Live data from Hacker News

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

washingtonpost.com

11–20 of 69 posts

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

#11
This title is a little bit misleading, because a large part of the solution is having a healthier and less sugary diet consistently for 4-8 years. If patients could do that, they likely wouldn't have cavities in the first place.

It does seem like there is a general movement away from drilling happening, though, which is good!

This approach looks more promising to me:

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jun/16/fillings-dent...

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

#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 broken, what's left? Nothing: goodbye tooth, hello hole.

I am pretty sure that they would have lasted longer if they had not been cured (supposing I could stand the occasional pain, but in half of the cases, pain was not even about to start, a tiny decay was just detected by visual inspection). But now, I have to plan to start eating more soup soon.

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

#15
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.

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.

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

#16
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…

> 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.

The article's points aside, there is something seriously wrong here. For contrast, my newest filling is over fifteen years old and all are still going strong. Drilling is still highly problematic, but shouldn't be directly responsible for your teeth crumbling in such a short time frame. Various other conditions can weaken teeth and make them more susceptible to damage.

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

#18
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

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

#19
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.

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.texasdentureclinic.com/blog/2013/12/06/bone-loss-...

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

#20
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.

It's not even a new idea. My late great aunt had all her teeth removed when she was 21 and dentures fitted.
Post reply on HN