Author: Alerts CC

Japan is known for its large array of products and services that people in other countries would widely consider strange, including eggs in vending machines and “Visual Kei” fashion. This month, a Japanese dental clinic will be offering yet another strange option for interested customers: a dentist dressed as a butler.

Dr. Taro Masuoka D.D.S. came up with the idea of this very unique dental offering after consulting with friends in the maid and butler cafe industry — another service unique to Japan, where customers can have coffee, tea and sweets served to them by elaborately dressed waiters and waitresses. Patients who visit PureCure dental beauty salon have the option of receiving the service, which translates to “Butler’s dental cleaning while you rest your head on his lap,” for an additional 9,800 yen ($96 USD).

“My main purpose is to entertain female otaku patients and people who dream about one day becoming ‘Ojousama’ with a butler who serves her,” says Dr. Masuoka, though the service is also open to male patients as well. Currently, the clinic is still practicing and preparing to offer the service — Dr. Masuoka admits that getting used to having a patient’s head in his lap felt embarrassing at first, but ultimately was a more comfortable solution.

He says that the overall combination is intended to help improve the experience of going to the dentist, saying that, “The medical care and assistance field is a serious one, but I wanted to offer something that lifts the spirit of both the patients and the workers while making it fun.” Tooth problems like cavities, sensitive teeth, and crooked teeth can be uncomfortable and even painful, and Dr. Masuoka’s fun clinic offerings can help prevent patients from worrying.

It’s not the first time the Roppongi-based clinic has been in the spotlight — according to Crunchyroll, the office was also the first to popularize Yaeba services. “Yaeba” is a double tooth look that is considered cute in Japan, and which can be mimicked through the use of veneers.

Seven major international automakers announced on Monday that they are recalling an estimated 2.9 million cars. Among those, four of them are automakers based in Japan. Nissan, Toyota, Mazda, and Honda are all being forced to recall hundreds of thousands of vehicles to address reported issues affecting airbags made by Takata Corp., another Japanese firm. Depending on the instance, Takata’s airbags either suddenly inflate during the course of driving, representing a significant driving hazard, or worse yet, in the event of an accident, the airbag’s inflator ruptures, leaving drivers with failed airbags. It’s just the latest in a slew of recalls that are leaving consumer confidence a little shaky as far as Japanese automakers are concerned.

Is There Any Japanese Automaker That Isn’t Taking a Hit to Consumer Confidence?
The past five years have been tough for almost every single major Japanese car maker. Toyota has had to issue recall after recall for seat belt issues, suddenly inflating airbags, and sticking accelerators that are known to have caused major injury to and the death of multiple drivers. While Toyota’s fortunes have, indeed, been the darkest, every one of the Land of the Rising Sun’s major producers has fallen victim in recent memory. Even Subaru, long having a reputation for quality and safety, is currently dealing with a recall for defective brakes as its competitors deal with their slew of issues.

How Can These Companies Recover Quickly?
As consumer confidence deflates like a violently punctured balloon, Japanese automakers will have to think quickly if they want to avoid a lack of confidence translating to a lack of sales. Many producers have started pushing dealers to offer more incentives for signing on with a company that has had some PR trouble as of late. One such push made it so car buyers with existing loans could obtain new loans at lower interest rates. It’s doubtful, however, that such a program will be enough. If consumers have finally reached their breaking point, Toyota and all the rest will need to think on their feet about new deals to make their vehicles, defective or otherwise, more attractive to the recall weary consumer.

For many Americans, the idea of undergoing extensive dental procedures to achieve a healthy, beautiful set of teeth can seem attractive — until it comes to the price tag.

But when they hear about the tiny Mexican border town of Los Algodones the self-proclaimed “dental capital of Mexico” located near Yuma, Ariz., they have a reason to smile.

According to a June 9 NPR piece, Los Algodones has a population of less than 5,500 — but about 350 of the town’s population are dentists.And because these dentists charge about two-thirds less than American dentists, tens of thousands of American patients flock to Los Algodones for major dental procedures.

