People sometimes wonder if having a great smile is really such a big deal. Research done in non-dental fields such as psychology reveal the importance of a confident smile.
People are social creatures that depend on interrelations with each other. Dale Carnegie discussed relevance of smiling nearly seventy years ago in his famous books, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. His first chapter discussed using a smile to create a positive first impression and even referred to it as the big secret of dealing with people. The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and the University of Oxford did a study that supported the fact that smiles can make strangers cooperate in one short interaction. Smiles have been proven to win friends and influence people.
Additional research over the years shows that smiling makes us appear more cooperative and pleasant, thus making us more attractive to other people. Hietanen and Surakka did research in 1997 that showed a smile could induce a feeling of pleasure. Their research showed that even a smile in a photo could induce pleasurable feelings if the smile seemed genuine.
A ready smile makes you and others feel better. A great smile can even help you to be more attractive to others personally and professionally. A super smile really is a big deal!
Xerostamia is the scientific name for having little or no saliva in the mouth—in other words, having a dry mouth. A dry mouth can be caused by chemotherapy, radiation therapy, certain medications and auto-immune disorders. It occurs in about 30 percent of older Americans, but in less than 2 percent of Chinese seniors.
Some researchers say this is because Chinese people consume large amounts of green tea, which offers various health benefits. Others point out that tea is a non-acidic beverage made from water, and that acid and not consuming enough water are two major factors in dry mouth problems.
Saliva is important to dental health because without it, more cavities develop due to food particles and bacteria remaining in the mouth. Decreased saliva can also lead to heartburn, constipation and a dry, burning sensation of the tongue that can be very distressing.
Rinsing your mouth with water immediately after consuming any acidic food or beverage, then brushing your teeth a few minutes later is an excellent way to reduce your risk of developing cavities from having a dry mouth.
However, frequent sips of water are the best dry mouth prevention of all–water is as effective as saliva substitutes and whole lot less expensive. And scrupulous oral hygiene is essential for preventing dental decay caused by dry mouth.
Temporomandibular disorders are referred to as “TMJ disorders” and over 10 million Americans suffer from this condition today. However, although many people deal with this disorder, it is still commonly misunderstood.
TMJ disorders affect the function of the temporomandibular joint or jaw joint, which connects the jawbone to the skull. These joints are necessary for speaking, chewing and making facial expressions. The TMJ joint is one of the most complex and frequently used joints in the human body. TMJ disorders develop when one or both of the joints fail to function properly due to a number of possible causes. TMJ disorders can cause jaw stiffness and soreness, chronic ear pain, clicking or popping in the jaw and headaches. Sufferers may experience dull, constant aching or sharp pain.
Causes and symptoms of TMJ are varied so the condition is classified into three subcategories: internal derangement of the joint, myofacial pain and inflammatory joint disease. These classifications make is easier to diagnose and treat TMJ disorders. Trained doctors can properly diagnose TMJ and help patients to made the right choices about their care. Professionals that may be required to diagnose TMJ include general dentists, dentists trained in neuromuscular dentistry, primary care physicians and otolaryngologists (eyes, ears, nose, throat specialists.) A variety of options exist and a trained professional gives patients the ability to make an educated choice regarding their treatment.
Sedation dentistry—also called sleep dentistry—can relieve patient anxiety and ensure that dental procedures are truly pain free. Many people fear dental appointments, and some people have a phobia about the unavoidable “in your face and personal space” aspect of dental care.
If this describes you, by all means speak with your dentist about prescribing a medication you can take before your next visit that will relax you. Because these medications alter depth perception and slow response time, you’ll need someone to drive you to and from your dentist’s office safely. You’ll be relaxed and drowsy but awake when you arrive for your appointment—most importantly, you’ll be anxiety free.
You won’t be unconscious during the dental procedures, but you will feel mentally and emotionally distant from them. You won’t feel any discomfort and won’t remember the treatment itself. Because you’ll be completely comfortable, your sedation dentist can do multiple dental care procedures during the same visit.
Sedation dentistry can make keeping your teeth in excellent condition a lot less stressful. So, if thinking about your next dental visit makes you feel anxious, talk with your dentist about getting appropriate medication today.
If anxiety about dental visits is stopping you from taking care of your teeth, stop letting anxiety control your oral health—make a decision and start taking steps to implement it today!
