Dear Cosmetic Dentistry Insider,
Kecia, a high school student in Bakersfield, CA, had multiple dental problems, but her family could not afford much-needed orthodontic treatment. The teasing and bullying she endured as a result affected her personality for years -- until Dr. Donald Montano, head of the Bakersfield chapter of Smile for a Lifetime Foundation, took her on as a patient.
Smile for a Lifetime is a nonprofit organization of orthodontists who provide pro bono treatment to qualified pediatric patients, and Dr. Montano runs one of its most successful chapters. Read about how the foundation and Dr. Montano are changing children's lives across the U.S. in this latest Cosmetic Dentistry Insider Exclusive.
In other Cosmetics Community news, did you know that it is possible to fabricate a full set of dentures in one hour, without the need for multiple visits or lab fees? That's according to Lawrence Wallace, DDS, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon who has developed the Larell One Step Denture system.
Meanwhile, U.S. health advisers are considering a time limit for taking bisphosphonates, a class of drugs used by millions of women to prevent osteoporosis, due to concerns over unusual fractures linked to the medicines and possible higher cancer rates. Read more.
On the clinical front, some studies have indicated that whitening agents containing carbamide peroxide or peroxide may soften dental hard tissues. Now researchers from Brazil have found that adding a remineralizing agent such as casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate to the bleaching agent could mitigate this effect.
And a team of U.S. researchers has developed a screening questionnaire designed to enable dental practitioners and other healthcare professionals to quickly and cost-effectively identify patients with pain-related temporomandibular disorders.
In business news, an implant company is branching out into wound healing with an oral patch that features an adhesive that keeps it in place in the oral cavity and a hydrogel barrier that the company says helps speed up the healing process. Read more.
Also, Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products is modifying certain claims for its Reach Total Care + Whitening toothbrush to clarify that the brush whitens teeth through the abrasive action rather than through bleaching, following an investigation by the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus.
Finally, in regulatory news, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently updated its warnings regarding the overuse of zinc-laden denture creams. And teeth-whitening products containing or releasing more than 0.1% hydrogen peroxide cannot be provided directly to consumers in the U.K., according to a government agency there. Click here to read more.
