Improving the smiles and self-esteem of our patients is one of the best parts of our job. And often this requires the use of dental bonding, a painless and easy way to restore damaged teeth, or just to improve appearance. A thin layer of liquid resin is simply brushed onto the tooth and cured with [...]
"Recommended Dietary Allowances." "Minimum Daily Requirement." Do you sometimes feel bullied by vitamin manufacturers and dietitians? Since the science of nutrition got off the ground, 40 or so nutrients vital to our health have been identified. And depending on what they're selling, we're told we need more or less of one or the other. In [...]
Shortened teeth are a sure sign; lengthening them makes people look younger. We have methods to build up shortened or chipped teeth. Do You Have Periodontal Disease? Periodontal, or gum, disease are rarely noticed in early stages. Only by dental exam do you know for sure. However, there are some telltale symptoms: bleeding gums, bad [...]
Shrug Them Off, or Seek Help? Cold sores, aka fever blisters, are known to medical professionals as outbreaks of the herpes simplex virus. Most of us have experienced them at one time or another, on the lips or inside the mouth. They can be spread by kissing or by sharing spoons, cups, or razors with [...]
With new materials and procedures, dentistry has evolved from "if it hurts, yank it," to true preventive medicine. We can thank fluorides for the terrific rate of cavity-free children, and new anesthetics have made dentistry more comfortable than ever. Sealants, safer X-rays, and space-age plastics have all become commonplace in the course of comprehensive care [...]
Does it ever seem like everyone you do business with—from the auto mechanic to the attorney to the tax accountant—uses a secret language to describe what you're paying for? You'd like to know what they're talking about, but you're afraid to ask. Maybe it's over your head. Maybe they don't really want you to know. [...]
Temporomandibular Joint disorder—TMJ—often disguises the source of the pain it inflicts. Although it originates in the jaw joint, sometimes the pain appears to emerge from an entirely different part of the head. Many people living with TMJ don't know what's behind their suffering. Their teeth themselves feel fine. So they suspect the flu, an allergy, [...]
Barring injury, your sturdy white teeth should remain healthy and intact for the rest of your life. But just like your car's engine, which needs its regular oil & lube to keep purring smoothly, your mouth needs a thorough once-over as well. We'll review your dental history, clean your teeth, evaluate gum tissue, and screen [...]
If you could change just one thing about your smile, what would it be? Would you choose to lighten the color of your teeth? Or maybe you have chipped, cracked, or missing teeth you'd like to repair? These things happen as we age... teeth darken, little chips and gaps appear, and suddenly all those slight [...]
It would be comforting to think that gum disease afflicted only adults. But adolescents and even pre-adolescents are especially at risk for what is often called Localized Juvenile Periodontitis (LJP). We usually think of periodontal disease as a result of plaque and calculus build-up. But the real culprit is bacteria that can spread from site [...]
