Dear Cosmetic Dentistry Insider,
Resin-based composites give patients the aesthetic results they want, but some of these composites can be susceptible to unsightly stains from certain foods.
A new study in the Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry looked at the interaction between different types of resin-based composites and various stain-causing food products, and found a universal microhybrid composite to be more stain-resistant than others.
Read about the other materials tested and how they measured up in this latest Cosmetic Dentistry Insider Exclusive.
In other Cosmetics Community news, teeth whitening has become one of the most popular cosmetic procedures, but some people may be overstepping the line in their quest for the perfect smile. According to recent media reports, the public's obsession with pearly whites has led to excessive whitening -- a condition some call "bleachorexia." Read more.
Meanwhile, a U.S. Federal Trade Commission judge has ruled that the North Carolina dental board's efforts to block nondentists from providing teeth-whitening services constitute an illegal anticompetitive conspiracy.
And a well-known Massachusetts dentist was recently disciplined by the state Board of Registration in Dentistry for unauthorized use of Botox and inadequate sterilization procedures. Her story is a compelling reminder that dental practitioners need to keep abreast of state and federal regulatory changes that affect their practices.
In other news, Texas dentists collected $185 million in Medicaid reimbursement for orthodontic services in 2010 -- more than the entire rest of the U.S. combined. Now state regulators are taking steps to strengthen the authorization process for Medicaid-reimbursed orthodontic braces.
On the clinical front, accurate shade matching for dental restorations is crucial to patient satisfaction. A study in Acta Odontologica Scandinavica found that a group learning approach in a clinical setting could improve students' shade-matching abilities. Click here to read more.
In business news, a start-up company in Wilton, CT, has added a unique twist to the plastic mouthguards that so many athletes wear but few enjoy. Read more about the orange, lemon, mint, and fruit punch MoGo mouthguards designed to help athletes young and old.
Finally, orthodontists topped the 2010 wage charts in Kansas, earning an average hourly wage of $117.36 last year. And a U.K. girl who spent most of her life dealing with numerous medical difficulties has been awarded first prize in a national orthodontic competition. Click here and here to read more.
