According to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, dental implants are almost always the best option for replacing them. In the past, replacements included removable dentures that rest on the gum line or fixed bridges anchored to adjacent teeth. But with dental implants, teeth are surgically implanted in the gums, giving replacement teeth a more natural feel and appearance.

Read more: http://www.enterprisenews.com/archive/x1266603997/Tired-of-loose-teeth-Implants-have-come-a-long-way#ixzz1uaW1rf9P

Visiting a dentist is enough to make most people’s palms a little sweaty, but for some it is a genuine and debilitating phobia.

Brushing your teeth twice daily may be sensible advice, but rubbing toothpaste on your gums after lunch also hugely lowers the risk of developing cavities.

More at DentistNewsnetwork.com

What is the Purpose of Root Canal Treatment? Scottsdale Arizona Endodontist Dr. Glen Doyon from Sequence Media on Vimeo.

According to Dentist News Network commentator Dr. Glen Doyon (Center for Microsurgical Endodontics, Scottsdale Arizona)…”The goal is always to try and save a tooth first. Sometimes that isn’t possible and alternatives like implants need to be considered.” Doyon also says the “These procedures are often pain free and can be completed in one appointment.”

A new dental industry survey suggests that dental professionals are more optimistic today about their growth opportunities than they were a year ago, while the greatest challenge facing respondents in 2012 is marketing.

Visiting a dentist is enough to make most people’s palms a little sweaty, but for some it is a genuine and debilitating phobia.

Brushing your teeth twice daily may be sensible advice, but rubbing toothpaste on your gums after lunch also hugely lowers the risk of developing cavities.

Dr Ron Dean…Dental Director, Academy of Clinical Sleep Disorders Disciplines discusses the benefits of membership in the
ACSDD.

Lack of dental access is a national problem but those who are most impacted are people who are low-income, racial or ethnic minorities, pregnant women, older adults, those with special needs, and those who live in rural communities. Simply put, the groups that need care the most are the least likely to get it. As chair of the Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, we released a report at a recent hearing on the dental crisis in America. This report is available at www.sanders.senate.gov.

What the report shows is that access to dental care is about more than a pretty smile. People with dental problems can be forced to live with extreme pain, and a mouth without teeth often makes it difficult to find and keep a job. Dental problems can have a significant impact on overall health and can increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, digestive problems and poor birth outcomes. In some cases, dental conditions can result in death, including the well-publicized tragedy of 12-year-old Deamonte Driver of Maryland, who died five years ago.

In order to address the dental crisis facing millions of Americans, the U.S. Congress must take strong action now. Here are some of the things we have to do:

First, the United States needs more dental providers to serve those in need. The unfortunate reality is that dental schools are graduating fewer dentists than the number needed to replace those who retire each year. We also need to expand the dental workforce to include allied dental providers such as dental therapists in order to extend the capacity of dental practices and reach underserved populations.

Second, not only do we need more dentists but dentists must start serving more low-income people. Only 20 percent of the nation’s practicing dentists provide care to people with Medicaid and only an extremely small percentage devote a substantial part of their practice to caring for those who are underserved. Raising the Medicaid reimbursement rates could help, but dentists need to change their attitude toward the low-income community.

Third, we need to expand Medicaid and other dental insurance coverage. One-third of Americans do not have dental coverage. Traditional Medicare does not cover dental services for the elderly, and states can choose whether their Medicaid programs provide coverage for dental care for low-income adults. Children with Medicaid or CHIP are required to have coverage for dental services, but insurance alone does not guarantee access. Only 38 percent of children with Medicaid in the U.S. see a dentist during a year. Sadly, while dental pain is one of the major causes of school absenteeism, many families cannot find a dentist to treat their children.

Finally, we are seeing improved access through the growth of Federally Qualified Health Centers, which now provide dental services to more than 3.5 million people across the country, regardless of their ability to pay. These clinics must be expanded. There is also great potential in bringing dental care right into schools, a concept that has proved to be very effective.

Addressing access to dental care will not only help to relieve pain and improve health for millions, but it will save money too. The Pew Center on the States recently released a report that said that there were 830,000 visits to emergency rooms across the country for preventable dental conditions in 2009, a 16 percent increase from 2006. Emergency room care is extremely expensive. Access to dental care can cut back on these visits and save significant sums of money.

Over the last few months, I have asked people across the country to tell me what a lack of access to dental care has meant to their lives. I’ve received more than 1,200 comments. Many of these stories are heartbreaking. Peoples’ lives are being disrupted because of chronic tooth aches, yet they are unable to find affordable dental care for themselves or their children.

This is the United States of America. We can do better. We must do better.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Sen. Bernie Sanders is an independent from Vermont. Readers may write to him at: 332 Dirksen Office Building, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. 20510.

This essay is available to McClatchy-Tribune News Service subscribers. McClatchy-Tribune did not subsidize the writing of this column; the opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of McClatchy-Tribune or its editors.

2012, McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/02/4305834/lets-address-the-dental-crisis.html#storylink=cpy

The NYU researchers compared hemoglobin A1c levels in paired samples of oral and finger-stick blood taken from 75 patients with periodontal disease at the NYU College of Dentistry. A reading of 6.3 or greater in the oral sample corresponded to a finger stick reading of 6.5 in identifying the diabetes range, with minimal false positive and false negative results. The findings were published in November 2011 in the Journal of Periodontology.

“In light of these findings, the dental visit could be a useful opportunity to conduct an initial diabetes screening — an important first step in identifying those patients who need further testing to determine their diabetes status,” said the study’s principal investigator, Dr. Shiela Strauss, associate professor of nursing and co-director of the Statistics and Data Management Core for NYU’s Colleges of Nursing and Dentistry.

Dr. Strauss added that some patients may find the oral blood sampling in a dentist’s office to be less invasive than finger stick sampling.

