Porcelain veneers are as permanent as the enamel on your natural teeth—which means that with proper care, porcelain veneers will last for many years but not forever.

The surface of a porcelain veneer is just that: porcelain. Porcelain’s smooth, glasslike ceramic surface makes it impervious to stains. Because porcelain veneers are like glass, their translucent surfaces reflect and refract light much as natural tooth enamel does. This is what makes porcelain veneers appear to be natural teeth.

A porcelain veneer is a wafer thin sheet of porcelain custom made to precisely fit the tooth over which it is placed and bonded. Even though porcelain is brittle, once it has been firmly bonded to your tooth it becomes very strong and durable due because your tooth is supporting it.

However, no porcelain veneer will last forever. With good home care and by using good judgment about what you eat and how you eat it, your porcelain veneers can last more than 10 years. Porcelain veneers can break, which is why you need to be careful about what and how you eat. No cracking ice or biting into other very hard surfaces that could fracture a veneer is allowed!

Last week we revealed that Threat No. 1 was personal and dentist neglect.

This week, we’re going to discuss Threat No. 2, “Undertreatment.”

By this I mean you’re not getting the care you should for one of three reasons. 

Reason #1: Your dentist hasn’t performed a complete evaluation. Every patient deserves a complete examination and thorough analysis. Next should come a complete treatment plan presented to you in detail. 

For many people with major problems this is not a five-minute look-see clinical exam and a little bit of conversation.  It requires a whole series of X-rays, photographs, molds of your teeth, registration of how your bite works and other aids to help understand and diagnose what is going on. 

Reason #2: Under-planning for the care required.  This usually happens when your dentist is unaware of the different parts and pieces that can affect you as a patient. When that’s the case three things can happen. 

One, decay may not be taken care of and prevented properly.  Two, gum disease goes untreated.

Three, your bite mechanism is poorly assessed or ignored completely.

Reason #3:

Under-presenting.  In this situation the doctor does not tell you the whole story.  Shockingly, the primary reason for this is a fear on the dentist’s part that you will not return if he delivers “bad news.”

Bottom-line? Ask lots of questions and don’t be afraid to seek a second opinion!

The greatest new concept in aesthetic treatments is the dental medical spa, informally referred to as a dent-med spa by most people.  Dent-med spas offers cosmetic dental procedures along with medical spa services.  If you want to get your teeth whitened and a Botox treatment done all in the same place on the same day, a dent-med spa makes it possible.

Imagine the convenience and reliability of having cosmetic procedures performed in a dent-med spa.  You can feel reassured that the procedures are all being done under the supervision of a dentist and doctor.  While a visit to the dentist sometimes makes us feel a bit anxious, going to have our smile improved through painless techniques is a pleasurable experience.  Coupled with the possibility of getting facial, skin care treatments or body massage and it becomes a place you really want to visit.  After a day at the dent-med spa, you can have a more attractive smile and glowing skin, taking years off your appearance.

Dent-med spas often offer a calming environment, with lowered lighting, gentle music and the use or aromatherapy.  As soon as you enter the spa, you feel relaxed and ready to be pampered because it's a friendlier environment that a traditional doctor's or dentist's office.  Adding the ambiance of a spa setting makes you feel pampered and comfortable – what could be better?

Are you an adult that feels self conscious about your crooked teeth?  This unattractive problem can now be solved for adults without having the “metal mouth” associated with braces used on young people.  Invisible braces give adults the opportunity to finally correct those crooked teeth without a mouth full of silver when they smile.

Invisible braces are actually a series of appliances, referred to as aligners, that can be removed by the wearer.  Invisible braces are customized to fit your mouth and correct your problem, but are clear so they are not visible when you are wearing them.  Because you can take the aligners out, plaque and food doesn't get trapped in between your teeth like it would with metal brace.  The aligners usually last for a couple of weeks and are only taken out to brush, floss and eat. 

If you are an adult with more seriously crooked teeth that may not be suitable for invisible braces, you can opt for clear ceramic braces.  These braces are permanently worn on the front of your teeth, just like metal braces, but are see through so they are invisible when you smile.

Consider the fact that over 1 million adults today wear braces to correct their teeth.  Why not join the rank of these smart folks who are taking advantage of technology and wearing invisible braces to improve their smiles and self-esteem and call a dentist for more information today. 

If you have a toothache, it could mean that you have a bigger problem going on in your mouth than cavities.  When you have pain in your teeth, it could be a sign of more serious conditions affecting your mouth.

Toothaches can be caused due to cavities, but often are an indication of other difficulties.  A cracked or fractured tooth may become inflamed when the pulp and tissues are exposed, causing extreme pain and requires attention right away.  Decay around your teeth can cause an uncomfortable dental abscess to occur.  Periodontal disease, commonly referred to as gum disease, can cause pain in your teeth as well as swelling of your gums.  Painful teeth can even be a sign of a jaw disorder, such as TMJ.  When you experience a toothache, it is important to visit your dentist right away to determine the cause of the pain.  Never attempt to diagnose your own dental problem or assume that it will “go away” because it won't.

