All-on-4 Dental Implants with Computer Guided Surgery

Another great All-on-4 dental implant case with computer guided surgery in partnership with Ira and Brandon Dickerman of Dickerman Dental Prosthetics!  The patient was scanned in a Carestream CS 9300 CBCT scanner while wearing a surgical/diagnostic guide with radiopaque teeth.  With that information, the virtual implants and other components are located within the prosthesis and bone during an online treatment planning …

"All-On-4" Dental Implant Restorations (Teeth in a Day) in Boston, Newton, and Framingham

My partner, Giovanni Castellucci, and I have been placing dental implants in our periodontal practice for over 27 years. In the early days, the Branemark “hybrid” prosthesis was the standard of care for restoration of fully edentulous patients with five or six implant fixtures. We followed the traditional two-stage protocol and our patients enjoyed tremendously successful outcomes which have improved …

Dental health during pregnancy: How to care for your teeth and gums

I came across the following information written by Julie Revelant which is timeless and always useful for pregnant women. You’ve cut down on coffee, nixed sushi, and exercise most days, but what you may not realize is that oral health is just as important when you’re pregnant.   Dental problems during pregnancy are quite common, with approximately 40 percent of …

Alligator Stem Cell Study Gives Clues To Tooth Regeneration

Alligators may help scientists learn how to stimulate tooth regeneration in people, according to new research led by the Keck School of Medicine of USC. For the first time, a global team of researchers led by USC Professor Cheng-Ming Chuong has uncovered unique cellular and molecular mechanisms behind tooth renewal in American alligators. Their study appeared in Proceedings of the …

Diet And Prevention Of Oral Cancer

Tobacco and alcohol use are the most well-known risk factors for oral and pharyngeal (throat) cancer. Other important factors include diet and a strain of human papilloma virus (HPV 16), which is sexually transmitted. Genetic susceptibility can also play a role; most human diseases result from the interaction of your genes and environmental factors that may be chemical, physical, nutritional, …

Gum Disease More Likely In Smokers and Men according to new CDC Study

One out of every two American adults aged 30 and over has periodontal disease, according to recent findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A study titled estimates that 47.2 percent, or 64.7 million American adults, have mild, moderate or severe periodontitis, the more advanced form of periodontal disease. In adults over age 65, prevalence rates increase …

Exchanging Patient Information Seamlessly and Securely

Imagine that you are a dentist who wants to consult an endodontist some distance away about a problem a patient is having. You need to send her the patient’s x-rays in a fast and secure manner. Today, you may have trouble transmitting the images digitally if you and the other dentist use different systems. To make the transfer seamless, the …

Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) – Balancing Benefits and Risks

The ADA Council on Scientific Affairs has issued new guidance on the use of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in dentistry. Their findings appear in an advisory statement in the August issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association. The Council concluded that clinicians should prescribe CBCT imaging only when they expect that the diagnostic yield will benefit patient care, …

Benzocaine Is Not Recommended For Teething Babies

The FDA has reissued a warning about the use of benzocaine gels or liquids to relieve teething pain for children under two years old. Parents should not use over-the-counter medications containing benzocaine for children under two years old because they are at particular risk for the rare but serious disease of methemoglobinemia, a disorder in which the amount of oxygen …