Cosmetic Dentistry News
1. Blood Lead Levels
Associated with Dental Caries
2. Four to nine pounds
of lipstick in a lifetime
3. Obesity Related
To Periodontal Disease
4. Bad Breath - There
Is Effective Help Now
5. Black Tea May
Help Fight Oral Disease
6. Dentists yield
on mercury in fillings
7. Smoking During
Pregnancy Increases Risk Of Cleft Lip & Palate
8. True Regeneration
Of Diseased Gums?
9. Cosmetic Dentistry
Changes Lives
Blood Lead Levels Associated with Dental
Caries Children exposed to environmental lead may be
more likely to develop caries than children who are
not.
The Journal of the American Medical Association published
a study that examined the relationship between blood
levels and dental caries in more than 24,000 children.
The study revealed that for every 5 micrograms-per-deciliter
increase in blood lead levels the rate of caries increased
by 80%.
The study helps explain the disproportionately high
rate of caries among inner-city children. The researchers
conclude that changing diets may not be enough to prevent
dental caries to occur. Improving oral hygiene habits
and increasing fluoride exposure of inner-city children
may be necessary.
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Four to nine pounds of lipstick in
a lifetime. According to a report in Glamour magazine,
the average woman consumes four to nine pounds of lipstick
in her lifetime.
A lipstick is an inexpensive luxury that anyone can
indulge in. Even at times of economic crisis, a lipstick
is an indispensable item. When food and other daily
necessities were difficult to find, women still found
money to color their lips to boost their morale. Just
the shopping for a lipstick in a luxurious atmosphere
allowed them to daydream and to feel pampered. Feelings
of confidence and security were nourished by spending
a little more than for a drugstore brand and gaining
ownership of the crown jewel of lipsticks. High-end
brands can cost more than $25.
Even women who don't wear makeup wear lipstick. More
than mascara and eye shadow, lipstick is loaded with
meaning and steeped in symbolism. The colors and shapes
of painted lips make their own statement. At times it
seems that the scrumptious emollient of women's lips
carries their words to a different dimension. The darker
varieties may even create the illusion of whiter teeth.
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Obesity Related To Periodontal Disease
A study found that overweight people with high insulin
resistance were more likely to have severe periodontal
disease.
Bacteria from gum disease may interfere with fat metabolism,
leading to elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
and total cholesterol.
Obesity is related to gum disease through the pathway
of insulin resistance, which is a condition in which
the body does not respond well to the action of insulin.
We see a relationship between obesity, insulin resistance,
and periodontal disease in a large population. This
relationship is important because obesity is an important
risk factor for Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It
is possible that periodontal disease increases the likelihood
of their manifestation.
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Bad Breath - There Is Effective Help
Now. Zinc Chloride Based Mouth Rinses reduce malodor
through elimination of volatile sulfur compounds.
Halitosis is defined as offensive odors emitting from
the mouth. About 40 million Americans suffer from chronic
oral malodor. Oral malodor is caused in over 90% of
patients by retained foods, which are high in sulfur
containing amino acids (i.e. meat and fish). Odors from
volatile sulfur compounds (VSC's) are produced through
a putrefactive action of microorganisms on tissue.
Oral malodor can be physiological or pathological. Physiological
halitosis is temporary and may be associated with age,
hunger, morning breath, menstrual cycle, or drug use.
However, halitosis may have more than just social consequences.
It may reflect serious local or systemic conditions
including diabetes, gastric ulcer, hepatic failure,
or tumors of the respiratory tract. Additionally, medications
can contribute to halitosis by causing dry mouth. This
eliminates the natural moisturizing function of saliva
in the mouth.
Most commercial mouth rinses have only masked odors
and offered short-term relief. However, recently developed
mouth rinse containing zinc chloride have been shown
to be very effective against malodor. Zinc rinses are
found to reduce oral VSC's for over three hours significantly.
The zinc ion functions as an odor inhibitor by preventing
disulfide group reduction to thiols and by reacting
with the thiol groups in VSC's. This converts them to
non-odorous substances.
Ask your dentist.
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Black Tea May Help Fight Oral Disease.
Drinking black tea may help prevent caries and periodontal
disease, said researchers at the American Society for
Microbiology.
Chemical components in black tea called polyphenols
suppressed the growth of caries-causing bacteria in
plaque and reduced acid production levels. The polyphenols
also inhibited glucosyltransferase (an enzyme produced
by bacteria) and prevented the formation of the matrix
material that dental plaque uses to adhere to tooth
surfaces. Researchers also found that the size and stickiness
of dental plaque were reduced because certain bacteria
lost their ability to form aggregates with other bacteria
when they were exposed to black tea.
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Dentists yield on mercury in fillings
State board agrees to cite experts' concerns
Kelly St. John, Chronicle Staff Writer
(Saturday, August 4, 2001)
Oakland - In a surprise turnaround, a skittish California
Dental Board shied away last night from a controversial
fact sheet playing down the risk of mercury in dental
fillings.
The board, under pressure from state lawmakers, instead
asked its staff to revise the document to note that
some experts think "silver" fillings pose
risks to consumers. Silver fillings are about 50 percent
mercury by weight.
"Basically, we're saying there's some difference
of opinion," Dr. Kit Neacy,
president of the board, said after the meeting in Oakland.
The session drew two dozen speakers, most of them adamant
that asthma.
The board's unexpected move was made after intense pressure
from state legislators who want to dissolve the dental
board for a host of reasons, including not drafting
for nearly a decade an acceptable mercury warning sheet.
