41–50 of 69 posts
I'm waiting for the day they can simply grow new teeth for you in a petrie dish and pop 'm back in your mouth.
I'd rather they grew them in vivo. Implanting a fully functioning tooth would still be a difficult operation.
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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.
Typically sealants are applied to the permanent molars of children, and remain in place at least through young adulthood. Apparently there are some risks involved with old sealants. My dentist blamed a partially-eroded sealant for a cavity I got in my thirties.
The only thing a dentist can give you that actually lasts a lifetime is a gold crown. Everything else needs to be fixed at least once in a decade.
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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…
It's certainly conceivable that once we've figured out exactly how teeth affects the health of the jaw and gum, we'll be able to create implants that emulate the effect when combined with some sort of drug and/or regular treatment.
Besides, we'll need to do that sooner or later if we're going to aim for an average lifespan of 100 years or more. Biological teeth just don't last long enough.
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>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. That's a sealant, which is something we do have. I've had a few of my biting surfaces sealed, and it seems to have cut down on the number of cavities. Just once, though, not every year.
You do have to have sealant re-applied periodically.
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.
- cut out all sugar to the best of your ability,
- cut way down on mineral leeches such as phytates, lectins, gluten
- consume plenty of meat, grassfed butter and liver -- all 3 matter here
A neat easy to follow little protocol for remineralization and overall tooth (and bone) hardening.
In a way it's not as convenient as getting a drill for 20 minutes and heading back to the office donut party or the birthday cakes your friends were sharing. It really is about priorities here. Our bodies are in no way incapable of splendid regeneration at any age, the problem? They take a lot of time, and require "the right building blocks", which really are a bit tricky to find out about, and lastly modern diet interferes severely. Yes, somehow the preformed animal Vitamin A from liver does the trick and so does preformed animal Vitamin K2 from grassfed butter where synthetic formulations or plant-sourced supplements don't seem to. Plus the completely-absorbed and readily-utilizable minerals and amino acids from your meat. Don't blame the messenger ;)
This is what everyone here seems to be after. A toothpaste with this technology came out this July. But it's only sold in Switzerland.
For background: http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/008256.html
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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.
Not to put words in his mouth, but I think the above poster was referring to having medical insurance cover said dental costs because the loss of bone in the jaw would cause other medical complications down the line in young people.
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. And once the inside was removed with drilling and the outside has broken, what's left? Nothing: goodbye tooth, hello hole. I went to a few different dentists a few years ago, and they all said I needed a crown. This was not in my budget, so I went to my grandparent's…
You're opinion on not going to a dentist who has graduated in the last few years is amusing. In America, most dentist get paid on either production or collection. Payment based on production is getting paid a percentage based on the treatments you bill the patient for, while collection is getting paid a percentage on what you actually collect (which is generally lower because of insurance, etc). Also, If a dentist just bought into a practice or bought an existing practice, that dentist has anywhere from 200K-1MM in loans. This likely outweighs whatever they might have paid for dental school. Because of this, almost all dentists are incentivized to "sell you dental work you might not really need." However, there are good dentists and bad dentists as there are in all professions. As with your primary care physician, it's best to build a relationship over many years with somebody you know and trust.
I'd also like to point out that dentistry, like computers, changes. New materials and techniques are invented all the time. In the dental profession, continuing education is required, but there is a lot of flexibility and most of it is just showing up to the class. This means recent graduates have less experience, but they might have improved technique and more recent technical knowledge.
I can't speak to your personal anecdotes, but I've met a lot of bad dentists too. I don't yet have a good filter for determining a good dentist or a bad dentist.
(Disclosure: Take this for what it is worth. My wife graduated from a top dental school and I know a huge number of dentists. )
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You do have to have sealant re-applied periodically.
It can depend, though of course genetics are probably a factor. I had sealant applied when I was a teenager, but never since. I'm now 38; still - at least, as of my last dentist visit a couple of months ago - no fillings.
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It can depend, though of course genetics are probably a factor. I had sealant applied when I was a teenager, but never since. I'm now 38; still - at least, as of my last dentist visit a couple of months ago - no fillings.
It's not genetics. It's all diet and hygiene.