Diamonds Really Are Forever…
Date: September 26, 2013Category: Author: Infinity Dental Web
…if they’re encrusted onto your teeth. No, I’m not talking about the ‘grillz’ celebrities like Katy Perry seem to be sporting at high-profile events. Researchers at UCLA and the NanoCarbon Research Institute in Japan have found that nanodiamonds might be the future of oral health.
Now, I am not speaking of diamonds the size of an engagement ring. Nanodiamonds are microscopic spheres — specifically four to five nanometers in length and only viewable under a microscopic lens. Their potential for improving oral health could be great, researchers reported in the study published in the Journal of Dental Research.
When used in a dental implant, nanodiamonds have the potential to do wonders, including helping to improve bone growth. Osteonecrosis is one of the many diseases that diamond-encrusted teeth could combat. The disease “causes bones to break due to a reduction if blood flow” according to CosmeticDentistryGuide.co.uk. The disease eventually affects the jaw bone and movement, and it can impede someone from eating and drinking.
When bone loss occurs while a patient has a dental implant, the implant can become loose and fall out — an uncomfortable and expensive result for the patient. Thus, a strong jaw bone is necessary to maintain full functioning of the dental implant. Scientists claim nanodiamonds can “be used as a delivery system for proteins in the mouth as an improved treatment for osteonecrosis,” according to the DailyMail.
Previously, dentists would treat bone loss by a surgical operation in which a sponge, once inserted into the mouth, would transfer proteins to promote bone growth. This is incredibly expensive, and scientists on the UCLA team say nanodiamonds would be much more effective. Nanodiamonds bind to bones easier, thus administering proteins more effectively and for a longer duration of time. No invasive surgery would be required either — nanodiamonds can be injected or given as an oral rinse.
So far, trials have shown patients are tolerating the nanodiamonds well after insertion into the oral cavity. Researchers believe nanodiamonds have greater potential, possibly in treating some oral cancers and in administering different drugs to the patient.
This is exciting news in the world of oral health. Can you imagine having diamond encrusted teeth? Even if you can’t see them, that’s still pretty cool!
Dr. Mike Malone and his team practice expert cosmetic dentistry in Lafayette, LA. Dr. Malone is the former president and current accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is also the official Cosmetic Dentist of the Miss Louisiana USA and Miss Louisiana Teen USA pageants. Check out his website for more information.