Dentistry ⯀  

Brushing and flossing may still be important habits to keep up with each day, but visiting the dentist is becoming a lesson in technology.

Questionable tools and paperwork charts are almost nonexistent in today's dental offices, reports Scientific American. More dentists today are looking toward the digital revolution that's only improving their practices and increasing productivity. Learn how the digital world is transforming your everyday appointments with the dentist.
Instantaneous X-Rays

Taking X-rays is still a critical procedure in any dental office. These annual images tell the dentist if you have any cavities, and they also provide a perfect picture of your tooth positioning. Crooked teeth are instantly pinpointed so that they can be treated with orthodontia at some point.

X-rays of the past that used to reside on film are now archaic. Digital x-rays offer an instant picture to the dentist as he or she examines the details. These images are also on laptops, tablets and television monitors. Dentists might use the images with the patients so that they know exactly what is going on with the oral cavity. A transparent, dental office builds trust in their clientele.

Related articles

• 5 Incredible Dental Technologies on the Horizon 
• Could Nanotechnology Revolutionize Dental Implant Technology? 
• New Technology that Will Make Going to the Dentist Cool 

Imaging for Restorative Work

CAD/CAM technology may sound complicated to the layperson, but it's actually an imaging process that culminates in bridges, veneers and crows, reports the Foundation for Oral Rehabilitation. By scanning a patient with this tool, the software can work its wonders as it calculates materials for new implants.

Restorative work used to involve manual castings and estimates of a patient's oral measurements that were fraught with mistakes. Scanning technology is incredibly accurate, which leads to rapid production and placement of these dentures and implants. Long waits and constant alterations are no longer part of the dental experience.

Easing Consultations Between Dental Professionals

There are several, dental professionals who you might see in a given year. Traditional dentists, periodontists and orthodontists are just a handful of the professionals in the industry. As your dental needs change, however, you'll need to visit different professionals.

This common situation is where the complications arose regarding paperwork and patient histories. Any consulting professional had few details to understand as they accepted a new patient for a particular procedure. Today's cloud software changed all of that. Currently, authorized professionals can read a patient's entire chart as they log onto a secure website within the industry. With more information comes enhanced care that's free from complications.

Patient Communication and Security

Because most dental patients visit every six months, communicating with them was an issue. Missed appointments were common as people simply procrastinated about an upcoming cleaning. Current technology allows patients to log into their personal accounts to see histories and appointment dates. They can even have reminders sent to their phones as a way to keep up with their oral hygiene.

Regardless if your dentist works several days a month or offers 24 hour dentistry, patients' security is critical. Both professionals and patients should have limited access to the information through tracked usernames. No patient information will be compromised, and every authorized person can quickly access the data from any Internet-based device.

Implant-Positioning Simplified

By using software guidance, dental implants are easier than ever to install and please the patient. These digital-software guides essentially tell the dentist where the implant must go, such as calculating angles and depths. With this information, dentists can place the implant with barely any complications.

Implants are becoming more popular than dentures so it makes sense that technology must step up to improve the overall procedure. Dentists and patients benefit with successful surgeries that minimize recovery times.

Diode Laser Possibilities

According to RDH, laser technology is the way to go when it comes to treating patients with the best care. Today's lasers have diode components, which helps the light beams remain steady during a procedure. Lasers essentially cut tissue and vaporize its edges away. During any dental work, precision cuts are critical to a clean procedure and easy recovery.

There are hard-tissue lasers, but most dentists start out with soft-tissue types that can be more versatile around the office. As dentists add to their practices, more lasers can be incorporated into daily life.

Dentists will continue to improve their practices as the technology advances and becomes affordable for most professionals. Patients can only benefit from these changes when it comes to time savings and anxiety over potential pain. A dental visit doesn't have to be a frightening experience. The digital world and IoT come together to improve your smile with one scan at a time.

