Teach Your Dentists Well
A review of biting-edge
electro-dentistry and other long-overdue advances in
oral technology...
by Robert A. Nelson
(© 2017)
"Drill, Fill, & Bill" has been standard operating
procedure in dental practice for the past century,
supplemented by extractions and dentures. In the past few
decades, we have also benefited from such novel wonderments as
implants, restorations, invisible braces, mercury-free
fillings, and teeth whitening.
Dozens more technologies presently under development promise
to eliminate bad breath, prevent cavities, restore teeth with
applications of mineral formulas, or even to grow new teeth
from stem cells.
If, however, you were to ask your dentist about any of these
inventions, it is a very safe bet that he or she would plead
ignorance. Being burdened with debt while trying to get a
life, few practitioners have the time to do research.
Don't hold your halitosis waiting for such marvels to become
available. The tedious and costly process of discovery,
development, safety testing, government approval, and
marketing can take twenty years or more.
For example, scores of patents have been granted since the
1980s for various formulations that incorporate sodium
pyrophosphate to dissolve the plaque that plagues our mouths.
It did not become an ingredient in toothpaste until 2017.
Professor Alexander Rickard,
et al. (Univ. of Michigan) discovered that the amino
acid l-arginine destabilizes the biofilms that eventually
morph into plaque, cavities, and periodontal disease. Arginine
is being used already in some dental products for tooth
sensitivity. If you can't wait for his US Patent Application
2011236508 to become a product, you can buy arginine online at
eBay and do it yourself.
Future plaque formation and stains can be prevented by a novel
product called KISSCare. It is a non-stick silicone dental
coating seals and protects teeth and dentures for up to six
months. Apply it with a swab or floss after having your teeth
cleaned. KISSCare is available from WDR Scientific.
Remineralization toothpaste reached the marketplace several
years ago as NovaMin, which uses calcium-sodium
phosphosilicate bioglass to build a shell to protect teeth
from further decay. GlaxoSmithKline
bought NovaMin for $135 million in 2010. It is currently
manufactured by GSK in the UK under the Sensodyne label, but
for unknown reasons, it is not available in the USA.
Dr Kazue Yamagishi
and her colleagues at the FAP Dental Institute, Tokyo, have
developed a toothpaste formula of hydroxyapatite, hydrogen
peroxide, and calcium phosphate which integrates with natural
enamel to naturally refill cavities. In December 2016, Dr
Yamagishi has announced that, "Despite having successfully
produced our toothpaste in small quantities, we have faced
some difficulties during mass-production due to the fact that
the procedure requires more time than expected. Therefore, we
would like to kindly ask you for your patience until we are
able to complete the production."
If you can't wait, you can make your own using the description
given in her US Patent Application US2005123490
("Composition and Method for Prevention and Treatment of
Dental Caries").
Another way to fight periodontal bone loss is described in
Japanese patent JPH08133969 ("Alveolar Bone Resorption
Inhibitor"): "This inhibitor contains calcium pantothate [
0.001-20wt.% ]... The inhibitor has excellent action to
inhibit alveolar bone resorption caused by the endotoxin of
bacteria such as Porphyromonas gingivalis or Actinobacillus
actinomycetemcomitans as a major cause of the periodontal
diseases".
Professor Nigel Pitts
(Dental Institute, King’s College, London) has perfected a
method of "Electrically Accelerated and Enhanced
Remineralisation" using ultrasound-driven iontophoresis to
transport minerals into teeth to repair enamel.
Prof.
Pitts says, “The way we treat teeth today is not ideal – when
we repair a tooth by putting in a filling, that tooth enters a
cycle of drilling and re-filling as, ultimately, each “repair”
fails.
“Not only is our device kinder to the patient and better for
their teeth, but it’s expected to be at least as
cost-effective as current dental treatments. Along with
fighting tooth decay, our device can also be used to whiten
teeth.”
A firm called Reminova
has been established in Perth, Scotland, to market the
product.
Dr.
Gerard Judd takes a much simpler approach to the problem of
restoring enamel and preventing its loss. He advises us to
brush the teeth with bar soap and to take daily supplements of
calcium and vitamin D, plus monosodium phosphate. He explains
his regimen in a free online book, "Good Teeth From Birth To Death"
:
"Monosodium
phosphate is the best supplement for phosphate since it is
very pure and highly soluble in water. Simply take about 1/5
teaspoon (1 gram), dissolve it in 1 inch of water in less than
a minute, then fill up the glass and drink it daily. This
takes care of all the bones, teeth, DNA, RNA and at least 30
phosphate-containing enzymes..."
"To make teeth clean one brushes with any bar soap. Soap
washes off in just 2 rinses. What about toothpastes? Glycerine
in all tooth pastes is so sticky that it takes 27 washes to
get it off. Teeth brushed with any toothpaste are coated with
a film and cannot properly reenamelize... [ Plaque ] is
prevented and eventually removed by brushing with bar soap.
