Five Types of Dental X-rays

Dental x-rays are used much more than just for detecting tooth decay and cavities. Dentists also used them to survey teeth or bone anomalies, diagnose dental disorders, and/or prepare orthodontic treatment. With dental x-rays, dentists can now perform these oral surveys without the need of direct visual exam, making the procedure comfortable and convenient for the patient.

Survey Reveals Native American Children Have More Tooth Decay

In a statement released on May 30, 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics announced that Native American children as well as those born to indigenous populations have more tooth decay and cavities compared to other children. The pediatricians’ group further recommended that doctors and dentists should pay more attention to these kids’ oral health.

Gum Disease is Prevalent among Adults

According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, many adults in the US are suffering from gum diseases.

Conscious Sedation Methods Used by Dentists

Most kids become uneasy when they go to the dentist’s office. Can’t really blame them though with all they’ve heard from friends or seen on TV and movies. Nevertheless, dentists put up with all that anxiousness. After all, it’s their job. So what do they do to keep these kids at ease? Simple, they just do these sedation techniques to keep the kids sit long enough until the procedure is done.

Low-fluoride toothpaste is no better than nonfluoride toothpaste in preventing tooth decay among children

Toothpastes containing less than 1,000 parts per million of fluoride concentrations are as ineffective at preventing tooth decay as toothpastes with no fluoride at all. This finding, published in the Cochrane Database of research group Cochrane Collaboration, is taken from 79 clinical studies involving 73,000 children worldwide.

Tooth Decays in Toddlers and Infants

Tooth decay poses a serious threat for today’s kids. Twenty-eight percent of children aged two to five in the US have tooth decay, this according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The pain interferes with the kids’ eating, playing, sleeping, and other activities. While tooth decay treatments are readily available, the best cure is still prevention.

Muting the dentist’s drill eases the patient’s fear

Much like noise-canceling or noise-reduction headphones in airliners, a new dental technology can block out the shrill sound from the dentist’s instruments, which has been the prime cause of patient phobia and anxiety.
The device, containing a microphone and a chip, shuts out sound from the dental drill through soundwaves that produce interference. The prototype device, invented by clinicians from King’s College London, uses an electronic filtering system that locks onto soundwaves and removes them.