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Dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment

theguardian.com

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Re: Dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment

#171

Post by __david__ »

atom-morgan wrote: post #35
benjaminwootton wrote: post #14

In a few years I think we will look back on how today's dentists look after teeth with shock, similar to how we do now knowing that they used to treat depression with a frontal lobotomy. "They used to DRILL your teeth? And if that didn't work they yanked them out of your jaw?" It all seems so low tech.

People still get their wisdom teeth taken out without being put under. I heard one person describe the process inside your mouth sounding like a tree trunk being snapped in half.

I did, and even though it wasn't impacted or anything, it was still one of the worst experiences of my life. I hated every second of it. I was especially annoyed because I was 16 or 17 at the time and begged my mom to let them put me under, but she was paranoid about the anesthesia and wouldn't let me. Being a teenager, a gave her crap for a really long time afterwards, and she eventually relented and let all my siblings be put under.

I sometimes wonder if being put under is really all that much better, since it seems a large component of the experience is the amnesia drug they give you. I had some weird experiences after an oral surgery after I was awake but the amnesia stuff hadn't quite worn off yet. My sister had a similar experience after an orthoscopic surgery. It's a weird idea—can a somewhat traumatic surgery affect you if you can't remember it?

Re: Dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment

#172

Post by 13of40 »

lobster_johnson wrote: post #91
atom-morgan wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People still get their wisdom teeth taken out without being put under. I heard one person describe the process inside your mouth sounding like a tree trunk being snapped in half.

I'm from Scandinavia, where this is the norm. I've had 4 wisdom teeth removed with local anaesthetic. I felt absolutely nothing during the procedures, though the sound of my teeth being hammered into pieces (two were lodged horizontally and had to be manhandled) was certainly unnerving. After it was done I got up and got home, no side effects. I have no idea why it's apparently so common for a general anaesthetic in…

When I got mine done (in the US) they gave me an IV of something that took care of the pain but didn't make me unconscious, and afterwards it gave me amnesia, so I can remember the fact of being aware, but not the details. Kind of like when you wake up from an epic dream, then ten minutes later you can't remember anything but how epic it was.

Re: Dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment

#173

Post by spyder »

Eldarrion wrote: post #80
merpnderp wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How was it possible to hold still while having a large nerve drilled out?

The way root canals were handled is by usually killing the nerve via opening up the nerve, putting arsenic in and sealing it with a temporary filling for 2-3 days. After that's all done, there's very little pain felt except when the doctor goes far enough to poke at the gums. The procedure does take longer than with anesthesia in that you need two visits for the whole process, but that's how they did it.

Arsenic? So they not only using mercury in fillings but arsenic too for killing the nerve, nice :(.

Re: Dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment

#174

Post by byuu »

__david__ wrote: post #171
atom-morgan wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People still get their wisdom teeth taken out without being put under. I heard one person describe the process inside your mouth sounding like a tree trunk being snapped in half.

I did, and even though it wasn't impacted or anything, it was still one of the worst experiences of my life. I hated every second of it. I was especially annoyed because I was 16 or 17 at the time and begged my mom to let them put me under, but she was paranoid about the anesthesia and wouldn't let me. Being a teenager, a gave her crap for a really long time afterwards, and she eventually relented and let all my sibl…

> I sometimes wonder if being put under is really all that much better

For me, it was fantastic. My wisdom teeth had to be pulled just as they started to surface, because letting them grow out all the way would have just wrecked years of brace work. So they had to cut into the gums to fish them out. And apparently the guy said one shattered in the process and they -really- had to dig that one out.

From what I remember, I counted from 100 to around 90-80, and the next thing I knew, "okay we're done." Was a bit out of it for a while, but very little pain. Kept on the pain medication for the next few days; worked great.

Aside from the mandatory cleaning you have to do after having wisdom teeth removed, I didn't really experience much pain at all. And I'm the kind of person that's extremely on-edge even about simple cleanings (very low pain tolerance.)

