THE field of dentistry has been experiencing many innovations, although these instances are not widely known, and it would therefore be of some value to examine future expectations. For example, it has been more than two decades since research scientists confirmed clinically the likelihood of people being immunized against dental caries. Having proven long before that the bacteria known as Streptococcus mutants is the principal actor in tooth decay, a comprehensive effort was made to use its protein to elicit the production of antibodies (defensive substances in the blood specific for a protein).
Evidence shows that the Cercopithecoid primates (monkeys), genetically closest to humans, can be vaccinated against acquiring tooth decay.
Vaccination is the injection of a person (or animal) to bring about immunity to an infectious germ. The term (from Latin, “cow”) originally meant immunization against smallpox because the procedure started in 1796 when English physician Edward Jenner discovered that milkmaids who had contracted the mild disease cowpox were immune to smallpox. The development of the cowpox vaccine has since led to the production of vaccines against a wide range of diseases.
It seems that two predominant factors have resulted in there not being a vaccine against tooth decay as yet. On the one hand, the American authorities have an extremely complex system in place whereby many hurdles have to be passed before a drug can be tested in humans. Secondly, as a part of the first obstacle, the tremendous impact this would have on the dental profession has protracted its consideration. Many see the introduction of a vaccine against tooth decay as the first step in the process of dentists going into virtual self-extinction.
Another procedure that is currently accepted as another future dimension within the realm of dentistry is the dental imager. This communication tool bypasses words and emotions and presents an image of a patient’s face or smile for analysis and allows the dentist to show the possible results of his proposed treatment to the patient.
It does this by capturing a still colour picture of the person’s face or smile on a television screen and then allowing the dentist to change on the picture any features of the patient’s appearance that he does not like. The result is compared side by side on the screen with the original image to give the client a ‘before and after’ picture which can then be printed out for him to take away for further consideration and to show his spouse or friends.
Images consist of a video camera connected to a computer, a monitor screen, and a video printer. The system’s heart, or rather the brain, is the software and some specialised hardware within the computer. The on-screen image is usually changed by using a device rather than a pen on a plastic pad, which directs an arrow on the screen (the cursor) to select various options which are available for altering the image. This keeps the use of the computer keyboard to a minimum, except for entering text to the screen.
The programming is very powerful, which means that while it is very simple to operate, the dentist can do some fairly mind-boggling things to the image to demonstrate to his patient the requested improvements. For example, individual teeth can be lightened or darkened; blemishes can be erased; teeth can be lengthened or widened; copied and placed into gaps; turned through any angle; flipped over to give a mirror image, and moved to and placed to any position in the image. Because of this simple-to-use ability, imagers must be the most powerful information, education, and marketing tool dentistry has ever had. This equipment is widely used in England and Germany.
Finally, there are many documented cases of teeth successfully transplanted either from one part of the mouth to another or from one person to another. And why not, aren’t hearts, kidneys, etc., being also transplanted?
