The NobleDentist Blog

This is an article by Judy Skatssoon that appeared in ABC Science Online.

Professional wine tasters face a hidden occupational hazard, rotting teeth, according to an Australian researcher, who says she has a practical solution.

Dr Diane Hunt, a senior lecturer in restorative dentistry at the University of Adelaide, advises professional wine tasters not to brush their teeth the morning before a tasting.

She says this would remove plaque that would otherwise prevent acidic wine from eroding the tooth enamel.

Hunt said tooth erosion can be a serious health consequence for wine makers, wine judges and wine marketers, who may be testing 100 to 200 wines a day over four days.

“We’ve done some studies which have demonstrated the effectiveness of leaving dental plaque on their teeth,” Hunt said.

“So public enemy number one for decay … can provide a protective film against erosion.”

The plaque should be removed on the same day, Hunt said. But wine tasters should leave the toothbrush alone for at least two hours after finishing because the softened tooth surface is vulnerable to being brushed away.

It’s all about pH

Erosion of calcium and phosphate from enamel becomes a problem for some people when the pH of the fluid bathing their teeth falls below 4.5.

Wine pH levels range from 3.2 to 3.8. Mature reds have the highest pH, followed by young whites and sparkling wines like champagne, where the pH can be as low as 2.8.

Hunt said a survey of 74 professional wine tasters, aged between 20 and 60, revealed that half had sensitive teeth.

But their exposure to wine didn’t vary, leading Hunt to conclude that the key factor was quantity and quality of saliva, which flushes away acids and forms a protective film known as a glycoprotein pellicle.

Chewing sugar-free gum and drinking water helps to stimulate saliva production, as does application of fluoride gel the night before tasting.

Hunt’s research is among the first in the world to scientifically test preventative methods like plaque and fluoride.

She is currently three years through a five-year study to assess the risk of dental erosion in young wine students at the beginning of their careers and test protective measures.

Social drinkers and recreational wine tasters are not generally at risk, Hunt said.

But if they have poor quality saliva, which can be determined by a test, or a history of tooth decay they could benefit by taking precautions recommended for the professionals.

Dr Manuelita Contemplacion of M Contemplacion Dental Surgery has recently become a participating dentist.

Dr Manuelita Contemplacion is located at 22C Amy Street, Regents Park, New South Wales.

Members wanting to make an appointment can simply click on Dentist Sydney for contact details.

To learn how to save hundreds and even thousands of dollars off dental fees click on dental.

Dr Manuelita Contemplacion and the team look forward to assisting members of NobleDentist.

Surrounding suburbs include Sefton, Birrong, Potts Hill, Chullora, Berala, Rockwood, Yagoona, Lidcombe, Bass Hill, Georges Hall, Landscombe, Mount Lewis, Wiley Park, Lakemba, Greenacre, Belfield, Strathfield South, Belmore, Campsie, Guildford, Homebush, Homebush West, and Strathfield.

Dr Graham Irving of Dr Graham Irving & Associates is becoming a participating dentist.

This should take place by Wednesday, 4 April 2007. Contact details will be in Dentists Melbourne.

Dr Graham Irving is located at Suite 0153, First Floor, Chadstone Place, Chadstone Shopping Centre, Chadstone, Victoria.

To learn how to save hundreds and even thousands of dollars off dental fees click on dental.

Dr Graham Irving of Dr Graham Irving & Associates is becoming a participating dentist.

This should take place by Wednesday, 4 April 2007. Contact details will be in Dentists Melbourne.

Dr Graham Irving is located at 97 Cathies Lane, Wantirna South, Victoria.

To learn how to save hundreds and even thousands of dollars off dental fees click on dental.

This news appeared recently on the ABC News Online.

Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott says Queensland’s water supply should be fluoridated.

Mr Abbott has released a new study on dental health, which shows children born since 1970 have half the level of decay of their parents’ generation.

The report’s authors say it is the first evidence of the effectiveness of fluoride in water and toothpaste against dental decay.

Mr Abbott says the research strengthens the case for more water to be fluoridated, especially in Queensland.

“I think that the big problem is Queensland, where only 5 per cent of the population has fluoride in the drinking water and I think the best thing we could do for public dental health in this country is fluoridate the water supplies of Queensland,” he said.

Dr Manuelita Contemplacion of M. Contemplacion Dental Surgery is becoming a participating dentist.

This should take place by Monday, 26 March 2007. Contact details will be in Dentists Sydney.

