Dental art : esthetic smiling design

The beauty hides in hearts,

Esthetis is in smiles…

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Headaches and dental health

by Capt. Mark Vance
Fort Knox, Ky., Dental Activity

An average person swallows 2,000 times per day, causing the upper and lower teeth to come together and push against the skull.

People who have poorly aligned bites or missing teeth can have related health problems, such as frequent headaches or sleep disorders, because their jaw muscles are strained, according to a recent article in AGD Impact, the news magazine of the Academy of General Dentistry.

This strain, known as orofacial pain, is defined as any pain in and around the face. Some people may experience pain in the ears, eyes, sinuses, cheeks or side of the head, while others experience clicking when moving the jaw.

Orofacial pain can also be caused by nerve disorders, temperomandibular disorder, stress or muscle spasms. Serious causes of orofacial pain are tumors in the jawbone area, oral cancer or referred pain from cardiac disease.

At the first sign of discomfort or noted abnormality when closing your mouth, see your general dentist to have a preliminary evaluation to disclose any potential problems early. He or she knows your mouth best and how you handle daily stress.

Sometimes the pain may be difficult to diagnose if its origin is not localized in one area. The dentist will try to diagnose the pain source by conducting tests to rule out a cracked tooth, the need for a root canal, gum disease, clenching or grinding. These factors can cause pain in the facial area, but can be easily treated.

Orofacial pain that lasts longer than 10 days to two weeks, or is not related to a specific stressful event such as a car accident, may signal a more serious problem requiring additional tests.

One in eight Americans suffers from headaches. Does you mouth cause yours?

(Reprinted from the Fort Campbell, Ky., Courier)

Health Tips from Army Medicine
November 2004

Headaches and Dental Health

One in eight of the general population suffer from recurring headaches that are so severe they cannot carry out normal living! An estimated 80% of all headaches occur from muscle tension. Did you know that many tension headaches are related to your bite? This article explains how headaches can result from dental stress and how your dentist might treat them.Approximately 40% of all “healthy” individuals suffer from chronic headaches. Head pain is not new. Early civilizations relied on magical potions and spells to cure headaches. In severe cases, holes were drilled in the skulls of headache sufferers so that the evil spirits which were believed to be the cause of the pain could escape. Over the years we have learned much about what causes headaches and how to treat them. Today, there is a growing realization that a common cause of tension headaches is a bad bite. Headaches from Dental Stress How can your bite cause a headache? Tension headaches result from muscle strain, or contraction. When muscles are held tight for long periods of time they begin to ache. Headaches from dental stress are a type of muscle tension headache. A tension headache may be on one or both sides of your head. Or, it may surround your head as if a steel band were wrapped around it. The pain feels like a dull, non-throbbing ache. Tension headaches are usually relieved by aspirin. Specific signs which indicate that the headache may have a dental origin include: Pain behind the eyes Sore jaw muscles or “tired” muscles upon awakening Teeth grinding Clicking or popping jaw joints Head and/or scalp painful to the touch Tired Bite The muscles which control your jaw and hold your head upright are very complex. Many people do not realize that every time they swallow, their upper and lower teeth must come together in a firm way to brace the jaw against the skull. We swallow over 2000 times each day and night! If your bite is unstable, as from poorly aligned teeth or even a missing tooth, the muscles must work harder to bring the teeth together. Most people take a vacation from work when they tire out-but your jaw muscles never get a break! The overworked muscles become strained. When muscles are under constant strain, they eventually become painful. Referred Pain The pain may be felt in the cheeks or the jaw joints. Many times, however, the pain is “referred” to other areas of the head. Referred pain is when a pain originates in a part of the body that differs from the area where it is felt. Even a single tooth can refer pain to the head. Muscle Imbalance Other muscles may also become involved. Your head is delicately balanced on top of your spinal column by muscles in your jaw, neck, shoulders, and back. Your head weighs approximately 15 pounds the weight of an average bowling ball! Imagine your head as a baseball balanced on top of a pencil by a number of rubber bands. When muscles are tense, they shorten. Now imagine shortening just one of those rubber bands. Some rubber bands would stretch, some would shorten, and the baseball would be thrown off kilter! Similarly, when even a single jaw, neck, or shoulder muscle becomes shortened, all of the other muscles are forced to overwork to keep the head balanced on top of the spinal column. We see then that dental headaches originate from an unstable bite which cause the muscles of the jaw, head, and neck to overwork and become painful. Once the muscles become painful, a vicious cycle begins. The pain makes you feel tense and uptight. This worsens the muscle spasm, which in turn increases the pain. Dental Treatment If you suspect that your headaches might be caused by your bite, contact your dentist. Your dentist will examine your teeth, your muscles, and your jaw joints to determine if dental stress is the source of your headaches. If so, treatment will involve correcting your bite so that the muscles can function without extra strain and tension. In some cases it is helpful to receive other types of treatment, such as physical therapy, along with dental treatment to correct the postural relationship of your head, neck, and shoulders. Counselling or relaxation training might also be helpful to teach you ways to relax the muscles and to identify sources of emotional stress. However, if the true source of the headache is an unstable bite, this must ultimately be corrected to relieve the headaches. The important aim of correcting your bite is to insure optimal long-term health. If you have any of the symptoms mentioned, discuss them with your dentist. Your health is your most priceless possession. It is worth the investment! When Medical Help is Needed It is important to realize that headaches have many different causes and a wide range of severity. Immediate medical help should be sought for any head pain that leads to: Weakness of an arm or leg Loss of vision Disorientation Loss of consciousness.

