Wednesday, February 19, 2014

A Teenager Poised to Change the Future of Dentistry

Tooth decay has been around since prehistoric man.  In years past, the only alternative was to pull a decayed tooth.  Then came the onset of dental fillings and root canals, crowns, veneers and dental implants to restore the mouth.  These procedures among others have given dentists the ability to make a mouth whole.  Now, it looks like a high school student has been named a semifinalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search,a prestigious pre-college science competition, and it's all about teeth.

Laura Fulton,18 is has a promising patent on tooth enamel that she has researched for two years as a student at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. This is where she tested her synthetic tooth enamel and the adherence to damaged teeth.  It's been proven safe, biocompatible and having the structure of natural teeth.  It's safer than amalgam filling and does not leach the dreaded (BPA Bisphenol A).

Currently, gold, silver, mercury, plastics or and amalgam are used to restore teeth. The new synthetic enamel could change it all.

+Kirk Kimmerling DDS and +Suzanna Aguilera from +Verde Pointe Dental Associates will enthusiastically be waiting the arrival of the new tooth enamel.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Who Invented Serration as in Serrated Steak Knife?

If you think you know who invented serration as in the steak knife, you must have been around 298 millions
Serration and the Dimetrodon
years ago to meet a Dimetrodon.  Paleontologist suggest this prehistoric reptile predator developed serrated teeth to eat large pray.  Joseph Burns from Syracuse, New York is credited with adding already developed serration to knives in 1919. The Dimetrodon's teeth, serrated ziphodont are credited for putting the Dimetrodon at the top of the food chain in the early Permian period. The serrated knife has been put at the top for cutting modern meat, an interesting comparison.

The Dimetrodon predator is considered a forerunner to mammals.  Scientists believe it to be the first terrestrial vertebrate to have teeth similar to crocodiles.  They were the first terrestrial vertebrate to develop cusps, teeth with points.  Dr. Robert Reisz from the University of Toronto Mississauga said, "The steak knife configuration of these teeth and the architecture of the skull suggest Dimetrodon was able to grab and rip and dismember large prey."

Putting it into perspective, the Dimetrodon lived at least 50 million years before the first dinosaurs evolved 280 million years ago.

Strangely enough, researchers looked at Dimetrodon across a 25 million year span and found that even though skull shapes did not change, tooth shape did. Serration was benefit 280 million years ago, and still is used today.

The Dimetrodon invented serration, and Joseph Burns put it to good use for modern man.