Dental Tourism Becomes Major Industry in Scotland

Written by Dentistry TodayTuesday, 10 January 2012 16:36



Dental tourism is now a big deal in Scotland.

With people looking to save money, people are flocking to Scotland for low-cost dental care. The wait time and high costs of dental treatment in other countries doesn’t exist in Scotland. Specifically, people from the United Kingdom are making these trips to cut costs.

Instead of travelling to Hungary for dental treatment, Scotland may become the new popular destination for dental care.

There are some people who are contacting dentists in Scotland and then choosing whether to travel to Scotland or Hungary.

In countries where cosmetic dentistry isn’t around or in small demand, this dental tourism may be vital. It can provide people with service they wouldn’t otherwise have access to.

As beneficial and cost-efficient as dental tourism may be, it’s still essential to do so some research before making the trip. If a procedure is messed up, you may end up paying more money in addition to suffering from some major health problems.

Dental Visits Essential to Healthy Life

Written by Dentistry TodayThursday, 12 January 2012 08:44



Despite the poor economy, there are some areas in which costs can't be cut.

One of them is dental coverage. Maintaining good oral health leads to having solid overall health.

There are no concrete statistics on the dwindling number of people visiting the dentist but many studies indicate people are visiting the dentist less often. Gallup-Healthways surveyed about 177,000 Americans from January through June 2011 and found that 35 percent of Americans didn't visit the dentist in the last 12 months.

There are plenty of issues that could develop without regular dentist visits. Plaque and tartar may build up and turn into tooth decay, among other issues.

Saving money now by skipping dental visits will result in paying more later. When a tooth begins to decay, it won't heal without any dental treatment—and sometimes it's even too late for the dentist to fix the problem.

A person may also be suffering from oral cancer or jaw diseases and not know it without visiting the dentist. There's a plethora of other health problems that may develop because of an oral health problem.

That's why it's vital for people to minimize consumption of sugary foods and beverages. Water is the best drink to enable this to happen.

Brushing and flossing between dental visits are also essential functions for maintaining oral health.

Dentists Play Pivotal Role in Looking for Oral Cancer

Written by Dentistry TodayTuesday, 10 April 2012 10:51



Regular dental visits may be the best way to detect oral cancer, according to the Academy of General Dentistry.

It’s best for people to visit a dentist once every six months based on the recommendation of the Academy of General Dentistry. This issue is being discussed now because April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month.

A dentist may check for lumps or obscure tissue changes in the neck area, head, cheeks and oral cavity. The dentist will also look to see if there are any sores or tissues that are discolored.

More than 30,000 new cases of oral cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 8,000 of those people die from oral cancer. The five-year survival rate from oral cancer stands at 50 percent.

Like many forms of cancer, the key in treating oral cancer is diagnosing it early enough before it spreads.

Some of the warning signs include bleeding sores in the mouth, sores that don’t heal, lumps in the mouth, a feeling that something is caught in the throat, trouble chewing or swallowing, and many other symptoms. The worries associated with these symptoms can be eased by simply visiting the dentist on a regular basis.

Women in 40s Impacted by Dental Phobia

Written by Dentistry TodayFriday, 13 April 2012 07:25



Women older than 40 are often scared to visit the dentist.

A University of Sydney study came to this conclusion after conducting research among a wide range of age groups. The research had been happening for five years. The conclusion was that women in the 40-plus age range had the greatest chance to be struck by depression and anxiety regarding dental visits.

The study also determined that 40 percent of people in the western world experience some type of fear when visiting the dentist.

The study analyzed the differences among the people who didn’t have a fear of the dentist and people who feared the dentist among patients in Australia in reference to how long they would wait before contacting the dentist. People without a fear of the dentist generally waited 3 days before contacting the dentist about a problem. The people who feared dental visits waited about 17 days before calling the dentist.

There are other studies, like one that the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine did, that indicated that around 30 to 40 million Americans don’t go to the dentist. These people will do anything to avoid going to the dentist because of their fear.

New Test Could Enable Dentists to Detect Oral Cancer Faster

Written by Dentistry TodayTuesday, 17 April 2012 15:20



It’s possible that it may take only 20 minutes to diagnose oral cancer.

The new test involves the dentist collecting stem cells from the patients’ mouths and then utilizing a computer program to analyze the diagnosis one way or the other. The whole process takes 20 minutes, light years ahead of the current methods, which include taking a biopsy and then awaiting the results from a lab. The results may not be in for roughly two to three weeks.

Researchers from the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom and researchers from Rice University have been working on a two-year trial. If the trial is a success, the new method will first be utilized in the UK.

The test uses small sensors and biologic agents that are attached to a portable machine. The actual testing device, known as lab on a chip, is about the size of a credit card. The test can be used in dental practices, providing dentists with the opportunity to test for oral cancer at their practice. The patients wouldn’t have to be anxious about the results for a period weeks and, instead, could learn the results that day.

There are 275 people who have signed up for the trial in the UK. There were 20 of those patients that tested positive for oral cancer and didn’t know they had the disease. The current rate of survival for oral cancer (50 percent) may receive a huge increase because of this test. Early treatment of oral cancer can result in about a 90-percent survival rate.

Professor Martin Thornhill, one of the leaders of the study, thinks the test will become a standard part of dentistry in the UK during the next five years. The test is useful because it can test patients who come in for a basic dental checkup or those patients that have an ulcer, a lesion or some reason to suspect they may have oral cancer. Oral cancer can be confirmed or ruled out in a matter of minutes based on this test.