Dental Implant 101
đŹ You may be surprised to know that a lot happens in your mouth when you lose a single tooth!
Learn more in our short explainer video here: http://bit.ly/2daWYtl
đŹ You may be surprised to know that a lot happens in your mouth when you lose a single tooth!
Learn more in our short explainer video here: http://bit.ly/2daWYtl
The average adult has 28 to 32 teeth, depending on their “wise” set of third molars or lack thereof. But besides the importance of brushing and flossing, how well do you know your chompers? From LED braces to pearly whites in hard-to-reach places, we bring you the tooth, the whole tooth, and nothing but the tooth.
About one in every 2000 babies is born with natal teeth, so sometimes baby’s first dentist appointment is only a few days after birth. Natal teeth usually grow on the bottom gums and tend to have weak roots; they’re often removed to prevent problems with breastfeeding and accidental swallowing. Being born with teeth can be a symptom of certain medical conditions, and ancient physiognomy associated it with evilâbut it’s usually harmless. Advice columnist twin sisters Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren were both born with teeth. So were Napoleon and Julius Caesar.
Losing baby teeth is a rite of passage, not to mention a small source of income for most kids. By age 3, the average child has a full set of 20 temporary teeth. These little chiclets loosen and eventually fall out as the permanent teeth below start to erupt. Children typically start losing teeth around 5 or 6 and finish in their early teens. But if a person doesn’t have a replacement permanent tooth, that baby tooth will stay put.
Mo’ molars, mo’ problems? Depends who you ask. People with hyperdontia have extra, or super-numerary, teeth. Most of these teeth remain hidden below the gumline, but occasionally they’ll erupt and crowd other teeth. If extra teeth crash a mouth party, a dentist can remove them, or an orthodontist can make bank straightening all of them out. Very rarely, a person will lose a “permanent” set of teeth at an older age, only to have a no-for-real-now set grow back in. The rest of us have to get dentures.
What exactly is the Tooth Fairy supposed to do with the teeth she collects? If she’s crafty, she might want to look into selling human tooth art on Etsy. Yep, there’s apparently a smallâand more than a little creepyâdemand for artsy molars and incisors. Exhibit A: These double rings made of molars. Exhibit B: This quirky pendant that, dare we say, looks really cute. But these molar cuff links? Designer imposters. Even actress Scarlett Johansson made a golden necklace out of one of her extracted wisdom teeth and gave it to her ex-husband Ryan Reynolds. Do you think she got it back after they split?
No one wants to deal with an abnormal growth, but teratomas are especially icky. The germ cell tumors can contain several types of tissues and are usually found in the ovaries, testes, and near the tailbone. Some of them even contain teeth. And hair. And occasionally eyes, hands, and other limbs! Fortunately, many teratomas are benign and can be surgically removed. If you’ve got one, here’s hoping the Tooth Fairy sends you a get well card.
Ever hear the expression “I’d give my eye-teeth”? One woman literally gave her eye a tooth to restore her vision. In 2000, Sharon Thornton lost her vision to Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a condition that destroys the cells on the eyeâs surface. Nine years later, the 60-year-old woman elected to try an unusual surgery. One of her canines was removed, so her cheek and dental tissue could be implanted in her left eye, replacing the damaged cornea. Within a day, the blind woman had regained 20/70 vision and the hope of improved sight in the future.
Back in ye olde days of orthodontia, the most creative thing the metal-mouthed could do with their braces was choose rubber band color. Today’s options include Invisalign or lingual braces hidden along the inside of your teeth. Or you can modernize traditional braces with glow-in-the-dark or LED technology. In the former option, fluorescent rubber bands or brackets glow when light-activated. (Orthodontists suggest shining a flashlight on the braces for a quick demonstration.) The Japanese clothing store Laforet Harajuku invented LED braces for a January 2011 ad campaign. Switched on by smiling wide, these multicolored flashing lights don’t actually straighten teeth. They will, however, make you the coolest kid at a rave.
Straight white teeth might seem universally appealing, but one country’s snaggletooth is another country’s sex appeal. (How do you think Austin Powers got so much action?) In Japan, crooked teeth called yaeba are so coveted that some women with perfect teeth get crooked veneers to enhance their smiles. They figure that crowded chompers make them look younger and more adorable, which makes sense. American parents could save lots of money if the trend catches on here…
A third set of molars helped our larger-jawed ancestors grind up roots, nuts, and leaves. But nowadays, 35% of people are born without wisdom teeth. Most of the rest of us are encouraged to get ours removedâour mouths are too small; our dentistry to pricey to screw up. When our bodies no longer need an organ or part, it becomes vestigial and eventually disappears. According to scientists, future generations will lack appendices, wisdom teeth, and maybe even little toes.
