Up Close and Personal with Ana

Our new patient, Ana, has accomplished more than 98% of most people in the world ever will in their lifetime. Ana is a journalist, producer, actress and a ballet dancer who has danced with several legendary companies such as the Stuttgart Ballet, and Les Ballets de Monte Carlo. Currently, she is a New York executive producer and an on-air host for a prestigious Brazilian talk show. Meeting Ana, it's not hard to see immediately why she's so successful.  Her passion for ideas and enthusiasm for life are expressed in her radiant smile. Which brings me to the reason why she came to visit us in the first place:

Despite her extraordinary accomplishments, Ana wanted to go even further; she felt that at this point in her career she needed to have her smile improved  in order to reach the next level. Before we met her, she had attempted an Invisalign procedure with another dentist, but with unsatisfactory results. During our consult, it became clear that Ana was committed to getting the smile she    envisioned, and we were delighted to work with her to achieve it. Our recommendations for Ana to enable her to reach her goal included six upper front veneers. Within three weeks her smile was transformed exactly as she had hoped, and her infectious delight with the results inspired our entire staff. She couldn't stop smiling!  We are so proud of Ana and especially proud that we could contribute to enhancing her career and her success.

Top Four Destructive Oral Habits That Damage Teeth

There are certain habits that most people have that are quite destructive to the teeth. Let’s go over the top four:

• CHEWING ON ICE - can lead to tooth pain, cracking, fracture, and in some cases, total breakage of a tooth to the point where it may need root canals or worst case may not be able to repair and end up losing the tooth.  If teeth are constantly cooled to such extreme low temperatures, eventually it will create micro fractures within the tooth enamel.  These micro fractures will allow stains to penetrate deep in the enamel layer and eventually they get yellower and yellower.  If there are numerous dental fillings in the mouth they are more susceptible to breakage from ice chewing because the tooth’s foundation has been weakened


• SUCKING YOUR THUMB – this is considered normal until children reach 2 ½ years but after that age thumb sucking interferes with the positioning of the upper and lower front teeth, causing the upper teeth to splay out and the lower teeth to tip towards the back of the mouth. If allowed to progress, the upper and lower tooth jaws do not develop properly-they become narrow and constricted which ultimately leads to breathing and speech problems


• SUCKING ON LEMONS – this will cause a multitude of problems, including chronic sensitivity to cold food and drinks, a chalky and worn look to the enamel, weakening of the teeth leading to chipping and cracking, and a greater incidence of tooth decay caused by loss of protective enamel. Teeth are bathed in saliva and the PH of the saliva is neutral.  Constant lemon sucking will change the PH to an acidic environment which is quite destructive as it begins to demineralize the teeth and slowly take layers of enamel away. Cosmetically, teeth will appear yellowish as a result of enamel layers being stripped away and the underlying Dentin layer which is yellow in color will begin to reflect through this now much thinner enamel layer.  Unfortunately bleaching will not be effective at this point. Because bleaching works when there is a thick layer of enamel.


• Biting on a pen or biting your nails- Similar to chewing ice, this habit puts a great amount of force against the teeth. There is a limit as to how much pressure a tooth can withstand and remain healthy, and activities such as these can exceed the tolerance limits of your teeth. It’s important to understand that teeth are embedded in bone but this bone is not completely solid and can remodel and reshape when forces are placed on them.  Constant pen chewing or nail biting will move front teeth as one tooth moves the teeth next to it begin to take its position eventually causing a crowding of the teeth.

Do I have Receding Gums?

Receding gums are not as big a problem as gum disease or cavities but they can be a sign of major problems to come. When your gums recede they slowly move down the root. The tooth starts to become exposed and become sensitive to cold or touch. The reason for this is that the tiny tubules which  (microscopic tubes within dentin that spreads outward from the tooth’s center and carries dentinal fluid) in the teeth transmit these signals to the brain as pain. Sensitivity from receding gums can be so severe that they are impossible to ignore.

Why do we get receding gums?
There are two particular reasons why you might have receding gums. The first is trauma or injury.  Essentially, these are external, mechanical causes.  The second category is Infection which is internal.

Trauma:
1)      Brushing too hard-not as much of a problem since toothbrushes are much softer.
2)      grinding your teeth-this places undue amount of stress on your teeth, and it will force the gums to  pull away.
3)    fragile or thin gums-very important to brush lightly and use a very soft toothbrush.
4)      frenum pull (muscle that is connected from the lift to the gum tissue). Every time the lip moves it tugs on the surrounding gum tissue. This can be corrected with small laser gum procedure.
5)      Braces-
6)      tongue piercing-repeated trauma with this device to not only chipped teeth that can traumatize gum tissue and cause it to recede.
7)      chewing tobacco
8)      bulimia
9)      acid reflux

Infection:

1)      gum disease
2)      severely weakened immune system

So what can you do if you have gum recession?
Gum recession is not an isolated problem. It’s perhaps a sign of other things going wrong in the body. Gum infection could be a sign of improperly functioning immune system. Poor nutrition and eating heavily processed foods can weaken the immune system. There are dental solutions that can help correct gum recession. However, dentistry is not always the answer or the solution. We really need to look within and see what we are doing daily to take care of our bodies. Your mouth is a true indicator of how healthy the rest of your body is. Even the mildest forms of gum disease are a sign of weakened immune system.

