A Cochrane Review of Dental Cleanings surprisingly showed no clear
evidence that they are effective. So if you have to pay for them,
there is at least some authoritative evidence that you could skip them
without harm.

See: http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2008/...ning_teeth.php

and:

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.co...eaning-a-scam/

Here are a few quotes from those sites:

It turns out there is an entire journal called "Evidence Based
Dentistry." And in just a few minutes, I was looking at a formal
Cochrane review titled "Insufficient evidence to understand effect of
routine scaling and polishing."
The review looked for evidence to answer two related questions:

The first is, do scale and polish procedures [having your teeth
cleaned] lead to any difference in periodontal health compared with no
scale and polish? Second, does the interval between these scale and
polishing procedures make any difference?

The results were not heartening for those of us who have suffered
through dozens upon dozens of cleanings. The meta analysis of
qualifying studies suggested that the evidence was mixed, at best. For
example, there is not strong evidence that hygienist cleaning reduces
gingivitis:

The authors of the only study that found differences in gingivitis
scores (at 6, 12 and 22 months) deemed those differences clinically
irrelevant....

My dad always told me that dealership rust-proofing was a scam to give
dealerships some extra cash without providing your car with any extra
protection. Could getting your teeth cleaned be the economic
equivalent to having a car dealership rust-proof your car?

On Nov 16, 2:17*am, dinolamam...@gmail.com wrote:

You ask an important question.

What do "dental cleanings" do?

(1) removes stain

(2) removes tartar(calculus)

(3) disrupts plaque

(4) finds holes and imperfections in the teeth and fillings in the
teeth

(5) may cause bleeding, identifies capillary fragility

(6) may cause bacteremia and sensitive teeth and tissues

(7) may reduce inflammation in the gum tissue which can then shrink
and change color




David DiBenedetto, DMD, author of "Insider's guide to gum disease,
orthodontics, and dentistry. What is not taught in dental school."

Fools will gladly swallow any bit of pseudo-science and call it yummy,
true, and don't that make the pros look stupid !

Try researching "periodontal disease" in dogs and cats for starters.

Don't brush, don't floss, don't get professional cleanings, and there
is a nice set of dentures waiting in your future ! 8-()

BTW full dentures are a piss poor substitute for natural teeth.


On Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:17:08 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

>A Cochrane Review of Dental Cleanings surprisingly showed no clear
>evidence that they are effective. So if you have to pay for them,
>there is at least some authoritative evidence that you could skip them
>without harm.

On Sun, 16 Nov 2008 12:20:22 -0500, Steven Bornfeld
<> wrote:

>
> I wonder how this Cochrane group seems to be more expert on everything
>than the experts.
> Any number of studies of experimental gingivitis can demonstrate a
>clear correlation between presence of plaque and calculus and
>gingivitis. Do they evaluate brushing and flossing as well?
>
>Steve

Mebbe they should consult with David DiBenedetto DMD.
He thinks he knows everything.

Though his last two posts were a bit confusing since they came
from "Mr. KnowItAll". Curious that.

Dr. King sure was funny in his response.

On Sun, 16 Nov 2008 11:28:19 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

>You ask an important question.

And DumbBentdick, you answer none.

A plethora of pseudo-scientific nonsense comes from your keyboard.

You may as well post pictures of your dripping anal orifice.

Would be just as relevant, stink, and is equivalent to your
verbal diarrhea.

Uh, major conflict of interest here, Sir. Dental cleanings are the
golden horseshoe of a dental practice.
You expect us to take the words of those making car payments with
dental cleaning earnings?

He could have avoided his troubles with dental checkups.
Cleanings -- the topic -- had nothing to do with it.
This is not about avoiding dentists. It's about questioning the value
of scaling.

On Nov 18, 6:46*am, Dartos <tuthjoc...@myturbonet.com> wrote:

> Hey dude,
>
> If you want to stay away from the dentist office for years at a
> time, have at it. *You won't be hurting anyone but yourself.
>
> I see it almost every day.
>
> A guy yesterday hadn't been to the dentist in 5 years or so. *He
> needs complete scaling and root planing, several cavities fixed,
> and the problem that brought him in....pain in his upper right
> lateral incisor....started a root canal because the cavity was
> already into the pulp....and there is decay at the margin of a
> crown on the neighboring central incisor.
>
> He could have saved hundreds of dollars, avoided a toothache, and
> been in better health by visiting a good dentist regularly.
>
> Be true to your teeth or they will be false to you,
>
> D

wrote:

> He could have avoided his troubles with dental checkups.
> Cleanings -- the topic -- had nothing to do with it.
> This is not about avoiding dentists. It's about questioning the value
> of scaling.

Nothing wrong with asking the question. The defensiveness you may
sense is more like weariness, after years of being questioned on
amalgam, root canals, water lines, HIV, x-rays, and being accused of
everything from being avaricious, ignorant, greedy, insensitive, etc. etc.
I'm an old cynical coot. We never heard the term "evidence-based
dentistry" until the last couple of years. I hope the marketing genius
who came up with the term got paid well.
What do you think we were doing before that? The research journals
that have been published since way before G.V. Black were pulled out of
someone's ass?
Periodontal disease is a very complex process, involving multiple
phenomena and tissue systems. Some are understood more completely than
others.
After almost 100 years of periodontal research, I think we can be
forgiven a bit of healthy skepticism when we hear that something we do
every day may be a complete sham. But if there indeed is research that
can be cited (you know, a real research paper, not a link to a blog from
a disgruntled patient) I'd love to get my hands on it. Who knows--maybe
the earth is flat!

Steve

>
> On Nov 18, 6:46 am, Dartos <tuthjoc...@myturbonet.com> wrote:

--
Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
http://www.dentaltwins.com
Brooklyn, NY
718-258-5001

If you read the entire post, *he needs complete scaling and root
planing*. Calculus thick and deep under his gums. Regular cleanings
would have prevented this.

Period. End of story.

You need to observe in a dental office for a few weeks and the picture
would be pretty clear to you.

D

wrote:

> He could have avoided his troubles with dental checkups.
> Cleanings -- the topic -- had nothing to do with it.
> This is not about avoiding dentists. It's about questioning the value
> of scaling.
>
> On Nov 18, 6:46 am, Dartos <tuthjoc...@myturbonet.com> wrote:
>

>
> D

wrote:

|Fools will gladly swallow any bit of pseudo-science
| [...]
|BTW full dentures are a piss poor substitute for natural teeth.

As a board certified prosthodontist of some 25+ years I can tell you
without fear of contradiction that dentures are NOT a substitute for
natural teeth. They are a substitute for NO TEETH AT ALL!

Dr. G., DDS
FACP


|
|
|On Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:17:08 -0800 (PST),
|wrote:
|
|>A Cochrane Review of Dental Cleanings surprisingly showed no clear
|>evidence that they are effective. So if you have to pay for them,
|>there is at least some authoritative evidence that you could skip them
|>without harm.
--
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