Article From:Â http://bit.ly/1zwIbfR
Now you definitely have time to brush! Check out this clip on how to clean your mouth in just 10 seconds with this brand new toothbrush technology. Â – The Oral Surgery DC Team
đ [VIDEO] http://buff.ly/2dCZDra
â Hereâs everything you need to know from Dr. Nkungula to help prepare for dental care after your visit:Â
Care of the mouth following a surgical procedure is essential in the healing process.
Bleeding: Some bleeding and oozing is normal for several hours after your procedure.
Discomfort: If prescription was given, use as directed.
Swelling: Some degree of swelling is normal and can be minimized with the use of cold and hot gel pack â the table below is a guide.
COLD PLACE IN FREEZER FOR 30 MINUTES |
HOT 10-15 SECONDS IN MICROWAVE |
|
---|---|---|
WHEN USED? | Day 1-2 | Day 3 onwards |
HOW OFTEN? | 2-3 times daily | 2-3 times daily as needed |
WHY? | Control and manage swelling | Bone and gum healing and repair |
Diet: A soft or liquid diet is recommended for the first few days following surgery.
Care of mouth: Do not rinse your mouth vigorously for the first 24 hours after surgery as vigorous rinsing interferes with clot formation and slows healing
Note: Antibiotics may decrease the effectiveness of birth control medications. Additional methods of birth control should be used while on antibiotics.
By Kimberly Yam, The Huffington Post
đ Believe it or not, a college student 3D-printed his own braces for $60! Read below to learn more about this possible game-changer for the dental field. – The Oral Surgery DC Team
This student can confidently grin from ear to ear â and itâs not because of a good orthodontist.
Amos Dudley, a 24-year-old digital design major at New Jersey Institute of Technology, felt self-conscious about his teeth. But being a student, Dudley didnât have the funds to get braces.
So, he decided to 3-D print his own and documented the DIY project in a recent blog post. His braces totaled less than $60, and after wearing them for about 16 weeks, his teeth are also significantly straighter.
âI feel like I can freely smile again,â Dudley wrote on his blog after creating his own DIY braces. âThatâs whatâs most important.â
Dudley had braces back in high school but explained to BuzzFeed News that he failed to upkeep them. He mentioned on his blog that he avoided smiling for a while because he was unhappy with his teeth.
âThey werenât awful, but they were crooked enough to make me self-conscious,â he explained on the blog.Â
However, clear-aligners, or clear braces like Invisalign can get pricey, costing up to $8,000. But after studying some images of these expensive clear braces, something dawned on him â they looked like they had the layer striations that come from a 3-D printer.
So he decided to hit up his schoolâs 3-D printing equipment and scanned and printed models of his teeth, CNN Money reported. He then molded non-toxic plastic molds around them to make 12 sets of braces. He used animation to help figure out the adjustments in each set of braces â a process that many orthodontists use.
âI planned the path my teeth would take as a 3-D animation, so that they wouldnât collide with each other along the path,â he told The Huffington Post in an email. âI used each frame of the animation as an aligner step. I determined the number of steps (frames) I needed by looking up the maximum distance a tooth can be safely moved within a given period of time.â
The student told CNN Money earlier this week that heâs still wearing the last set.
Dudley, who does not recommend attempting any of this at home, told HuffPost that he didnât consult an orthodontist for his project. But the student did get information from journal articles and textbooks. And though this was a financially friendly alternative to buying braces, he told BuzzFeed that he didnât undertake the project just to save money â he was also up for the challenge.
âWhen I realized that I could do something that was a little bit culturally disruptive, while demonstrating my skills as a designer and a maker, and fixing something that was making me self-conscious for virtually free, I felt it was more than worth the risk,â he said.
Article From:Â http://buff.ly/2dor3ls
Review: “Everyone at this office was polite and professional”/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Oral Surgery DC
–Â Shirlene P.
Electronic cigarettes (E-cigarettes) are sold under some 450 brands and come in more than 7,600 flavors. The vaporizing (“vaping”) device that delivers nicotine through E-cigarettes includes a heating element and a cartridge that holds the vapor solution, a mixture of nicotine, flavorings and other additives. Â The device’s power source is usually a lithium-ion battery triggered a button.
đŹÂ Read here about the damage that e-ciggs can cause here: http://buff.ly/2cV7ZNV
We’re thrilled to hear that another restaurant is opening up in our neighborhood!
Read about the groundbreaking ceremony and plans for Busboys and Poets Anacostia here â€Â http://dcist.com/2016/10/
Read more about Dr. Nkungula here †http://buff.ly/2cSOH8U
Now that you have your braces, how do you take care of them? It’s important for you to know how to properly take care of your braces throughout your entire orthodontic treatment. Eating with Braces Don’t worry; you’ll be eating popcorn and snacking on potato chips again in no time!
đ However, before you can start enjoying some of the treats you love, you will need to take special care to avoid any foods that could damage your new appliances.We know you hear a lot about what you canât eat, so how about a nice list of foods you can still enjoy when you have braces?
Check out our handy list from our sister office, Woodview Oral Surgery, in Largo, MD: http://buff.ly/2cSPWov