I would wholly recommend the general anesthesia. I don't even care if I ended up being awake for the whole thing but just don't remember it. Ignorance is bliss :)

Re: Dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment

#175

Post by MAGZine »

amelius wrote: post #147
devbug wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Off the top of my head: * Modified Stillman's * Floss properly; "scrape" gently with the floss. * Water rinse after acidic drinks (like red wine). Brush a half hour after that.

I usually do a "milk-rinse", because I have the feeling it brings the pH back to neutral a lot quicker than water. But milk contains sugar, so perhaps a water-rinse after that is a good idea.

milk is a slight acid, so no, water would still be a better job of balancing pH, and also better because water contains no sugars or other things that might stick to your teeth.

Re: Dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment

#176

Post by pavel_lishin »

Karunamon wrote: post #111
Eldarrion wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The way root canals were handled is by usually killing the nerve via opening up the nerve, putting arsenic in and sealing it with a temporary filling for 2-3 days. After that's all done, there's very little pain felt except when the doctor goes far enough to poke at the gums. The procedure does take longer than with anesthesia in that you need two visits for the whole process, but that's how they did it.

That explains a lot. I had one of these improperly done on a molar about 10 years ago. After the anesthetic wore off from the first visit, the pain slowly grew over the next few days until it was of brilliant, blinding, bang-head-against-hard-object make it STOP!! intensity. After they took off the temp filling, the smell was nauseating. Apparently it wasn't cleaned very well. Never went to that guy again.

That is absolutely not normal.

Re: Dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment

#177

Post by bluthru »

benjaminwootton wrote: post #14

In a few years I think we will look back on how today's dentists look after teeth with shock, similar to how we do now knowing that they used to treat depression with a frontal lobotomy. "They used to DRILL your teeth? And if that didn't work they yanked them out of your jaw?" It all seems so low tech.

More than anything it shows how terrible a lot of modern diets are for health. Virtually no one would go around eating lemons, but we've found a way to combine it with sugar to create the worst of both worlds for our teeth.

Sugar isn't easy to come by in the natural world but it's in so many foods now that bacteria in the mouth never go hungry.

Re: Dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment

#178

Post by userbinator »

saidajigumi wrote: post #125
yogipatel wrote: post #103

This headline is overly sensational — this treatment does not apply for what most people consider cavities (i.e. caries, bacterial decay). It only applies for the very early stage caries process where enamel is just beginning to become demineralized. Tooth enamel is essentially a matrix that is hardened by mineralization. Caries initially demineralize the enamel, but as they progress they destroy the enamel as well.…

> The current conservative treatment for white spot lesions is to be judicious with cleaning And I'll point out that my current dentist is the only one I've ever had (or known of) who actually bothers to rigorously teach his patients how to clean their teeth well. Most apparently don't believe this is possible or worth their time. Obviously that's not going to take with every patient, but it's really quite amazing th…

Most apparently don't believe this is possible or worth their time.

Or perhaps they would rather their patients come back with cavities so he/she can charge more to fix them? Here's an experience of mine that's relevant: I once had a dentist who told me I had a cavity and showed me a little black spot on one of my teeth; for whatever reason I declined that day and said I'd come sometime in the future when it was convenient, to fix it. In the meantime I was introduced by a friend to another dentist who was recommended because he was much cheaper, and so I went to him to fix the cavity - to which his response was, "that ain't no cavity", and promptly scraped the spot away with a pick. He also did an x-ray and showed my teeth were in perfect condition with no signs of any decay. This was a few years ago and I've not had any problems with my teeth since.

Re: Dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment

#180

Post by Estragon »

kbutler wrote: post #99
Estragon wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Primarily just limitations - only applies to chewing surfaces, not sides or between teeth, and can only be applied to non-filled healthy teeth. Approx 5-year lifespan, should be checked at regular dentist visits. http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/dental-sealants

Thanks.
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