By  Isaac Christiansen	Embed
After graduating from medical school at the University of Michigan, Isaac started his own private orthopedic practice in Riverton Utah. Having dealt with and overcome many of the obstacles that come with entrepreneurship and small business ownership, Isaac has found a passion for helping the up and coming generation thrive in their careers and ultimately their lives.

Teeth  

For the dental practitioner today, it is essential to leverage and harness the power of the latest advances when treating patients. Advanced equipment and new digital tools are making the hi tech dental office of today a better experience for patients, and helping to ensure excellent oral health.

Technology can help dentists to treat in a more effective and better way. For the dental practitioner today, it is essential to leverage and harness the power of the latest advances when treating patients. Advanced equipment and new digital tools are making the hi tech dental office of today a better experience for patients, and helping to ensure excellent oral health.

Here are ten cutting-edge technologies you will find in a modern dentist's office.

1 - VELscope 

VELscope is a unique and special kind of equipment used to detect the abnormalities in the mouth and widely used for cancer screening. The handheld device emits a harmless, bright blue light which is used to inspect the mouth and tongue. The device is sensitive to abnormal tissue changes and the distinctive blue-spectrum light causes the soft tissue of the mouth to naturally fluoresce. Healthy tissues fluoresce in distinct patterns that may be visibly disrupted when tissue undergoes an abnormal change such as when associated with dysplasia or oral cancer.

2 - Digital X-rays 

Traditional X-rays take a lot of time and do not always provide proper results. It is very important that digital X-rays are faster as compared to traditional methods. The image from the X-ray comes in seconds, which makes the job of the dentist easier. It also helps them in the end to determine the exact medical conditions. As compared to other traditional methods, it makes perfect sense to use the Digital method to find and analyze the graphs quickly and easily. The dentist can easily zoom into the image for better assessment. The tools also help you to further refine and assess the situation in an easier way.

Digital X-rays also can make use of advanced cavity detection technology, many of which use deep learning algorithms to pinpoint decay and other tooth conditions.

3 - HealOzone 

This important method is one of the easiest ways to eliminate tooth decay. It is very effective because it contains Ozone that is a natural gas and best way to kill bacteria and fungus. • It is a great tool to detect and get rid of any signs of decay before it progresses to a more advanced stage.

4 - DIAGNOdent 

It is a new and state of the art device that dentists use to detect cavities that are hiding in places that regular x-rays can't find.  It can ensure that the mouth that needs to be checked is scanned for any cavities and other signs.

5 - Intraoral Camera 

It is a tool that dentists use to gain precise and well-defined pictures of hard to see 'places' within a patient's mouth. The camera also allows the dentists to display the images of the patients while assessing and educating the needs of the patients. The technology allows dentists to conduct a complete checkup of the mouth and assess the patient's oral care needs.

6 - Dental Practice Management Software

As dental equipment has advanced, the software tools available for dentists have also made dramatic advances. The trend of digitization has encompassed the oral healthcare industry, unfolding a wide set of opportunities. The global dental practice software management market is anticipated to surpass USD 2 billion by 2023. Dentists can now use advanced software to not only help with clinical treatment of patients, but to manage and grow their businesses. 

Your dental chart is now a digital tool, part of a dental management software suite.

7 - Whitening Treatment 

Many new forms of whitening treatment combined with zoom technology can determine when you must use teeth whitening strips effectively for best results. However, research and development are going on to help dentist feed the right data and see results easily.

8 - Nitrous Oxide and (Intravenous) IV Sedation 

Nitrous Oxide sedation also known as laughing gas can actually calm the patient suffering from agonizing tooth pain. Sedation along with NO2 gas ensures to put the patient to sleep and give ample time for the dentist to apply procedures like wisdom teeth extraction. Custom capsules and injections with a mixture of gas and sedation are making dentist job easier due to technology changes.

9 - Communication Tools

With patients already familiar with a wide variety of digital communication tools, the modern dental office has a lot of opportunity to open up the communication channel with current and prospective patients. Patients can book appointments, provide their information through digital forms and use chat and message applications to communicate their clinical needs to dental offices, using the latest technology. Many dental offices also now offer web site portals where patients can schedule treatment, pay their bills and engage with the dental practice.

