Dental Health Check with Dr. Linda Niessen
Dental health topics from Dr. Linda Niessen of Baylor College of Dentistry
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Teeth Stress Test
By Dr. Linda Niessen STORY: TEETH STRESS TEST Additional information:
Monday, June 07, 2004
SCRIPT #560 SHOOT: 5/6/04
AIRDATE: Monday, June 7, 2004
DHC Master #19 Timecode:33:40
Dr. Jason Griggs is currently testing the strength of all ceramic teeth, a new technology that eliminates a layer of metal underneath porcelain. All ceramic crowns do not develop an unsightly dark line often seen after several years in ceramic fused to metal. Lab testing will determine the strength and durability of the new type of crowns.
A broken crown or bridge can prompt an emergency visit to the dentist. But dental engineers are working to prevent such problems through a special type of stress test. Dr. Linda Niessen has details in today's Dental Health Check.
No standard dental research equipment here. This is anything but a typical dental laboratory. The scientist is an engineer who tests the strength of material used to make your artificial teeth.
"We have a new type of mechanical testing machine. And it applies a repeated loading and unloading of force, which more accurately mimics what really happens in a patient's mouth."
Meet Dr. Jason Griggs. He specializes in biomaterial testing. His PhD is not in biology but in engineering.
"Now we can do computer modeling to predict the reliability of an actual prosthesis from the same material that we've tested."
Dr. Griggs must understand both physics and physiology. To help him with calculations, he uses computer software developed by NASA for testing of materials on the space shuttle.
"To predict the reliability of ceramic components in rockets but it also can be applied to dental materials."
If you have crowns, veneers, or bridges, take care of them. Never chew on ice. Don't use your teeth as a substitute for tools like a bottle opener. Leave the stress testing to the professionals in the laboratory. For Baylor College of Dentistry, Texas A&M System, I'm Dr. Linda Niessen, Channel 8 News.
Dr. Linda Niessen, clinical professor in the Department of Restorative Sciences and the Office of Communications and Development at Baylor College of Dentistry, hosts Dental Health Check, the only weekly dental feature shot on location in the nation.
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