The NPR article gives the example of one man who needed 22 crowns and four root canals. The crowns, or tooth-colored caps that enclose an entire tooth to restore a tooth that has been damaged by decay or trauma, and root canals would have cost $50,000 in the U.S., but just $5,000 in Mexico.

The number of dentists in such a small area also means it only takes a day or two for a crown, a bridge or even dentures to be made for a patient.

Miguel Ibarreche, who runs the diagnostic department at Los Algodone’s Sani Dental Group, told NPR that the cost of dental care is so much lower in Mexico because of inexpensive labor and real estate. Mexican dentists also don’t graduate from dental school with the amount of student debt that American dentists do, because Mexico’s government subsidizes education for many dentists.

Because most of the people who seek dental treatment in Los Algodones need extensive work done, the NPR article calls it both “a destination for dental tourism — and a reminder to floss and brush so you can avoid the place.”

Though they aren’t a new model of health care clinic, urgent care facilities are finding a particularly popular niche — a lucrative Goldilocks zone — in the wake of the Affordable Care Act. The lack of health insurance for many Americans has made them now more likely to visit urgent care centers in favor of their regular doctor (if they even have one) or the emergency room. Additionally, the fact that urgent care is an experience somewhere between the costly and crowded emergency room and the wait and inconvenience associated with seeing a primary care physician in his or her office, urgent care has become an ideal alternative.

The ACA (better known as Obamacare) means that many more Americans have health care and will be much more likely to seek treatment than before. If they absolutely did need treatment the previously uninsured became accustomed to the ER brand of treatment, which is immediate in comparison to waiting days to see a regular doctor. The previously uninsured are also less attached to seeing a regular doctor since they probably didn’t have one before. Urgent care then becomes a comfortable and convenient health care solution.

There are other reasons that encourage people to consider going to urgent care, which are largely related to money and time. There are plenty of urgent care centers for people to visit; there about 9,000 in the U.S. More than three quarters of urgent care visits are done in an hour or less, and the wait time at about 70% of urgent care clinics averages less than twenty minutes, which is really helpful to avoid missing work or school. Urgent care centers are also typically open by 8am, unlike many primary care offices which are open fewer hours. At this point, while the Goldilocks appeal of urgent care is causing an increase in the number of patients who visit them, they still aren’t as crowded as some emergency rooms; one ER in particular has seen a 12% monthly increase in patients, according to The Courier Journal.

If an injury of illness needs attention but not enough to justify the price tag of an emergency room visit or the often lengthy wait for primary care, it’s almost necessary to explore other options. Though there are retail-type clinics in drug stores, according to The Times-Picayune they simply aren’t equipped to handle the more serious but non-life threatening injuries that urgent care centers can. For example, the majority of urgent care centers in the U.S. can perform splinting procedures and care for bone fractures. The care doesn’t stop there; urgent care centers can also prescribe medications such as antibiotics and painkillers, and judge a patients needs.

Illnesses and injuries happen, and now that the ACA has insured more people, they’ll be more likely to seek treatment. As it lies somewhere between the too expensive and too crowded ER, and the too distant and too inconvenient primary care appointment, many Americans are finding that urgent care is — as Goldilocks so aptly put it — “just right.”

It’s that time of year again. Summer begins to roll in and high school students in America cross the stage, throw their caps in the air, and — at least in Texas — some ask for cosmetic surgery as a graduation gift. Yes, it’s becoming a trend that many Texas high school graduates ask for breast implants.

Because there are a few months between graduating high school and beginning college for recovery time, it is an appealing time for young women to decide that they want breast implants, as NBCDFW reports. Furthermore, at least in Texas, the emphasis on physical appearance is another factor that contributes to this surprising trend, but that doesn’t mean that they’re psychologically prepared for breast implant surgery.

It seems surprising for women this young to decide to get breast implants, but it’s certainly a popular choice among American women. Since the year 2000, the number of women who choose to get breast augmentation surgery has jumped almost 50%, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, with about one million women opting for that type of surgery in the last three years.

The type of breast implant that a woman gets — either saline or silicone — largely depends on her body type, skin, and the anatomy of her breasts. Only 28% of women choose to get saline filled implants, while the number of those choosing silicone has risen considerably since 2006.