"Taking calcium and phosphate in the diet results in
reenamelization of the teeth, but only when they are clean.
Bar soap does a perfect job in cleaning the surface..."
Obviously, if you choose take Dr Judd's advice, use soap that
does not contain glycerine.
When
Don Ho, Wayne Newton, and other crooners sang the praises of
"Tiny Bubbles" in the 1960s, nanotechnology did not yet exist.
Fifty years later, the song has been vindicated by
nanobubbles, which possess unique properties with tremendous
potential applications. Freshwater and saltwater fish can live
together in it. Nanobubble water is 70% effective against
cancer. It purifies water. And it treats gingivitis.
Jeng Soo Choi was granted USP 8821160 ("Nano Bubble Generating
Nozzle and Oral Cleaning Device"). Similarly, Yoshiro Mano's
US Patent Application 20100151043 ("Preparation for
Sterilization or Disinfection of Tissue") uses nanobubble
water "for therapeutic or prophylactic treatment of a
periodontal disease". It's anybody's guess as to when it will
become available to the unlavaged public.
Dental ozone was pioneered by Professor
Edward Lynch (Queen's Dental Hospital and Belfast University,
Ireland). Since it was introduced in 1998, ozone has proven
itself to be extremely effective non-destructive method of
dental practice. A 60-second treatment destroys all
bacteria in the vicinity. It is a simple, quick, noninvasive,
and painless procedure that saves time and money, and greatly
reduces patients' anxiety. The efficacy of the HealOzone Dental Dental Device,
which is manufactured in Germany, has been confirmed by
several clinical studies.
Extensive
bibliographies and downloadable research reports on the
subject of ozone dentistry are available online at http://www.dentalozone.co.uk
and http://www.kavo.com
. These patents also pertain:
US6409508,
US7172426, US2003143164, US6773610, US2005112525, US6267895,
US2002127158, US5824243, US2002134736, DE19932570,
DE3324939, WO2006014080, WO2005032393, WO02078663,
WO02078644, WO9965533, WO9953966, WO9742924, WO9306948,
WO02066079, EP0988834, EP1372572, JP9201374, JP3186257,
JP2252460, JP1181869, JP63292961, JP63281656, JP63281655, JP
62047355, JP 11137580, JP 9000548, JP 2002253582, JP
2002248116, CN1594137, CN2707208, CN1778395, and KR
2004008011. They are available from that awesome
maternity ward of invention known as the European Patent Office .
A similar approach has been developed by Professors Chunqi Jiang and Parish
Sedghizadeh
(Univ. So. Cal.); they zap teeth with 100 nanosecond pulses
per millisecond using a non-thermal, room temperature plasma
of atomic oxygen that instantly disrupts dental biofilms.
Their patent application US2009143718 ("Plasma Treatment
Probe") remains pending after 8 years, so don't expect to find
it in your mouth any time soon unless you want to volunteer as
a test subject.
The "Plasma Dental Brush", invented by Qingsong Yu, et al.
(Univ. Missouri), has been developed by Nanova, Inc. A news release
in 2011 stated that it could be available to dentists "as
early as 2013". It was finally introduced at IDS 2017, where Nanova's Andrew Ritts
described the instrument as "a low temperature non-equilibrium
argon plasma that painlessly cleans and modifies the surface
of teeth and improves bonding of fillings".
Stink
Breath is caused by the gaseous emissions of the countless
bacteria breeding in our maws, some of which are harmless,
while other strains are problematic.
Mouthwash has only a small, brief effect against halitosis. In
the considered opinion of Andrea Azcarate-Peril (Director,
Microbiome Research Core, University of North Carolina),
"Antibacterial mouthwashes are being overused to the point
where they could be doing more harm than good. We are just too
clean," she said.
Instead of killing bacteria with chemicals, John Tagg
has exploited the probiotic effect of benign Streptococcus
salivarius K12, one of the many denizens of our mouths. The
K12 strain is used to repopulate the tongue surface and thus
prevent the re-establishment of undesirable occupants.
Tagg concludes that "probiotic bacterial strains
originally sourced from the indigenous oral microbiotas of
healthy humans may have potential application as adjuncts for
the prevention and treatment of halitosis." Someday,
perhaps...
Other researchers have invented vaccines and antibodies
against the various bacteria which cause periodontal disease :
Patent WO2010107120 ("Antibody and Anti-periodontal
Disease Composition Containing Antibody") describes "a chicken
egg antibody, which is obtained from an avian egg having been
immunized with an antigen that is a culture obtained by
mixed-culturing two or more kinds of periodontal bacteria, is
used as an anti-periodontal disease composition. The
periodontal bacteria preferably comprise two or more kinds of
bacteria selected from among Porphyromonas gingivalis,
Fusobacterium nucleatum, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans,
Tannerella forsythensis, Treponema denticola, Prevotella
intermedia and Streptococcus gordonii."
