15 ms·
Dentists reveal new tooth decay treatment
- Ianvdl 11y ago> A two-step process first prepares the damaged area of enamel, then uses a tiny electric current to push minerals into the repair site. Does anyone know how long this process takes compared to the current solution?
- goldenkey 11y agoNovamin is a great way to remineralize teeth. Similar to Recaldent (found in Trident Extra Strength.) It's basically a type of micro-glass that slowly remineralizes teeth with continued use. GSK bought Sensodyne a couple years ago and removed it from all the US Sensodyne toothpastes. Only way to get it in the US is to order from overseas, or to get a prescription from a dentist. As much as I don't like to be that "conspiracy guy" it's kind of convenient for them to buy the product, remove it from over-the-counter, mark it up, and allow insurance to pay for a prescription strength version.. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NovaMin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NovaMin
- angersock 11y agoWhy'd GSK do that, I wonder?
- theworstshill 11y agomoney.
- mikeash 11y agoWell, obviously. But how does it make them money? I can't imagine the market for prescription toothpaste is very large.
- goldenkey 11y agoI would imagine that the margin on a 150 dollar toothpaste is quite a bit more than a 6 dollar toothpaste. It's possible that the margin makes up for the smaller number of sales.
- padobson 11y agoFrom the FAQ[1]: The conditioning step takes about four minutes to perform currently and, once optimized, the remineralization step will take about 20 minutes. The whole treatment will be comparable to the typical time scheduled for current drill and fill procedures. [1] http://www.reminova.com/faqs http://www.reminova.com/faqs
- Mithaldu 11y agoImportant bit: "It could be available within three years." So it might be available in 10 years or so.
- pavel_lishin 11y agoThat's still pretty good news for my kids, and moderately good news for the handful of remaining teeth I expect to have at that point.
- teddyh 11y ago20 years. You have to wait for any patents to expire.
- happyscrappy 11y agoAre waiting for patents to expire to use a cellphone?
- nsgi 11y agoOr never
- maxgee 11y agoArticle is from June of 2014. Any updates on this technology?
- adrianpike 11y agoLooks like they're working on bringing it to market; http://www.reminova.com/faqs http://www.reminova.com/faqs
- jensen123 11y agoIn 1939, the book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration was published. In it Weston A. Price explains that you can avoid cavities by eating a good diet. I wonder if most people will ever become aware of this. Probably not - they don't read much, and certainly not non-mainstream stuff like that book. Edit: I would also recommend reading The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, since Weston A. Price did not get everything right.
- lps41 11y agoI'm really confused by your comment - isn't it general knowledge that poor diet causes cavities? I remember being taught this in public school as early as kindergarten, and having my dentists reinforce it my entire life. However, I do believe that genetics also plays a large role in predisposition to cavities, with or without a healthy diet.
- _-__--- 11y agoIt's not the content of the book that this person is talking about, but rather their disdain for some constructed "people" for not reading. Not sure where the ire is coming from, but it's more of a "you're not wrong, you're just an asshole" comment. But, here I am writing this and here you are reading it.
- deegles 11y agoI believe that study shows that the correct diet will actually heal cavities, not just prevent them. I don't know if it has been shown to be true though.
- jensen123 11y agoOk, it's probably general knowledge that soda, candy etc. can cause cavities. What obviously is not common knowledge is that, with a good diet, it's possible to go through your whole life without getting a single cavity. Weston A. Price travelled around the world and looked at the teeth of many primitive tribes (still quite a few of them back in his days) and they had perfect teeth.
- exabrial 11y agoIf this turns out to be cheaper than fillings, I get the feeling my dentist probably won't adopt it haha.
- Kluny 11y agoI've often heard conspiracy theorists say that if dentists ever learned of a way to cure cavities more cheaply and without drilling, they'd suppress the information as it would endanger their business. I think this is insane, but can anyone offer a sound economic argument for why dentists would embrace the new technique instead of cartelling up to suppress it?
- tjr 11y agoWhy don't dentists recommend drinking more soda and eating more candy?
- padobson 11y agoI don't know, but if you find some, let me know so I can give them my money.
- habitue 11y agoBecause people don't need any encouraging to do those things. From a dentists point of view there's no scarcity of poor dental decisions, so they don't need to artificially try to create them.
- bigethan 11y agoThey aren't outwardly evil. Put on a happy face and turn the screws where the customer can't see or control. Like all capitalist companies that want to maximize profit.