http://www.beehive.co.za/tdi/headaches.html

Mercury Free Dentistry

Your passport to better health Microscope photograph of an amalgam filling. The drops on the surface are pure mercury A white blood cell full of metal  CONTACT DETAILS 2 Cambridge Manor C/o Witkoppen & Stonehaven Rds Paulshof 2191 Tel:  011 – 234 9628/76 Email:  info@thedentalinstitute.co.za
I am a dentist.Definitely not a normal dentist. A long time ago I realized that mercury from amalgam fillings could injure patients, so I became “Mercury Free “. The latest research have shown that all metals have the possibility to injure patients, so now I am “Metal Free” as well. As far as possible I make use of American formaldehyde free composite and porcelain instead. The picture above shows a white blood cell choked with metal, these cells are not capable of dealing with metal. As part of my “metal and mercury free” service, I offer the option of a detox procedure as well. This involves preparing the patient, removing the toxic load and allowing natural healing to occur. I do realise that I cannot ” Cure”, I just set the stage for the patients to start their own healing processes. Patients come in four broad categories, Auto immune, Chronic fatigue, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and Allergy. How do we develop Mercury and Metal poisoning? It is not news that mercury leaks out of amalgam fillings. The picture shows pure mercury droplets on an amalgam filling. These droplets are inhaled and swallowed every time you eat, drink or brush your teeth. Within seconds of inhaling mercury it is lodged in the brain. Mercury is the most toxic metal naturally occurring on the planet, so the brain is not a good place for it to be. Neither is the gut. The science is clear about mercury and the damage it can do. But I found over the years that mercury is not alone in exerting its baleful influence on health. Patients would come to me having had their amalgams out and replaced with gold alloys and other metals and they were as ill, or worse than before treatment. This did not mean that metals were not behind their symptoms and that the problem was all in the patient’s head as was claimed, but just the opposite. It meant that the patient’s defences were so weakened that they could not cope with removing the amalgam and having a new metal placed in their teeth instead. I found palladium to be the worst culprit but had patients who reacted to gold, platinum indeed the whole range of metals used in dentistry. Even worse was to come. Patients would come to me insisting that something was wrong in the bone where a tooth had been removed years previously. By utilizing CT scans holes were found in the bone where teeth had been extracted years before. These holes were full of organic poisons as well, they are now known as cavitations. These toxins came from bacteria “walled up” in the dead teeth or bone. The bacteria are anaerobic, which means they live without oxygen, and it is their metabolic by products that are the problem. To put it another way, they live inside a walled city protected from the body’s immune system by the city wall. However, they throw their rubbish over the wall, which poisons the environment and weakens the defenders. The body has no method of dealing with these toxins and they accumulate in the body over the years. Tests for these organic toxins are now available. All of this have lead to valuable lessons learned. The most important one learned was to listen to my patients and trust what they tell me. It is important to ask them how they feel and not to rely absolutely on laboratory tests. Many a patient would come to me with files of laboratory results, all within the normal ranges, but still they were sick. It really means that we are at an early stage in the understanding of patients poisoned by heavy metals and organic toxins. So imagine this, you are exposed to mercury from your fillings. It accumulates in the body over the years. The organic toxins from the bacteria accumulate over the years. Other metals and chemicals enter the body and accumulate for years. It is like taking a trip from the house and leaving a tap dripping in the sink. Eventually it will run over and cause damage. When it will cause damage depends on how big the sink is, (your resistance) and how fast the tap is dripping (your exposure to the toxins). You must turn off the tap (reduce toxin exposure) and pull out the plug from the sink (get rid of the