Recent high school graduates aren’t the only ones looking to celebrate a milestone and prepare for another with breast implants. One woman, as The Huffington Post reports, decided to get a rhinoplasty and breast implants in preparation for her 21st birthday to correct her nose and uneven breasts.

Women who are later in life than these young women are also contributing to the popularity of breast enhancement surgery. “Mommy Makeovers” are on the rise, which often involve breast implant or breast lift surgery, according to Digital Journal. A woman might find her body looking a little different after having children, and breast augmentation surgery is one way to correct what she doesn’t like. Aside from this obvious benefit of getting breast enhancement surgery, women reported being almost 35% more satisfied with their sex lives, which is certainly nothing to scoff at.

Today’s selfie culture forces us to look at ourselves more often and evaluate what we see. Women are choosing breast enhancement surgery at a higher rate (and a younger age) than before, and the majority of them are pleased with their decision; 75% of them say that it was “worth it.”

A Spring Hill, Florida dentist has been arrested by the attorney general’s unit for $140,000 of Medicaid fraud, in addition to other alleged abuses of patient care. She is being charged with two counts of Medicaid fraud. If convicted of the charge, maximum penalties include up to $10,000 in fines, and 10 years in prison. This past Friday, a 21-page affidavit was released which details the many horror stories being lodged against the dental office.

According to lodged complaints, the dentist, Miranda Smith, has been falsifying billing in order to receive more Medicaid money, has pulled healthy teeth for the purpose of selling more dentures, and has pretended to find cavities in children where none existed.

Smith, who owns Smiles and Giggles Dentistry for Children and Adults, came under investigation by the Medicaid fraud unit after several patients and parents lodged complaints regarding suspicious billings. Investigators discovered that Smith had been billing Medicaid for sedation, x-rays, and other dental procedures that either hadn’t actually been provided, or were unauthorized.

Other former patients, according to a press release issued by authorities, indicated that Smith’s employees were providing dental care with the appropriate licensing. Key to the investigation was a parent who recently brought their child to Smith’s dental office, and was told the child needed immediate dental work for eight cavities. The parent decided to receive a second opinion and was told the child had no cavities whatsoever. Several other parents also lodged complaints regarding unnecessary dental work performed on their children.

Many patients submitted stories about negative experiences that spoke to an unprofessional approach to dentistry. When one woman’s new dentures caused sores and didn’t seem to fit, Smith told her, “That’s just the way your mouth is,” according to the affidavit.

Additionally, investigators claim that Smith, along with her staff, were in the habit of “Pulling healthy teeth in an effort to sell patients dentures and make larger Medicaid claims.” Although Smith has declined to talk to reporters, her husband, Donald R. Smith, has been speaking out, saying that she is actually owed more than $300,000 in back pay from Medicaid, and that the claims are the work of disgruntled employees. “She’s been fighting this for three years,” he says.

“A patient can learn more of the dentist’s personality and knowledge, and acquire a feeling whether he or she is being honest,” says Dr. Sage, Owner and Dentist at Alaska Center for Dentistry. “Also, I am a proponent of second opinions. If you are concerned that something doesn’t feel right, seek another professional opinion.”

Healthy teeth are a critical part of every day life — they are needed for talking, smiling, and chewing, basic luxuries that one British woman is finding hard to enjoy.

Emma Tait, a 30-year-old administration assistant from the U.K., has had her teeth filled numerous times. From a young age, she claims that she had poor oral hygiene habits, and did not brush her teeth properly. As a result, by the time she was 13 years old, all of her teeth had been filled. Now, these fillings are beginning to crumble, making it hard for her to eat virtually any type of food that involves using her teeth.

Tait is not the only adult with bad tooth habits, either. Dental fillings are globally the most common procedure administered in dental clinics, and some studies show that the average adult has about seven fillings. In addition, the BBC recently reported that approximately half of the adults in Wales alone have not been to a dentist since 2012.

The problem that Tait is facing is that instead of crowing her teeth, National Health Service dentists continued to re-fill her cavities over the last couple of decades. Subsequently, many of her teeth have begun to disintegrate, leaving her with a handful of bottom-row teeth at the front to chew with. The top teeth are beginning to fall out.

