Dentists at the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry in Chapel Hill are performing a new procedure that removes teeth deemed unnecessary and places them where the teeth may be more needed, according to The Daily Tar Heel.
The autotransplantation procedure involves 'throwaway teeth." UNC dentists are among the first in the U.S. to perform this procedure.
"Tooth autotransplantation is taking a tooth from a place where you may not need it and moving it to another place where it could be better used," Jessica Lee, DDS, a professor and chair of pediatric dentistry at UNC, told The Daily Tar Heel.
Dentists in Europe and Canada routinely perform this procedure, which has a 90 percent success rate, according to Sonny Long, DDS, a pediatric dentist and orthodontist.
In one case, an accident caused a pediatric patient to lose her two front teeth. Surgeons transplanted one tooth from the lower part of her mouth and placed it in the spot where one of the front teeth was missing. The dentists were then able to close the gap.
To read more, click here.
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The autotransplantation procedure involves 'throwaway teeth." UNC dentists are among the first in the U.S. to perform this procedure.
"Tooth autotransplantation is taking a tooth from a place where you may not need it and moving it to another place where it could be better used," Jessica Lee, DDS, a professor and chair of pediatric dentistry at UNC, told The Daily Tar Heel.
Dentists in Europe and Canada routinely perform this procedure, which has a 90 percent success rate, according to Sonny Long, DDS, a pediatric dentist and orthodontist.
In one case, an accident caused a pediatric patient to lose her two front teeth. Surgeons transplanted one tooth from the lower part of her mouth and placed it in the spot where one of the front teeth was missing. The dentists were then able to close the gap.
To read more, click here.
More articles on dental:
Tufts University dental school selects new dean: 5 notes
42 North Dental makes 21st acquisition since being backed by private equity firm
Nevada university allegedly overpaid dentist $460K