The dreaded dentist's drill and common toothbrush could become a thing of the past.
Scientists have created a solution that mimics the way the body forms new teeth - allowing natural repairs of holes without the need for drilling and filling.
Oral hygiene experts at Leeds Dental Institute have also made a mouthwash that kills plaque-making bacteria when a light is shone into the mouth.
They believed the new liquid could be available in less than three years - and perform the same job as using a toothbrush.
The mouthwash uses a molecule that is absorbed by bacteria in the mouth and destroys the harmful bug when it is activated by a bright light.
It is deemed safe as the molecule is already used by the food industry and not harmful if accidentally swallowed.
Called photo dynamic therapy, it was developed from a cancer treatment as a way of helping disabled people look after their mouths if they were unable to use a toothbrush.
The institute's research director, Professor Jennifer Kirkham, said the mouthwash could be used to treat gum disease and would only take a hygienist to perform the treatment.
She added: 'We feel confident that this is a major step change for the future.
'It is a safe way of improving oral hygiene for those patients for whom brushing is not feasible or as an adjunct to brushing.
'At the moment we are not saying it is going to take over brushing as the trials have not been done yet.
'We have now to look at how much it is going to cost. At the moment it is very cheap.'
The drilling alternative that uses a protein to naturally repair holes on the tooth's enamel, could be ready for patients within five years.
The compound works by creating a scaffold and attracting minerals that form enamel in the same way as the body creates teeth.
The chemical can be painted on teeth in small holes to prevent them decaying and becoming larger. The same treatment can be used to fill in tiny holes in teeth that cause them to become sensitive to hot and cold food and drinks.
The protein must pass British safety checks, which are currently underway. The institute is hopeful that trials will start early next year, with a view to getting a licence within five years.
Ultrasound could 're-grow' broken teeth in just 12 weeks
In a separate development, scientists revealed recently that teeth broken in an accident could soon be 'regrown' using an ultrasound machine half the size of a thumbnail.
The process could take just 12 weeks. Ultrasound is already used to help heal broken bones, now the technology is being applied to teeth.
Nanotechnology, which can reduce electronic circuitry to one thousandth of the size of a human hair, has enabled scientists to develop an ultrasound device small enough to fit inside the mouth.
A wafer-thin ultrasound chip, which is preprogrammed so that it turns on automatically, can be clipped onto the teeth. When it is on, ultrasound waves massage the gums to stimulate and increase blood flow to produce new tooth tissue.
The treatment takes just 20 minutes a day. The current version of the machine has a small handheld device which tells the patient when it is working.
Dr Tarek El-Bialy, of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, discovered the use of ultrasound to form new dental tissue from his research on rabbit incisors. He then moved on to humans and found similar results.The dreaded dentist's drill and common toothbrush could become a thing of the past.... more
The Constitution does not permit “the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home.”
From Justice Scalia’s Decision
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Washington D.C.'s sweeping ban on handguns is unconstitutional.
The justices voted 5-4 against the ban with Justice Antonin Scalia writing the opinion for the majority.
At issue in District of Columbia v. Heller was whether the city's ban violated the Second Amendment right to "keep and bear arms" by preventing individuals -- as opposed to state militias -- from having guns in their homes.
District of Columbia officials argued they had the responsibility to impose "reasonable" weapons restrictions to reduce violent crime, but several Washingtonians challenged the 32-year-old law. Some said they had been constant victims of crimes and needed guns for protection.
In March, two women went before the justices with starkly different opinions on the handgun ban.
Shelly Parker told the court she is a single woman who has been threatened by drug dealers in her Washington neighborhood.
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"In the event that someone does get in my home, I would have no defense, except maybe throw my paper towels at them," she said, explaining she told police she had an alarm, bars on her windows and a dog.
End Excerpt
Full Article at CNNThe Constitution does not permit “the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used... more
A new YouTube video raises the question of whether CNN's coverage of the clean coal debate has been biased by a multi-million dollar advertising campaign purchased on CNN by the coal industry through Americans for Balanced Energy Choices, a coal front group since renamed the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity.
