francisco, this discovery can lead to creating “…possible innovative reconstructive mechanisms that may take place in periodontal and bony tissues when placing in-vitro bioengineered tooth germs into the jaws.”

Tags: cosmetic dentistry, dental stem cells

A New ‘Green’ Dental Campaign

dental campaignPublic dental care is a very serious concern of our times. Authorized governmental structures of many developed countries of the world are creating special programs and rendering great support to dental clinics and dentists in their country. Numerous charity campaigns, free dental care services for children and elderly, and so on are being carried out in the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries of Europe. Besides, governmental organizations carry out great work on attracting increasing number of investors and bringing more money to this branch, this way assisting in opening new dental clinics and cabinets, making the services cheaper and more affordable to all of us. Finally, a great deal of organizations and businesses are taking mission on helping the poor nations, especially the ones in today’s Africa, where it is almost impossible sometimes to get high quality dental services.

These days, a new interesting dental campaign has been launched by the Eco-Dentistry Association. It is aimed on educating today’s dentists around the United States to practice ‘green’ and environment friendly services, which can be achieved by using the latest dental technologies. The dental campaign has got a name High-Time for High-Tech Campaign, and it is going to be a one-week program, which is planned to be launched somewhere in October 2012. Officials and those who were working on creating this interesting program are convinced that it is going to show all dentists around the nation the ways to boost their performance and improve their service quality by using new technologies that are reducing environmental impact.

The Eco-Dentistry Association which is launching this program, plans working closely with numerous investors and other interested parts till early October, in order to bring the participants (local dental care organizations, dental clinics, and so on) special offers, advertising materials, samples, reviews, and other kinds of materials related to new environment friendly technologies and dental care products. This is the first educational dental campaign organized by this authorized body, which will be more focused on explaining the ways how using new dental technologies and products can help dental care specialists minimize wastes and pollution, as well as reduce water and energy consumption, decrease financial expenses, and so on.

In addition, another important goal of this dental campaign is giving all practicing dentists around the nation an opportunity to get acquainted with the newest dental technologies and the latest innovations, including salivary diagnostics, digital imaging, and many more. The Eco-Dentistry Association is ready to render all kinds of support and help to all dental care specialist in better understating the advantages of using eco-friendly technologies. ‘There’s a 1:1 correlation between the high-tech choice and the eco-friendly choice. Our High-Time for High-Tech campaign helps dentists get the most out of the investments in technology they’ve made and learn more about new innovations that can make their practice even more profitable and more environmentally sound,’ Ina Pockrass, one of the chiefs in the Eco-Dentistry Association said. It is planned that the High-Time for High-Tech campaign will start with a free webinar planned for October, 12.

Tags: dental campaign