Thursday, January 24, 2008

Norway Bans Dental Amalgam

Norway has acted in 2008 to discontinue the use of dental amalgam. The action was part of a sweeping effort to restrict the use of mercury and was done so largely for environmental reasons. ( American Dental Association advisory).
The BC Dental Association supports the use of amalgam separators as part of best management practices for dental offices. More information is available on CDA website at:

http://www.cda-adc.ca/en/oral_health/faqs_resources/faqs/dental_amalgam_faqs.asp

Proactive Dental Studio complies with the BC Dental Association advisory and uses an amalgam separator to help saving the environment.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Dental X-Rays Point to Bone Loss in Women

A European team say they've devised a computer software program that analyzes bone information found in the X-rays. This information may point to trouble elsewhere in the body, they say.

The research findings were to be presented Thursday at the International Association for Dental Research annual meeting, in New Orleans. The study will also be published in the journal Bone.

The technique uses novel computer software developed by the Imaging Science and Biomedical Engineering Division of Manchester University in England, explained study author Hugh Devlin, a researcher with Manchester University's School of Dentistry.

Osteoporosis, a condition in which bones became more fragile and apt to break, affects nearly 45 million older women worldwide. Healthy bones maintain a fine balance between formation and resorption (breaking down) but after menopause, this bone breakdown outpaces bone formation, resulting in bone loss.

According to the study, the incidence of the condition increases as women age, affecting 15 percent of women in their 50s, 22 percent in their 60s and 38.5 percent in their 70s. Also according to the study, wide-scale screening is costly and difficult to implement.

The approach described here uses software to analyze bone pattern characteristics, including thickness and fragmentation, in routine dental X-rays. The study enrolled 651 women, averaging 55 years of age, at four clinical centers throughout Europe. Participants first underwent conventional bone mass density (BMD) measurements of the femur (thighbone), hip and spine.

Researchers also analyzed a small area of dental X-rays that showed a certain type of bone.
The examination of dental records was able to predict osteoporotic risk to the same degree as traditional BMD measurements, the team reported.

As the authors point out, this strategy requires no extra cost or time on the part of the dentist.
"Individuals will be given a probability that they have osteoporosis at the hip and spine based on radiographic and clinical information," Devlin said. "The radiographic information currently used is the width of the mandibular cortex [part of the lower jaw]."

Devlin is now trying to expand the computer search capability and the ability to diagnose osteoporosis to include other features of the dental X-ray.

Article found at:
http://www.seton.net/health_a_to_z/health_news/health_news/2007/03/22/dental_x_rays_point_to_bone_loss_in_women

Metal-free crowns and bridges

For the past five years we have been offering metal-free crowns to our patients with the aid of Cerec(TM) technology. Now we have the ability to offer metal-free bridges as well. Our dental laboratory purchased a piece of equipment that makes bridges out of zirconium porcelain.

What makes zirconium porcelain so unique for bridges?

Aesthetics The zirconium porcelain restorations are visually pleasing, with no contour lines or greyness around the gum lines.

Durability The metal-free restorations are rigid and resistant to biting pressure, capable of withstanding extreme biting pressure even in the back molar region.

Bio compatible The zirconium porcelain restoration do not cause irritation and are non-allergenic

Accuracy Made from premanufactured blanks, you restoration is precision-milled under microprocessor control - to ensure unsurpassed performance and excellent fit.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

New addition to our staff

We are very pleased to announce the newest addition to our team: Aman Gill, Registered Dental Hygienist. She will help us out while Sherri is on maternity leave until December 2007. Aman has integrated into out team very quickly and we enjoy having her here at Proactive Dental Studio. She is extremely gentle and passionate about our patient's oral health.

Friday, February 2, 2007

It's a boy!

Sherri, our hygienist, had a baby boy on January 25th, 2007. We would like to congratulate her, Dave and Stella for this very cute addition to the family.