The on-going obesity problem in the UK has forced dentists to adapt to their patients’ needs by investing in supersize chairs to support weights of up to 71 stone; at £25,000, the new chairs are four times the price of a standard dentist’s chair.

Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, commented that this development was not surprising, given the changes in wider seats on planes, bigger wheelchairs, hospital beds, and operating tables. Tam added that ‘the obesity problem is going to go on for at least another generation so these chairs are going to be necessary.’

A spokesperson for the British Dental Association said that this issue was certainly likely to affect general dental practice in ‘the near future’, saying that ‘the speed of the obesity epidemic has been greater than the recognition of the impending crisis by healthcare services. The cost implications for such re-equipping alone will have a very serious impact on resources.’ One dental surgery in West Swindon District Centre has had to put up a sign warning patients that the dentist’s chairs cannot hold anyone who weighs more than 35 stone.

Over the past two years, 60 Barico wide recliners have been sold and demand is on the increase; the UK supplier, Bariatric Ltd, said that ‘The Barico has a safe working load of 71 stone. Dental chairs at the moment have a safe working load of around 22 stone to 25 stone but they don’t really work at those weights once a patient is sat back.’

The American inventor of a gel designed to treat toothache has passed away aged 103, at his home in Arizona. According to an obituary in the Associated Press, David Morris Kern was born in New York City and studied to be a pharmacist in Brooklyn; he sold pharmaceuticals and later bought a pharmaceutical manufacturing company with his brother. Working with a chemistry professor, Kern put years of research into developing a product that would ease the pain of toothache, which would later be named Orajel.

The inventors son Allen Kern said that his father was ‘really proud’ of Orajel because ‘it was the No 1 product for toothaches for years.’

Orajel is a topical analgesic that contains benzocaine, an ingredient that numbs the tissue in the mouth by blocking nerve signals travelling to the brain – this is designed to relieve toothache and any other pain that might originate around the teeth. There are several different versions available, including Orajel suitable for teething infants who are in pain. Orajel is still on sale at pharmacies all over the country today and further afield, including the UK, even though Kern sold the company in the early sixties.

At his 100^th birthday, Kern told his family and friends that the best way to stay young at heart is to remain optimistic and ‘take advantage of every day’. He also noted that he had never eaten green vegetables and drank a martini every single day.

Using unique molecular mechanisms taken from the teeth of American alligators, researchers at the University of Southern California are hopeful that they may have made significant progress in helping humans renew teeth that are lost during adulthood; an alligators teeth can be replaced as many as fifty times during their lifetime.

The study has revealed that alligator teeth are far more complex than human teeth, with a functional tooth, a replacement tooth, and a dental lamina – which is a band of tissue that is crucial to tooth development; something which human beings have too. Cheng-Ming Chong, professor of pathology at the University, said that ‘Ultimately, we want to identify stem cells that can be used as a resource to stimulate tooth renewal in adult humans who have lost teeth. But, to do that, we must first understand how they renew in other animals and why they stop in people.’ Most vertebrates can replace teeth over the years but human teeth are only naturally replaced once, during adolescence.

The researchers are studying alligator teeth to find out whether the smooth transition from dislodgement to a functional tooth replacement could benefit human beings in the future. Associate professor of pathology Randall B. Widelitz explained that the idea is based around stem cells found in the dental lamina layer, which will replicate teeth in the alligators jaw bone. He added ‘In the future, we hope to isolate those cells from the dental lamina to see whether we can use them to regenerate teeth in the lab.’

According to the Sunday Express, almost a fifth of people in the UK have given up going to see their dentist due to the high prices and around a third of adults are no longer registered with an NHS clinic. Industry experts are worried that a surge in DIY dentistry could mean that patients are leaving themselves open to injury and they are at risk of dental problems that could easily be identified and treated during the early stages.

Cases that have sparked concern include that of a Gulf War veteran from Yorkshire who pulled out thirteen of his own teeth using pliers, after he developed severe toothache and could not find an NHS dentist to help him. Another instance involves a 46-year-old man from South London who had to undergo major surgery after glue he used to stick his dental crown back in caused the bone to rot beneath the gums. Dentists have also reported patients who have attempted home whitening using household cleaning products and some that are popping ulcers with pins.

Chief Dental Officer for NHS England, Barry Cockcroft, reminded patients that children get treatment for free under the NHS, as do about a third of the adult population, and added that the number of people visiting the dentist for a check-up has improved since May 2010. In reference to treatment prices, he said ‘For those who do pay, NHS dentistry charges are very simple. Anyone worried about charges should speak to their dentist, who can help them ensure their treatment is affordable. No one should feel any need to put themselves in danger by attempting their own dentistry.’

Frontman of Celtic punk band The Pogues has been posting messages online to try and fix his bad teeth so that he can start his Hollywood film career; Shane MacGowan’s rock and roll lifestyle has been clear for all to see with his infamously rotten smile and now he wants to find a dentist who can help improve his teeth. The singer had dentures fitted in 2009 but no longer wears them; instead he and his girlfriend Victoria Mary Clarke have launched a Twitter appeal to get dental treatment; the pair even offered an advertising campaign in exchange for the high profile work.

Victoria tweeted to followers ‘Shane is keen to find a dentist, so he can start in Hollywood film. Pogues/Shane fans who are great dentists please apply!’ Later on, she added ‘Shane promised to do advertising for the winning dentist!!!!’

The official Twitter account also alerted fans to Shane’s search, saying ‘ALERT! Job offer of lifetime. Any Pogues/Shane Mac fans who are great dentists please tweet @Victoriamary to work on the great man himself!’

Shane’s smile has long been his identifying feature; he has suffered extensive tooth loss – due to many years of drinking and smoking. The singer even admitted that his rough appearance and hedonistic lifestyle left fans assuming that he must already have passed away, with many telling him ‘I thought you were dead!’ upon meeting him.

