Interesting Articles

1. New pill may help battle gum disease
2. Aging process affects the health of teeth and gums
3. Will tooth whitening work for me?
4. Keeping them white
5. Personal protection
6. Cold sores

"New pill may help battle gum disease"

by Lauren Neergaard

Millions of Americans with advanced gum disease are about to get the first pill to fight the leading cause of tooth loss. The government's approval of Periostat won't end the scraping away of hardened plaque that patients now endure, but the pill did significantly improve their gums in tests -- and might make dental visits less painful. "This is a whole new concept" in treating gum disease, said Dr. Sebastian Ciancio, past president of the American Academy of Peridontology, who studied Periostat at the University of New York-Buffalo. "For the first time, we have a drug that...helps the body begin to heal." Until now, periodontal treatments have focused on attacking the bacteria that cause gum disease. But scientists at SUNY's Stony Brook campus accidentally discovered that bacteria aren't the whole problem. The mouth reacts to the germs with inflammation that literally breaks down the gums and eventually the bones that hold the teeth in place.

Periostat suppresses the enzyme responsible for that breakdown, so the pill -- together with scraping away hardened bacteria -- helps slow, or perhaps even halt, gum disease.

Finding that enzyme's role "was the eureka of discovery," recalled lead researcher Dr. Lorne Golub. Using Periostat daily, "it looks like we've arrested the disease in cases where patients were told by their dentists that they were probably going to lose their teeth."

Manufacturer CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals announced the Food and Drug Administration's approval of Periostat on Thursday, saying the pill --available by prescription only -- will be on pharmacy shelves within two months.

[ back to top ]

"Aging process affects health of teeth, gums"

by Timothy S. Rose
Chicago Sun-Times

We all notice the effects of aging -- wrinkles, graying hair, a variety of aches and pains. You mouth is also affected by the aging process. Understanding -- and talking with your dentist about -- these changes is important to maintaining good oral health.

Dry Mouth:

Older adults often have a dry mouth that results from reduced saliva flow. The decrease in saliva flow is caused by certain medical disorders and is often a side effect of medications such as antihistamines, decongestants, painkillers and diuretics. Left untreated, dry mouth can damage your teeth and lead to cavities.

Sense of taste:

Certain diseases, medications and dentures can contribute to a decrease in your sense of taste.

Cavities:

Recession of the gums away from the teeth combined with increased incidence of gum disease can expose tooth roots to plaque. Tooth roots are susceptible to decay. The majority of people over 50 have tooth root decay. Decay around the edges of fillings is common.

[ back to top ]

Gum disease:

The majority of adults have some form of periodontal (gum) disease, which is a major cause of tooth loss among adults. The bacteria, which thrive on the sugars and starches in foods you eat, create toxins that irritate the gums. Slowly, and often without pain, the gums detach from the teeth. If not treated, the supporting bone may dissolve, causing the teeth to become loose. Signs to look for include gums that are red, swollen, tender, bleed easily, or have pus between the gums and teeth.

Timothy S. Rose is president of the American Dental Association, based in Chicago, representing 143,000 member dentists.

Will Tooth Whitening Work For Me?

There are many causes of tooth discoloration: substances like coffee, cola, and smoking. Some medications and aging can also cause your teeth to stain over time. We can determine the source of your discoloration, then recommend the best whitening system for you. In most cases the results are striking!

Don't be misled by unproven and ineffective over-the-counter whitening solutions. We will dispense a simple, safe and effective tooth whitening system that is closely monitored by our clinical staff for maximum results in the least amount of time.

What is the Tooth Whitening Process?

It is a simple procedure:

1. Impressions of your upper and lower teeth are made. From these impressions, we will make custom fitting tooth whitening appliances.

2. You are fitted with the appliances, which are clear and very hard to detect at a distance. You will be given a professional whitening system and personalized instructions about how to use it.

3. To keep your teeth free from tartar and plaque we will help you plan the proper home care regimen in order to keep your smile looking good for a lifetime.

[ back to top ]

Keeping Them White

To keep a healthy, bright white smile, daily care is a must. Regular brushing, flossing, and dental visits will help minimize your risk of tooth decay and gum disease and help maintain your new white smile.

Certain foods and beverages that can stain your teeth may adversely affect the brightness of your smile:

• Eat crunchy vegetables and fruit throughout the day to help keep your teeth free from plaque.
• Decrease consumption of tooth staining substances such as tobacco, tea, coffee, and dark colored soft drinks.
• If you can't brush and floss after a meal, swish water in your mouth to remove food particles.
• See us for regular cleanings and check-ups.

The Good Guys:

Foods that act like a cleansing agent by getting debris off your teeth are crisp,crunchy fruits and vegetables like cucumbers, carrots, and apples.

Some non-staining foods and beverages that are light in color are eggs, cream sauces, fish, white meat chicken, clear sodas, white wine and champagne.

The Bad Guys:

Foods that stick to plaque can stain your teeth. Certain foods to beware of are chocolate, caramel and cheeses. Other teeth stainers are black coffee, red wine, dark sodas, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, blueberries, raspberries, dark fruit juices, red meat, gravy, and beets.

But, if you want to help stop the stain, rinse with water for 20 seconds immediately after consuming one of these bad guys.

[ back to top ]

Personal Protection

Gloves, masks, eyewear, and garments provide a physical barrier between the body and the source of contamination.