The ad campaign, which began a year ago, was created by Waylon Ad, a firm representing both ABEC and the National Mining Association. A coal industry website describes the purpose of the CNN ad campaign: "The St. Louis ad agency's spot, which follows a debut effort that broke in April, suggests coal use is economically efficient and environmentally friendly.
In the latest spot, a panorama of people and faces, including a man in the middle of a field with an electric guitar, is shown as a voiceover touts coal use." The low budget video piece was posted on YouTube June 24.
Watch it for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKR-6Szlv0g
A new YouTube video raises the question of whether CNN's coverage of the clean coal... more
WASHINGTON - A presidential candidate who's named Hussein and wears a turban? A building that's called the White House but run by a black guy?
Those political images and ideas already have found their way onto TV airwaves and campaign buttons, possible harbingers of racially tinged messages in a general election involving the first black candidate to head a major party's ticket.
Though the election is more than four months away, the campaigns of Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain are shaping their strategies for dealing with such appeals.
The Obama campaign vows to fight back fiercely and fast, not repeating John Kerry's mistake of waiting to respond to the 2004 "Swift Boat" ads that Democrats saw as a smear of his military record. McCain's camp is alert for attacks on its man, too.
The McCain campaign promises to condemn any race-based political appeals. But it also insists it won't stand still for false charges of racism or for allegations merely aimed at preventing criticism of Obama on legitimate issues.
My sister(who was wearing an Obama pin) was called a n****** lover. Racism is alive and kicking it seems
WASHINGTON - A presidential candidate who's... more
"More than half of Britons think Christianity is likely to have disappeared from the country within a century, according to a survey.
Research by the Orthodox Jewish organisation Aish found that just over a third of people thought religions like Christianity and Judaism would still be practiced in Britain in 100 years' time.
Although four in 10 people said they would choose to be a member of the Christian religion, almost the same number said they would rather practice no religion at all.""More than half of Britons think Christianity is likely to have disappeared from the... more
No bid contracts with Exxon, Shell and BP will bring in western oil companies to Iraq.
BAGHDAD — Four Western oil companies are in the final stages of negotiations this month on contracts that will return them to Iraq, 36 years after losing their oil concession to nationalization as Saddam Hussein rose to power.
Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and BP — the original partners in the Iraq Petroleum Company — along with Chevron and a number of smaller oil companies, are in talks with Iraq’s Oil Ministry for no-bid contracts to service Iraq’s largest fields, according to ministry officials, oil company officials and an American diplomat.
The deals, expected to be announced on June 30, will lay the foundation for the first commercial work for the major companies in Iraq since the American invasion, and open a new and potentially lucrative country for their operations.
The no-bid contracts are unusual for the industry, and the offers prevailed over others by more than 40 companies, including companies in Russia, China and India. The contracts, which would run for one to two years and are relatively small by industry standards, would nonetheless give the companies an advantage in bidding on future contracts in a country that many experts consider to be the best hope for a large-scale increase in oil production.
There was suspicion among many in the Arab world and among parts of the American public that the United States had gone to war in Iraq precisely to secure the oil wealth these contracts seek to extract. The Bush administration has said that the war was necessary to combat terrorism. It is not clear what role the United States played in awarding the contracts; there are still American advisers to Iraq’s Oil Ministry.
End of Excerpt
Source: New York TimesNo bid contracts with Exxon, Shell and BP will bring in western oil companies to Iraq.... more
I have been very inspired by comments, posts, replies and messages from members of Current.com.
So, I got to thinking, what if we all met up and started, as a team, implementing some of these ideas we bang aound on the site and channel?
What about finding (possibly by zipcode) where we all are, and whereever possible, establishing meetups?
Maybe monthly, where we can discuss an agenda to actually brainstrom and IMPLEMENT real change.
We could pool all our resources and who knows what we could accomplish??I have been very inspired by comments, posts, replies and messages from members of... more
