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Dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment

theguardian.com

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Re: Dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment

#81

Post by takeda »

vectorjohn wrote: post #61
wanderingstan wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No need to even go that far, in 2006 I had a root canal in Germany with no anesthesia or pain killers given. Made worse by the fact I didn't understand what it was being done. My German was terrible and the dentist's English was worse.

This can't be real. I've had a couple root canal procedures done, and even with local anesthesia, sometimes a jolt of pain comes through. It would be impossible to take, I would think.

It really matters at what stage the tooth is in. If the tooth is dead (e.g. you have pain that intensifies to heat, and cold helps)[1] then anesthesia won't make much difference you won't feel a thing anyway.

If you're getting root canal, because cavity is close to the nerve and your dentist don't want to use amalgamated filling then you will need anesthesia, because the nerves are alive.

[1] It gets a bit complicated with molars, which have multiple nerves, if one nerve dies, you'll still need anesthesia for the remaining ones, and you do need root canal, since you can't save part of the tooth and you do need anesthesia, because the tooth is not completely dead yet.

Re: Dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment

#82

Post by iofj »

fweespeech wrote: post #30
jensen123 wrote: post #7

In 1939, the book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration was published. In it Weston A. Price explains that you can avoid cavities by eating a good diet. I wonder if most people will ever become aware of this. Probably not - they don't read much, and certainly not non-mainstream stuff like that book. Edit: I would also recommend reading The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, since Weston A. Price did not get everything r…

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/03/health/tooth-decay-causes/ > About 60% of the risk for tooth decay appears to be due to genetic factors, says Mary L. Marazita, director of the Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3267319/ > Twin studies provide the opportunity to dissect the relative contribution of genetics an…

That just means that food commonly eaten in the US doesn't allow you to avoid cavities. It doesn't mean there are no such diets, nor that there aren't diets typical for some regions that avoid cavities.

Caries is also an infectious disease. It's extremely common but not everyone is infected. There are tribes that simply don't have it.

Re: Dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment

#83

Post by holman »

Kluny wrote: post #9

I've often heard conspiracy theorists say that if dentists ever learned of a way to cure cavities more cheaply and without drilling, they'd suppress the information as it would endanger their business. I think this is insane, but can anyone offer a sound economic argument for why dentists would embrace the new technique instead of cartelling up to suppress it?

My dad, grandfather, and sister-in-law are all dentists. This was something we'd chat about every now and then, and the answer inevitably came down to "whatever is better for patients is good for me".

Sounds a bit like a platitude, but there are so many different treatments and procedures modern dentists do that I think it the profession would generally be fine for quite some time. In a large sense, there'd probably be a transition towards more emphasis on repair and fixes of traumatic injury rather than preventative procedures, but it would likely take awhile before things dramatically change for the profession.

Re: Dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment

#84

Post by merpnderp »

mikeash wrote: post #53
merpnderp wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_economy First section.....Capitalism. Capitalism is certainly a type of market economy.

"In state capitalist systems, markets are relied upon the least, with the state relying heavily on either indirect economic planning and/or state-owned enterprises to accumulate capital." Your own link doesn't support what you're saying.

State Capitalism may be an actual thing. But no one means it when they say "capitalism".

"State capitalism is usually described as an economic system in which commercial (i.e. for-profit) economic activity is undertaken by the state, where the means of production are organized and managed as state-owned business enterprises"

Re: Dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment

#85

Post by merpnderp »

pavel_lishin wrote: post #79
Jtsummers wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't speak to dental stuffs, but some local anesthetics don't work on me. I found it remarkably easy, though extraordinarily painful, to maintain stillness while having my foot stitched back together. The grip I had on the bedframe, however, I'm surprised I didn't break it or tear something apart in my arm. I can't really say how I did it, because I'm not sure. I just knew I had to and didn't move.

I feel like dental work is harder. I've had an ingrown toenail worked on, and every painkiller injection was a) incredibly painful, b) barely useful for dulling the pain. After about seven shots, I decided that the knife-work on my toe was going to be less painful than subsequent injections, and toughed it out. It's much harder when having dental work done; I've had painkillers not-quite-take, and I always ask for ad…

Holy crap am I glad I'm extra sensitive to painkillers' effects. For tooth work, I can easily get by on half a shot.