USP 4454109 ("Method of Treating Periodontosis") treats
patients with an inhibitory amount of an effector strain of
Streptococcus sanguis, Strep. uberis or Actinomyces bovis.
USP 4661350 ("Dental Vaccine for Inhibiting
Periodontitis") was granted for antigens isolated from the
pili of Actinomyces viscosus, Act. naeslundii, Act.
actinomycem comitans, and Bacteroides gingivalus.
Japanese patent JP2005306890 ("Method for Moderating
Endotoxin of Periodontal Disease") utilizes
lactoferrin-related proteins and amino acids to suppress
adhesion of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans,
Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Fusobacterium nucleatum, etc.
Similar methods are described in JP2005306890,
JP2006131542, JP2006131542, JP3389556, JPH08176014,
JPH04217626, JPH05132428, JPH0952846, JPH0952822,
JPH0640869, CA1195613, DE4324859, EP1508335, etc.
Approximately 2,000 years ago, and probably much earlier, the
people of Sudan ate the bitter tubers of Purple Nutsedge .
When archaeologists analyzed the plaque on the teeth of
skeletons in an ancient cemetery called Al Khiday 2, they
found that less than 1% had cavities or any other signs of
decay, thanks to the antibacterial properties of the weed.
Stephen
Buckley, et al., reported in the journal PLOS ONE
that "This plant is a good source of carbohydrates and has
many useful medicinal and aromatic qualities, though today it
is considered to be the world's most costly weed. Its ability
to inhibit Streptococcus mutans may have contributed to the
unexpectedly low level of caries found in the agricultural
population."
Many herbs are used as breath sweeteners, and some also are
effective against the causative bacteria. Dozens of
traditional Chinese formulations include extracts of such
plants as Chocolate snakeroot, purple giant hyssop,
angelica, honeysuckle, hawthorn, licorice, mint, mulberry
leaves, dandelion, agrimony, rehmannia root, bitter orange,
loquat leaf, areca peel, magnolia bark, lotus leaves, nutmeg,
ginger, clove, cinnamon, ginseng, greenbriar roots, kudzu
flowers, Chinese perfume plant, kadsura stems, cinquefoil,
orange peel, Enokitake mushroom, Shen Nong’s Herbal, wild
ginger, cohosh, Dahurian angelica, balloon flower root,
arrowroot, Japanese raisin tree, jujube, ginkgo leaves,
gardenia, skullcap, prairie turnip, white tumbleweed, false
daisy, peony, and Chinese prickly ash.
Dr. Robert O. Nara,
D.D.S., promotes natural preventive care, and especially
recommends the use of hyaluronic acid to protect and restore
gums. He also offers PerioCleans Oral Cleansing Concentrate
for brushing and rinsing. It contains extracts of echinacea
purpurea, calendula, olive leaf, black walnut hulls, gotu
kola, chamomile, blood root, green tea leaf, prickly ash bark,
grapefruit seed, oils of peppermint, oregano, clove, thyme,
folic acid, Coenzyme-Q10, aloe vera, and chlorophyll.
Wait, there's more! A patent-search yields about 100 treatments for pyorrhea,
AKA periodontitis, the purulent inflammation of gums and
alveolar pockets. The ingredients listed in those patents
include the following vegetable substances, vitamins and
minerals which are generally recognized as safe for
unprescribed use:
Dried old orange peel, common rush, genus Thujopsis of the
family cypress, methyl salicylate, L- menthol, shellac,
hinokitiol, pine, lilac leaves, safflower extract, calcium
hydrogenphosphate anhydrous salt (mineral name monetite), rock
salt, calcium sulfate, hydroxyapatite, ascorbic acid or sodium
ascorbate, vitamin E, vitamin B6, glycyrrhizin, hinokitiol,
papain, sodium bicarbonate, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide,
Superoxide dismutase, taurine, bivalent iron salt, egg white
lsozyme, hydroxyapatite, green tea, black roasted eggplant,
active carbon, povidone-iodine & potassium iodide,
propolis, globeflower, and forsythia fruit.
Another variation of electro-dentistry is described in Chinese
patent CN1054188 ("Electronic Method and Implement for
Cleaning Teeth"), according to which, "Two electrodes are
connected to a DC power supply for electrolytic cleaning. The
dental protein deposit bearing positive charge is separated
from the teeth. The mucosa of dental deposit is dissolved in
water. The calcium in odontolith of calcium lactate is educed
out from negative electrode. Thus, the teeth or artificial
teeth are cleaned safely and effectively and the dental
periphery is cleaned in large area. The implement includes
periodontal cleaner, artificial teeth cleaner, etc."
