Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

As the world leader in pain control, Septodont understands the increasing need for safe, simple product solutions for your local anaesthetic procedures. This commitment has made Ultra Safety Plus the standard for needle stick protection. Now available with a sterile single-use handle. In addition to the protection brought by the sliding sheath, the new Ultra Safety Plus further enhances your safety. The 100% sterile and disposable body reduces cross contamination risks, and limits lost time in the sterilising process. To magnify safety and increase ease of use, Septodont has the solution. THE QUALITY YOU EXPECT ULTRA SAFETY PLUS NOW 100% sterile, 100% disposable. www.septodont.co.uk A bizarre case that had dentists mystified has finally been uncovered by a group of specialists and- faculty members from the New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry. The case concerned a 52-year- old male patient, who, during the course of five months had lost nearly all the enamel on his teeth. According to reports the patient rapidly had lost the enamel on his teeth, and had dark staining and severe tooth sensitivity. In 2010, after consultations with dentists and physicians had failed to bring answers, he was referred to the faculty practice at NYU. After being seen by an oral pathologist, the patient was seen by Dr Leila Jahangiri, who along with her team, not only observed the lack of enamel, but also the loss of tooth structure, which had result- ed in diastemata. However, what baffled the specialists was that the patient was not suffering from any form of dental decay and there were no changes in the periodon- tal ligament. The source of the erosion re- portedly sparked a series of de- bates; dentists pointed to the idea that the patient was half way through veneer treatment, whilst some suggested he was suffering from bulimia. Every possible an- gle was investigated, however the cause could not be found. Dr Leila Jahangiri and her team were baffled, and eventually she recorded the patient’s history to try and find a cause. Eventually, the source of the problem was un- covered; the cause of the enamel erosion was due to an improp- erly maintained swimming pool! After a series of questions and testing, it was discovered that the patient’s pool was the problem; the lack of professional maintenance had resulted in the pool’s acidity level reading at well below the rec- ommended pH level of between 7.2 and 7.8. The bizarre case is to be published in the September 2011 Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. DT Bizarre stripping case A pps on tooth brushing have been springing up all over the App store; many of them are simply two minute tim- ers, whilst others are more elabo- rate, with tips on brushing tech- niques. However, a new app has upped the stakes and seems sev- eral steps ahead of the rest. Ryan Newsome has created the Toothbrush Timer, an app that claims to be an aid in proper teeth brushing practices. Unlike the other tooth brushing apps, which tend to concentrate on the two minute detail of teeth cleaning, this app is different; the built-in timer counts down the 12 phases of brushing your teeth and sounds a signal when the user should change phase. There are also graphics displaying which area of teeth the user should be brushing! Another unique feature was the inclusion of a calendar func- tion that allows the user to enter the last time they had a dental appointment and when they pur- chased their toothbrush; at the end of each tooth cleaning session a reminder is given to the user, in- forming them of how long it’s been since they changed their tooth- brush and when they last visited their dentist. The app also provides the user with toothbrush tips, such as how to brush, when it’s best to replace a toothbrush and how to achieve better breath! With its friendly to use lay- out and fun, easy to distinguish- graphics, it is a great app it’s not surprising that the app has re- ceived a 4+ rating on the App store so far! DT Appy days for toothbrushing T he relationship between oral health and the rest of the body was put into per- spective recently after 24-year- old single dad Kyle Willis died af- ter developing a tooth infection. Reports stated that Kyle suf- fered from an infected wisdom tooth and the course of treatment was to have the tooth extracted; however, for the procedure to be carried out Kyle had to buy anti- biotics and pain medication and according to reports he could only afford the pain medication. After finding himself unable to pay for the antibiotics treat- ment, the single unemployed father from the US developed a brain infection. After suffer- ing from severe headaches and a swollen face, Kyle reportedly went to an emergency room, where it discovered that he had developed an infection in his brain. Kyle leaves behind his six year-old daughter. The tragic story highlights the vital importance of maintaining oral health. The report, which comes from WLWT, Cincinnati, stated Willis was out of work and had no health insurance. DT Tooth infection kills single dad September 12-18, 2011United Kingdom Edition S ome dentists may be tempted to return the ex- act amount of clawback demanded by their Primary Care Trust (PCT). Clawback is the process undertaken by PCTs when dentists have not performed the number of Units of Dental Activity in their con- tract. But NASDAL member Johnny Minford strongly ad- vises all dentists to check be- fore they pay. Johnny estimates that claw- back will have affected many dentists who have underper- formed against their NHS con- tracts over the last few years, often for reasons outside their control. Very often, he explains, amounts of money owed will accumulate from one year to another, the running balance being carried forward over sev- eral years. He said: “We are experienc- ing a number of cases where these rolling clawbacks are being miscalculated this year – and not generally in the den- tist’s favour. “It seems that the problems are arising due to the re-form- ing of the PCT areas, and oc- cur when individual files are not transferred in their entirety from one location to another. Clawback payments which you may already have made, or ne- gotiated away, are therefore being left out of the equation, with the result that the total clawback now being requested may be more than it should be.” He continued: “Many den- tists still have blind faith in the data produced by the PCT and pay up, but in some cases such as this, this faith is not always well- founded. There’s nothing sinis- ter going on – just incomplete information – but it will be you, the dentist, who will pay.” DT Query your clawback!