Archive for November, 2009

The Almighty Doctor

Posted by Dental News Team On November - 9 - 2009

Today we would like to discuss a recent case which should cause to think twice about believing in the infallibility of doctors.

blut_urinA good friend of our Dental News Team discovered blood in his urine. After the problem persisted for a few days, he did the right thing and went to a hospital for help.

He was told that it was probably just an inflammation of the bladder. As a lay person you are probably unaware of the fact that blood in your urine – known as a “macro-haematuria” – must always be followed by a thorough check-up, since it may be caused by a malignant tumor which has spread to the urinary tract.

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You may actually be lucky if this happens, since it acts as an early warning sign of a tumor.

At the hospital our friend was simply told that if the bleeding didn’t stop, he should come in for a CT in three month’s time. But we found out about this by chance, and realizing the danger, took immediate steps and got a CT done.

Now are friend, who is also a husband and father is going to have his right kidney removed in a couple of weeks, since the CT showed a malignant tumor. Had he waited those three months, then the tumor may have ruptured the capsule of the kidney and metastasized, at least now he has a good chance of recovering!

Don’t get us wrong, we have nothing against doctors, in fact we ourselves are doctors. We just want to open your eyes to the fact that some of our colleagues treat their work as just another “job”, but that’s not what working with people is about!

Always get as much information as possible about your illnesses, so that you are clear on them, don’t let yourself be put off by vague explanations!

Every symptom needs to be examined, take good care of your health, and don’t rely on anybody else to do it!

Dear Franz, we wish you a speedy recovery and you and your family all the best!

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general topics

Jaw bone reconstruction – iliac crest transplant

Posted by Dental News Team On November - 6 - 2009

Using an iliac crest bone transplant as an aid in jaw bone reconstruction is no longer a necessary procedure in dentistry, as there are excellent bone replacements available today.

beckenkammtransplantatLong periods of toothlessness and/or periodontitis can cause the  jaw bone to recede. Often there is not enough room to set an implant.

It was once a common practice to take piece of bone from the pelvis in order to replace bone in the jaw. You simply took a piece of bone and attached it to the jaw using screws – with varying degrees of success.

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Why larger pieces of bone were always absorbed is explained here!
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Although these kinds of operations are still performed, they are largely unnecessary, since there are bone replacement materials which work very well, and taking replacement bone from a patient’s own body entails opening another wound.
You can either use bone from a donor, for which the company Celtis has developed a special procedure, or you can use purified cattle bone .

Either way, if you do not have enough bone in your jaw, there are much better ways of getting a replacement than cutting yourself open!

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oral surgery

Periodontitis, periodontosis, inflammation of the gums?

Posted by Dental News Team On November - 5 - 2009

Recession of the gums is a very common disease of our time.
Is it periodontosis, periodontitis, or even gingivitis? What is the right treatment?

parodontitis3Periodontitis: gums recede due to an inflammation in the periodontal apparatus. The correct term for this type of inflammation is periodontitis. The right type of treatment is periodontitis therapy! Simple cleaning is not a form of treatment!

The periodontal apparatus consists of the tooth root, the periodontal membrane (desmodont), the bone and gums.

If only the gums are inflamed, this is called gingivitis.

Periodontosis is a term falsely used to designate an inflammation of the periodontal apparatus. Due to earlier limitations in technology, it was impossible to isolate bacteria in gum pockets – so it was assumed that there was no inflammation and the disease was given the ending -osis. Periodont means periodontal apparatus, so  periodontosis means a recessaion of the periodontal apparatus.

Now we know that this is due to an inflammation caused by bacteria, so it is an -itis.

If your dentist talks about periodontosis, then s/he does not know about the illness or the right type of therapy!

More information on this topic here!

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periodontology

Toothache after root treatment

Posted by Dental News Team On November - 4 - 2009

Toothache after root treatment – is this normal?

After roowurzelbehandlungt treatment it is normal for the tooth to continue hurting slightly for another 2-3 days. Slightly means that it can be treated using standard pain medication, that it does not increase intensity or start throbbing.

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It is important to use a cofferdam during root treatment and an optical magnifier. A coffer dam protects teeth from saliva and the tongue, which is absolutely necessary for clean work.

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The picture on the left shows a patient with a horizontal coffer dam, which isolates a tooth from the rest of the mouth and enables the dentist to concentrate on working.

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Saliva contains many hundreds of bacteria, which are prevented from invading the inside of the tooth, which should be cleaned and sealed tightly.

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If the channels on the inside of the tooth are not filled up to the root, then years later the bone can get infected, requiring root tip resection or extraction.

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endoAn x-ray can be used to check the results of a root-tip resection, the channels should be homogeneously filled to the root. The picture below shows a tooth which has received good root treatment. Find out more about this topic from the video lexicon www.checkdent.com!

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endodontology
endodontology

Dental crown – dark edges

Posted by Dental News Team On November - 3 - 2009

You may have a very pretty dental crown (not in these pictures), but the dark edge is a dead give-away that this tooth is not your own.

Not only is this annoying, but nowadays it is not even necessary. So what causes these edges?
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dunkler_kronenrandFirst we need to find out whether this discoloration is caused by the tooth, or the crown!

Sometimes it is the root which is discolored and shows black through the gums.

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A purely ceramic crown will not do the trick in this case!
Black, discolored roots result from poor root treatment. If bacteria remain in the root canal after treatment, and if blood flows into the root canal during treatment, then the iron contained in the blood’s pigment (haemoglobin) turns into black haemosiderine.

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schlechte_wurzelbehandlungThis does not necessarily result in a dark edge, but if you happen to have gums that are very thin and soft, then the dark root may show through. The picture on the left shows this. Crowns will not help to cover this up, only renewed treatment followed by internal bleaching.
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What is easier to fix is if only the edge of the crown is discolored. If the tooth was cut wrong, and a metal-ceramic crown applied, then the edge of the crown may end in metal. In this case the old crown needs to be removed, and the tooth stump prepared for a new – this time purely ceramic – crown.

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More on the topic of dental crowns here!

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prostethics
prostethics