Many people are avoiding regular visits to the dentist because they’re scared about how much it will cost, according to new research published by Simplyhealth. They polled nearly 12,000 British adults for their Annual Dental Survey 2012, and found that more than 20% said the cost of dental treatment was too high for them to Read More…
Tina the elephant on the mend after dental surgery
Seeing as it’s Friday, we’ve got some slightly offbeat dental news for you… Tina, an Asian elephant at Belfast Zoo, has undergone dental surgery, and is now recovering. After zookeepers noticed Tina seemed to be experiencing some discomfort, they informed the zoo’s vet, Michael Griffith. He found that one of the elephant’s tushes had broken Read More…
New research questions the link between missing teeth and sleep apnoea
There have been a number of studies suggesting that a link exists between edentulism (the condition of having one or more missing teeth) and obstructive sleep apnoea (also known as OSA – a syndrome characterised by repeated pauses in breathing during sleep). In 2006, for example, a study carried out at the Department of Biomedical Read More…
Do redheads feel more pain when visiting the dentist?
For many people, visiting the dentist can be a source of anxiety, and we always do everything possible to put our patients at ease. But could having ginger hair make you more sensitive to pain, meaning you need extra anaesthesia during dental treatment or other surgery? This is a question researchers have been trying to Read More…
Anaesthetic gel from the Peruvian jungle could replace the dentist’s needle
Researchers have developed a new anaesthetic gel from the Acmella oleracea plant – a yellow flowering herb which is found deep in the rainforests of Peru. They claim that the gel could replace the dentist’s needle, which would be welcome news to the many patients for whom injections can cause a great deal of anxiety. Read More…