Dental News: Penicillin Shortage in Toronto?

I've been getting reports from at least two pharmacies (One a large chain and one a small independent) that there is a shortage of Penicillin. My initial inquiries suggested that the earliest resolution to the shortage will be in December. Until then, it's been recommended to me to switch to different antibiotics to help alleviate the situation. I'll be following up on this story in the upcoming days and weeks.

Take care,

Hans.

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Dental News: Winston Churchill's Teeth Fetch $24 000 at Auction

Saw this amusing article in the Toronto Star, here's the teaser quote:

LONDON—A partial set of dentures used by former British leader Winston Churchill — described as the teeth that saved the world — sold at auction Thursday for £15,200 ($24,556).

The upper dentures, one of several sets specially made for the wartime prime minister, were used to maintain his distinctively slurred speaking style. They were bought by a British collector of Churchill memorabilia at an auction in England at three times the estimated price.

The set of dentures were unique because they were designed to be loose-fitting so that Churchill could preserve the diction famous from World War II-era radio broadcasts, experts said.

You can read the rest of the article here: Winston Churchill's Teeth Fetch $24 000 at Auction

Source: Toronto Star Online, Read and Published July 29, 2010 http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/841628--teeth-that-saved-the-world-fetch-24-000-at-auction


Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

News Article: A miracle treatment for cancer discovered in the mouth of the North American shrew

I saw this article online about an interesting potential treatment for cancer. The headline tho' is a bit over the top for such an early stage in the research.  Here's the teaser quote:

A miracle treatment for cancer may have been discovered in a very bizarre place-the mouth of the North American shrew. With its saliva, "we were able to reduce the growth of ovarian, breast and prostate cancer tumours at least as well as standard chemo," says Dr. Jack Stewart, who discovered the cancer-fighting properties of the furry mammal's paralytic venom-which it uses to stun prey-when he was working as a biochemist at Mount Allison University. Now he's the scientific adviser for Soricimed Biopharma, a small New Brunswick pharmaceutical company he founded to get the drug onto the market.

The venom contains soricidin, a peptide, that bonds to a calcium channel that's activated in the human body when cells turn cancerous. It then clogs up the channel, causing the diseased cells to self-destruct. The peptide only targets one chemical, produced by very few cells in the body, so it has almost no side effects, and is also very effective at locating tumours and detecting cancer early. "We attached a fluorescent tag to our drug and injected it into mice. Within two hours the tumours were lighting up."

Source: Tom Henheffer, Open up and say "aah":  A miracle treatment for cancer discovered in the mouth of the North American shrew, from Maclean's Online Magazine, no original date given, http://lifestyle.ca.msn.com/health-fitness/health/rogers-article.aspx?cp-documentid=24795680 Read July 10, 2010

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Trucker attempts to remove tooth while driving - Weird News - Canoe.ca

I saw this article reading the morning news and to be honest, I nearly fell off my seat. Here's the teaser quote:

Trucker attempts to remove tooth while driving - Weird News - Canoe.ca: "

A Kitchener truck driver is facing a careless driving charge but on the bright side, his tooth doesn't hurt anymore.

Lambton County OPP say they stopped a big rig driver doing some driving dentistry along Hwy. 402 on Wednesday.

Const. John Reurink told QMI Agency Saturday it's the first time he's ever heard of a driver being pulled over performing dental surgery.

'I've never heard of this sort of thing occurring before,' Reurink said, adding he has stopped drivers doing their make-up, reading a map or talking on a cellphone. 'Somebody doing an amateur tooth pulling? That's a first.'"

You can read the rest of the article here: Trucker Attempts to Remove Tooth While Driving,

Source: Canoe.ca, Read July 4th 2010 Published July 3rd 2010 http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2010/07/03/14599611.html

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Fake 'Dentists' Take Advantage of Immigrants

A nice story from the Toronto Star Online on unlicensed dentists. Here's the teaser quote:

In basements and backrooms across the province, with outdated and unsterilized tools, a cottage industry of illegal and sometimes dangerous dentistry is thriving among immigrant communities, a Toronto Star investigation has found.

Offering cut-rate prices for inferior dental care, these bogus dentists attract patients, overwhelmingly new immigrants, who share the same culture. Vulnerable, ill-informed and desperate to save money, they have low expectations for care.

You can read the rest of the story here:  Bogus `Dentists` Prey on Immigrants

Source: Toronto Star Online, Bogus 'Dentists' Prey on Immigrants, June 10, 2010 http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/821527--bogus-dentists-prey-on-immigrants?bn=1, Read on June 17, 2010

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Dental News: Toronto-based Dentist Wins Torturous Desert Race

Saw this article in the Toronto Star Online a couple of days ago. Here's the teaser quote:

A Toronto-based Canadian Forces dentist has won a gruelling weeklong, 250 kilometre footrace across Chile’s Atacama Desert beating out more experienced runners from more than two dozen countries including several Olympians.

You can read the rest of the article here:

Source: The Toronto Star online, Read April 4/09, http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/613863


Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100