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‘No-drill’ techniques can treat tooth decay just as well, study finds

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Re: ‘No-drill’ techniques can treat tooth decay just as well, study finds

#21

Post by RankingMember »

saidajigumi wrote: post #19
RankingMember wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've thought about this as some kind of future tech thing, wherein instead of braces, everyone just gets a full set of perfect teeth, possibly even just one long gap-less tooth for top and bottom with a standard set of surfaces. That way, no more flossing and much less chance of getting food stuck in places and causing problems.

And here's where tech goes boink . Teeth are living things, and the teeth, gums, and jaw are an integrated living system, not just interchangeable machine parts. The jaw in particular interacts with the teeth in a way that maintains bone density and health.[1] Likewise, modern implants are a huge improvement over prior tech (e.g. bridges), esp. for bone loss, but still aren't a 100% tooth analogue. [1] http://www.tex…

Thanks, that's very interesting. I think it's very easy to look at something and say "oh, well we could make this better!" without fully understanding the implications.

Re: ‘No-drill’ techniques can treat tooth decay just as well, study finds

#22

Post by Gracana »

saidajigumi wrote: post #19
RankingMember wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've thought about this as some kind of future tech thing, wherein instead of braces, everyone just gets a full set of perfect teeth, possibly even just one long gap-less tooth for top and bottom with a standard set of surfaces. That way, no more flossing and much less chance of getting food stuck in places and causing problems.

And here's where tech goes boink . Teeth are living things, and the teeth, gums, and jaw are an integrated living system, not just interchangeable machine parts. The jaw in particular interacts with the teeth in a way that maintains bone density and health.[1] Likewise, modern implants are a huge improvement over prior tech (e.g. bridges), esp. for bone loss, but still aren't a 100% tooth analogue. [1] http://www.tex…

My friend was talking about this recently. He is trying to put together the money to get a new tooth fitted, and mentioned that there is talk of having insurance cover replacement teeth for young people due to the fact that not having teeth can severely weaken the jaw over the course of your life. Not such a big deal when you're 80 and your teeth are falling out, but when you're 25 it has potential to become a big problem.

Re: ‘No-drill’ techniques can treat tooth decay just as well, study finds

#23

Post by paulddraper »

funkyy wrote: post #12

Sometimes I think it would be just nice to get all teeth removed and get brand new proper ones within a days worth visit. Would make things much easier.

You can do that, but it is very very expensive.

If you are serious about it though and you want a reasonable price, take a trip overseas and have it done there.

Re: ‘No-drill’ techniques can treat tooth decay just as well, study finds

#24

Post by scrollaway »

grmarcil wrote: post #18
wott wrote: post #13

What I never understood is why in these days we are not able to have a product that would be spread on the teeth (let's say a yearly application) to protect them from most of the major aggressions. Each time I had a tooth "cured" (i.e. drilled), this "cure" weakened the structure of the tooth so much that it broke with a period of 6 to 24 months. And once the inside was removed with drilling and the outside has broke…

> What I never understood is why in these days we are not able to have a product that would be spread on the teeth (let's say a yearly application) to protect them from most of the major aggressions. If I understand what you're talking about, this is already a thing, and not particularly new either. Lasts much longer than a year too. http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/sealants

Fascinating; how come I've never heard of this? It seems like the sort of thing dentists would advertise.

Re: ‘No-drill’ techniques can treat tooth decay just as well, study finds

#25

Post by sliverstorm »

wott wrote: post #13

What I never understood is why in these days we are not able to have a product that would be spread on the teeth (let's say a yearly application) to protect them from most of the major aggressions. Each time I had a tooth "cured" (i.e. drilled), this "cure" weakened the structure of the tooth so much that it broke with a period of 6 to 24 months. And once the inside was removed with drilling and the outside has broke…

It's not just about pain, a cavity that hits the root can wind up killing you. Significant amounts of bacteria can make their way directly into your bloodstream and to your heart or brain, and you're done.

