Lasers stop caries; bisphosphonate battles

Dear DrBicuspid.com member:

The laser has been the longed-for Excalibur of dentistry for years. Instead of patients suffering under the noise and vibration of the drill, lasers would do it quietly, quickly, and with minimum pain. But no one expected lasers would be a tool for preventing disease.

Yet that's what researchers at UCSF, led by the redoubtable John Featherstone, have discovered. With a carbon dioxide laser running at just the right frequency, you can radically slow mineral loss in tooth enamel. How's it work and when will it be real? Check out Senior Editor Laird Harrison's article here.

Bisphosphonate brouhaha

Although bisphosphonate drugs are great at battling osteoporosis, they can also sometimes cause osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). Or not. One study says oral bisphosphonates actually reduce the risk. Tosh! say researchers at another university. Bisphosphonates can triple your risk of developing osteonecrosis! Who's right and who's wrong? Good question. Assistant Editor Rabia Mughal maps out the ongoing battle between mighty Harvard and the plucky University of British Columbia in her piece here.

Show us the money

The government helps out the poor and elderly with half their general healthcare expenses, but a new report by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services shows that it covers barely six percent of dentistry. Will private insurance fill the gap? Click here to find out.

Join the movement...

...and vote! Join your fellow DrBicuspidians and fill out our reader survey. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll feel a thousand emotions...and you'll tell us what you dig and what you don't about DrBicuspid.com. Your insights, critiques, suggestions, and more are, as always, welcome.