The fact sheet was required by a 1992 law but never
implemented to the satisfaction of state officials.
It is designed for dentists to use when they speak with
patients about what materials are used in fillings,
including amalgam -- which refers to alloys of mercury,
porcelain and resin.
Advocates were pleased by the results of the meeting,
which at one point became so heated that nervous state
officials summoned a dozen police and California Highway
Patrol officers to stand by.
"We've made a huge step in recognizing the toxicity
of mercury," said Charles Brown, a Washington,
D.C., lawyer who is suing the and California dental
associations. "At last, the board seems willing
to say the M word."
On its own, critics say, mercury is a toxic poison that
may cause developmental and neurological problems, especially
in children and pregnant women.
But the American Dental Association contends that the
fillings are safe because mercury is combined chemically
with other elements to form an alloy.
Some dentists compare it to chloride and sodium, both
elements that harm humans on their own but form benign
sodium chloride -- salt -- when combined.
Mercury vapors do escape during normal chewing and brushing,
but not at a harmful level, according to the American
Dental Association.
"There is no sound scientific evidence supporting
a link between amalgam fillings and systemic diseases
or chronic illness," ADA President Dr. Robert M.
Anderton said in a written statement.
Others aren't convinced.
"If you have amalgam left over (after filling a
cavity), there's only
two things you can do," said Dr. S. Ward Eccles,
a dentist from Livermore. "You can put it in a
toxic waste dump, or you can put it in the next tooth.
Something's wrong when those are the only two choices."
Consumers for Dental Choice have sued the American Dental
Association, saying it is deceiving the public by supporting
the use of mercury in fillings when mercury's use is
being limited in other products, such as thermometers
and blood pressure gauges.
After the state dental board canceled a June meeting
that would have dealt with the mercury issue, state
Sen. Liz Figueroa, D-Fremont, initiated a drive to purge
the 12-member board, which licenses and disciplines
the state's 30, 000 dentists.
"I don't think they take the whole responsibility
seriously," she said. "They've delayed the
process for over 11 years."
E-mail Kelly St. John at kstjohn@sfchronicle.com.
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Smoking During Pregnancy Increases
Risk Of Cleft Lip And Palate
A study on data by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics
found that women who smoke during pregnancy are 50 to
78 percent more likely than non-smokers to give birth
to babies with cleft lips and palates.
Cleft lips and palates are the fourth most common congenital
birth defect and affect about one in 700 newborns.
Mothers who smoke 10 or fewer cigarettes per day increase
the risk of their babies' developing cleft lip or palate
by 50%. Those who smoked 11 to 20 cigarettes per day
increased the risk by 55%. Mothers who smoked more than
one pack per day raised the risk by 78%.
These findings reinforce the importance of educating
women to not smoke while they are pregnant.
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True Regeneration Of Diseased Gums?
Periodontal disease is an infectious disease affecting
tooth-supporting structures. It results in color changes
of the gingiva, periodontal pocket formation, bleeding,
loss of attachment between the root surface of a tooth
and the surrounding tissue, increased tooth mobility,
and - of course - bad breath.
Until today, the attachment loss caused by the disease
could only be halted. A reversal to its natively healthy
state has practically been unsuccessful. In addition,
even when healthy periodontal tissue is established,
the results are often non-aesthetic. The healed tissue
frequently displays visible defects due to the removal
of infected and inflamed tissue. Therefore, a true regeneration
of periodontal tissues has remained unsuccessful.
Recent research instills some hope that in the near
future dentistry will be able to fully reestablish lost
periodontal structures as they were initially formed
during tooth development in children.
How is this possible?
The embryological development and differentiation of
human tissue, such as our liver, brain, and teeth with
their surrounding structures is directed by a complex
exchange of messenger molecules between different cell
populations. These molecules, produced by one cell,
are recognized by another cell and in turn induce a
functional change and the production and release of
new messenger molecules. All this is very complex and
fascinating and research is discovering new interactions
every day.
One of the messenger molecules directing tissue formation
during tooth development is called "Enamel Matrix
Protein". It is one of many. However, research
has demonstrated that this protein by itself sets in
motion a series of events that lead to true periodontal
regeneration. More clinical research is needed to optimize
the procedures that will help establish an environment
that mimics natural tooth development as it takes place
during childhood.
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Cosmetic Dentistry Changes Lives
January 30, 2001 Madison, WI
Cosmetic dentistry is the field of dentistry dedicated
to the art and science of enhancing a person's smile
and oral health. Trends show that cosmetic dentistry
goes further than teeth whitening- it changes people's
lives! "As a cosmetic dentist, I feel I am changing
lives, one smile at a time. Many of my patients now
have the confidence to pursue paths that seemed unreachable
before," commented a doctor from Sun Valley, Idaho,
who is Accredited by the AACD. The AACD and its members
are committed to improving Americans' smiles and their
self-esteem.
The benefits of Cosmetic Dentistry were documented on
the Discovery Channel program, "The Cutting Edge,"
in Fall 2000. One case involved a 39-year-old, Idaho
horticulturist, John Olsen, who felt hampered socially
and professionally by his irregular teeth. "I had
no self-confidence, and without that, you don't try
to do things because you believe you can't." Four
procedures that took six weeks to complete gave John
a full, attractive smile.
"I cried. I thought, oh my God they are gone, the
plague has finally gone," Olsen exclaimed, emotionally
taken by his new lease on life.
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