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TV’s Nate Berkus Discusses Dental Sealants, Fluoride Treatments and Flossing

December 18, 2011 by DentalCMO

Nate Berkus, author, interior designer and host of his own television program, The Nate Berkus Show, is a consummate professional who has always focused on “helping others love the way they live,” as he puts it. Berkus is known as one of America’s most beloved go-to-guys for inspiration on the latest design trends. And then there is his captivating smile.

In an exclusive interview with Dear Doctor magazine, Berkus discusses his trademark smile. Unlike most people in Hollywood, his smile is totally natural — he never wore braces or had any cosmetic work. However, Berkus does give credit to his childhood dentist for the preventative healthcare he received as a young boy. Berkus states, “I’m grateful for having been given fluoride treatments and sealants as a child. Healthy habits should start at a young age.”

As for his oral hygiene routine today, Berkus says he brushes his teeth at least two times a day, and sometimes three times a day. Berkus is also an avid “flosser” and follows the important flossing advice he learned from his dentist: “Floss the ones you want to keep.”

In addition to his design expertise, Berkus is right on the mark with his opinions on oral hygiene. In fact, he inspired our office to put together the following list of facts and oral health tips:

The first step in improving your oral health is to learn good oral hygiene behavior. Simply put, to maintain optimal oral health, you must brush and floss properly so that you thoroughly remove the dental plaque.
The second step is a thorough evaluation system. We are a key part of this step. During your next office visit, we can conduct a thorough examination, review your brushing and flossing techniques, examine the health of your tongue and discuss any questions you have. We can also clean your teeth and ensure that you leave our offices confident with your new oral hygiene routine. And if you don’t have an appointment, contact us today to schedule one.

To learn more about improving your oral hygiene, you can continue reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Oral Hygiene Behavior – Dental Health For Life.” And to read the entire interview with Nate Berkus, please see the article “Nate Berkus.”

Replacing Missing Back Teeth Is Important – Just Ask Christie Brinkley!

December 11, 2011 by DentalCMO

Supermodel Christie Brinkley has a one-in-a-million smile, but she is just one of millions who have benefited from today’s preferred tooth-replacement technique: the dental implant. In a wide-ranging interview, Brinkley told Dear Doctor magazine about a helicopter accident she suffered while back-country skiing.

“I fractured two molars in the back of my mouth and I had to get two dental implants,” Brinkley told the magazine. “I am grateful for the dental implant technology that feels and looks so natural.”

You might think it serves little purpose to replace a missing back tooth that was barely visible in your smile to begin with — especially if you don’t spend a lot of time posing for magazine covers. But this is actually not the case. Your molars are extremely important for chewing and even for maintaining a more youthful appearance.

Dentists generally agree that losing posterior (back) teeth can have many consequences for the remaining teeth and their surrounding structures, i.e., bone and gums. If back teeth are missing, the front teeth end up bearing more stress than they were built for. And there are certain things that happen when any tooth is lost, whether front or back, that can affect function and appearance.

For one thing, when a tooth is lost the adjacent teeth tend to drift into the empty space or tip towards it. This can adversely affect your bite. Too much shifting can render a tooth basically useless and also leave it more vulnerable to gum disease.

Another complication is the loss of tooth-supporting bone that inevitably occurs when teeth are lost. When a tooth comes out, the bone under it actually begins to melt away. Since back teeth support the vertical dimension of the face, their loss can cause what’s known as “bite collapse” — a reduction in facial height that becomes increasingly noticeable over time and can make you look older.

A dental implant can prevent all of these things, while providing you with a replacement that looks and feels just like the tooth you lost.

If you are interested in learning more about implants, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. If you would like to read Dear Doctor’s entire interview with Christie Brinkley, please see “The Secret Behind Christie Brinkley’s Supermodel Smile.” Dear Doctor magazine also has more on “Replacing Back Teeth.”

Testing Your Knowledge on Caring for Your Dentures

December 4, 2011 by DentalCMO

Whether you have worn dentures for years or they are new to you, knowing the proper way to care for them is critical. This is why we have put together this fun and insightful test so that you can see just how much you know.

After reading each of the following statements below, determine whether you think the statement is true or false. See below for the answers.

Boiling your dentures at least once a week is an excellent way to sterilize them.
With a proper fit, it is perfectly acceptable to wear your dentures continuously (24 hours per day).
The bacterial biofilm that accumulates under a denture causes inflammation referred to as denture stomatitis.
You should store your dentures immersed in water after cleaning or when not in your mouth.
Once you have dentures (and no longer have any teeth), you really only need to schedule a dental appointment if you have a problem with your dentures or damage them.
To best clean a denture, you should use a slightly abrasive cleanser and a firm toothbrush.
The pressure from wearing dentures causes jawbone loss over time.
The optimal method for cleansing your gums is to take a moistened washcloth and gently massage your gums two times each day.
If you are careful, you can use denture cleaners while your false teeth are in your mouth.
You should never use sodium hypochlorite bleach to clean your dentures.

Answers

1. False. You should never boil dentures.
2. False. You should not wear your dentures 24/7.
3. True.
4. True, as this prevents your dentures from warping.
5. False. Even though you may not have teeth, you need to visit our office at least once a year for a thorough examination and to ensure your dentures are fitting and functioning properly.
6. False. You should never use a firm toothbrush OR any type of abrasive cleanser to clean your dentures.
7. True. This is unfortunate, but a fact nonetheless.
8. True.
9. False, you should only use a denture cleanser outside of the mouth.
10. False. Sodium hypochlorite bleach is an excellent cleanser; however, you should never soak your dentures in this solution for periods that exceed 10 minutes.