Related articles

• Stem Cells Used To Clone Teeth For Implantation 
• 5 Incredible Dental Technologies on the Horizon 
• New Technology that Will Make Going to the Dentist Cool 

10 - A Bright Future for Dental Technology

The dental industry is changing and evolving, and technology is pushing this forward. In the future your dental office is less likely to be a single practitioner, but will be a part of a group, managed from a central location. While this may lead to some changes in the personal dealings with a dentist, it promises to bring efficiency into practices and improve patient care overall.

New computer-aided dental procedures can do just that for everything from root canals to implants such as veneers. CAD/CAM dentistry is short for computer-aided design and has rapidly evolved. One huge leap is accuracy and the tiny cameras that enable precise placement of tooth appliances.

On the cutting edge, technologies like stem cell repair and tooth regrowth are currently being developed, to help make event the most severe tooth damage reversible. 

By  Lisa Parker	Embed
Author Bio - Lisa Parker is a techy geek having keen interest in trends in the market whether it’s related to gadgets, technologies or anything. She has written articles on Mobile Phones, Android, Health, teeth whitening kits and on different topics.

 Dentitstry  

People have been drilling teeth for thousands of years, but the modern dental drill is continuing to evolve and improve.

Most of us have leaned back in the reclining chair, closed our eyes and let the masked man come at our mouths with that device that we know as the dental drill. Perhaps the whirring sound makes us tense, we have to breathe deeply to relax and let the dentist do his work. The dental implement we know today, though, is centuries away from how it began over 9000 years ago.

Prehistory

In 2005, archaeologists found drilled human teeth in a graveyard in Pakistan. Among nine adults, eleven holes had been drilled into molar teeth. The tool used 7000 years BC was a sharpened stone, or jade, and was turned by hand or using a bow.

The Mayans also practiced tooth drilling. They employed a tube-shaped piece of jade with a sharpened end, which was twirled between the hands. There is evidence that this technique was borrowed from jewelry makers, with drilling done to decorate teeth with precious stones.

Innovations of the 18th Century

After centuries of chipping at teeth with chisels, dental drills came back into use in the 18th Century thanks to French doctor Pierre Fauchard, considered by many to have fathered modern dentistry. In 1728, he published a book in which he mentions a metal rod with a handle, turned with a bow, used for root canal work.

In 1778, the first mechanical drill came into use, turned by a hand crank. Not exactly advanced technology, this tool at least helped in the removal of decayed tooth matter without the tedious and painful chipping away that had become the norm in earlier centuries.

Related articles Researchers Progressing In Work to Regrow Teeth Researchers Rewire Paralyzed Monkey To Control Arm Directly From The Brain  Cochlear Implant Users Can Now Hear Music with New Strategies

The 19th Century

1829 brought the innovation of James Nasmyth, who drove his drill with a wire spring. Charles Merry adapted this method with a flexible extension cable in 1858.

British dentist George Fellows Harrington invented a wind-up drill in 1864. Called the “Erado”, this drill was noisy and cumbersome. Despite these difficulties, the Erado was fast, and ran about two minutes before needing a rewind.

The earliest pedal machine was probably created by George Washington’s dentist, John Greenwood, who adapted the treadle of a spinning wheel in 1790. The foot-operated bellows pump, invented by George F. Green, was introduced in 1868. James B. Morrison created a pedal-driven belt drill in 1871. Morrison’s was noisy, as well as expensive, but like Green's, it offered better speed control. Finally, the electric drill, patented by Green in 1875 was the revolution the dental hand piece was ready for.

Modern Drills

In 1949, John Patrick Walsh introduced the air turbine hand piece, the most used drill until the presentation of John Borden’s contra-angle drill. While Walsh’s drill was rapid and quieter, it was Borden’s that would become, in the late 1950s, an industry standard, with an important reduction in vibration and noise. The angle also made getting at back teeth easier.