The one-year study utilized a version of a hemoglobin A1c testing kit that was initially developed specifically to enable dentists and dental hygienists to collect finger-stick blood samples and send them to a laboratory for analysis. The testing kit was adapted to enable analysis of both oral blood and finger-stick samples. Dr. Strauss points out that the hemoglobin A1c testing method requires only a single drop of blood to be collected, applied to a special blood collection card, and mailed to the laboratory when dry.

“There is an urgent need to increase opportunities for diabetes screening and early diabetes detection,” Dr. Strauss added. “The issue of undiagnosed diabetes is especially critical because early treatment and secondary prevention efforts may help to prevent or delay the long-term complications of diabetes that are responsible for reduced quality of life and increased levels of mortality risk.”

The research is part of a series of NYU nursing-dental studies examining the feasibility of screening for diabetes and other physical illnesses in the dental setting.

Dr. Strauss plans additional research on oral blood hemoglobin A1c testing involving a broader pool of subjects and dental practice sites.

Co-investigators on the study included Ms. Janet Tuthill, clinical assistant professor of dental hygiene at NYU College of Dentistry; Dr. David Rindskopf, professor of educational psychology at the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York, Dr. Jack A. Maggiore, president of Healthy Life Laboratories; Dr. Robert S. Schoor, clinical associate professor of periodontology and implant dentistry at the NYU College of Dentistry; Dr. Stefanie Russell, clinical assistant professor of epidemiology and health promotion at the NYU College of Dentistry; and Dr. Mary Rosedale, assistant professor of nursing at the NYU College of Nursing.

Dr. Strauss’s study is dedicated to the memory of the late Alla Wheeler, Clinical Assistant Professor of Dental Hygiene, who played a major role in an earlier NYU nursing-dental study on the link between diabetes and periodontal disease.

The NYU Clinical and Translational Science Institute is a partnership between New York University’s Langone Medical Center and the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation funded by a grant from the National Center for Research Resources of the NIH.

Source: New York University

http://esciencenews.com/articles/2012/02/13/nyu.study.blood.periodontal.disease.can.be.used.screen.diabetes

About half (47%) of the parents surveyed have not spoken to their pediatrician about their child’s teeth and may not be making the connection between their child’s oral health and their overall health. “According to the office of the Surgeon General, tooth decay is the single most common childhood disease–five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever. Parents should be speaking to their pediatricians to learn more about how their child’s oral health can affect their overall health,” said Dr. David Guarrera, DDS, vice president, MetLife Dental Products. “With the help of their dentist, parents can take a few simple steps to introduce healthy oral hygiene habits at an early age and to make sure their children’s teeth are protected.”

Practicing Healthy Oral Hygiene

According to the study, 42% of respondents report that their child’s teeth or gums are brushed once a day or less, and nearly half, 45%, say their child’s teeth are never flossed.

“Children should be introduced to the concept of teeth cleaning and brushing at an early age. Once a tooth appears, parents should brush children’s teeth twice a day with a child’s toothbrush and water,” notes Dr. Guarrera. “According to the American Dental Association, parents should start using floss on their children’s teeth as soon as any two teeth touch, to remove plaque where a toothbrush cannot reach.”

Over half of parents, 60%, say their kids are eating sugary foods at least once a day. Eating sugary foods can cause damaging acids to form in the mouth. These acids can affect teeth for at least 20 minutes before they are neutralized and chewy sweets stick to the surface of the teeth, spending more time in the mouth and potentially causing more damage. Because of this, parents should consider how often their children are eating sugary snacks and the type of snacks their children are consuming. Also, if parents cannot brush their child’s teeth after eating a sugary snack, it is very important to rinse at the very least.

Working with Your Dentist

Nearly 25% of respondents have not taken their child to the dentist in the past year for a dental exam. When asked about how often their child should visit the dentist, about one-third (35%) responded that a child 5 years-old or younger should visit a dentist less frequently than twice a year or were unsure.

“It is recommended that a child is taken to see a dentist within six months from when the first tooth appears, but no later than his or her first birthday,” notes Dr. Guarrera. “But two-thirds of parents in the study said that their child was two- to three-years-old when he or she had the first dental check-up. This is troubling because, while 72% of respondents added their child to their dental insurance policy between their birth and their first birthday, only 16% of parents actually took their child for their first dental check-up.”

Only 46% of respondents say their child has received fluoride treatment from a dentist or dental hygienist within the past year. Sixty-one percent of respondents report fluoride is in their tap water and 39% indicate there is either no fluoride in their tap water or they are not sure. Fluoride is extremely important for the prevention of tooth decay. According to the Office of the Surgeon General, people who live in communities with naturally fluoridated drinking water have far less tooth decay than people in comparable communities without fluoride in their water supply. Parents should speak to their child’s dentist about fluoride treatments, particularly if the family lives in a community that does not contain fluoride in the water supply.

MetLife, celebrating 50 years of healthier smiles in 2012, continues to enhance its online Oral Health Library. For tips about maintaining and improving the oral health habits of children, download a copy of Parental Oral Health Literacy: Equipping Parents with Important Information about Children’s Oral Health by accessing the library at www.metlife.com/dental .

MetLife, which today is a leading provider of dental plan administration for nearly 20 million people, provided its first dental benefits for families in 1962.

Methodology

MetLife commissioned IBOPE Zogby International to conduct the MetLife Dental Insurance Literacy Study. The survey sample consisted of 500 telephone interviews of parents of children ages five and under with dental insurance.

About MetLife

Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife) is a subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. MET -2.35% , a leading global provider of insurance, annuities and employee benefit programs, serving 90 million customers in over 50 countries. Through its subsidiaries and affiliates, MetLife holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com .

SOURCE: MetLife