The Science of Dentistry

Snoring and Sleep Apnea

Snoring occurs when the soft tissue structures of the upper airway (back of the throat) collapse onto themselves, the tongue drops back, and air is obstructed in its movement through the mouth and nose into the lungs. As a result, these obstacles create the vibration that produces snoring. Large tonsils, a long soft palate, a large tongue, the uvula (the tissue that looks like a mini punch-bag dangling at the back of the mouth), and even fat deposits can also contribute to blockage and hence snoring.

People will buy anything. And I literally mean anything. Sometimes they will pay a bunch of money for things you’d have to pay me to take. And if a celebrity is attached to it, the more money it will fetch.  Take for example the recent auction of John Lennon’s gnarly, half-decayed tooth. 

Apples

Eating apples can be up to four times more damaging to teeth than carbonated drinks, according to new research.

Among the young adults of today tongue and lip piercing has become quite a latest trend. In fact tongue piercing has become readily easily available to everyone since these piercings are not being governed by any regulations. Despite of looking appealing, piercing the tongue makes it convenient for microorganisms to enter into the bloodstream since there are excessive blood vessels in the oral cavity. For people who are allergic to metals or suffer from heart diseases, a tongue piercing can even prove to be dangerous. Tongue piercing is one of the types of the oral piercings.

Halloween Candy

Candy consumption is almost unavoidable at this time of the year, so I am going to offer some advice as to which sweets are less damaging to your teeth than others.

In addition to the major salivary glands, and accessory glands situated throughout the oral mucosa, there are other specialized sources of saliva secretion:

Fear of the dentist is one of the greatest phobias that both children and adults struggle with. For such people, it is enough only to imagine the dentist chair and the dentist with the mask on ready to take action and they are scared off for quite a good period of time.

Dental masks are a common sight on Japanese streets, or to be more exact, on Japanese faces. Though Westerners may feel some unease if encountering a mask-wearing person in their home towns, face masks in Japan aren’t harbingers of disease and illness. On the contrary, wearing a face mask is merely common courtesy extended to others who share an oft-crowded social milieu.

Properties of materials chosen for dental restorations include: performance under chewing or biting function, durability, longevity, cost and ease of placement. The utmost considerations include safety and biological compatibility with very low incidence of allergic response. But let’s get right to the point about silver fillings commonly known as dental amalgam. The American Dental Association (ADA) states, “Dental amalgam has been used by dentists for more than a century and is the most thoroughly researched and tested restorative material among all those in use today.”

Leading dental and pharmacy organizations are teaming up to promote oral health and raise public awareness of dry mouth, a side effect commonly caused by taking prescription and over-the-counter medications.

So much more than than a pair of upturned lips, the smile is the most scientifically studied human facial expression.

Before some dental treatments, patients who have certain heart conditions and those with artificial joints take antibiotics. These people may be at risk of developing an infection in the heart or at the site of the artificial joint, respectively. Antibiotics reduce this risk. This is called antibiotic prophylaxis.

I know this sounds weird, but there is a surgical procedure that uses a tooth implanted in the eye to help some types of blindness. It’s called..

Keeping track of disease trends such as influenza outbreaks has the potential to be far quicker and less costly by monitoring a social network program such as Twitter than following the traditional methods of disease surveillance, according to a computer science expert at Southeastern Louisiana University.

This summer season, tens of thousands of people will be enjoying a respite in their backyard or community pools, yet these pools could be putting their dental health at risk for permanent damage to their teeth.

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Andrew Gold, who’s responsible for the 1970s hit “Lonely Boy” – which was featured in flicks like “Boogie Nights” and “The Waterboy” – died on June 3.

The 59-year-old singer-songwriter also penned “Thank You for Being a Friend,” the song that introduced NBC’s “The Golden Girls” throughout the show’s seven seasons. Not only is “Thank You for Being a Friend” easily recognized as the sitcom’s theme song, it also tends to get stuck in your head – the true test of a genius opening tune.

I never like to admit it, but sometimes measuring with my fingers or arms doesn’t work. Yet I’m so confident I don’t need measuring tape I do it anyway. I should know by now that it’s smart to know before hand if the armoire will definitely fit between the windows, yet I wing it and hold my arms out to “measure.” A half hour later, after I’ve emptied the entire cabinet and dragged it across the room, I found out the hard way that I was off by a few inches. The Smart Finger measuring device would have saved me a lot of work.  The device includes two halves that when separated, measure the distance in between, allowing you to accurately measure small objects between your index finger and thumb, or larger objects between your arms. 

Here is the issue at hand: fluoride’s effectiveness in making tooth surfaces, both enamel and dentin, more resistant to decay is now beyond scientific doubt. The optimal amount of fluoride necessary to make teeth resistant to decay is 0.7-1.20 milligrams per liter mg/L, or ppm (parts per million), while preventing any problematic effects. In recent years, general and pediatric dentists have been noticing an increased prevalence of a condition known as Dental Fluorosis. It manifests as “mottling” of the tooth surface enamel with the appearance of very small white spots to fairly extensive brownish discolorations. While “mottled” enamel is still more resistant to decay, it can be unsightly depending upon the severity and how bothersome it may visually be to the individual.

The tooth-protecting sugar substitute xylitol has been incorporated into gummy bears to produce a sweet snack that may prevent dental problems. Giving children four of the xylitol bears three times a day during school hours results in a decrease in the plaque bacteria that cause tooth decay.

Creative headphones with remote and microphone designed by Antrepo.

The old food pyramid used by the U.S. government to help us decide how to eat healthily is being replaced by a plate. The new design, called MyPlate, was all over the news this week. It is a plate divided into simple categories that give you a clear idea of how much protein, and how many grains, fruits and vegetables you should be eating daily.

Google has started advertising Chrome on TV with a really moving ad. I loved it. Let me know what you think …