With speeds that reached 100 times those of earlier drills, pain related to dental work was reduced significantly. Because of the higher speeds and the heat resulting from friction, the bits, or burrs, were developed from tungsten carbide. Though one of the most recognizable tools of the dentist, a drill from Richards Micro-Tool may be overthrown by newer technologies, such as “air-abrasive”, where small particles are blasted at the tooth with air. Laser have been approved for soft tissue work and its use for hard tissue is being studied. Patient comfort, less pain and, of course, less noise may make these methods the winners over the dreaded dentist’s drill.

By Meghan Belnap

Embed

 Teeth  

Dentistry uses cutting-edge technology to create and maintain brighter smiles. Here are some of the newest technologies you will find in a modern dentist's office.

Dentistry today can be said to consist of two melding mindsets: making dentistry as pleasant and less traumatic an experience as possible and making true technological advances in dentistry.

Forging a New Patient/Dentist Partnership

Oral physicians have seen the decline in patient visits during the last few years. Attributed primarily to a simple dread of going to the dentist's office, the dental profession shifted its focus and now concentrates on educating the patient more on preventive measures easily done at home using proper nutrition and serious brushing/flossing techniques.

Technological Advances

Advances in technology and further dental education for dentists have done much to enhance today's oral strategies for both the dentists and the patients. Competitive awards given as research grants to recipients for developing creative compounds, bio-materials and/or tool devices, go a long way to further both research and technological advances.

Some of the advances in treatment, technology and quality patient-care are listed below: Filling small grooves in the teeth before they turn into actual cavities. Anesthesia reversal system--effectively decreases numbness following anesthesia application to patient.

Some of the advances in treatment, technology and quality patient-care are listed below:

1. Filling small grooves in the teeth before they turn into actual cavities.
2. Anesthesia reversal system--effectively decreases numbness following anesthesia application to patient.
3. Advances in dental procedures from Paramount Dentistry permit same-day cosmetics, Invisalign and guided implants. Also, one day crown-servicing.
4. According to the US Surgeon General's most recent report, there's been a concentrated effort in the designing and fabricating of bio-ceramic compounds to replace human enamel.
5. Use of passive immunization techniques for dental caries, the induction of new bone and cartilage tissues and using an artificial synthesis of saliva for patients suffering from xerostomia or dry mouth.

Other Innovative Dentistry Treatments

Related articles Drug Found That Reverses Loss of Brain Connections in Alzheimer's Disease  Is Modafinil The Limitless Brain-Enhancing Drug?  iRobot and Cisco Collaborate on the AVA Telepresence Robot

Treatment of Decay With Air Abrasion, or a fine spray of aluminum oxide powder, is gaining in general use, but it is still not commonly used in most dental practices. Reducing the need for a high-pitched drill, there's no noticeable vibrating felt by the patient. Basically, it one of the best ways to treat a tooth showing signs of early decay.

Laser Treatment of Decay and Gum Illness, using intense concentration with a laser beam, is gaining use in some of today's dental practices. Primarily used to vaporize tissue, it's painless and vibration-free. Approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), it not only aids in removing actual tooth decay but gum tissue as well.

Digital X-ray Imaging, applied to the x-ray picture-taking process, allows for larger images, reduces exposure to radiation and can be stored in a computer or printed out on paper making it more cost-effective for the dental office.

Intra-Oral Computer Camera Technology, using a tiny instrument tool revolving inside the mouth, easily takes pictures in real-time or stores them for later viewing on a computer's monitor.

The future in dentistry is now! With many of the above mentioned systems already coming online, more dental offices are realizing they must also modernize along with developing technologies. As they do, patients will hopefully gain more confidence in both new dental treatments, their dental physicians and their corresponding technologies as well.

By Meghan Belnap

Embed

 Dentistry  

Nanotechnology will impact nearly every aspect of our lives in the future, including how we care for and maintain our teeth.  New techniques using titanium dioxide nanotubes, for instance are making dental implants more reliable and safer.