To learn more tips, continue reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Top Ten Tips For Denture Care & Maintenance.” Or you can contact us today to schedule an appointment to discuss your questions.

Can Anything Be Done About My Snoring?

November 27, 2011 by DentalCMO

Sleeping disorders impact people in different ways. For some people, they may feel they do not have a problem — except for the fact that their sleeping partner complains about their snoring. For others, they may know they have a snoring issue because they constantly wake themselves up gasping for air. This is a dangerous condition known as Obstructive Sleep Apnea OSA (“a” – without; “pnea” – breath). If any of these scenarios sound like your experience, then you may have OSA or another type of Sleep Related Breathing Disorder (SRBD). However, before jumping to conclusions, you need to obtain a thorough examination from a primary-care physician who is trained in sleep medicine in conjunction with our office. We have received training in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders. But the good news is that sleep apnea is a treatable condition.

As for your question, yes, there are many things we can do to treat your snoring after the cause of your problem is properly established. One helpful approach is through the use of a specially designed oral appliance that we custom make and fit to your mouth. It is easy to use during sleep. Once in place, it will keep your lower jaw in a forward position so that your tongue is held forward to stop blocking your upper airway (i.e. the back of your throat and area causing your snoring and hindering your breathing while you sleep). Another option is to use a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine. This specialized machine requires you to sleep with a mask that covers your mouth and/or nose. While you sleep, it delivers continuous pressure to your windpipe so that your tongue is forced away from your airway.

If your snoring is keeping you or your loved ones awake, we are a good place to start. Contact us today to discuss your questions about snoring or to schedule an appointment. You can also learn more about snoring and sleep disorders when you continue reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Sleep Disorders & Dentistry.”

Test Your Dental Injuries IQ

November 20, 2011 by DentalCMO

Every parent, caregiver, coach, sports fan and especially injured party dreads the moment when an injury to the mouth occurs during a sporting event. The first thought observers have after looking closely to see if it is their child or someone they know is, “I hope someone knows what to do!” Do you know what to do in case of a dental sports emergency? Test your dental injury IQ with this simple, quick quiz. The answers are listed at the bottom of this article.

Dental Injury IQ

If a tooth (including its root) is totally knocked out, what can you safely store it in while finding a dentist within 5 minutes of the injury?

Water or salt water
Milk (preferably cold)
Inside the cheek (mouth) of the injured person
All of the above

True or False: Immediately following the injury, fresh cold tap water or bottled water is the best way to remove debris from where a tooth was knocked out.

If a tooth has shifted from its original position following an injury, you should…

See a dentist within 5 minutes
See a dentist within 6 hours
See a dentist within 12 hours
Only see a dentist if the tooth is not better in a few days

True or False: You treat a knocked out baby tooth in the same manner as you do a permanent tooth.

The most important thing to do to save a tooth that has been completely knocked out of the mouth is toâ¦

See a dentist as soon as possible
Replant the tooth within 5 minutes
Stop the bleeding before re-planting the tooth
Rinse the tooth with fresh, clean water

The Answers

1) d = all of the above, 2) true, 3) b = see a dentist within 6 hours, 4) false – baby teeth are typically not replanted, 5) b = replant the tooth within 5 minutes

Want To Learn More?

Contact us today to discuss your questions or to schedule an appointment. You can also learn more about treating dental injuries when you read the Dear Doctor article, “The Field-Side Guide To Dental Injuries.” Or, you can download a FREE, pocket-sized guide for managing dental injuries.

How to Get What You Want in Your Smile Makeover

November 13, 2011 by DentalCMO

When you begin a smile makeover in our office, you are embarking on an exciting partnership with my laboratory technician and me. You should be full of excitement and anticipation — if you have been dissatisfied with your current smile, and you have great expectations for the results of this project. You will really like what you see in your mirror.

Being completely satisfied with your new look depends upon successful communication — between you and me and also between my dental lab technician and me. As you might expect, your perceptions of how your teeth appear are different from a dentist’s perceptions. My education leads me to think of factors that untrained individuals probably won’t consider, such as crown (tooth) length, midlines (how the teeth line up with other facial features) and the distance from gum to lip.

It is helpful to be able to describe what you like and don’t like about your current smile, and what changes you would like to see. Using visual aids is a good idea. Bring photos and magazine illustrations to show what you have in mind. (Remember that we cannot make you look exactly like a celebrity or anyone else. The pictures are guidelines.)

Things to think about:

The color, size, shape, alignment and spacing of your teeth.
How much of your teeth and gum tissues show when your lips are relaxed and when you smile.
Tooth color: bright “Hollywood” white or more natural looking off-white.

Your makeover is more likely to meet your expectations if you get an advanced view of the results. Computer imaging is one way to do this. Another is for us to make a mock-up of the proposed dental work in tooth-colored wax on models of your mouth.

Finally, a “Provisional Restoration” can be used as a test to make sure that what I envision is also what you, the patient, want to see. A provisional restoration, made from temporary materials, gives you a chance to test out the changes and make sure they work for you — that they not only look good, but they are also functional in terms of biting, chewing, speech, and gum health.

If the provisional restoration works, it is used as a blueprint to make durable and long lasting porcelains in the same design. We will take impressions of the provisional restoration and communicate the relevant information to a dental laboratory technician, who will make the final porcelain tooth replicas for your new smile.

Competent communication and a provisional restoration will put you on track to meet your expectations and obtain the most aesthetic and functional result in your Smile Makeover.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment to discuss your questions about Smile Makeovers. You can also learn more by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Great Expectations — Perceptions in Smile Design.”

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