Dr Manuelita Contemplacion is located at 22C Amy Street, Regents Park, New South Wales.

Dr Spencer Wu of Dr Spencer Wu Dental Surgeon has recently become a participating dentist.

He is located at Suite 501, Level 5, 401 Sussex Street, Haymarket, New South Wales.

Members wanting to make an appointment can simply click on Dentist Sydney for contact details.

Dr Spencer Wu and the team look forward to assisting members of NobleDentist.

Surrounding suburbs include Ultimo, Pyrmont, Darling Harbour, Glebe, Forest Lodge, Annandale, Camperdown, Chippendale, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Stanmore, Rozelle, Balmain, Birchgrove, Balmain East, Millers Point, The Rocks, Lilyfield, Paddington, and Dawes Point.

To learn how to save hundreds and even thousands of dollars off dental fees click on dental.

This is an article that appeared recently online in News in Science – Health & Medical.

Teeth that were created in a lab dish from single cells have for the first time replaced natural teeth in mice, researchers report.

Japanese scientists led by Assistant Professor Takashi Tsuji of the Tokyo University of Science describe how they took two kinds of cell – mesenchymal and epithelial cells – that develop into a tooth.

Writing online in the journal Nature Methods, the researchers describe how they first grew each cell type separately to make larger numbers of them.

They then injected them into a drop of the sticky protein collagen.

The tooth germ grew into a tiny tooth about 1.3 millimetres long. The researchers then extracted the incisor from an eight-week-old adult mouse and inserted the bioengineered tooth.

After two weeks, the transplant grew perfectly, with root, enamel, dental pulp, bone, blood vessel, the same composition and structure as a normal tooth.

The study “provides the first evidence of successful reconstitution of an entire organ via the transplantion of bioengineered material”, the authors write.

The tooth could be grown in 14 days either in organ culture or in a so-called sub-renal capsule, which means it was attached to the kidney of another mouse for it to grow.

Previous work in this field has yielded teeth buds that were grown in a lab dish using marrow stem cells and embryonic epithelial cells and then nurtured in sub-renal capsules.

But so far, there has not been a demonstration that the buds could develop into normal teeth if inserted in a mouse’s jaw.

The researchers say their success could pave the way for more organs to be grown in the lab and transplanted.

They have already regrown a follicle from mesenchymal and epithelial cells that eventually formed a mouse whisker.

Dr Jayant Gokani of J G Dental has recently become a participating dentist.

He is located at 56 Old Castle Hill Road, Castle Hill, New South Wales.

Members wanting to make an appointment can simply click on Dentist Sydney for contact details.

Dr Jayant Gokani and the team look forward to assisting members of NobleDentist.

Surrounding suburbs include Nelson, Annangrove, Kenthurst, Middle Dural, Galston, Dural, Round Corner, Glenhaven, Kellyville, Cherrybrook, Westleigh, West Pennant Hills, Thompsons Corner, Beecroft, Thornleigh, Arcadia, Glenorie, Maraylya, Fiddletown, Forest Glen, Cattai, Pennant Hills, and Hornsby.

This is an article that recently appeared in ABC Science Online – Health & Medical.

Cooked vegetables can be as acidic as tooth-eroding fizzy drinks, scientists warn.

Eggplants, green capsicum and zucchini become more acidic when roasted in the oven, while red capsicum becomes heavily acidic when stewed, according to a study at Scotland’s University of Dundee.

But the acidity of onions or tomatoes does not change with the cooking method.

Dr Graham Chadwick publishes his findings in the current issue of the European Journal of Prosthodontics and Restorative Dentistry.

The researchers study was prompted by reports that people on a vegetarian diet may be at risk of dental erosion. This is because the large quantity of foods that they eat, such as fruit and vegetables, tend to be quite acidic.

So the researchers studied how different methods of cooking a vegetarian dish like ratatouille could affect its acidity.

Ratatouille was acidic no matter how it was cooked, but oven-roasting significantly increased the acidity of the dish, compared with stewing.

“The acidity of ratatouille prepared by oven-roasting is the same as that of some carbonated drinks that, when consumed in excess, are believed to contribute to the development of dental erosion,” says Chadwick.

Acid can etch into the thin layer of enamel that protects the teeth and can also affect the underlying dentin.

Earlier this year, researchers presented research into the corrosive potential of acidic drinks at the American Association for Dental Research annual meeting in Florida.

The University of Iowa researchers found that drinks including fizzy drinks and apple juice can erode exposed root surfaces.