Tait is facing up to 20,000 pounds, or roughly $33,000, in teeth restoration costs. Dentists are recommending that she replace her fallen molars with implants, re-fill and crown her existing teeth, wear a brace to re-position her front teeth, and have dentures made for the remaining missing teeth. The price of these cosmetic changes is a major concern for Tait, explaining that while she knows she needs the teeth, financing will be hard.

Tait added that her teeth have been a source of discomfort for her socially as well. She has always felt embarrassed to smile, as her teeth often protrude between her lips.

She could take legal action against NHS dentists in England, but she is unwilling to fit the bill for yet another pricey service. She says she would rather use that money to restore her teeth.

Picture a human being, roughly five-foot, nine-inches tall, weighing in at 152 pounds. Now imagine that same human being, made of nothing but sugar.

Sound ridiculous? Well it’s the amount of sugar each American consumes in one year’s time.

Our nation’s sweet tooth has been blamed for everything from obesity to heart disease to outright dental disintegration. A recent court case in a New York federal court attempted to pin actual blame on the manufacturers of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), claiming the substance was a direct cause in the plaintiff’s type II diabetes. 

While the court dismissed the suit and awarded no damages, the case highlights a perceived difference in “sugars” as consumers understand it: Is our 152-pound-a-year habit made up of HFCS or “natural” sugar?

Andy Briscoe, president and CEO of The Sugar Association, has recently made impassioned pleas in more than one publication, claiming that the increase of diseases and disorders associated with the generalized term “sugar” has actually corresponded with a marked decrease in the consumption of natural sugar (sucrose, found in sugar beets and sugar cane).

Briscoe stops short of blatantly blaming HFCS for the various health crises, but rather asserts that it’s unfair for natural sugar to be (if you’ll pardon the pun) lumped in with man-made sweeteners.

Most experts agree, however, that the answer to the health problem, regardless of the specific chemical makeup of the sweeteners involved, is moderation. Portion control and self-discipline can go a long way towards improving health, and instilling these values into our children can have long-lasting benefits for the generations yet to come.

Millions of Americans suffer from chronic low back pain, making it hard to sit, stand, move, or even walk. But there are other health risks associated with back pain that can be even more debilitating for senior citizens. A study at the University of Pittsburgh indicates that depression should be treated along with back pain, as nearly 25% of seniors could suffer from both.

Researchers found that about 40% of participants had undergone back surgery that was ineffective, and several suffered from fibromyalgia, a musculoskeletal condition that is symptomatic of fatigue, memory loss, and mood problems. Fibromyalgia makes it much harder to treat depression, according to the lead researcher for the study. The study examined 123 women and 75 men, age 60 to 94, to determine how back pain and depression affected these patients.

Participants were administered an anti-depressant during the first phase of the study, and currently, about a third of these patients reported signs of improvement. The rest of the group, who did not experience the same results, was given a higher dose of the drug, Efflexor, and was also offered problem-solving therapy to aid the healing process. Some participants reported that a combination of both the anti-depressant and therapy proved highly effective.

Lead researcher, Dr. Jordan F. Karp, explained that he was interested in how both depression and chronic back pain interacted with one other, and if alleviating one would affect the other.

People with chronic back pain could be suffering for a number of reasons, from spinal curvature issues, to degenerative discs. The latter can be debilitating because the soft, spongy discs within the vertebrae act as shock absorbents, and also draw in nutrients and fresh blood as people move. When these discs are ruptured or cracked, they can cause severe pain because of the lack of support that results from damaged discs in the vertebrae.

Karp and other researchers claim that back problems on their own can be painful, but for a person with depression, he or she may feel the pain much more acutely. By treating both problems simultaneously, they are hoping patients will see relief mentally, emotionally, and physically. The medicine that was administered to participants in the study is also approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat both back pain and depression.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness reports that about 20% of seniors 65 years of age and above suffer from depression. With the help of medicines like Effexor, therapy, and further clinical studies, researchers may find that the University of Pittsburgh’s study could prove useful in treating other seniors who may be affected by both.