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Bridging the Communication Gap Between Dentist and Lab

Here at Exquisite Dental Tech, we’ve seen many amazing changes in the technology of dentistry over the last few decades. We’ve seen new restorative materials, advances in scanners, guided surgery, and milling techniques, amazing advances in implant dentistry, and similar things. But there is one thing that remains constant in our field: the need for accurate, complete, and timely communication between dentist and lab. Because no patient’s mouth is quite the same as any other’s, dental restorations will always be done on a case by case basis, and sharing the details of what must be done is absolutely necessary. This has always been true, but it’s especially so nowadays, given the wide choices that clinicians and patients have. There is a bewildering variety of dental products to choose from, and dentist and lab must be clear on which one is best for the patient. Years ago, dentists had to rely on phones, mail, and later faxes to communicate with labs.  Now with modern scanning technology, far greater accuracy is assured. Also, newer products allow patients to be more picky about things like which shade they want for their restoration. Though oral health is always the doctor’s first concern, [...]

Can You Perform Dental Surgery with Enzymes?

Wouldn’t it be great if dental surgery could be performed with enzymes instead of knives? Some promising steps have been made in that direction. The latest comes from the Technion Institute of Technology in Israel. Researchers there have created a new surgical technology that uses an ‘enzymatic blade’ instead of a scalpel.  They described the results of their work in a recent article in the journal ACS Nano.  During orthodontic surgery the new technique eliminated pain and reduced tissue recovery time. The study was led by Dr. Assaf Zinger and Assistant Professor Avi Schroeder. The technique is based on a novel use of enzymes and nanoparticles to achieve what is typically done with a blade. In traditional orthodontic surgery, collagen fibers that connect underlying bone to teeth must be cut. The new procedure softens the fibers instead of cutting them through the release of collagenase, an enzyme that breaks down collagen.  Before surgery, the collagenase is placed into liposomes, or manometric vessels.  Packaged this way, the collagenase particles are inactive. When the operation begins, doctors apply an ointment to the target tooth, whereupon the collagenase begins to come out of the liposome and soften the collagen fibers.  Various [...]

By |2018-09-26T16:33:57-07:00March 29th, 2018|Dental surgery, enzyme surgery, orthodontics, research|Comments Off on Can You Perform Dental Surgery with Enzymes?

New Material for Dental Restorations

At Exquisite Dental Tech, we owe it to our dentist clients to stay up to date on the latest materials used in restorations. Some are available now, some are just hitting the market, and some are a few years from reaching your patients’ mouths. One, which is so new it doesn’t have a name yet, is being developed by Materials Scientists at the University of California at Santa Barbara. It takes advantage of mechanisms that have evolved over millions of years to help mussels stick to alternately wet and dry surfaces, which of course is something that dentures and implants must do. In practice it means that researchers are creating a newer, more durable composite that lends and additional layer of protection to treated teeth. This could mean longer lasting fillings, implants, and crowns. Says Dr. Kolbe Ahn of UCSB’s Marine Science Institute, “It’s as hard as a typical dental restoration but less likely to crack.” His research is mentioned in the latest edition of the journal Advanced Materials. Often today’s dental restorations often don’t last more than 10 years in a patient’s mouth before requiring replacement. Though patients are urged not to engage in activities like bruxing, [...]

By |2018-09-26T16:34:07-07:00March 29th, 2018|Dental materials, Dental Restorations|Comments Off on New Material for Dental Restorations
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