It was the case of the little toothbrush that could. Most toothbrushes have a simple, but worthwhile, purpose in life: to prevent tooth decay and gum disease by cleaning teeth. But one toothbrush had a loftier mission: to save the International Space Station. How did this happen? In August 2011, the International Space Station, a … Read more
If you go to a health food store, you might notice that clove oil is touted as a natural remedy for toothaches and other dental emergency pain. But is this claim really true? Clove oil is an essential oil, extracted from the clove plant. Cloves were originally cultivated in Indonesia and were brought by Arab … Read more
As all Berliners know, you should never give up on a cracked or broken tooth. This holds true whether the tooth in question is one that can be repaired by an emergency dentist — or by an architect. Standing in the heart of the former West Berlin is a 223-foot-tall jagged tower that is nicknamed … Read more
An orangutan who looks remarkably like Chewbacca can now chew without pain thanks to a root canal. Every day, as part of their daily health check, the zookeepers at the Auckland Zoo ask the orange primates to open their mouths. One day, one of the keepers noticed that Charlie, a 31-year-old male orangutan, had a … Read more
File this one under “history of dentistry.” It seems hard to believe now, but cocaine was once touted as a remedy for tooth pain. The photo shows a 19th-century advertisement for a toothache remedy that would certainly not pass muster with modern dentists. The ad itself, which promises an “instantaneous cure” for tooth pain, might … Read more
Using a straw when drinking pop can help reduce cavities and acid damage, but there’s a catch: the straw has to be positioned in the right spot. This is because pop contains acid that can erode tooth enamel, which protects the tooth against cavities and maintains the shape of the tooth. Strategically placed straws decrease … Read more
Who says that emergency dentistry cannot be a subject for great literature? “Aunty Toothache” by Hans Christian Andersen is a parable about friendship and art. In the story, teeth serve as symbols of friendship, and losing a tooth foreshadows the death of a friend. Tooth pain accompanies, and is compared with, the pain of attempting … Read more
Here’s a scary consequence of not treating tooth pain: wild animals that prey on humans are sometimes found, post mortem, to be suffering from toothache. Because the afflicted animals have damaged or infected teeth, they are unable to hunt for their usual prey and resort to eating humans. A case in point is a polar … Read more
Scientists in Austria have made an intriguing connection between the weather and the amount of tooth pain reported by patients at emergency dental clinics. As all emergency dentists know, the number of patients who book emergency appointments can vary wildly from day to day. Scientists have also known for a long time that deep sea … Read more
Some ads for antibacterial toothpaste strongly imply that their product will help prevent heart disease. But is this claim really true? According to the Berkeley Wellness Letter, just because there is a link between gum disease and cardiovascular disease, that doesn’t necessarily mean that gum disease CAUSES heart disease. The theory goes like this: gum … Read more