The Science of Dentistry

Dental Stem Cells

To build a tooth, a detailed recipe to instruct cells to differentiate towards proper lineages and form dental cells is needed. Researchers in the group of Professor Irma Thesleff at the Institute of Biotechnology in Helsinki, Finland have now found a marker for dental stem cells. They showed that the transcription factor Sox2 is specifically expressed in stem cells of the mouse front tooth.

Dental Decay

Two scientists have discovered a molecule that kills the bacteria that can cause tooth decay, meaning a treatment for cavity-proof teeth could be on the way.

TUNG Brush

According to clinical research, one of the leading causes of bad breath are the odor-causing bacteria that hide on your tongue amidst the vast tiny crevices, nooks & crannies and taste buds. Well, since there are dedicated brushes for cleaning all other parts of the body, the tongue finally has one too, the TUNG Brush!

FireCr Dental Reader

Designed to provide a compact, economical imaging solution, the Fire CR Dental Reader provides rapid, high-quality reading of reusable dental imaging plates.

Dried Licorice Root

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 American Chemical Society’s Journal of Natural Products, they say that these substances could have a role in treating and preventing tooth decay and gum disease.

Printing Body Parts

It is amazing to me what technology is capable of, and everyday I learn something that makes me wonder just how close we will actually come to some of the fictitious “marvels” seen on the sci-fi movies.  Space travel, whole body health scanners, robotic arms and limbs.

Beam Brush

Self monitoring of activity levels using accelerometer activated devices like Striiv and FitBit is all the rage these days, and now the field is expanding into dentistry thanks to the Beam Brush.  The device transmits data about its use via Bluetooth to a matching smartphone app that keeps track of when and for how long the brush was used for.

Dental Hypnosis

What if it was possible to undergo a root canal filling or tooth extraction without feeling the pinch of a needle or the after effects of general anesthesia? Hypnosis could uncover a new world for patients seeking dental care.

Cone Beam Technology

Biomedical engineers used advanced cone beam imaging technology to take a series of three dimensional x-rays, which enabled them to create a detailed three dimensional picture of the patient’s mouth. Better images allow dentists to increase their understanding of the patient’s mouth and predict the outcome of procedures with improved accuracy.

OraVerse

A quick trip to the dentist with dental local anesthesia can turn into an afternoon of numb cheeks, slurred speech, a crooked smile and maybe even a little drool. But it doesn’t have to anymore. There’s a new solution for this problem called OraVerse.

DrQuickLook

DrQuickLook Intraoral Dental Viewer is portable, convenient and requires no training, no software, no external monitor, and no computer or USB cords. Users can learn how to use it in 1 minute; it’s that easy.

Chemists from the Otto-Schott-Institute for Glass Chemistry at Jena University in Germany have produced a new kind of glass ceramic with a nanocrystalline structure. The material has high strength characteristics and optical properties which make it ideal for use in dental dentures.

Smart Bomb Mouthwash

A mouthwash concocted by a UCLA microbiologist may render cavities and tooth decay a thing of the past.  The experimental new smart bomb mouthwash it says might keep you out of the dentist’s chair with just one rinse every four days.

PediSedate is a medical device consisting of a colorful, toy-like headset that connects to a game component such as the  Nintendo Game Boy system or a portable CD player.

People who always forget to take their medication would have no excuse once they use IntelliDrug . Still in its development phase, IntelliDrug is actually a couple of fake molars which has the capability to deliver medicine through non-invasive means. The device measures two molars in size, made of stainless steel and polymers. Inside the prosthetic teeth is the drug reservoir with a micro-fluidic duct. The device also comes equipped with sensors and an electrically controlled valve, along with batteries as power source.

In a report on a preclinical investigation titled “Flagellin Enhances Saliva Ig A Response and Protection of Anti-caries DNA Vaccine,” lead author Wei Shi, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and his team of researchers demonstrate that anti-caries DNA vaccines, including pGJA-P/VAX, are promising for preventing dental caries.

As far as technology goes, toothbrushes and other oral hygiene technology has hit a dead end. Seems like every day I see ads for new toothbrush technology promising to make our teeth cleaner, and I can’t help but wonder what more can be improved on simple brushing and flossing. Some of the stuff these toothbrush manufacturers come up feels made up, a product of an R&D Department with way too much time on their hands.

What if, instead of waiting days or weeks for a cast to be produced and prosthetic dental implants, false teeth and replacement crowns to be made, your dentist could quickly scan your jaw and “print” your new teeth using a rapid prototyping machine known as a 3D printer?

Scientists have grown fully formed teeth from stem cells.  The artificial teeth looked like the real thing, were sensitive to pain and could chew food.

In 2000, scientists at the NIH (NIDCR) discovered stem cells in teeth. These dental stem cells have already been used to regenerate alveolar bone and treat periodontal disease in human clinical studies. These are adult stem cells, not controversial embryonic stem cells. Dental stem cells are also being studied for the potential to treat a range of diseases outside of dentistry including cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s, spinal cord injury, and more. In 2011, scientists showed that dental stem cells from baby teeth can be used to generate islet-like cells that produce insulin in response to glucose — something all of your diabetic patients and families should know about.

Plasma Dentistry

People who live in fear of the dentist’s drill could be in for a more comfortable future – as new plasma dental technology arrives.

Dental Ozone

When you hear the word ozone, the first thing that many people think of is air pollution. Yet ozone protects us from harmful sunlight that causes skin cancers. In fact, many critically important uses of this powerful, naturally-occurring gas are not so well known, but they serve us every day.

I-Denti-Fied

Dr. Kevin Brunski wants to put an implanted chip your tooth.  More specifically, the Crown Point dentist, who has a patent pending on his invention, I-Denti-Fied, hopes to one day see every person in the United States wearing the device — a chip about the size of a grain of rice that stores a person’s unique identification number linked to his or her entire medical history.

Cadent iTero

Using current technology, dental technicians typically make dentures, removable partial dentures, and dental crowns using a bite impression. The silicone template for this plaster model is made by the dentist, in a procedure which is unpleasant for the patient. In the future, a 3-D  dental scanning provide the teeth contours – without a plaster dental model.

DentalVibe

Dentists seeking to offer a more comfortable experience for their patients can see, study and order an innovative new tool by visiting DentalVibe.com, the newly expanded website for dentistry’s first 3-in-1 injection comfort system called dentalvibe.