Dry Socket

 Dry Socket or Alveolar Osteitis is a painful condition that can arise after a permanent adult tooth extraction. 

It happens when a blood clot does not form in the cavity to protect the exposed tissues.

It usually happens 3–5 days after surgery. A dry socket is a condition in which there is inflammation of the jawbone (or alveolar bone) after tooth extraction.

About 2% to 5% of people — develop dry sockets after a wisdom tooth extraction. 

After a tooth extraction, you're at risk of developing dry socket. 

This risk is present until you're fully healed, which may take 7 to 10 days in many cases.

Causes

The precise cause of dry socket remains the subject of study. 

Researchers suspect that certain issues may be involved, such as:

• Bacterial contamination of the socket
• Trauma at the surgical site from a difficult extraction, as with an impacted wisdom tooth

Risk factors

Smoking and tobacco use

 Sucking through a straw, or forceful spitting after extraction

Oral contraceptives

Improper at-home care

Having dry socket in the past

Tooth or gum infection

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of dry socket may include:

• Severe pain within a few days after a tooth extraction
• Partial or total loss of the blood clot at the tooth extraction site, which you may notice as an empty-looking (dry) socket
• Visible bone in the socket
• Pain that radiates from the socket to your ear, eye, temple or neck on the same side of your face as the extraction
• Bad breath or a foul odor coming from your mouth
• Unpleasant taste in your mouth
• So it's important to seek dental care. If left untreated, this can lead to infection and other complications.
• Dry socket is treated by your dentist by flushing it thoroughly with saline, and then packing it with medicated paste or dressing.

 Dry socket, or alveolar osteitis, can last for up to 7 days or even more.

by,

Dr.Renju T George,

India.

Light Curing

  

 Light Curing

Light Curing is the energy to fully polymerize the light cure based dental material.

It can be used on several different dental materials that are curable by light.

 The light used falls under the visible blue light spectrum. 

This light is delivered over a range of wavelengths and varies for each type of device. 

There are four basic types of dental curing light sources: tungsten halogen, light-emitting diodes, plasma arcs, and lasers. 

The two most common are halogen and LEDs.

There are two types of LED curing lights: those that contain blue-only LEDs and poly-LED curing lights .

Most manufacturers have stopped making Halogen curing lights, partly because LED lights are more efficient than halogen light sources, but also because the incandescent bulbs of it will soon become scarce. 

How much light produced?

Halogen light deliver a broad spectrum of light of 400 mW/cm2 during 40 seconds of curing.

LED curing lights that contain blue-only LEDs and provide blue light within a narrow spectral range of 440 nm to 490 nm, and poly-LED curing lights that deliver a broader spectrum of light in the range of 390 nm to 490 nm.

Resin composite’s instructions for use states that the curing light’s minimum irradiance output should be at least 300 mW/cm2 to 400 mW/cm2.

 Currently, most QTH curing lights deliver at least 600 mW/cm2, and some lights that use specialized turbo tips can deliver more than 1,300 mW/cm2.

The latest generation of LED curing lights can deliver an irradiance output greater than 2,000 mW/cm2, and some poly-LED curing light devices include supplemental LEDs that emit light at additional wavelengths

 Depending on the shade and brand of composite resin, the minimum energy requirements to photopolymerize resins range from 6 J/cm2 to 24 J/cm2 for a 2-mm increment of composite.

So in 20 seconds 16 J/cm2 is delivered to polymerize the material used.

Not all lights are the same. They do not deliver the same amount of light.

eg;- Valo, Demi, Radical

COLLIMATION

Light must be focused.

Lense to focus light. It  can be of acrylic or optic fiber.

Light as Wave ( Colours )

The need for different wavelenght is a hidden reality.

whichever colour is being emitted ,it should be homogeneous.

Tips for Using a Curing Light

Before use, inspect the light guide tip and remove any contaminants on the surface. 

 The light tip should be at right angles to the tooth surface being restored .

Stabilize the light when curing; use a finger rest.

Begin curing 1 mm away from tooth; after 1 second bring the tip as close to the tooth as possible.

Increase the light exposure time for preparations more than 2 mm to 3 mm deep .

Air-cool the tooth and the restoration during each light-curing cycle.

 

 by,

DR.RENJU T GEORGE,

INDIA.

 

Artificial Intelligence In Dentistry

 Artificial Intelligence In Dentistry

AI can improve quality in the dental field using image detection, classification, and segmentation.

AI is when computers and other machines mimic human cognition, and are capable of learning, thinking, and making decisions or taking actions.

This software uses a cloud-based algorithm.

AI works by combining large amounts of data with fast, iterative processing and intelligent algorithms, allowing the software to learn automatically from patterns or features in the data.

In the beginning we used paper works then changed it to digital and the future is AI.

Paper →→Digital ⟶⟶ AI

In AI ,data is processed to make models.

