Forensic Dentistry Playing a Role in Wildfires

When the most recent round of California wildfires began earlier this fall, little did anyone know how devastating the disaster would be - or how hard it would be to identify the dozens of victims of the wild blaze. But a grim form of dentistry - forensic dentistry - is coming to the rescue in a big way.

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2803 Hits

Ace That End-of-Year Oral Health Checkup

It may not seem like it’s time to start thinking 2019 just yet, but when it comes to your oral health, it is. Now is the time to start thinking about what you have left on your 2018 oral health benefits, and what you should add in 2019.

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2618 Hits

Just the Tooth: Weird Stories from 2018

 

You know that old saying, truth is stranger than fiction? Well it's not always true, but in the case of these five tooth-related stories it sure is. If you like "news of the weird," check out these five oral health stories that prove sometimes fact really is stranger than fiction.

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2770 Hits

Study Links Oral Health, High Blood Pressure

With a staggering 75 million Americans estimated to have high blood pressure, a new study in the publication Hypertension is calling on doctors and dentists to pay close attention to patients with high blood pressure and periodontitis. The study found that of 3,600 patients with high blood pressure, those who had healthier gums also had lower blood pressure numbers than their counterparts with periodontal disease.

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6358 Hits

Are Periodontal Disease and Alzheimer’s Linked?

 

According to research from the University of Central Lancashire School of Medicine and Dentistry in London, patients with periodontal disease could be at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers analyzed brain tissue samples from 10 patients with Alzheimer’s disease and 10 without. Of the samples of those who did have Alzheimer’s, four of the 10 showed signs of lipopolysaccharides associated with periodontal disease in their brain tissue.

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3070 Hits

Patient Undergoes Temporomandibular Joint Replacement

 

Has your temporomandibular joint disorder ever hurt so badly that you just wished you could throw out your old temporomandibular joint and get a whole new one? Well, the good news is that in the future you may be able to do just that. For now, however, that procedure is reserved for very rare cases, such as the recent case of a man in Cyprus who received a new temporomandibular joint following cancer treatment.

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3206 Hits

Don’t Let TMJ Disorder Make Halloween Scarier Than It Should Be

 

  Temporomandibular joint disorder can take the pleasure out of many things most people take for granted: singing, talking - even Halloween. That’s right. Halloween should be a fun day full of candy and costumes, but for someone with TMJ disorder, it can be a real nightmare. That’s because TMJ disorder can make normally enjoyable activities painful. But Halloween doesn’t have to be scary for your TMJ disorder! Here are some TMJ-disorder-friendly Halloween tips for the most spooktacular Halloween ever.

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5951 Hits

What Exactly Is an Underbite?

You’ve probably heard of - and seen - an overbite before. But a lesser-known bite problem that occurs in only about 10 percent of the population is an underbite. An underbite is what happens when the lower jaw protrudes past the upper jaw. Not only is this type of misaligned bite more noticeable, but it can also unfortunately subject children to bullying and low self-esteem, among many other issues.

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5087 Hits

This New Innovation Could Improve Root Canal Outcomes

There are few dental procedures that strike fear in the hearts of patients like the root canal. The procedure, which clears out infected pulp inside of a tooth and replaces it with synthetic pulp, has earned a reputation of being long and painful. Worse yet, it doesn’t come with a guarantee. Because of the microscopic size of the root canals of the teeth, it can be tricky for dentists to find and clear out (and then refill) all the canals. This means even if the dentist is able to clean out all of the infected pulp, it could still come back. With risks like that, it's no wonder most people aren’t too keen on getting the procedure done in the first place.

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3264 Hits

Make Oral Health a Priority in Cancer Care

Undergoing treatment for cancer can be a scary and stressful ordeal, especially if surgery is required. With so many things to remember and arrangements to be made for before and after care, it's easy to forget important steps along the way. But researchers are now saying that one surprising step in pre-op care could literally be the difference between life and death, post operation.

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4576 Hits

Group Asks Senate to ‘Brush Up’ on Oral Health

With 44 million senior citizens on some form of Medicare in the United States (and that number set to nearly double in the next 12 years), ensuring that Medicare provides adequate health care coverage for all beneficiaries is an absolute must. But, when it comes to dental care, some feel that Medicare is completely lacking. That’s because currently Medicare covers just 1 percent of dental care for seniors, requiring them to purchase additional coverage for anything beyond the most basic of care. But now, a group called Demand Medicare Dental is trying to change that, lobbying senators across America to add more vital dental coverage to Medicare - without sticking seniors with the bill.

