This
week, we learn that the U.S. Supreme Court will soon decide if only licensed
dentists should be allowed to whiten teeth, discover what Curt Schilling has to
say about smokeless tobacco and discuss the Text2Floss initiative. Join in the
conversation on Twitter using #FridayDentalDL.
1. Text2Floss
increases reach, adds new app: A little more than a year into the
second phase of its development, Text2Floss,
an initiative of the A.T. Still University
Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health (ATSU-ASDOH), recently announced
a new partnership and the release of an Apple products app. Now, researchers
are looking at this innovative use of technology to reinforce preventive
practices in oral healthcare. Text2Floss is an interactive educational tool
that helps people develop positive oral hygiene habits using mobile technology.
Brian Souza, managing director for the DentaQuest Foundation, an early
partner with ATSU, told DrBicuspid.com that Text2Floss can help patients manage
their oral healthcare.
2. The US Supreme Court to decide on teeth-whitening procedures: Teeth-whitening
kits make a brighter smile readily available at any drug store. However, North
Carolina’s Board of Dental Examiners has determined that teeth whitening is
something only a professional dentist can handle. The U.S. Supreme Court will
soon decide whether only licensed dentists should be allowed to use kits that
typically include strips or trays that allow a peroxide gel to coat and whiten
teeth. Visit our website
to learn more about teeth whitening.
3. Technology helps dentistry leave painful
past behind: The items at Dr.
H. Martin Deranian’s dental museum at the Tufts University School of Dental
Medicine, exhibit some of old dental tools that once struck terror into the
hearts of patients. Today, thanks to technology like intra-oral computer
cameras, digital X-ray imaging, air abrasion and dental lasers, treatments are
more efficient and more comfortable. Dental visits are no longer scary, and the
dental industry’s ‘painful ‘reputation is being replaced by its focus on
prevention.
4. JADA study: Dentists and sealants: Sealants are an inexpensive and
effective item in the dentist's toolkit. While dentists have the right attitude
about sealants, many still have questions about how and when to use them. Read
more in in a new
study published in the Journal of the American
Dental Association.
5. Curt Schilling: Smokeless tobacco caused
oral cancer: Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling
said that it was his use of smokeless tobacco for 30 years that caused his oral
cancer which required both radiation and chemotherapy. Schilling, who looked weak
and sounded hoarse, made the revelation on Boston Sports Radio WEEI during the
station's annual Jimmy Fund broadcast. Click
here for more information about the risk of smokeless tobacco on your oral
health.