F
or an adult, losing a tooth can be a traumatic event—especially when a replacement can cost thousands of dollars. Current technologies use a prosthesis such as a crown, denture, or bridge to replace a tooth. Unfortunately, the best procedure is implantation and isn't always successful. Surgery in patients who have gingivitis, tooth decay, or other infections often fails. When this happens, a second surgery must be scheduled to replace or remove the implant.

That's why orthopedic surgeons are always looking for new dental implant technologies. One of the most promising so far is nanotechnology. It could impact all aspects of the procedures involved, from guaranteeing the prerequisite health of the gums and adjacent teeth to the implant itself. Whether you need same day tooth implants in Mesa AZ, or any city for that matter, the following dental implant technologies will make it that much easier and pain free.

1) Titanium Dioxide Nanotubes

This is the new material that will result in the greatest procedural changes. Implants are routinely made from strong metals like titanium, and future implants will likely be made the same way—except with one key difference. Now, they'll be coated with a nanomaterial called titanium dioxide nanotubes.

Cortino Sukotjo, an assistant professor from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry, has been running tests with the nanomaterial for years, and is now partnering with Tolou Shokuhfar, a professor of mechanical engineering at Michigan Technological University.

Related articles Carbon Nanotube Spear Can Read Signals From Individual Neurons  Revolutionary IBM Microscope Technique Yields Resolution 100 Times Smaller Than an Atom  Researchers Progressing In Work to Regrow Teeth

2) Fewer Complications

The pair of researchers found that implants coated with titanium dioxide nanotubes actually encouraged the growth of bone cells. More importantly, those bone cells adhere better to the nanotubes than traditional titanium. Consequently, patients who have needed a dental implant have a higher likelihood of keeping it in place and a lower likelihood of succumbing to costly infections.

3) Drug Delivery

If that weren't awesome enough, the nanomaterials could be used to slowly deliver drugs after surgery. Nanotubes are exactly what they sound like: small, microscopic, hollow tubes. Therefore, the nanotubes can be loaded with other materials. In this case, Shokuhfar and another scientist, Alexander Yarin from the University of Illinois at Chicago's Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, filled the nanotubes with an anti-inflammatory called sodium naproxen. The drug is released gradually, and could help reduce infection
even further.

4) Faster Healing

Because of the properties of the nanotube coating and the potential for a new drug delivery system, patients are sure to heal much faster than with traditional technologies. Yet another method of fighting infection was developed in tandem with the drug-loaded nanotubes. After all other methods were applied, the scientists teamed with Craig Friedrich from Michigan Tech to lace the nanotubes with silver nanoparticles.

Health supplements have screamed about the benefits of silver nanoparticles for years, and they are often purchased by health-conscious consumers avoiding antibiotics. These researchers acknowledge that the silver has antimicrobial properties which could prevent biofilms from covering the implant. This means that nanotechnology will reduce our dependence on antibiotics after a dental implant surgery.

5) More Durable

All of these methods result in a cleaner, healthier, more durable implant which could last much longer than traditional implants—but that's not all. The cost of these implants is greatly reduced, especially because there's a much lower chance of requiring a second surgery to replace or remove the first implant. Lastly, the titanium dioxide nanotubes are completely transparent. Paired with a popular, new type of all-white implant made from zirconia, it could leave patients feeling confident about their replacements.

Of course, this kind of nanotechnology won't stop here. In addition to revolutionizing dental implant surgeries, it could change the way we implant artificial hips, fight cancer, or personalize medicine to fight individual diseases which have been debilitating until now.

By Karleia Steiner

Embed

 Teeth  

Advancements in dentistry are creating a more efficient, painless and rewarding dental experience for patients. Here are some of the most incredible innovations that have made their way to the dental office.

The history of dentistry is changing rapidly as patients require more comfort and high-quality smiles. Some of the latest advancements in dental technology are practically reversing damage to the teeth. Other innovationss are creating a more efficient dental office experience for proper prevention in dental hygiene. Here are some of the most incredible advancements that have made their way to the dental office.