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Why Do Women Suffer from TMJ Disorders More Often Than Men?

It’s not always easy being a woman - especially when it comes to your temporomandibular joint. That’s because, according to research, women ages 20 to 35 experience the most severe temporomandibular joint disorder symptoms of any age or gender group.

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8063 Hits

Will a Sugar Tax Really Improve Oral Health in New York?

 

Earlier this year, the New York Times ran an op-ed about New York City's proposed sugar tax. The article's author spoke with former Mayor Bloomberg about his new Task Force on Fiscal Policy for Health, which pairs him with former Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Larry Summers to educate leaders around the globe on the importance of adding a sugar tax to help fight obesity. But is a sugar tax really a good way to fight obesity - or is it just more government overreach into our private lives?

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5403 Hits

New Dental Bill Could Improve Access

On February 27, 2018, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Action for Dental Health Act (H.R.2422). Co-authored by the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust, Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-IL), and Mike Simpson (R-ID), a dentist, the bill received overwhelming support from both parties, and passed with 387 yes votes.

The bill’s next stop is the Senate, where it is currently being sponsored by Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ); Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI); Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA); and Tim Scott (R-SC). The bill aims to reauthorize initiatives that increase access to oral health care for people in underserved communities around the United States.

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3435 Hits

Arthritis Could Be Cause of Jaw Pain

Arthritis is a disorder that causes painful inflammation of the joints. An estimated 350 million people worldwide suffer from some form of arthritis, with 40 million of those cases right here in the United States. But despite its frequent occurrence, you may not realize that arthritis can sometimes be responsible for another painful joint condition: temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMD. That’s because TMD is a disorder of the joints too – the temporomandibular joints. Though TMD can be caused by many different things, many people don’t realize that arthritis could be the culprit.

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4640 Hits

How to Get the Best Care Despite Dental Phobia

Odontophobia. It’s kind of a funny word, but it’s no laughing matter. Odontophobia is the fear of going to the dentist - a fear that an estimated 10 percent of the population have so severely that it keeps them from attending routine dental exams. The danger in this, of course, is that if you don’t go to the dentist, you could be missing some very harmful oral health problems, like cavities, periodontitis or abscesses, all of which, if left untreated, can easily worsen and wreak major havoc on your mouth.

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4387 Hits

Having Many Children May Negatively Affect a Mother’s Teeth

Moms today have a lot on their plate. From juggling the family agenda to working and raising children, there’s a lot to be done, and sometimes it seems like not a whole lot of time to do it. Perhaps that’s why a new study in The Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health found that the more children a woman has, the more teeth she may end up losing as an indirect result.

"The working theory is that between the toll pregnancy takes on the body and the amount of time mothers spend caring for everyone but themselves, they are more likely to let their oral health slide, and ultimately end up losing teeth," says Bellmore, New York, dentist Dr. Gary Lederman.

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2993 Hits

Don’t Try This at Home: Five Dental Treatments to Leave to the Pros

 

We all take pride in accomplishing tasks ourselves, but there are some things in life that are best left in the hands of the professionals. Nowhere is this truer than in dentistry. That’s because while some treatments may look easy enough, they can leave you with permanent and irreversible damage to your teeth and gums – or leave you spending all your savings repairing the damage. While some DIY treatments are harmless, some are absolutely a bad idea. Here’s a list of five of the worst treatments to try at home.

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6882 Hits

Healthy Habits to Help With TMD

 

For temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) sufferers, doing everyday things like speaking and chewing can be a real pain. The good news is that if you have TMD, neuromuscular dentistry can help. The bad news is that it’s not a quick fix, and you could still experience interim pain between treatments. If you’re being treated for TMD, hang in there. If you’re still experiencing pain from your TMD and don’t want to rely on painkillers to get you through, here are some natural treatments you can try at home that have been shown to lessen symptoms and reduce pain.

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7887 Hits

New Study Links TMD to Migraine Headaches

For people who suffer from both migraines and temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD), the two conditions can seem so bad they’re related. Now, a new study by the National Institute of Health (NIH) has discovered they might be.

An estimated 12 percent of Americans suffer from debilitating migraine headaches - headaches that in addition to causing agonizing pain can cause everything from nausea to light sensitivity and dizziness. But while for some of those migraine sufferers, the pain stops there, the NIH has revealed that those who suffer from migraines are three times more likely to suffer from another debilitating condition: TMD.

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3209 Hits
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