Today's Dental News

Staggering amounts of people in Kentucky don’t have dental insurance.

The recent Kentucky Health Issues Poll showed that 51 percent of adults in the state don’t have any type of dental insurance. That comprises roughly 1.7 million people.

As result of this information, 49 percent of these patients have delayed dental treatment because of the costs.

This information comes from the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati. The research was conducted from September and October 2012. The information also indicates that 39 percent of Kentucky residents don’t have a dentist and 79 percent haven’t visited the dentist or been to a dental clinic in more than five years.

Read more: Lack of Dental Insurance Causes Problems for Kentucky Residents

It’s never too late to see the orthodontist nowadays.

Patients visiting the orthodontist are becoming increasingly older, based on some studies.

Many of these older patients are seeing the orthodontist to prevent their teeth from shifting. Their teeth are fitted for a retainer, enabling them to maintain their current position. The retainer is worn at night.

The new technology available is also making orthodontic treatment more appealing. Clear braces are appealing to everyone, even people in their 50s and older.

Read more: Orthodontists See Increase in Adult Patients

The worst fears have been realized for some of Dr. W. Scott Harrington’s dental patients.

At least 60 people have tested positive for hepatitis or HIV because of Harrington’s practice of poor sterilization and reusing needles, according to the Tulsa Health Department.

In addition to reusing needles, he also utilized rusty equipment that wasn’t cleaned the correct way.

More than 7,000 patients in his two Oklahoma dental clinics were informed in late March of the risk that may be in for. Of the more than 3,000 patients tested, 57 tested positive for hepatitis C, three for hepatitis B and one for HIV.

Read more: 60 Oklahoma Dental Patients Test Positive for Disease

Tongue piercings may result in many unwanted dental effects. There can be infection or eventual damage to the teeth that may develop from oral piercings.

The New Brunswick Dental Society recently discussed the negative things that may result from oral piercings.

People with tongue piercings are about 40 percent more likely to have some type of gum recession eventually. It’s also possible for the piercings to result in a tooth chipping or some other kind of damage. The likelihood for gum problems is also increased.

Read more: Dental Society Highlights Dangers of Oral Piercings