- Pyxl101 11y agoFor the same reason a real estate agent does not try to sell you the first house they show you: their motives would be way too obviously transparent if they did that and people would see through it.
- Pyxl101 11y agoI don't understand the downvotes. I'm not suggesting that dentists actually want to harm peoples' teeth. I'm simply pointing out that dentists recommending sugar and soda is too obviously nonsensical a position for anyone to actually take, regardless of their true position.
- lukeschlather 11y agoMore recent article says they still haven't actually used the technique on a human being, only on extracted teeth. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/25/us-dental-device-idUSKCN0QU21C20150825 http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/25/us-dental-device-i... Still, sounds very promising.
- benjaminwootton 11y agoIn a few years I think we will look back on how today's dentists look after teeth with shock, similar to how we do now knowing that they used to treat depression with a frontal lobotomy. "They used to DRILL your teeth? And if that didn't work they yanked them out of your jaw?" It all seems so low tech.
- pavel_lishin 11y agoNo need to wait. A few decades ago in Russia, anesthesia wasn't used during dentistry. That was a fun time period to grow up in.
- wanderingstan 11y agoNo need to even go that far, in 2006 I had a root canal in Germany with no anesthesia or pain killers given. Made worse by the fact I didn't understand what it was being done. My German was terrible and the dentist's English was worse.
- pavel_lishin 11y agoThat's terrifying; I'm guessing that the language barrier resulted in a serious miscommunication?
- merpnderp 11y agoHow was it possible to hold still while having a large nerve drilled out?
- Jtsummers 11y agoI can't speak to dental stuffs, but some local anesthetics don't work on me. I found it remarkably easy, though extraordinarily painful, to maintain stillness while having my foot stitched back together. The grip I had on the bedframe, however, I'm surprised I didn't break it or tear something apart in my arm. I can't really say how I did it, because I'm not sure. I just knew I had to and didn't move.
- mixmastamyk 11y agoInteresting. There was another unique treatment that hit the news perhaps ten years ago, but didn't happen apparently? The idea was awesome, they genetically re-engineered the "tooth-decay" bacteria in your mouth to stop producing acid, combined with a mild antibiotic to out-compete the original form. I've been waiting a long time for it, unfortunately. I think this was it: http://www.oragenics.com/?q=cavity-prevention http://www.oragenics.com/?q=cavity-prevention
- transfire 11y agoAnd you'll wait forever b/c the governing bodies are all corrupt. (ADA, FDA, etc.)
- kbutler 11y agoI've read about this previously, and would love to see it take place. But would kissing spread the non-tooth decay version of the bacteria, or the tooth decay version? Testing must be done! Also, TIL that bottled water promotes tooth decay (by displacing flouridated tap water consumption) " there are several factors that are likely to increase the incidence and frequency of tooth decay, including increasing consumption of both dietary sugar and bottled water. Bottled water generally does not contain fluoride, and thus does not impart any of the protective effects of fluoridated water from public systems."
- yourapostasy 11y ago> TIL that bottled water promotes tooth decay (by displacing flouridated tap water consumption) The elite-branded bottled water that go to lengths to set themselves apart from tap water (spring-fed-only, or rain-only, or some other esoteric, "natural" source) will not have fluorine. But many a budget-brand is simply expensively-packaged municipal tap water, and about 2/3 of municipal tap water supplies in the US are fluoridated. I suspect it is a relatively safe bet that when at a department/grocery store, if you simply pick up the house brand bottled water, it will be sourced from municipal tap water and fluoridated.
- 11y ago
- ak39 11y agoThis is amazing news. I wonder if this can be extended to treat osteoporosis.
- transfire 11y agoNot to worry, our duty-bound ADA/FDA cronies will make sure this never sees the light of day. P.S. There is something you can already do btw. If your teeth are still good then go get them sealed. Most dentists won't do it, and will give you some lame excuse. Just go find another dentist. There are a few out there that aren't full of sh*t and they will do it and it will save you thousands of dollars over the course of your life (and a lot of pain too).
- Estragon 11y agoWow, I've never heard of this option before. What are the potential drawbacks?
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- kbutler 11y agoPrimarily just limitations - only applies to chewing surfaces, not sides or between teeth, and can only be applied to non-filled healthy teeth. Approx 5-year lifespan, should be checked at regular dentist visits. http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/dental-sealants http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/dental-sealants
- Estragon 11y agoThanks.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- realityking 11y agoOne reason I've heard is, that it;s still possible to get caries below the the sealing but the dentist (or you yourself) won't be able to see it by a purely visual inspection. At least here (Germany) you won't get an x-ray at every checkup.
