DR DANISEL GIL

Tooth Regeneration Gel Could Replace Painful Fillings Could this new gel be the biggest dental breakthrough since the introduction of fluoride? By Eric Bland | Mon Jun 28, 2010 06:00 AM ET Dentists could soon hang up their drills. A new peptide, embedded in a soft gel or a thin, flexible film and placed next to a cavity, encourages cells inside teeth to regenerate in about a month, according to a new study in the journal ACS Nano. This technology is the first of its kind. The new gel or thin film could eliminate the need to fill painful cavities or drill deep into the root canal of an infected tooth. "It's not like toothpaste," which prevent cavities, said Nadia Benkirane-Jessel, a scientist at the Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale and a co-author of a recent paper. "Here we are really trying to control cavities (after they develop)." Drilling teeth and filling them is safe and effective. Dentists fill millions of cavities each year acros...

We've seen creepy dental practice 'bots from Japan before, though this one gives us the heebie-jeebies even more than the last one. Called "Hanako," the robot is a collaboration between the experts at Tmsuk and several Japanese universities, and is designed to simulate a patient's response to questions and dental work. Hanako will respond when greeted and asked several questions, and will react to the dental student working on its mouth. She can open and close her mouth when ordered, perform random actions such as a sneeze and even discharge saliva. Touch sensors in her mouth will have her wincing in pain if a press is too hard or an instrument goes somewhere it shouldn't, or gag violently if things go south. Better a 'bot than a real person for clumsy dental students to practice on, I guess. Thanks, Hanako! See it in action in the video below.

People who snore loudly are often the target of bad jokes and middle of the night elbow thrusts; but snoring is no laughing matter. While loud disruptive snoring is at best a social problem that may strain relationships, for many men, women and even children, loud habitual snoring may signal a potentially life threatening disorder: obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA.

Because the mouth is a region where changes can be easily seen, oral cancer can be detected in its early stages. Performing a self examination regularly will help in the early recognition and detection of oral cancer, and increase the chance for cure.