Computer-Aided Dentistry

Imagine an efficient dental procedure that can be done remotely or by joystick. New computer-aided dental procedures can do just that for everything from root canals to implants such as veneers. CAD/CAM dentistry is short for computer-aided design and has rapidly evolved since the 1980s. The biggest leap is accuracy and the tiny cameras that enable precise placement of tooth appliances.

Rebuilding Teeth

Damaged and pulled teeth often result in the placement of bridges or artificial dentures. However, this process is changing with the ability to remineralize damaged teeth. Devices that produce small amounts of electric current can use the surface of the enamel to slowly add minerals to the tooth structure for rebuilding. Regeneration is using 3D printer technology to provide an overlay for the minerals to attach to the structure of the tooth. These calcium-producing ions can have several applications in the future of dentistry.

Related articles Cochlear Implant Users Can Now Hear Music with New Strategies  Researchers Progressing In Work to Regrow Teeth  Teeth Regrown From Stem Cells Made From Urine

Dental Implants

One of the most common issues with achieving that perfect smile may be a missing tooth or tooth structure that creates gaps. According to Dr. Bryan Murray, the latest dental implant technology has improved and machines use 3-D digital imaging to create a virtual mock-up of your mouth. A prosthetic tooth or bridge can be created in a lab and installed immediately for surgery. These small implants require less healing time and have more permanent options that require less care than traditional dentures.

Intraoral Digital Imaging

The hand mirror and pick has been the traditional way dentists have inspected the tooth for possible decay or fracture for years. The latest digital imaging techniques are promising a much more detailed view of tooth structure. The latest digital imaging techniques can take this extra detail and increase the viewing area for the dentist for possible microscopic points of decay. Microscopic points of decay can be detected. The patient now has the option to prevent dental carries before they form.

It also works with x-ray imaging to produce more clear surface pictures of the surface and root structure of the tooth. Dentists such as Dr. Bryan Murray have found that digital imaging is an excellent way to reduce radiation from tradition x-rays. Newer x-ray devices use intraoral imaging to provide extensive 3D views of the teeth.

Ozone Therapy

Ozone has had its place in the past as an excellent deodorizer and cleaning agent in hospitals and basement mold remediation. A medical version of ozone is being used in liquid and gas form to sterilize teeth to prevent dental carries or decay from becoming worse. More patients are replacing their old fillings and this new therapy can penetrate more deeply underneath the old cavity to completely sterilize the area.

Some of the most radical changes in dental technology take place at a micro level. Imagine rebuilding a set of teeth custom to your mouth. Finding pockets of decay to prevent cavities months or even years before taking root are now becoming possible. Dental technology will continue to grow as digital technology continues to shape the rest of the tech world..

By Karleia Steiner

Embed

 Health  

Modern dentistry is almost entirely focused on the use of computers and imaging technology to help people maintain brighter smiles. Here are some of the cutting-edge technologies you will find in a modern dentist's office.

Dentistry has come a long way since its medieval days of brushing with wine and wooden dentures. Modern dentistry is almost entirely focused on the use of computers and imaging technology to help people maintain brighter smiles. Modern dentists can insert dental implants and prevent the rotting of teeth in a number of different ways. These dentists and orthodontists can do almost everything to improve teeth except aid in the re-growing of the tooth itself.

3D Imaging Technology

Dental technology is slowly moving its focus into complex 3D imaging to replace the use of X-rays. This 3D modeling software is able to completely reconstruct a 3D model of the patient's mouth. The doctor can manipulate the model in 3D space to look for weakness or signs of decay within the teeth.

Like sneak previews? Dentists and orthodontists show you how your mouth will look once a procedure is finished. Are you a fan of movies? Powerful imaging technology can create a movie of how your teeth have changed over time and will continue to change. This can be especially encouraging while enduring the torture of braces.