Re: ‘No-drill’ techniques can treat tooth decay just as well, study finds

#26

Post by dynomight »

hammock wrote: post #5
maxmcd wrote: post #3

better link: http://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2015/12/07/_no-drill_... Was trying to get more specific details about the alternate treatment, but information seems limited to: - Application of high concentration fluoride varnish by dentists to the sites of early decay - Attention to home tooth brushing skills - Restriction of between-meal snacks and beverages containing added sugar - Risk-specific monitoring.

Basically, if caught early, your teeth can remineralize themselves if you provide the right conditions.

I have hope that this is true. So much of the treatment and prevention is focused on protecting the surface of the teeth which is certainly a major consideration. However, there are health conditions that seem to effect the teeth and enamel that are not born from a tooth problem. A symptom of celiac is holes in the enamel. I don't know if these heal though after the diet is adjusted for celiac.

Bones can heal so it seems to follow (to me anyway) that perhaps teeth can heal too. Again, I hope this is true. I agree that conditions would have to be right in order for it to happen.

There are 'those people' that never get cavities. Would be interesting to know what's going on there.

Re: ‘No-drill’ techniques can treat tooth decay just as well, study finds

#27

Post by chillacy »

scrollaway wrote: post #24
grmarcil wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What I never understood is why in these days we are not able to have a product that would be spread on the teeth (let's say a yearly application) to protect them from most of the major aggressions. If I understand what you're talking about, this is already a thing, and not particularly new either. Lasts much longer than a year too. http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/sealants

Fascinating; how come I've never heard of this? It seems like the sort of thing dentists would advertise.

I have dental sealants but my insurance doesn't cover them because they're considered unnecessary, so I pay out of pocket to get them renewed every once in awhile. Maybe patients are reluctant to do that.

Re: ‘No-drill’ techniques can treat tooth decay just as well, study finds

#28

Post by funkyy »

paulddraper wrote: post #23
funkyy wrote: post #12

Sometimes I think it would be just nice to get all teeth removed and get brand new proper ones within a days worth visit. Would make things much easier.

You can do that, but it is very very expensive. If you are serious about it though and you want a reasonable price, take a trip overseas and have it done there.

Not really overnight thing though, right? Its painless and long procedure. Never heard of this being something that can be done within day or two (complete procedure).

Re: ‘No-drill’ techniques can treat tooth decay just as well, study finds

#29

Post by refurb »

Gracana wrote: post #22
saidajigumi wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And here's where tech goes boink . Teeth are living things, and the teeth, gums, and jaw are an integrated living system, not just interchangeable machine parts. The jaw in particular interacts with the teeth in a way that maintains bone density and health.[1] Likewise, modern implants are a huge improvement over prior tech (e.g. bridges), esp. for bone loss, but still aren't a 100% tooth analogue. [1] http://www.tex…

My friend was talking about this recently. He is trying to put together the money to get a new tooth fitted, and mentioned that there is talk of having insurance cover replacement teeth for young people due to the fact that not having teeth can severely weaken the jaw over the course of your life. Not such a big deal when you're 80 and your teeth are falling out, but when you're 25 it has potential to become a big pr…

I guess my question is why would insurance care? If the bone in your jaw weakens and causes severe problems, it'll likely be your medical insurance that covers it.

I can't see a dental insurance giving a crap.

This is US/Canada specific of course. Any country that has single payer dental/medical coverage would care.

Re: ‘No-drill’ techniques can treat tooth decay just as well, study finds

#30

Post by mordocai »

chillacy wrote: post #27
scrollaway wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fascinating; how come I've never heard of this? It seems like the sort of thing dentists would advertise.

I have dental sealants but my insurance doesn't cover them because they're considered unnecessary, so I pay out of pocket to get them renewed every once in awhile. Maybe patients are reluctant to do that.

I had never even heard of them and i've been going to the dentist roughly yearly my whole life so... yeah.
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