BDS INSIGHTS by Dr Manish Khazane

How will technology affect dentistry?  Well, technology is already playing in increasingly important role in this age old profession.  Here are the major developments I foresee: 1.  Diagnostic technology such as digital radiography (x-rays) will continue to become more common. Digital Panoramic and intra-oral x-ray machines will completely replace chemical films and developing.  Computerized image management software will be able to store, display and enhance digital images.  3-D imaging will become more common.  Instead of several intra-oral films, panoramic and cephalometric x-rays, yucky impressions for models and photographs, there may only be the need for one imaging machine or technology which can do all of the above.  Computerized diagnostic software will be able to detect and identify decay and other anomalies and pathology 2.  There will be continuing development of information technologies for the business and record k...

Is chewing gum bad for your teeth? Should I let my child chew gum? To get right to the point, chewing gum is ok! In fact, there are studies that indicate chewing gum stimulates salivary flow and inhibits the bacteria that cause tooth decay. This is especially useful when chewed right after a meal. Of course, brushing right after would be the best, but we do not always have a toothbrush and paste at the local steak house. The only case where I would suggest no gum are young children that might choke on the wad of gum. I would also suggest a teenager who has bad TMJ problems to lay off the constant chewing of gum so as not to aggravate the problem. Of course, I would advise sugarless gum, that's a no brainer. In fact, gum with the artificial sweetener Xylitol* has been shown to be particularly beneficial. Trident with Recaldent (casein phosphopeptide), which is a milk based protein, seems to help in the remineralization process to prevent decay. So, yes, ...

Who wants silver fillings in their mouth? Some people may, but these days most don’t. Should I have my silver fillings removed? If they are doing well, No! Although silver alloy is still an acceptable material with which to fill teeth, we use only white composite fillings in our office. Early on, white composite fillings just didn’t hold up as well as the silver ones. Recently, white filling materials have improved enough to compete favorably with silver alloy. Silver fillings do not actually stick or bond to the tooth. Consequently, more tooth structure had to be removed to keep the things from falling out. Composite fillings actually bond to the tooth thus necessitating less removal of tooth structure. They insulate from cold better and act more like a tooth under the stresses of biting. Plus, they just look more natural. One problem with white fillings is that the technique in placing them can be more exacting. You have to keep the area pretty dry. That can be diff...

They are just baby teeth, why fix them? Most babies get their first tooth around 6 or 7 months of age; usually the bottom front two incisors. Some kids are a little slower erupting the first tooth causing parental worry. It can be even around 12 months for the first one to poke through. Additional baby teeth will continue to come in till almost three years of age. There really is a lot of variability on the sequence. Don’t feel bad if your child does not get his teeth just like your neighbor’s baby or even his own twin sister. This is important: look at the chart below and you will see that some baby teeth START falling out around 5-6 years old (again give or take a little), but the back molars do not fall out till around 12 years of age! If your child develops a cavity in a baby tooth the decay will slowly (and sometimes rapidly) get bigger and deeper. If the tooth is really close to falling out, we have the option of just leaving it alone. If it looks like ...