Japanese patent JP2010275287 ("Method for Preventing
Disease in Oral Cavity") electrically applies active carbon
between gums and teeth to protect them from gingiva.
US Patent 8652645 ("Osteosynthesis with Nano-Silver")
applies a coating of silver and titanium oxide by plasma
electrolytic oxidation. The patent claims that "an Ag-TiO2
coating shows excellent properties in terms of antibacterial
efficacy (even against multi-resistant strains), adhesion and
biocompatibility. The life-time of an implant in a human body
is increased."
Related patents include US3019787 ("Apparatus for
Electrolytic Dental Desensitization"), US4495045
("Electrolytic Dental Etching Apparatus"), and IT1251515
(Electrolytic Sterilisation of Infected Root Canals).
Beginning work in 1975, Zeev Davidovitch and Edward Korostoff
( Univ. Pennsylvania) used electrical stimulation to
accelerate the migration of bone tissue by about 50%, thereby
reducing the time required to wear braces. A 3-year clinical
study with 60 patients began in 1980. Fast forward to 2017,
and the method is not yet in use. See US Patent 4153060
("Method and Apparatus for Electrically Enhanced Bone Growth
and Tooth Movement") for the technical details.
By the time one reaches the age of 50, odds are that you have
lost an average of 12 teeth out of 32 and now sport dentures
or implants. The eventual future promises that "soon" we will
be able to grow new teeth from stem cells on bone scaffolds,
thanks to encouraging research in progress.
Paul Sharpe,
a specialist in regenerative dentistry (Dental Institute of
King's College, London), has developed a new procedure whereby
stem cells are cultivated to form a bud which is inserted in
the socket of a missing tooth. Within a few months, it matures
into a fully formed tooth. Sharpe and his team set up a
company, Odontis, to exploit the technology, and received
£400,000 funding from the National Endowment for Science,
Technology and the Arts and the Wellcome Trust, but nothing
more has emerged from their lab since 2004. Technical details
of the method are described in Sharpe's patents : WO2006024856
("Jaw Bone Augmentation using Tooth Primordium"), US7588936
("Generating Teeth from Bone Marrow cells"), and US7497686
("Bone Regeneration").
Professor Jeremy Mao,
et al. (Columbia University Medical Center), also are
developing a similar method, whereby the patient's somatic
cells are collected and reprogrammed to generate a
patient-specific IPS cell line. These are cultured to produce
ameloblasts, odontoblasts, cementoblast and pulp cells which
are recombined and transplanted onto a scaffold where it grows
into a complete tooth in about nine weeks. The technique is
patent pending ( US2014302111, "Compositions and
Methods for Dental Tissue Regeneration"; US2014093481,
"Production of Dentin, Cementum, and Enamel by Cells"; US2013022989,
" Dental Stem Cell Programming", and US2011236977,
"Dental Stem Cell Differentiation", etc.).
Ståle Lyngstadaas
and his colleagues at the University of Oslo also promise to
revolutionize dental surgery with their next-generation
titanium oxide scaffold :
"With our new method, it’s sufficient to insert a small piece
of synthetic bone-stimulating material into the bone. The
artificial scaffolding is as strong as real bone and yet
porous enough for bone tissue and blood vessels to grow into
it and work as a reinforcement for the new bone...
"A lot of empty space is important. The cavities are
sufficiently large to make space not only for bone cells, but
also for blood vessels that can bring in nutrients and oxygen
and remove waste products. One of the big problems with
current materials is that they do not provide space for both
bone tissue and blood vessels."
The technology is under development by Corticalis,
which also produces "NuGel" to combat peri-implantitis, a
site-specific infectious disease that causes inflammation in
soft tissues, and bone loss around implants. According to the
Corticalis website, "NuGel is a gel that debrides implanted
implants on a nano-level. It effectively removes substantially
all of the bacteria causing peri-implantis and thus greatly
reduce the risk of peri-implantis due to bacteria. In addition
to this, NuGel has an anti-inflammatory effect."
As described in the abstract of Corticalis' patent application
(US2013115248, "Debridement Paste"), the invention
"comprises optimally activated nanoparticles of TiO2, having a
mean particle diameter (D50) of about 10-100 nm at a
concentration between 0.5-500g/L, and H2O2, at a concentration
of at the most 7.5% by volume, said composition being
antibacterial, without causing microbial resistance, and
anti-inflammatory, and wherein said composition further
comprises solid microparticles, having a mean particle
diameter (D50) of about 100-200 µm at a concentration between
0.5-300 g/L, for improved mechanical debridement and/or
cleaning of rough surfaces in the oral cavity and/or on an
implant."
In closing this review, This Writer suggests that you print a
copy to give to your dentist the next time you visit. It will
make for interesting conversation until your tongue goes numb
with anesthesia, and it might motivate the doctor to
investigate and invest in a dental ozone device or some other
product described here.