According to The Irish Times, people in the South of Ireland are travelling north to get a better price for their dental treatment; many dental practices are effectively private clinics within the National Health system and have a large list of patients, around 1,000 per surgeon. Due to extreme discrepancies in treatment prices, people are prepared to travel to Northern Ireland to get a better deal.

Seamus O’Hagan, partner at O’Hagan and Murray Dental Surgeons in Newry, is used to patients crossing the border to arrange treatment, saying his practice sees around fifteen cases per day. He commented that most people who approach their clinic were looking for root canal fillings, saying ‘If there’s [a treatment] with a big price disparity – root canals, crown and bridge work – they come North. They also come for cosmetic treatments such as coloured fillings or tooth-whitening.’ According to Mr O’Hagan, his prices start from 178euros for this sort of procedure, whereas a clinic in the South of Ireland would charge at least 300euros.

One Southern dentist, Tom Rodgers, said that he tries to keep his prices comparable with the North, although this is sometimes a struggle due to State funding. Mr Rodgers went on to say ‘I got zero help [from the state] when I started here. The only way I got anything was by going in and talking to the bank. They loaned me the money and I’m still paying it off. ‘He added that the Government in the South of the country have cut medical benefits and PRSI, adding that ‘In terms of dental healthcare here in the Republic, there is definitely a ticking time bomb.’

A new gel that dissolves tooth decay could soon be a viable alternative to the dreaded dentist’s drill, if new scientific research is to be believed; the gel, which is made from a compound of fruits and leaves from the papaya tree, softens decayed minerals so that they can be easily scraped away and replaced with filler material. In some cases, patients won’t even need a local anaesthetic for the treatment.

The gel has been undergoing clinical trials in Brazil and researchers are hopeful that it could have applications with other areas of dental treatment, in particular with treating children who might be nervous about the dentist’s drill. Hugh Devlin, professor of restorative dentistry at the University of Manchester commented on the research, saying ‘This is an interesting material, and may be useful treating young children. However, we still need more research before this type of gel can be adopted into mainstream dentistry.’

The gel is currently being tested on twenty patients, using a placebo gel alongside it, to compare the effects. Early results have been positive and the team hope to release it onto the market within the next three years, providing the human trials are successful long-term. Hugh added that ‘Generally, we need more spending on research into restorative dentistry to produce similar developments in this country.’

Star of hit comedy The Hangover, has revealed that he had a tooth implant removed when he read in the script that his character would have a missing tooth. American actor Ed Helms, who plays Stu in the Hangover trilogy, confirmed that he had an implant taken out for filming and mentioned that it affected his speech to the point where he sounded inebriated on set.

The 39-year-old explained to The Hollywood Reporter that his character needed to have a lateral incisor missing to fit with the storyline but he also had to keep a full set of teeth for his day job, playing Andy Bernard on the US version of comedy TV show The Office. Ed said ‘(My dentist) made me a flipper with the false tooth on it that I could take in and out because I was still shooting The Office.’

Unfortunately the flipper had an unexpected effect, causing a slight slur in Ed’s speech, he told the magazine that he didn’t explain the situation to any of his colleagues because ‘they would lose their minds’, adding ‘I would show up for work (on The Office) with this appliance in my mouth, and it really affected my speech. If you watch those episodes, I sound drunk.’

The Hangover III is set for release at the end of May this year.

According to Closer magazine, Hollywood actress Winona Ryder has decided to reduce her Botox use in an effort to avoid looking ‘overdone’ in the future. At 41-years-old, there’s no denying that the star is looking very youthful, and that seems to have been thanks to Botox injections, at least in part, but now Winona is apparently embracing the aging process and is taking a break from the anti-wrinkle treatment.

Friends of the actress told Closer that Winona made the decision ‘after seeing the faces of other Hollywood stars,’ because she ‘realised she doesn’t want to look overdone and has cooled offer her Botox sessions.’ The source went on to say that the Edward Scissorhands star was worried that too much Botox would hinder her acting and stop her from being able to effectively form facial expressions, which would certainly impact her career in the long run. According to her friends, Winona was also concerned about the addictive nature of plastic surgery, especially in Hollywood, the source said; ‘The last thing she wants is a distorted face that affects her acting. She doesn’t want to get obsessive about it.’

As well as Botox injections Winona is rumoured to have undergone a breast augmentation operation and a rhinoplasty. In the past, she has spoken about using organic skincare products to keep her complexion youthful and soft.

According to new statistics released by the Scottish Government, people in Glasgow are costing more money than the rest of Scotland when it comes to dental treatment – approximately £57 for adults and £73 for children in the last year. NHS Ayrshire and Arran came in second, with around £52 for adults and £71 for children. The cheapest place for tooth care was Orkney, spending as little as £23 on adult dental treatment.

Experts say that the dramatic difference in price is probably caused by poor diet in some areas of Scotland, along with a lax attitude towards oral hygiene; overall, people who fail to brush their teeth or teach their children good hygiene habits cost the NHS almost £260million last year. Clinical director for the Scottish Centre for Excellence in Dentistry, Arshad Ali, said that it was important for parents to set a good example with dental hygiene; he said ‘In areas with higher levels of deprivation, such as Glasgow, information shows that dental health is poorer. Poor dental health is very much related to diet and frequency of tooth brushing. It is important that people brush regularly with fluoride toothpaste and for parents to pass on good advice to their children.’

Mr Ali also added that any symptoms of dental problems should be addressed quickly, saying ‘It is important to get treatment early. You will get parents who bring children in at the first sign of a problem and other wait till their children are in real pain. At this point, the cost of treatment will be higher.’