Texas' SoupMobile and dentist give former homeless man reason to smile

Since getting his teeth fixed, Harvor Davis can't stop smiling.

When Davis was living on the streets in Dallas, Texas, about five years ago, he came into contact with a man named David Timothy, aka The SoupMan who founded the SoupMobile, a non-profit mobile soup kitchen that feeds the homeless.

After getting to know each other, Timothy asked Davis if he'd like to volunteer at the SoupMobile, and he's been working there ever since as the warehouse manager.

"David told me how much he loved what he does and it sounded like something I'd enjoy and I really love what I do," Davis told TODAY.com. "From the moment I met David he didn't take a smile off his face and it really touched my heart. I wanted to smile like that."

Timothy connected Davis with his dentist, Lee Fitzgerald, who ended up giving him dental implants in July at no charge. Since he hasn't visited the dentist since he was a kid, Davis was nervous and didn't know what to expect, but Dr. Fitzgerald made him feel at home.

"My smile used to be green and ugly, but now when I smile everyone smiles back," Davis said.

Source: http://www.today.com/health/texas-soupmobile-dentist-give-former-homeless-man-reason-smile-t41306 

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Dental device promises pain-free tooth repair

A filling is one of the most common procedures carried out by dentists. But just the thought of anesthetic injections followed by the sound of the drill is enough to send shivers down the spine of many people. 

Demineralization, which makes tooth enamel weaker and more porous, occurs when dental plaque bacteria ferment sugars in the mouth that in turn produce acid that pull out the minerals in the tooth. If not caught early enough it results in dental caries - also known as a cavities or decay. These can only be dealt with by drilling away the affected area and replacing with a filling of amalgam or composite resin; starting people on a life-long cycle of 'repair and replacement'.

"Traditionally, the way we have dealt with dental caries is to basically drill the decay out and fill it with a filling material. But the problem with that is, once you start in that cycle - fillings don't last forever - so the fillings will need to be repaired and replaced. And you're really in that cycle of repair and replacement for the rest of the tooth's life," said Dr. Rebecca Moazzez from King's College London.

Remineralization is a natural process where minerals present in saliva and some foods enter the tooth enamel to make it stronger and more dense. But Reminova's prototype device can speed up this process to the same amount of time it would take to have a filling -- but painlessly, without injections and drilling.

A patient's tooth is first conditioned and cleansed to separate any decayed tissue or organic material that has built up in the lesion. Once clean, the tooth enamel is ready for the treatment. They've called this process Electrically Assisted Enhanced Remineralisation (EAER). It uses a tiny electrical current of a few micro Amps, that don't cause any physical sensation in the patient, to introduce natural minerals back into the clean lesion. The electrical field pushes the mineral ions into the cavity, triggering remineralization from the deepest part of the lesion.

"If you can prevent decay in children then they will become adults with no fillings, so that is a very key market - to get into the children's market and to prevent that tooth decay. Also, if children have a better experience of going to the dentist, so they haven't had necessary drilling and injections for routine fillings, then they'll be much more positive in later life and probably become much more regular patients," said Dr. Barry Quinn from King's College London.

Reminova is now seeking further investment to develop their prototype device into a model ready to use by dentists. They say the market-ready device will cost about $10,000 (USD), with treatment packs selling for less than $10.

With about 98 per cent of people affected by tooth decay at some point in their lives, the company sees a potential market for their device in dental surgeries across the world. They believe it could prove particularly effective in developing countries, reducing the impact of one of the most prevalent human diseases.

"This can make a major impact on global dental healthcare, in that the availability of a caries treatment in developing countries - our treatment is much more portable and useful in that type of environment as well," added Wright.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/08/25/dental-device-promises-pain-free-tooth-repair/

Aurident is proud to offer the Optimet-DS 6000 Advanced Dental Lab Scanner and Exocad software. Easy-to-Use, Fully-Automatic, High-Accuracy 3-D Scans for All Dental Applications. Call us at (800) 422-7373 for more details.