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My Blog
Posts for: September, 2020
Love at first sight—it's an endearing notion found in movies and novels, but perhaps we're a little skeptical about it happening in real life. Then again, maybe it does once in a blue moon. According to supermodel Gisele Bündchen, something definitely happened the first time she met pro quarterback Tom Brady in 2006. And it all began when he smiled.
“The moment I saw him, he smiled and I was like, 'That is the most beautiful, charismatic smile I've ever seen!'” Bündchen said in an article for Vogue magazine. That was all it took. After a three-year romance, they married in 2009 and have been happily so ever since.
Both Brady and Bündchen have great smiles. But they also know even the most naturally attractive smile occasionally needs a little help. Here are three things our happy couple have done to keep their smiles beautiful—and you could do the same.
Teeth whitening. Bündchen is a big proponent of brightening your smile, even endorsing a line of whitening products at one point. And for good reason: This relatively inexpensive and non-invasive procedure can turn a dull, lackluster smile into a dazzling head-turner. A professional whitening can give you the safest, longest-lasting results. We can also fine-tune the whitening solution to give you just the level of brightness you want.
Teeth straightening. When Bündchen noticed one of her teeth out of normal alignment, she underwent orthodontic treatment to straighten her smile. Rather than traditional braces, she opted for clear aligners, removable trays made of translucent plastic. Effective on many types of orthodontic problems, clear aligners can straighten teeth while hardly being noticed by anyone else.
Smile repair. Brady is a frequent client of cosmetic dentistry, sometimes due to his day job. During 2015's Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks, Brady chipped a tooth, ironically from “head-butting” his Patriots teammate Brandon LaFell after the latter caught a touchdown pass. Fortunately, he's had this and other defects repaired—and so can you. We can restore teeth as good as new with composite resin bonding, veneers or crowns.
This superstar couple, known for their advocacy of all things healthy, would also tell you a beautiful smile is a healthy one. You can help maintain your smile's attractiveness with daily brushing and flossing to lower the risk of staining and dental disease, regular dental visits, and “tooth-friendly” eating habits.
And when your teeth need a little extra TLC, see us for a full evaluation. You may not be in the spotlight like this celebrity couple, but you can still have a beautiful smile just like theirs.
If you would like more information on ways to enhance your smile, please contact us or schedule a consultation.
The top cause for adult tooth loss isn't decay or trauma—it's periodontal (gum) disease. The disease may begin with the gums, but it can ultimately damage underlying bone enough to weaken its support of teeth, causing them to loosen and fall out.
But that's not the end of the havoc gum disease can wreak. The consequences of an uncontrolled infection can ripple beyond the mouth and worsen other health problems like diabetes, heart disease or arthritis.
The common link between gum disease and these other conditions is the inflammatory response, a natural mechanism to fight infection caused by disease or trauma. This mechanism changes blood vessels to increase blood flow to hasten the travel of protective white blood cells to the injury or disease location.
But if this mechanism that supports healing becomes chronic, it can actually do harm. The chronic inflammation that occurs with gum disease can damage mouth structures, just as inflammation from diabetes or arthritis can damage other parts of the body. And any form of chronic inflammation, even that found in gum disease, can worsen other inflammatory diseases.
You can lessen this link between gum disease and other conditions—as well as improve your oral health—by preventing or seeking prompt treatment for any periodontal infection in the following ways:
- Practice daily brushing and flossing to clear away bacterial dental plaque, the main cause of gum disease;
- See your dentist regularly for more thorough dental cleanings and checkups;
- See your dentist promptly if you notice red, swollen or bleeding gums, common signs of a gum infection;
- Stop smoking to lower your risk for both gum disease and tooth decay;
- Adopt a healthy diet, which can help you lose weight (a factor in diabetes and other inflammatory diseases) and strengthen your immune system;
- Manage other inflammatory conditions to lessen their effect on your gum disease risk.
Taking these steps can help you avoid the inflammation caused by gum disease that might also affect the rest your body. Seeking prompt treatment at the first sign of an infection will also minimize the damage to your teeth and gums and the effect it could have on the rest of your health.
If you would like more information on prevention and treatment of gum disease, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Gum Disease & Systemic Health.”
It's September—and that means football season is underway. Whether you're playing, spectating or managing a fantasy team, the action is about to ramp up. Unfortunately, increased “action” also includes injury risk, especially for a player's teeth, mouth and jaws.
Injury prevention is a top priority for all players, whether the pros or the little guys in Pee Wee league. For oral injuries, the single best way to avoid them is by wearing an athletic mouthguard. This soft but durable plastic appliance helps cushion the force of a direct blow to the face or mouth. Wearing one can help prevent tooth and gum damage, as well as lessen the risk for jaw or facial bone fractures.
Mouthguard use is fairly straightforward—a player should wear one anytime there's player-to-player contact. That's not only during game time, but also during practice and informal play. But what's not always straightforward is which type of mouthguard to purchase. That's right: You'll have to decide from among a variety of mouthguards on the market.
Actually, though, most fall into one of two categories: the “Boil and Bite” found in most retail stores with a sports gear department; or the custom mouthguard fashioned by a dentist.
The first are called Boil and Bite because the mouthguard must first be softened with hot water and then placed in the intended wearer's mouth to bite down on in its softened state. When the mouthguard cools and re-hardens, it will retain the bite impression to give it somewhat of an individual fit. These retail guards are relatively inexpensive and reasonably effective in cushioning hard contact, but they can also be on the bulky side and uncomfortable to wear.
In contrast, custom mouthguards are formed from an accurate impression of the wearer's bite taken in the dental office. Because of the individualized fit, we can create a guard with less bulk, greater comfort and, due to their precision, better effectiveness in preventing injury.
A custom guard is more expensive than a retail mouthguard, and younger players may need a new upgrade after a few seasons to accommodate fit changes due to jaw development. But even so, with its higher level of protection and comfort (making it more likely to be worn during play), a custom mouthguard is a worthwhile investment that costs far less than a devastating dental injury.
So, if you or a family member will be hitting the gridiron this fall (or, for that matter, the basketball court or baseball diamond later in the year), be sure you invest in a mouthguard. It's a wise way to ensure this football season will be a happy one.
If you would like more information about dental safety and sports, please contact us or schedule a consultation. To learn more, read the Dear Doctor magazine article “Athletic Mouthguards.”