By visiting your dentist regularly for checkups, you can avoid developing such advanced, painful problems with your teeth and gums.  Preventative maintenance is imperative for healthy teeth and gums.  Don't put off that dental checkup because small problems can quickly become big ones.

Did you know there are seven threats to having a beautiful smile and healthy teeth for life?

And that YOU can easily prevent every single one of them?  Learn about them by joining me over the next several months in a journey to personal beauty.

Threat # 1–Neglect

Personal Neglect includes not brushing your teeth, not flossing, not seeing a dentist regularly, etc. This usually happens for one of three reasons.   One, you haven’t seen a dentist in a long time and are afraid of what they’ll find. Two, you have a real fear of the dentist. Three, you simply don’t want to be lectured.

While there isn’t much a dentist can do about the first reason, there’s plenty we can do about the other two.  

When it comes to a fear of the dentist, great dentists pride themselves on an excellent chair-side manner, listening to your concerns, aiding you through the process in any way they can and even using sedation dentistry where necessary.  

As for the third reason, well that’s why offices like ours employ a strict “no lecture zone” policy. No lectures, just solutions.

Now, that’s the first half of neglect, but did you know there’s another form that is just as important? 

It’s called Dentist’s Neglect and it occurs when your dentist fails to keep you informed about your complete dental health. The most common form of this is advising patients to “just get dentures” when they face big  dental problems. 

Having treated hundreds of patients with dentures, I know the only problem with them is they’re a lot like oral wigs. Oral wigs that can move up to an inch during function! 

My advice? Evaluate the caliber of your dentist and start brushing and cleaning between your teeth regularly. You wouldn’t dream of going without deodorant or not taking a shower every day. Give your teeth the respect and care they deserve.

Though there are many reasons people develop bruxism, which is the continual clenching and grinding of one’s teeth, most dentists feel this problem is caused  by misaligned teeth, as when the upper teeth do not meet the lower teeth correctly when biting.

Bruxism often indicates anxiety. Some people suffer more from bruxism at night when they grind their teeth during sleep. Others suffer day and night and must constantly monitor their mouth behavior.

Nighttime bruxism sufferers may be helped by a new device called BiteStrip that can alleviate some of the painful or uncomfortable symptoms.

Dentists can determine if patients suffer from bruxism when their teeth are abraded in a particular way. Tooth abrasions can weaken the overall structure of the mouth and expose the softer dentin layer above the tooth enamel, making teeth more susceptible to decay and even fracture.

Given the additional serious dental complications that can develop from decay and fracture, bruxism should not be taken lightly. So if you suffer from nighttime bruxism, ask your cosmetic dentist about being fitted with a Bite Strip today.

Aaah, the sweet smell of freshly brewed gourmet coffee is a marvelous thing! It makes  even the sleepiest and grouchiest people eager to pour themselves a cup of this dark, tasty and seemingly magical elixir.

However, while our senses love coffee, our teeth definitely don’t.  Coffee and tea can stain delicate tooth enamel permanently.  If your teeth are showing java stains, there are several steps you can take to improve the situation.

The first is to brush religiously after drinking coffee as well as after eating food. You may think that not brushing after your three o’clock coffee break doesn’t ,matter, but it does. Stains build up over time, and we can become accustomed to seeing our teeth  become darker without being consciously aware of it.

The second is to see your dentist twice a year for professional cleaning.

If these two steps aren’t enough to remove the stains you already have, talk with your dentist about chairside bleaching or a professional take-home tooth whitening kit.

You don’t have to give up the coffee you love to get and keep a great smile—but you do have to take appropriate steps not to let your favorite dark beverage darken your teeth as well.

Can your smile increase your paycheck?  A surprising answer.

 Smile and A Paycheck: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

How much do you spend annually on buying clothes, purses, shoes and fashion accessories? If you’re like most women, the answer is “a lot.” The average woman in the U.S. today spends around $6,000 on her wardrobe—and only $240 on her smile!

Sure, brushing and flossing after every meal are important. So are those twice yearly visits to your dentist for professional cleaning and checkups. But when it comes to investing in great fashions and accessories, an improved smile beats a Hermes purse, Chanel pumps or Gucci sunglasses any day of the week!

Cosmetic dentistry costs money, as well it should. After all, dentists study for many years just to be able to make peoples’ smiles more beautiful, let alone the fact that opening and running an office is an expensive undertaking. All that high tech equipment dentists use nowadays allows cosmetic dentists to do amazing things in short order and with very little discomfort.

Yet many women who don’t hesitate for an instant to invest in a gorgeous Christian Dior handbag that costs $1,500 or an Armani suit that costs $5,000, balk at spending money on investing in a gorgeous smile.

Your smile is arguably the most important investment you’ll ever make in your appearance. So the next time you feel tempted to splurge on an expensive new outfit or accessory, remind yourself that the items that tempt you now will probably be out of style next year—and spend the money improving your smile, instead!