The technology to create realistic models of teeth with relative ease already exists in many modern dentist offices.

Invisible Braces

Speaking of terrible braces, the “railroad track” style of braces are on their way out of the medical field. According to orthodontists at Able Dental Group, Invisalign brand braces are taking the world of teeth by storm. Every two weeks, your dentist replaces the invisible braces with custom fit aligners that can more than handle overbite, underbite, gaps, and overcrowded teeth. Forget cut lips, broken brackets and brace wax, there’s a new sleek product in town.

Related articles Forensic Science and the Evolution of the Biobank  Modern Day Alchemy - Researchers Turn Cement Into A Metal  Teeth Regrown From Stem Cells Made From Urine

CAD/CAM Dentistry

CAD/CAM dentistry is similar to 3D imaging, but it's used mostly for the creation of dental restorations. Dentists can create more accurate recreations of bridges and crowns using this technology. A single cobalt disc can contain enough dental crowns to cap a patient's entire mouth. CAD/CAM technology can also use 3D models to recreate a patient's mouth from old dental records and give them a set of dentures that is very close to how their teeth originally looked.

Diode Lasers

Many dentist offices are now adopting diode lasers over more traditional hygiene tools. These lasers are used for cosmetic dentistry and also some kinds of surgery. Many diode lasers are wireless and don't require the use of pedals. Dentists can carefully perform tissue procedures with these lasers that result in more comfort for the patient and less of a need for anesthetic. Diode lasers cost only a few thousand dollars, so expect to see them in more dental offices in the near future.

By Hannah Whittenly

Embed

 Regenerative Medicine  

Dentists could soon be giving your teeth a mild ‘time warp’ to encourage them to self-repair, thanks to a new device being developed by dental researchers. Reminova, a new spin-out company from King’s College London, aims to take the pain out of tooth decay treatment by electrically reversing the process to help teeth ‘remineralize’.

Researchers have developed a new pain-free filling that allows cavities to be repaired without drilling or injections.

The tooth-rebuilding technique developed at King's College London does away with fillings and instead encourages teeth to repair themselves.

Related articles Researchers Use 3D Printing To Create Microbatteries  Teeth Regrown From Stem Cells Made From Urine  Aubrey de Grey on Life Extension

Tooth decay is normally removed by drilling, after which the cavity is filled with a material such as amalgam or composite resin.

The new treatment, called Electrically Accelerated and Enhanced Remineralisation (EAER), accelerates the natural movement of calcium and phosphate minerals into the damaged tooth.

A two-step process first prepares the damaged area of enamel, then uses a tiny electric current to push minerals into the repair site. According to the developers, could be available within three years.

"It's expected to be at least as cost-effective as current dental treatments. Along with fighting tooth decay, our device can also be used to whiten teeth."

Professor Nigel Pitts, from King's College London's Dental Institute, said: "The way we treat teeth today is not ideal. When we repair a tooth by putting in a filling, that tooth enters a cycle of drilling and refilling as, ultimately, each 'repair' fails.

"Not only is our device kinder to the patient and better for their teeth, but it's expected to be at least as cost-effective as current dental treatments. Along with fighting tooth decay, our device can also be used to whiten teeth."

A spin-off company, Reminova, has been set up to commercialize the research. Based in Perth, Scotland, it is in the process of seeking private investment to develop EAER.

The company is the first to emerge from the King's College London Dental Innovation and Translation Centre, which was set up in January to take novel technologies and turn them into new products and practices.


SOURCE  The Guardian

By 33rd Square

Embed

 Regenerative Medicine  

A Harvard-led team is the first to demonstrate the ability to use low-power lasers to trigger stem cells inside the body to regenerate tissue.

A Harvard-led team has been the first to demonstrate the ability to use low-power lasers to trigger stem cells inside the body to regenerate tissue, an advance they reported in Science Translational Medicine. The research, led by Wyss Institute Core Faculty member David Mooney, Ph.D., lays the foundation for a host of clinical applications in restorative dentistry and regenerative medicine, possibly including wound healing, bone regeneration, and more.