- vox_mollis 11y ago
- yogipatel 11y agoThis headline is overly sensational — this treatment does not apply for what most people consider cavities (i.e. caries, bacterial decay). It only applies for the very early stage caries process where enamel is just beginning to become demineralized. Tooth enamel is essentially a matrix that is hardened by mineralization. Caries initially demineralize the enamel, but as they progress they destroy the enamel as well. Once that enamel is gone, there is nothing left to mineralize. You can throw as much calcium, phosphate, electricity, etc at it and you won’t end up with any more enamel. The decay has to be removed and filled with something. This proposed treatment only works for the very initial stages of demineralization, which are referred to as white spot lesions, since demineralization causes the enamel to become opaque. The current conservative treatment for white spot lesions is to be judicious with cleaning and possibly apply some additional fluoride, as the tooth simply needs to be remineralized. The researchers are claiming to be able to accelerate that remineralization, which is great, but is very, very far from saying that patients won't need fillings. Source: I’m a 2nd year dental student. Edit: formatting
- saidajigumi 11y ago> The current conservative treatment for white spot lesions is to be judicious with cleaning And I'll point out that my current dentist is the only one I've ever had (or known of) who actually bothers to rigorously teach his patients how to clean their teeth well. Most apparently don't believe this is possible or worth their time. Obviously that's not going to take with every patient, but it's really quite amazing the difference between thinking you're doing what needs done (yet having the hygienist grumble all the same), and actually getting the plaque off every time. Put another way, diligence != skill when it comes to dental hygiene.
- e40 11y agoCare to elaborate what the techniques your current dentist taught you?
- saidajigumi 11y agoSorry, should have included that in my original post. The basic protocol is here: http://www.7dentalsteps.com/7steps.htm http://www.7dentalsteps.com/7steps.htm The key premise is roughly: disrupt the plaque biofilm every 24 hours. The rest of the protocol is a method for doing that. The change in my gum health was profound after only about three days. Working with Dr. Nigrelle, you get a "process checkup" via plaque staining dye every time you go in. So you get feedback as to where you need to improve technique. I also got some extra dye swabs so I could do self-checks more frequently. The visual feedback is super-useful for dialing in technique, but not critical for that initial baseline boost in dental health. A big tip for the stim-u-dents or similar cleaning aids. Don't think of them as "toothpicks". Think of them and use them like tiny tootbrushes that can work around the teeth near the gumline and in-between the teeth. It's the lateral faces of the picks that act as scrubbing tools. Also, the parts about lathering with toothpaste are important. The dye tells the story, and Dr. Nigrelle does this comparison with his patients: you learn that you can spend a long, long time scrubbing with a stim-u-dent or toothbrush without toothpaste and kinda sorta get the plaque, or you can lather up some toothpaste and obliterate it in short order.
- sea2summit 11y agoThat's neat. If it's just a few microamps, I wonder if they could create a mouthguard to remineralize your teeth while you sleep?
- EGreg 11y agoI am 32 and have never had to havea filling or root canal. I do not brush my teeth very often or do anything special, except possibly limiting sugar intake somewhat, and maybe rinsing once in a while. I went to a dentist a year ago and they said I am developing a cavity inside one of my upper treth, and should get it treated. Since then it's been a year and I feel no pain there and nothing is visible on the outside. I don't know. Is this at all typical?
- yogipatel 11y agoI wouldn't call it typical, but I didn't have any fillings until I was 33. Everyone's biology is a bit different — salivary flow, composition, etc. Probably the most important thing that you mentioned is the limited sugar intake. Carbs => acid => cavities. Keep in mind that these things tend to deteriorate as we age, so you might not be able to get away with rarely brushing forever.
- rsynnott 11y ago> have never had to havea filling or root canal > they said I am developing a cavity inside one of my upper treth, and should get it treated. So, in fact, you DO have to have a filling, you've just declined to have it. And if you keep on that path, you'll probably end up needing a root canal (far higher cost, much more annoying procedure, far higher chance of eventual failure) as well. I'm 30, and had never previously needed fillings, but was recently told by the dentist I needed a few. So I got them. Just because you didn't have much tooth decay until now doesn't mean you're immune; you really should get it treated.
- limaoscarjuliet 11y ago"It could be ready in 3 years." Yup, right with flying cars. Move along, nothing to see here.
- kleinsound 11y agoThe article is from over a year ago, and the project has since been stopped. I was told it apparently does not work in humans.