accumulated toxins). Easy to say but hard to do. Perhaps you get back early enough from the trip to turn off  the tap, empty the sink and prevent catastrophic damage. Or maybe you are too late, the water has overflowed, it has brought down the ceiling, ruined the carpets and soaked the walls. Then it becomes a lengthy job to get back to the state you were in before the trip, if indeed you can. Attacking the symptoms is not enough, you must sort out the tap and the sink or the symptoms will come back. This is a good analogy because on some people the carpets are damaged, on others the ceiling is down. The repairers of the ceilings and the carpet dealers may tell you the two are unrelated events but this is not so, it depends where the sink was placed, i.e. individual variation. It doesn’t take Einstein to work it out, because experience of hundreds of patients over many years shows us that turning off the tap and emptying the sink will allow patients to recover. What I do and why I do it There is a strict timetable in what I do. This has to be followed, no short cuts or you are reducing the patient’s chance of recovery or risking complications. The sink has to be prepared first for emptying, the leaks sealed and the drains open. This takes at least four weeks of diet modification and supplementation. pH checked and controlled. The majority of patients are too acidic but alkaline patients are seen too. Modern diet, drugs, infections, chemicals and soft drinks all contribute to our acidic inner environment. pH is measured daily in saliva and urine. Potassium citrate or lemon juice will regulate over acidity, milk whey is good for alkaline patients. We want to see a urine pH of 6.5 minimum and 6.8 for saliva without the wild fluctuations commonly seen at the beginning of treatment. A good stable pH sets the stage for the rest of the cast we are going to call on. Good gut bacteria. I use organically grown living cultures. These bugs crowd out the baddies and start sealing up the intestine. Doing steps 1 and 2 corrects most Candida we see. Mercury plays havoc with bacteria because it is so toxic. Those bugs that can survive mercury poisoning become antibiotic resistant and upset the gut flora. Nearly all patients have digestive problems and/or food sensitivities. Constipation and/or diarrhoea as the most commonly seen symptoms. The problem starts with the gut. The gut has to be addressed first. No exceptions. I give a whole range of supplements, essential fatty acids, fruitoligo-saccarrides, many different minerals and vitamins. I want to seal the intestine to prevent immune system and liver detoxification system overload. Do not even dream of putting a drill inside the mouth until the immune and liver detoxification systems are optimised. Patients have mineral imbalances due to diet and poor absorption. When we drill or do surgery we cause the patient stress. The better the patient is prepared to handle this stress, the quicker will be the end result. Now the sink is leak proof and the drains are open, time to turn the tap off. You cannot turn off the tap without first opening it, which is why it is essential to get the sink ready. The patient is exposed to the toxins when they are removed, so the risk of this must be reduced. During the week of hands on treatment, the patient has infusions of intravenous vitamin C with the addition of reduced glutathione daily for five days. How much is infused depends on the weight and condition of the patient. 120 grams of vitamin C given IV daily is not unknown. Laboratory testing has indicated large amounts of dental metals are released by the infusions into the stool. This is the way the body normally gets rid of metal, using the Glutathione Pathway via the bile into the stool. This biochemistry works wonderfully well because we are supporting the bodies own detoxification mechanism by not throwing chelation chemicals into the body. Why Glutathion and not DMPS or DMSA? I do not use DMPS or DMSA for a variety of reasons but mainly because they remove metal only from the bloodstream and push it through the kidneys, which is not the way the body should get rid of metals.

Dental Digital Photography and Sharing System

Kodak Product Profile: Employing Digital Photography Maximizes Efficiency, Return On Investment

Adding digital photography to apractice can assist it in becoming more efficient as well as doctor and patient friendly, according to Drs. Benjamin Hornstein and David Gane