A good way to begin is by reminding yourself that the only person in the world who can control your life is you. If you’ve experienced traumatic dental care in the past or just don’t get along all that well with the dentist you’ve been using, choose another dentist who will better understand your dental needs and be committed to fulfilling them in the best and most harmonious way.
Choose a dental office that offers the latest techniques in dental care, including conscious sedation, a new technique which lets you sleep through even the most complex procedures and significantly reduces your dental anxiety.
Once you’ve chosen a dentist, set an appointment, and keep it. If necessary, ask a friend or family member to support you by going to your appointment with you.
Choose to make your oral health your highest priority. Improving your oral health improves your life. Good dental health means that your mouth can feed the rest of your body, speak for you effectively, and share your emotions with others in the best possible way.
If you’re thinking about having a smile makeover, think first about da Vinci Veneers. Your cosmetic dentist can bond da Vinci Veneers, which are ultra-thin shells of ceramic material, to the front of your teeth.
The procedure for applying da Vinci veneers requires very little anesthesia, sometimes no anesthesia at all. Your dentist will place Da Vinci veneers to cover discolorations on your teeth, to make your tooth color more uniform, your teeth whiter and your smile brighter.
Da Vinci veneers may well be the ideal choice for improving the appearance of your smile. These wafer thin veneers are extremely resistant to permanent staining from drinking coffee, tea, or even from using tobacco. They bond tenaciously to teeth and produce an aesthetically pleasing naturalness to a smile that is unsurpassed by other cosmetic procedures.
Remember, the color and quality of your smile says volumes about you. A great smile gives the impression of youth, health and confidence, and can positively influence your business and social relationships. Schedule a consultation with your cosmetic dentist to see if da Vinci veneers will create a better smile for you!
Having Diastema—a gap or space between two teeth—isn’t the problem it used to be. In the past, people with diastema just had to put up with the damage it did to their appearance. Today, the rapid advances in cosmetic dentistry procedures mean that diastema can be corrected more quickly with less pain and at lower expense to the patient than ever before.
Mild cased of diastema may be corrected by bonding tooth colored resin to the sides and front of the teeth to narrow the space between them. More severe cases may require orthodontic treatment with braces designed to move the too-widely spaced teeth closer together. In some cases, a removable appliance with plastic crowns is used.
Porcelain veneers are an excellent choice for many patients with diastema and provide a sort of “instant orthodontics.” Finally, conventional crowns with a bridge system can also be used. Your cosmetic dentist will evaluate the degree of diastema you have, provide more information and advise as to which procedures would be most effective for you.
Acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis (ANUG) is an inflammation of the gums characterized by the presence of necrotic ulcers covered by tissue debris in which gums are painful to the touch and bleed readily. The onset of ANUG can be very rapid, but seems to be connected to pre-existing gum inflammation and bleeding known as gingivitis.
Poor hygiene that allows plaque buildup is the primary preventable cause of ANUG, but additional factors such as smoking and compromised immune system function caused by other chronic or acute disease. Patients with ANUG typically demonstrate a reduced ability to cope with psychological and emotional stress.
The traditional therapy for ANUG has been gum surgery. However, the alternative approach of periodic scaling, root planing, and antimicrobial rinses with 0.12% chlorhexidine has been shown to be effective in halting and even reversing the disease. As with most diseases of the teeth and gums, prevention is best obtained by practicing a program of rigorous oral hygiene that includes brushing and flowing after every meal and twice-yearly visits to your dentist.
Plaque, that whitish film on teeth that results when bacteria from eating, drinking and smoking, is the principal cause for tooth cavities.
Plaque that doesn't get washed away by saliva, brushed away by your toothbrush or removed by flossing produces acid that dissolves the minerals that make your tooth enamel hard.
Though the mineral salts in your saliva help add to the hardness of your teeth but are vulnerable to attack by acids that cause them to break down.
Tooth enamel is very hard, mainly because it contains durable mineral salts, like calcium, but when teeth are not professionally cleaned frequently enough, plaque builds up and eats tiny holes in tooth enamel until the enamel surface of the tooth becomes porous surface.
After a while, the acid from plaque makes the tiny holes in the enamel bigger until one large hole appears. This hole is a cavity, and unless it is professionally cleaned out and filled, the tooth will eventually decay completely.
