Monthly Archives: September 2011

How to Clean and Reduce Plaque With Saliva

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Saliva is a complex fluid found in the mouth consisting of a mixture of secretions from the major salivary glands and the minor glands of the tissues in the mouth. Majority of saliva is produced by the three pairs of major glands – the parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands. The rest of it is produced by thousands of minor salivary glands distributed throughout the mouth and throat. Continue reading

What Is a Rest on a Partial Denture?

A partial denture consists of the following parts:

  1. Major connector-the main body of a denture which provides rigidity and unites all the parts of the denture
  2. Minor connector-connects all other parts of a denture to the major connector
  3. Denture base-the part that is adapted to the soft tissues in the region of missing teeth and will be used to support the fake teeth.
  4. Artificial teeth– replace missing teeth
  5. Direct retainer-parts of the denture that prevents the denture from dropping out of the mouth. Clasps are often used as a direct retainer.
  6. Indirect retainer-parts of the denture that prevents the denture from rocking or shifting sideways or rotating during eating or talking, eg: rests.

We will be focusing on rests in this article.

Parts of a denture

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History of Odontology

Odontology, the science of using dental information to identify a deceased person, began as early as the first century A.D. Since then, this field of study has grown to be recognized worldwide by organizations such as the American Board of Forensic Odontology. It is useful both in convicting criminals in court and in identifying victims of natural disasters. Continue reading

How to Choose a Toothbrush

What influences you to choose your present/last tooth brush? Did you purchase your last tooth brush based on its design, color or simply by its brand? In fact, choosing a correct tooth brush is an important step in keeping your teeth healthy and plaque-free.

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The History of Pepsodent Toothpaste

Pepsodent: the beginning

Pepsodent was a popular brand of toothpaste back in the mid-20th century. It was probably introduced in the earlier parts of the 20th century as a dentrifice in powder form, but eventually took on the recent-day paste form. Pepsodent was owned by the company Unilever, a British and Dutch company that sells an assortment of consumer products throughout the world, and was advertised through commercials and ads to be able to fight tooth decay and whiten teeth. Its most popular slogan was the catchy phrase, “you’ll wonder where the yellow went, when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent”, as evident in the youtube video below. Pepsodent was well-known for its minty flavor derived from sassafras, and was claimed to contain the key ingredients:

  • Irium is actually sodium lauryl sulphate, a type of surfactant (detergent) that is commonly found in toothpastes nowadays. Lauryl sulphates help to clean teeth and provide foam that helps to carry away debris. It also has antibacterial properties and can penetrate and dissolve plaque.
  • The other ingredient, “I.M.P” was purpoted to whiten teeth. What its letters individually stand for remains unknown. Continue reading

How do I Preserve Toothbrushes?

Taking proper care of toothbrushes is an important part of dental hygiene and leads to better oral health and a longer-lasting toothbrush. Today, toothbrushes are so much part of everyday life that most people do not give much thought to how they’re used. Just brush and forget about them. But consider that people put these dental implements in their mouths twice a day, every day, and it becomes clear that taking care of toothbrushes becomes an important part of oral hygiene. Continue reading

Denture Adhesives Containing Gantrez

Denture adhesives augment the same retentive mechanisms already operating when a denture is worn.  They enhance retention through optimizing interfacial forces by:  1) increasing the adhesive and cohesive properties and viscosity of the medium lying between the denture and its basal seat; and 2) eliminating voids between the denture base and its basal seat.  Adhesives (or, more accurately, the hydrated material that is formed when an adhesive comes into contact with saliva or water) are agents that stick readily to both the tissue surface of the denture and to the mucosal surface of the basal seat.  Furthermore, since hydrated adhesives are more cohesive than saliva, physical forces intrinsic to the interposed adhesive medium resist the pull more successfully than would similar forces within saliva.  The material increases the viscosity of the saliva with which it mixes, and the hydrated material swells in the presence of saliva/water and flows under pressure.  Voids between the denture base and bearing tissues are therefore obliterated. Continue reading

How to Care for a Dental Retainer

Why do we need to wear retainers?

Orthodontic retainers are worn after orthodontic treatment to provide retention and to ensure that our teeth are stabilized in their desired position. It is a very important phase of orthodontic treatment as teeth can relapse to its original position if there is no retention. Continue reading