By: Benjamin Hornstein, DDS & David Gane, DDS

As digital technology sweeps through the business community, it does more than enable a 1:1 swap of old processes for computer-driven processes. It is also changing the way companies do business. We’re seeing that happen today in dental offices. When information is migrated from analog to digital form, the workflow transformation often extends far beyond replacing old, manual processes with identical, albeit computerized processes. Instead, the processes themselves change. A primary reason for this: digital information is flexible and portable. Anywhere, Anytime Take digital images, for example. When a patient photograph is in analog form—captured on a slide or a film negative and then processed as a print—you need to go to it to view it. But when a photograph is in digital form, it can come to you. Sit down at any computer on your office network, and you can call up your patient images. Or, if you take advantage of an Internet-based image archiving system, you can view your patient images from home, or any other remote location with Internet access. And of course, this is only one facet of the imaging process. Digital imaging technology changes imaging processes from capture through output. You can view images immediately after capture. You can send them out electronically to insurers, referring doctors, laboratories and specialists with the click of a mouse. For virtually every step of the process, digital imaging offers automation and flexibility that simply isn’t possible with analog images. Exploring the Possibilities As digital technology evolves, dentists will find new ways to leverage this flexibility. Take Kodak’s new digital camera kit, for example. The new Kodak DX6490 Digital Camera Kit System includes many of the same features of Kodak’s popular DX4900 model, such as a distance guide and positioning grid, to help ensure consistent and predictable coloring as well as standardized magnification ratios. But with its latest product offering, Kodak also includes the Kodak EasyShare Printer Dock 6000. This configuration takes the functionality of the last camera’s EasyShare Dock (the ability to quickly download images to a computer or network, while recharging the camera batteries) and adds a new function: the ability to generate professional quality dye sublimation prints directly from the camera. It’s a perfect illustration of how digital data can support an endless variety of processes. How do you want to use your patient images? If you’re using dental practice management or image management software, you’ll sometimes send your images to a patient records database in digital form. But what if you want to generate a print, at the point of capture, to hand to your patient? With the right set-up, you can. Digital technology not only makes it possible but easy. Looking for Digital Opportunities Some of digital’s flexibility is inherent in the technology design. In the above example, it took a piece of specialized hardware for Kodak’s camera to support localized printing. But in other cases, it’s in the dentist’s hands. Digital technology offers potential opportunities to improve patient care, become more efficient in communications and to realize other practice goals. The key is to innovate or recognize those opportunities. As you digitize your practice, therefore, it’s useful to make an objective review of your practice’s processes. For example, have you retained some “ways of doing things” for no real reason—other than that’s how you’ve always done them? Here are some ideas for ways you can evaluate your practice as you migrate to digital. Why are you doing what you do? Sometimes, examining office procedures reveals that, thanks to digital technology, they aren’t necessary any more. For example, once a practice computerizes its patient records, why not strive for the paperless office and eliminate patient charts altogether? Patient information can be pulled up on a computer screen as needed. Filing, refiling and misfiling are thereby eliminated. Patients no longer need to fill out paper forms: they can respond to questions directly on the computer or answer questions that are recorded by the office staff. If a patient’s signature is needed, it can be handled using an e-pad device. Some practices using technology to its fullest potential no longer maintain front office functions at all. Incoming patients are welcomed into a consultation studio or directly to the treatment room for information gathering and “checked out” from the treatment room, precluding a separately staffed front office process. How are you using your auxiliary staff? One of the great things about digital technology is that it can make some jobs easier to do. The Kodak DX6490 Dental Digital Camera Kit System is a great example of this. It comes with the Kodak Dental Digital Photography Guide which explains each step in the photography process. It focuses automatically within a standard magnification. The close-up lens is easy to attach and remove. It comes pre-configured for dental photography, so it doesn’t need a technical expert to set it up. The distance guide and positioning grid reduce the risk of framing mistakes. All this adds up to a technology that anyone can use—even people who aren’t familiar with the art & science of photography. So, delegate your practice resources. Have an assistant, hygienist or even receptionist handle some, or all, of your image capture activities. Spend your time doing more profitable dental procedures. Additional Uses for Digital Photography Can you better leverage existing technology to improve patient care? An example would be using digital images to improve lab scripts: use an image of a patient’s smile or close up tooth to create a color map, instead of drawing a tooth and attempting to manually re-create gradations in color or other features. Is it possible to further boost the level of professionalism of your practice? The technology is in place: are you exploiting its full potential? For example, suppose you have begun taking photographs of all new patients. Are you using those photographs to help your staff match faces with patients and greet them by name the next time they walk into your office? In addition, are you using your pre- and post-treatment or cosmetic simulations to show incoming patients the products and services your practice routinely provides? In the past, many dentists used purchased “canned” images to depict available procedures. It’s far better to