The team used a low-power laser to trigger human dental stem cells to form dentin, the hard tissue that is similar to bone and makes up the bulk of teeth. What's more, they outlined the precise molecular mechanism involved, and demonstrated its prowess using multiple laboratory and animal models.

"Our treatment modality does not introduce anything new to the body, and lasers are routinely used in medicine and dentistry, so the barriers to clinical translation are low."

A number of biologically active molecules, such as regulatory proteins called growth factors, can trigger stem cells to differentiate into different cell types. Current regeneration efforts require scientists to isolate stem cells from the body, manipulate them in a laboratory, and return them to the body—efforts that face a host of regulatory and technical hurdles to their clinical translation. But Mooney's approach is different and, he hopes, easier to get into the hands of practicing clinicians.

In the microscopy images shown here, the yellow hashtags (#) sit atop the newly-formed tertiary dentin; there is more tertiary dentin in the laser-treated teeth than in the control. Image Source: Harvard's Wyss Institute and SEAS

"Our treatment modality does not introduce anything new to the body, and lasers are routinely used in medicine and dentistry, so the barriers to clinical translation are low," said Mooney, who is also the Robert P. Pinkas Family Professor of Bioengineering at Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). "It would be a substantial advance in the field if we can regenerate teeth rather than replace them."

Related articles Rat Grows Human Ear, Shows Promise For Regenerative Medicine  Stem Cell Research Could Expand Clinical Use of Regenerative Human Cells  Teeth Regrown From Stem Cells Made From Urine

The team first turned to lead author and dentist Praveen Arany, D.D.S., Ph.D., who is now an Assistant Clinical Investigator at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). At the time of the research, he was a Harvard graduate student and then postdoctoral fellow affiliated with SEAS and the Wyss Institute.

Arany took rodents to the laboratory version of a dentist's office to drill holes in their molars, treat the tooth pulp that contains adult dental stem cells with low-dose laser treatments, applied temporary caps, and kept the animals comfortable and healthy. After about 12 weeks, high-resolution x-ray imaging and microscopy confirmed that the laser treatments triggered the enhanced dentin formation.

"It was definitely my first time doing rodent dentistry," said Arany, who faced several technical challenges in performing oral surgery on such a small scale. The dentin was strikingly similar in composition to normal dentin, but did have slightly different morphological organization. Moreover, the typical reparative dentin bridge seen in human teeth was not as readily apparent in the minute rodent teeth, owing to the technical challenges with the procedure.

Next the team performed a series of culture-based experiments to unveil the precise molecular mechanism responsible for the regenerative effects of the laser treatment. It turns out that a ubiquitous regulatory cell protein called transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1) played a pivotal role in triggering the dental stem cells to grow into dentin. TGF-β1 exists in latent form until activated by any number of molecules.

Here is the chemical domino effect the team confirmed: In a dose-dependent manner, the laser first induced reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are chemically active molecules containing oxygen that play an important role in cellular function. The ROS activated the latent TGF-β1complex which, in turn, differentiated the stem cells into dentin.

Nailing down the mechanism was key because it places on firm scientific footing the decades-old pile of anecdotes about low-level light therapy (LLLT), also known as Photobiomodulation (PBM).

The new work marks the first time that scientists have gotten to the nub of how low-level laser treatments work on a molecular level, and lays the foundation for controlled treatment protocols.

"The scientific community is actively exploring a host of approaches to using stem cells for tissue regeneration efforts," said Wyss Institute Founding Director Don Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., "and Dave and his team have added an innovative, noninvasive and remarkably simple but powerful tool to the toolbox."

Next Arany aims to take this work to human clinical trials. He is currently working with his colleagues at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), which is one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to outline the requisite safety and efficacy parameters. "We are also excited about expanding these observations to other regenerative applications with other types of stem cells," he said.


SOURCE  Wyss Institute

By 33rd Square

Embed