Transmission of infection requires a series of factors: a source or reservoir for the pathogen, a pathogen of sufficient infectivity and number, a mode of escape from the host, a mode of spread to the new host, a susceptible host, and a portal of entry. Infection-control techniques seek to eliminate one of more links in the chain of infection. Barrier products, including personal protective equipment, provide a physical barrier between the body and the source of contamination.

Gloves

Experts agree that the single greatest contributor to infection-control effectiveness in dentistry has been adoption of routine. Gloving protects both patients and staff by preventing viral and bacterial organisms in blood of saliva from penetrating the skin through small cuts or abrasions. Left unprotected, these breaks in the skin can serve as an efficient portal for microbes.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that appropriate gloves be worn when the possibility of contacting blood, blood-contaminated saliva, or other potentially infectious materials can be reasonably anticipated. Disposable gloves, therefore, must be worn during all patient-care activities involving direct hand contact with oral fluids, mucous membranes, or non-intact skin. Gloving is also required when handling items contaminated with body fluids or other potentially infectious materials.

Types of Patient-Care Gloves

Patient-care gloves are disposable items that are not intended for use on more than one patient. Gloves are selected by the type of procedure to be preformed. Suitable for exams and other nonsurgical purposes, nonsterile latex or vinyl gloves are inexpensive, usually ambidextrous, and are offered in a range of sizes. For surgical procedures, sterile surgical latex or vinyl gloves are required. They are supplied right- and left-fitted for optimal tactility, comfort, and dexterity.

[ back to top ]

Donning Procedure

Before beginning patient treatment, dental health-care workers should wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water, dry completely using paper towels, and don gloves. If called away from chairside during patient treatment, remove gloves and wash hands before leaving the operatory. Hands should be washed after removal of gloves. Upon returning to chairside, wash hands again before donning a new pair of gloves. As an alternative to repeated glove changes, some practices find plastic of copolymer overgloves useful. These loose-fitting gloves are placed over the treatment gloves to contain contamination. They should be removed and discarded upon return to chairside.

It is important to note that while the protective properties of patient-treatment gloves are impressive, they are not infallible. Gloves provide little protection against sharp injuries or chemicals.

To minimize exposure to potentially infectious materials, remove torn, cut, or punctured gloves as soon as patient care permits. Immediately wash and dry the hands, and reglove before completing the dental procedure.

Heavy-Duty Gloves

In addition to the role they play in direct patient care, gloves are an essential component of instrument reprocessing and operatory cleanup. Cleaning, drying, and packaging orally coiled, sharp instruments places personnel in close contact with large volumes of highly contaminated items. Also, caustic chemical agents are routinely used to disinfect the operatory. To guard against sharp injuries as well as chemical toxicity, puncture-resistant utility gloves made of nitrile, neoprene, or heavy latex are required.

Most heavy-duty, reusable gloves are able to withstand cleaning and disinfection or, at minimum, a thorough scrubbing with antimicrobial handsoap. Utility gloves should be discarded immediately when there is evidence of cracking, discoloration, etc.

[ back to top ]

Masks

Masks are viewed as a means of protecting both patients and healthcare workers from pathogens in potentially infectious sprays, splash, and splatter. Masks must be worn when risk of spray or splash can be anticipated.

The FDA recommends that surgical masks have a 95 percent or greater bacterial filtration efficiency. OSHA guidelines recommend that dental providers wear surgical masks with at least 95 percent filtration efficiency.

Masks should be changed at least with every patient and more often if heavy spatter is generated during treatment.

Eyewear

Protective eyewear safeguards the eyes from disease agents, such as herpes simplex viruses. It protects against contact with caustic chemicals used at chairside and in operatory asepsis procedures, radiograph development, and dental laboratory work. It protects the eyes against damage from projectiles and ultraviolet irradiation.

OSHA requires use of eyewear with both front and side protection for exposure-prone procedures. Eyewear must be thoroughly washed with soap and water and rinsed well between patients Eyewear may be decontaminated and disinfected using a spray-wipe-spray technique before reuse.

[ back to top ]

Protective Garments

Protective garments must be worn whenever contact with spray or splashes of blood or other body fluids can be reasonably anticipated. These garments -- worn over the clinic uniform, street clothes, or undergarments -- prevent organisms on nonclinic attire form shedding into ambient air over patients with open tissues. The garments are to be worn only in treatment areas.

For optimal protection, clinic outerwear should be long-sleeved and high-necked. For routine dental procedures, disposable gowns can be worn and discarded daily, although visibly soiled garments should be changed immediately.

Practices utilizing reusable garments cannot allow employees to launder their own clinic wear. Instead, laundry can be done onsite or through a commercial laundering service, provided universal precautions are applied and personal protective equipment is in place.

Dental Economics October 1999

Cold Sores

Last year 40 million Americans were bothered by cold sores. We have found that a new product called Denavir can significantly help. Denavir is the first and only cold sore medicine ever approved by the FDA for use in healthy adults.

Cold sores are caused by a virus called herpes simplex type 1. If this virus is in your system, it lies dormant unless triggered by any of the following:

• Fatigue
• Stress
• Common Cold
• Menstruation
• Pregnancy
• Sun exposure
• Fever
• Trauma

During this period of outbreak, cold sores are contagious to others as well. At the first sign of a tingle or even if you already have a blister, Denavir can be applied. This antiviral cream is used every two hours for four days. The cold sore should disappear in about 4½ days.

[ back to top ]