use your own “art.” Patients will be more confident in you and more excited about the services you offer. Is it possible to extend your digitization further to automate additional tasks? When practice images and data are in digital form, many fundamental tasks can be automated. But even after you’ve transferred the most obvious processes—like filing and retrieving patient records—to your computers, there may be additional opportunities to automate. For example, the SoftDent dental practice management software application from PracticeWorks offers a module called Powercase that automatically populates PowerPoint treatment plan templates to customize them with patient information and images. This innovative and effective application enables a dentist to create a personalized treatment plan without spending time manually assembling and organizing images and data. It’s a great example of how software functionality adds new value to your digital data. Conclusion Investing in digital technology involves a measure of risk. But the fact is that the dentist has a large degree of control over that risk. By taking an objective look at the practice and fully leveraging the technology, a dentist can improve efficiency, build the practice and improve patient care. And the technology, in turn, pays for itself in an impressively short time—making a solid contribution to the practice bottom line. Dr. David Gane is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario with an honors degree in physiology and a doctorate degree in dental surgery. David has authored articles, videos and publications on digital imaging in dentistry and has lectured internationally on this topic. Dr. Gane has acted in the capacity of consultant to a number of universities and corporations. Currently he is Vice President of Dental Imaging for PracticeWorks Inc. a Kodak Company. Dr. Benjamin P. Hornstein earned his DDS from CWRU Dental School. He is currently in private practice and is presently the CEO of The Center for Advanced Dentistry in Beachwood, Ohio. Dr. Hornstein has lectured across the country on various subjects including adhesive dentistry, setting up a concierge practice, digital photography, and has had the honor of developing and testing various dental products. He has completed the advanced training continuum at the prestigious Las Vegas Institute. http://www.cfad.net/pages/article_files/article.htm New KODAK Digital Camera System for Dentists Adds Easy-to-Use Printing to High-Quality Capture, One-Button Downloads ROCHESTER, N.Y., February 17–Eastman Kodak Company announced today its newest digital photography solution for dentists: a new, easy-to-use, quality digital camera solution–with a “direct from the camera” printing solution for even more value and convenience. The new KODAK DX6490 Dental Digital Camera System includes everything needed to capture, as well as print, high-quality digital dental images and download them to computers: The KODAK EASYSHARE DX6490 Zoom Digital Camera, a 4 Megapixel auto-focus camera, preconfigured for dental photography and featuring a 10X optical zoom, 16 MB of internal memory and a 64 MB memory card; A KODAK EASYSHARE Printer Dock 6000, which recharges the camera batteries and enables images to be printed directly from the camera or downloaded to a computer–all with the push of a button; A high-quality KODAK Dental Close-Up Lens II that can be quickly and easily mounted on the camera for macro views; A dental positioning grid on a large 2.2-inch LCD screen, to enable consistent, correctly positioned dental views; and KODAK EASYSHARE Software. The system is designed to work right out of the box and it comes with an easy-to-understand Dental Digital Photography Guide so that even those unfamiliar with dental photography can be taking high-quality photographs in a short time. “Dentists now have a user-friendly digital photography solution that supports a number of possible office workflows,” said Gerald Beckler, worldwide digital product line manager, Kodak’s Dental Systems group. “Like our last dental digital camera, the KODAK DX6490 Dental Digital Camera System is designed for streamlined and straightforward operation.” In addition, Beckler continues, with the new camera, dentists and staff now have more choices after capture. “You can produce high-quality prints directly from the camera with the touch of a button, or, just as easily, download your images to a computer.” From there, the images can be incorporated into imaging software or dental practice management applications, printed or archived. “Dentists expect Kodak to offer easy-to-use, high quality digital photography solutions,” Beckler added. “We’re excited today, because we think this new camera kit delivers on both counts.” The KODAK DX6490 Dental Digital Camera System is available from leading dental products suppliers. You can also call Kodak at 800-933-8031 for more information, or visit Kodak’s Dental Systems group website at www.kodak.com/go/dental. About Kodak’s Dental Systems group Kodak’s Dental Systems group is a leading participant in infoimaging, a $385 billion industry created by the convergence of image-and-information technology. The business, which includes wholly-owned subsidiaries PracticeWorks Inc. and Trophy Radiologie, develops, manufactures and markets dental imaging and information systems for dental practitioners, including practice management software, intraoral and extraoral dental imaging films, processing chemistry and x-ray equipment; direct-digital dental x-ray technology; digital cameras and accessories for dental applications; photographic-quality paper for printing digital images; COOK-WAITE brand local anesthetics; and a variety of related products and services. Infoimaging unites three closely related imaging markets that enable people to more easily take and share images as information: devices, such as digital cameras and x-ray systems; infrastructure, such as practice management software; and services and media, such as photographic-quality inkjet paper and electronic insurance claims submission. For more information about Kodak’s Dental Systems group call 800-933-8031 or visit Kodak’s Dental Systems group website at www.kodak.com/go/dental. For technical questions about any Kodak dental product, you can also call (U.S.) 800-933-8031 or your regional Kodak products representative. http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/pressReleases/pr20040217-02.shtml

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