Re: Dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment

#86

Post by transfire »

Not to worry, our duty-bound ADA/FDA cronies will make sure this never sees the light of day.

P.S. There is something you can already do btw. If your teeth are still good then go get them sealed. Most dentists won't do it, and will give you some lame excuse. Just go find another dentist. There are a few out there that aren't full of sh*t and they will do it and it will save you thousands of dollars over the course of your life (and a lot of pain too).

Re: Dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment

#87

Post by Jtsummers »

pavel_lishin wrote: post #79
Jtsummers wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't speak to dental stuffs, but some local anesthetics don't work on me. I found it remarkably easy, though extraordinarily painful, to maintain stillness while having my foot stitched back together. The grip I had on the bedframe, however, I'm surprised I didn't break it or tear something apart in my arm. I can't really say how I did it, because I'm not sure. I just knew I had to and didn't move.

I feel like dental work is harder. I've had an ingrown toenail worked on, and every painkiller injection was a) incredibly painful, b) barely useful for dulling the pain. After about seven shots, I decided that the knife-work on my toe was going to be less painful than subsequent injections, and toughed it out. It's much harder when having dental work done; I've had painkillers not-quite-take, and I always ask for ad…

So far for dental work anesthetics have always taken for me (or I've been knocked out, like when my wisdom teeth were pulled). I only brought it up because the foot happens to be another particularly sensitive area of the body. It's possible to get by without anesthetics, and you may (though I hope no one here ever has to find out) surprise yourself by how much you can tolerate while still remaining still for the procedure.

But in general, I think you're correct that dental work is harder. A bunch of stitches on the bottom of your foot, however, is still some sort of torture. The ones I've had on my head or arms or torso with other non-functioning anesthetics were far easier to take.

Re: Dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment

#88

Post by kbutler »

mixmastamyk wrote: post #46

Interesting. There was another unique treatment that hit the news perhaps ten years ago, but didn't happen apparently? The idea was awesome, they genetically re-engineered the "tooth-decay" bacteria in your mouth to stop producing acid, combined with a mild antibiotic to out-compete the original form. I've been waiting a long time for it, unfortunately. I think this was it: http://www.oragenics.com/?q=cavity-preventi…

I've read about this previously, and would love to see it take place.

But would kissing spread the non-tooth decay version of the bacteria, or the tooth decay version? Testing must be done!

Also, TIL that bottled water promotes tooth decay (by displacing flouridated tap water consumption)

" there are several factors that are likely to increase the incidence and frequency of tooth decay, including increasing consumption of both dietary sugar and bottled water. Bottled water generally does not contain fluoride, and thus does not impart any of the protective effects of fluoridated water from public systems."

Re: Dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment

#89

Post by mikeash »

merpnderp wrote: post #84
mikeash wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"In state capitalist systems, markets are relied upon the least, with the state relying heavily on either indirect economic planning and/or state-owned enterprises to accumulate capital." Your own link doesn't support what you're saying.

State Capitalism may be an actual thing. But no one means it when they say "capitalism". "State capitalism is usually described as an economic system in which commercial (i.e. for-profit) economic activity is undertaken by the state, where the means of production are organized and managed as state-owned business enterprises"

I find this response to be curious. Why not simply assume that the other person up there does include State Capitalism under the umbrella of "capitalism" when they say that capitalism and free markets don't always go together, rather than assume that they intend a definition of "capitalism" that automatically excludes the very thing they were saying?

Re: Dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment

#90

Post by Estragon »

transfire wrote: post #86

Not to worry, our duty-bound ADA/FDA cronies will make sure this never sees the light of day. P.S. There is something you can already do btw. If your teeth are still good then go get them sealed . Most dentists won't do it, and will give you some lame excuse. Just go find another dentist. There are a few out there that aren't full of sh*t and they will do it and it will save you thousands of dollars over the course o…

Wow, I've never heard of this option before. What are the potential drawbacks?
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