Dark lines around my crowns and veneers

When clients come to see us for a consult, one of their biggest concerns is the dark line around their existing porcelain crowns. They are also concerned that, if they do more porcelain crowns and veneers, eventually they will see the same dark, ugly line around them. This is something that should not happen, or even be anticipated, when considering any type of cosmetic dentistry that involves porcelain crowns or veneers.
So, let’s go over the reasons why these dark lines appear, and what we do at NYC Smile Design to avoid them:

1) Metal-based porcelain crowns
Traditionally, porcelain crowns are made with a silver-colored metal base. The base is used because, when cemented to the tooth, it gives strength to the porcelain and helps prevent fractures. Unfortunately, as it reaches the gumline, the porcelain gets thinner and thinner; eventually, the metal will reflect through. The crown may look good initially. But as the gum recedes throughout the years it exposes the thinner section of the porcelain, and the dark lines appear again after years of use.

2) Cheaper non-precious metals used
At times these traditional crowns with a metal base have cheaper, non-precious metals, such as tin. These metals can eventually leach out and tattoo the gum edges -- and, once again, a dark line will appear. Worse yet, most people develop or are allergic to these metals and the gums get inflamed and bluish in appearance at the edges.

3) Ill-fitting Porcelain crown
If the porcelain crowns do not completely fit the tooth or seal it well, staining will eventually accumulate at the tooth's edges. This is not just a dark-line-issue at this point; it can eventually damage the the underlying tooth by allowing  bacteria and plaque to start the process of decay.

  At NYC Smile Design, we take every precaution to avoid these situations completely. First, we never use metal-based crowns. The more contemporary porcelains are extremely durable and are bonded to the teeth, rather than cemented. This gives strength to the porcelain and also avoids the possibility of fractures. When it comes to bonding porcelain crowns or veneers, we are extremely meticulous and fastidious in creating a glasslike finish against the tooth. This both minimizes staining at the tooth edges and prevents any leakage underneath them.

What's in Your Toothpaste?

Oral hygiene is important for your health but, while you are encouraged to be meticulous about taking care of your mouth, it's just as important to pay close attention to the products you use to do it. Most people never question the ingredients that are in the products they use on a daily basis, and that's especially true of toothpastes. One of the most commercialized products, toothpaste is generally believed to be both effective and safe.   Is this actually true?  You be the judge! Let’s take a look at four key ingredients in your toothpaste:

Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS):

Better known as detergent because it's a commercial product found in toothpastes and in many other commercial products such as shampoos, hair conditioners, body wash, and bubble bath products. SLS is, in fact, a harsh detergent which is used industrially as a degreaser and foaming agent, and has also been used as a garage-floor cleaner. Do you like the tasty foam produced by your toothpaste? Then you have SLS to thank for it.

On the other hand, SLS has been shown to dry the mouth and cause canker sores.  In a clinical study it was shown that patients with canker sores showed a dramatic decrease in their number after they used non-SLS toothpaste.  It has also been proven that SLS can be cancer-causing when applied directly to the skin or consumed (something to be wary of when your mouth is full of toothpaste).

Formaldehyde:

This ingredient is included in your toothpaste to kill small bacteria in your mouth after you eat, or sleep. However, this same ingredient, found in your toothpaste, is also a favorite of coroners during the process of embalming. A large amount of this product could be fatal and might result in jaundice, kidney damage, liver damage and, in some dire cases, death.

Triclosan:

In your toothpaste, this ingredient is used as an antibiotic to prevent tartar and bad breath. However, this is also the same product that is found in dishwashing soap, hand soap, and deodorants. Studies have also show that exposure to, or the ingestion of.,a significant amount of triclosan can impact your thyroid hormone concentration levels. 

Fluoride:

Before it was in your toothpaste, fluoride was also being added to your water for decades. Found in your toothpaste in various forms, this popular ingredient is thought to prevent cavities. Disturbingly, this same fluoride is found in rat poisons. Studies show that the rates of bone cancer are substantially higher in areas with fluoridated water. Furthermore, like tricolans, fluoride affects the thyroid gland, causing hypothyroidism-- a condition in which your body lacks enough thyroid hormone, resulting in slower metabolism. Fluoride is found in many common household products including toothpaste, vitamins, and dietary supplements. A buildup of fluoride can cause darkening of the teeth, weakened bones, and even neurological problems

Obviously, the above list is not comprehensive; there are many other ingredients, active and inactive, included in your tooth paste. Looking at the nature of these ingredients, it makes sense that your toothpastes comes with the warning “Do Not Swallow”.  In this case, believe what you read!