Archive for May, 2008
Gum disease can be a sign of Cancer
If your gums are different from what they were previously, they can just not be a general infection, as a recent study has revealed that Gum infection can be a sign of Cancerous condition. This is not just for smokers, but its a risk for non smokers too.
Researchers from Imperial College London has found that gum disease can be an indication of any deleoping cancers of Lung, Kidney, Blood and Pancreas.
Gum disease is due to microorganisms and this infection becomes very much easier to infect if the immune system is worsened, and the immune system is damaged generally when there are any cancerous infections.
Around 14% of gum disease patients were known to have cancer of any one of the organs.
Different types of Dental Excavators
During a dental procedure, many instruments are used in the cavity preparation. These hand instruments are of different design and they perform tooth-cutting and caries-removing procedures. They are used on different tooth surfaces and in different parts of the oral cavity.
Some of these dental excavation instruments are the enamel chisels, gingival margin trimmers, and dental excavators like the enamel hatchet and spoon excavators.
Enamel hatchets:
Enamel Hatchets are dental hand instruments that are designed to cleave tooth enamel along the margins of the enamel rods. They are used in preparation of the cavity walls and the accessible margins of the dental cavity preparation. They are recognized by their numbers.
Different Type of Burnishers
Burnishers are dental hand instruments and are normally used at the end of dental restoration procedures or operations. They are used to emphasize grooves and to shave off surplus fins. Burnishers are also used to smooth off the rough margins after a dental restoration, polish the dental restoration, and to remove any scratches formed on the amalgam surface formed during the dental procedure. The working ends of the burnishers are angled, and the ends, either or both, are rounded and smooth. The ends can be single-ended or double-ended in structure.
The various types of burnishers based on the shape of their end parts are:
- Flat plastic burnisher
- Ball burnisher
- Beavertail burnisher
- Cone burnisher
- T-ball burnisher
Dental Probes
The dental probe, also called the periodontal probe, comprises of a handle, a distal part or portion, and a measuring needle. The shape of a periodontal probe is a long and thin bodied instrument with blunted ends. A measuring needle is used to explore the gum pockets. The needle has at least one measure gradation. The instrument has a flexible end that can go around corners in tortuous blind pockets. With this, the dentist can examine the full depth of the periodontal pockets. A dental probe can also be used to find hole in the dental enamel. The measuring needle can find whether there is any tartar or other foreign bodies present in the pocket.
Dental Drills
A dental drill, also called the dentist’s drill, is a portable high-speed precision drill. It is used to remove the decayed material from the teeth before the procedure of dental filling. In dentistry, the dental drill is also used for treating dental caries. A dental drill is capable of rotating at more than 400,000 rpm. Due to the shrill sound of the dental drill, it has become the major cause for dentophobia, the fear of dentistry.
In 1868, American dentist George F. Green innovated a pedal-powered drill that operated with the help of pneumatic bellows. In 1871, James B. Morrison innovated pedal-powered burr drill. Dr. Green patented the electric dental drill using the electromagnetic motor in the year 1871, which revolutionized dentistry. This was later modernized by replacing the electromagnetic motor with normal plug-in type electric-powered dental drill.
Dental Anesthesia and Dental Syringe
Dental anesthesia is the process of anesthetization for the purpose of operation on the dental, gingival, and its associated oral structures. The dental anesthesia procedure relieves the patient’s discomfort and pain during the dental treatment. Normally, the inferior alveolar nerve is anesthetized for dental anesthesia procedures. The usual site of injecting dental anesthesia is the mandibular foramen. This causes the blockage of the inferior dental nerve, causing the loss of sensation in the lower lip, chin, tongue and the teeth.