This data processing  mainly consists of two steps.

1. Computer Vision 

2. Pattern Recognition

Computer vision is mainly based on image recognition.

Pattern Recognition -  Profile

                                   History

                                   Symptoms 

These 3 are needed in pattern recognition.

Uses of AI

Can detect any pattern and images

• Diagnosis
• Jaw bone growth pattern prediction
• ortho treatments
• decision for extraction
• detection of caries
• vertical fracture analysis
• Morphology of roots
• In endodontic treatments

 There are also other areas in which AI can be widely used.

Limitations of AI 

1. AI focuses only  limited areas.

2. It cannot understand meaning. So No emotions like humans.

future is AI

by,

DR.RENJU T GEORGE,

INDIA.

Efficacy of Covid19 Vaccines

 Efficacy of Covid19 Vaccines

Recently I have gone through several publications and medias regarding the effectiveness of covid19 vaccines and turned out with this. This is not an official declaration .

Pfizer  (USA) - 94.3%

Moderna (USA) - 94.1%

Johnson And Johnson (USA) - 85%

Abdala (Cuba) - 92.28%

Novavax (UK) - 91%

Covishield (INDIA) - 82%

Covaxin (INDIA) - 77.8%

Sputnik V (RUSSIA) - 91.6%

Sputnik Lite (RUSSIA) - 79.4%

Sinopharm (CHINA) - 70%

Note:-Courtesy marunadan

How to prevent root canal treatment ?

 How to prevent root canal treatment?

Once a tooth gets a cavity, the best way to prevent root canal treatment is to get your tooth filled before the cavity reaches the pulp of the tooth; in other way when cavity becomes big.

For this you need a regular dental follow up.

Always remember cavity starts as a pin point and invades like a hole; deep inside. It is such a way that you won't get any symptoms.

The degree of progression of decay or cavity vary from person to person . It depends on various factors.

In order to  prevent getting a cavity you need to maintain a good oral hygiene.

For more on tooth cavity

https://dentalclinic-palarivattom.blogspot.com/2014/06/dental-cariestooth-decay.html?m=1

PREVENTION is better than cure.

So you can prevent it!

By,

Dr. Renju T George,

India. 

Delta Plus Covid19

 Delta Plus Covid19 

Covid 19 Delta Plus Variant: It is a new variant of coronavirus.

 Delta Plus is a sub-lineage of the Delta variant first detected in India, which has acquired the spike protein mutation called K417N.

Indian virologist said the K417N was known to reduce the effectiveness of a cocktail of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies.

For the moment, this variant does not seem to be common, currently accounting for only a small fraction of the Delta sequence.

Delta and other circulating Variants of Concern remain a higher public health risk as they have demonstrated increases in transmission.

SYMPTOMS

Dry cough, diarrhoea, fever, headache, skin rash, discoloration of fingers and toes, chest pain, and shortness of breath.

by,

DR.RENJU T GEORGE,

INDIA.

Black Fungus in covid patients

 Mucormycosis or black fungus is an opportunistic fungal infection that is rare but serious.

This fungus is common in the environment but people get infected by inhaling the fungal spores.

It most commonly affects the sinuses or the lungs after inhaling fungal spores from the air. It can also occur on the skin after a cut, burn, or other types of skin injury.

Fungal infection seen in covid 19 patients is mainly rhino-cerebral mucormycosis.

It is not a black fungus, but the tissues in the affected areas get necrotized and become black in colour.

Symptoms 

Warning signs include pain and redness around the eyes or nose, with fever, headache, coughing, shortness of breath, bloody vomits, and altered mental status

According to the advisory, infection with mucormycetes should be suspected when there is:

* Sinusitis — nasal blockage or congestion, nasal discharge (blackish/bloody);

Headache,Facial pain

* Tooth pain, Loosening of teeth,Numbness, jaw involvement;

* Blurred or double vision with pain;

One side facial swelling and numbness 

* Thrombosis, necrosis, skin lesion resulting in blackish discoloration over the bridge of nose and upper jaw of mouth.

An increase in the use of corticosteroids in covid patients also results in mucormycosis.

 WHO ARE AT RISK?

Uncontrolled Diabetic

Immunocompromised patients such as cancer patients, organ transplant patients, stem cell transplant patients, HIV patients.

Neutropenia( low number of white blood cells)

Long-term corticosteroid use

Long-standing oxygen therapy

Iron overload

Treatment

If immediately treated can save the patient with anti-fungal drugs.

It may eventually require surgery.

 To control diabetes, reduce steroid use, and discontinue immunomodulating drugs.

Prevention

Good oral hygiene and face.

Diabetics should be controlled

Use masks if you are visiting dusty construction sites. 

Wear shoes, long trousers, long-sleeved shirts, and gloves while gardening.

 Maintain personal hygiene including a thorough scrub bath.

by,

DR.RENJU T GEORGE,

INDIA