Chicago Dentist

Cosmetic dentistry is a specialty within the field of General dentistry, the number one focus of cosmetic dentistry is to improve the overall cosmetic condition of a person’s teeth structure, in order to accomplish this goal a cosmetic dentist next to resort to several treatments which may involve the use of sister specialties within the field of dentistry, that is orthodontics, endodontics and such. Dentist in charge to cosmetically enhance the looks of your smile will never jeopardize your oral health in order to make your teeth look good for instance, dental veneers are special shells which are custom-made in order to create a more visually appealing shape of the teeth which can be seen when your smile. Some people may interpret the purpose of Veneers as a way to cover up an existing problem, to a certain extent this statement might be true because Veneers will indeed cover a discolored tooth. However, a dentist will never place a veneer over a tooth which is about to fall off or that is to seriously damaged, in those cases the cosmetic dentist will refer you to a specialist who will be able to take care of the most basic problems and prepare the foundation for a successful cosmetic procedure.

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A root canal is a treatment used to repair and save a tooth that is badly decayed or becomes infected. During a root canal procedure, the nerve and pulp are removed and the inside of the tooth is cleaned and sealed. Without treatment, the tissue surrounding the tooth will become infected and abscesses may form.  “Root canal” is the term used to describe the natural cavity within the center of the tooth. The pulp or pulp chamber is the soft area within the root canal. The tooth’s nerve lies within the root canal.  What Your Dental Health Says About You  It’s easy to ignore the effects of poor oral hygiene because they’re hidden in your mouth. But gum disease may point to problems with diabetes and heart disease and loose teeth could be a sign of osteoporosis. Could it be that a healthy mouth means more than just a sparkling smile? And what could your dentist learn about you the next time you open wide?

* Read more about what your mouth says about you

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* Bad Breath: a Sign of Something More Harmful?
* Diet and Healthy Teeth
* 13 Healthy Habits to Improve Your Life

* Tooth Whitening: What Works and When to Say No

A tooth’s nerve is not vitally important to a tooth’s health and function after the tooth has emerged through the gums. Its only function is sensory – to provide the sensation of hot or cold. The presence or absence of a nerve will not affect the day-to-day functioning of the tooth.

They aren’t just for kids any more. Chances are, you or someone you know has had braces, or as an adult, is about to get them. At 42, Joy Grant is joining a growing trend. The boom in cosmetic dentistry is prompting more adults to consider wearing braces to straighten their teeth – some adults are even opting to get braces at the same time as their children. But adult braces are sometimes more complicated and time-consuming to get fitted for adults because the jaw is already mature. Grant had to have gum surgery before her braces could be fitted — and remembers people telling her she was too old to get them. But as more adults get them, they are finding that the cost of braces are often covered by dental insurance, which in many cases helps those adults to make that decision easier.

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On the long list of cavity culprits, soda pop and sugary fruit juices rank high. Now public health officials are pointing the finger at bottled water.  By itself, water does not cause cavities. But a recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says bottled water has become so prevalent in children’s diets it often entirely replaces fluoridated tap water, leaving kids more vulnerable to cavities.  One-fourth of U.S. children between the ages of 2 and 5 have had decay in their baby teeth, and half of kids between 12 and 15 have had cavities, according to the CDC.  “Soda is worse. Let’s be clear about that. It has sugar and is carbonated, which creates acid that wears away the enamel,” says Dr. Jarvis Chan, an adjunct professor at the University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston. “But if you aren’t getting fluoride through water, you are missing out on decay-preventing benefits.”

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I just returned from the dentist. Sad to say, I neglected a tooth that should have been taken care of a long time ago, but procrastination was not in my favor today. Not only am I seeing a $2,000 bill for root canal and a crown, but I have an infection on top of that. Antibiotics and pain meds are on the calendar for the next two weeks. I also learned having an infection that I have can lead to a serious problem and heart attack. This tooth, which went from getting a crown to a major infection and root canal, even though it is costing me some serious money, my heart depends on having healthy teeth. By the way, I am like many who do not have dental insurance, but I do have my health insurance. Dental hygiene goes past the flossing and brushing of your teeth. It also has to do with an annual or bi-annual dental check ups. So another issue our legislators need to bring up on top of health insurance. Affordable dental insurance. Dental care is just as important to our health as our yearly physical.

Cumberland Times-News - Good dental care and insurance also needed

Thanks to technical advances and consumer demand, cosmetic dentistry has come a long way. “It’s extraordinary what cosmetic dentists can do these days,” said Dr. Lorin Berland of the Dallas Dental Spa. “Early cosmetic dentistry consisted of unnatural porcelain crowns with metal rings around the gum, ‘tin-can’ braces, and in the extreme, removing ugly teeth and replacing them with dentures.” Now there are better whitening techniques, implants, veneers, porcelain crowns, clear braces and more. The demand for skilled cosmetic dental professionals is growing constantly – and not just for dentists, but also for their vital assistants and laboratory technicians. “Cosmetic dentistry has really become the standard for dentists who would consider themselves true artisans in their trade, and have the case photos to prove it,” said marketing professional Zach Hoffman of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. In March 2007, he helped launch the American Cosmetic Dental Association with his father, Dr. Howard J. Hoffman, a general and cosmetic dentist.
ACE™ Dental Blog: Cosmetic dentistry is now the standard

In the world of cosmetic dentistry people are always bombarded with new options and ideas in order to improve the appearance of their smile, some products may be just right in order to make things happen and others may not be a perfect fit. When it comes to braces there are several options a patient is given, one is the use of metallic braces and a second option is the use of transparent plastic braces, these are referred to as Invisalign. Invisalign aligners are plastic trays which are similar to those used for teeth bleaching, these aligners were designed in order to change the position our teeth are in by applying a certain amount of pressure. Each aligner should be worn for about two weeks in order to give it the time necessary to move a patient’s teeth into the right position.

Invisalign and Its Use in Cosmetic Dentistry | Medical Health Articles

A warm smile, even from a stranger, can make your day when you are feeling really low. Hence, you too, should not hold yourself back from smiling as it not only increases your face value but gives you an improved sense of self esteem and confidence. However, in order to confidently flash that brilliant smile, you also need to have your pearly whites in perfect order. If you have misaligned, broken, chipped or stained teeth then it is only natural that you will not want to flash your smile in public and be self conscious. Our teeth may not be in the best of health due to illness, disease, accident or sheer negligence on our part. Young children and teenagers are often seen wearing metallic braces that help to rectify the shape of your teeth and get the alignment right. However, wearing braces also alters your appearance and you may again feel self conscious and awkward about wearing braces, hence not many adults would want to opt for braces. Clear braces have managed to do away with this problem and now more and more people are adopting this method of rectifying teeth alignment problems. Clear braces are invisalign braces that are made of a transparent material that make sit impossible for others to spot a person who is wearing these braces. Also, they are more lightweight than the traditional metal braces and hence more comfortable for the wearer. You can easily carry off these clear braces even at social or public gatherings without feeling self conscious about your appearance. The braces need to be taken off during certain times like whenever you are eating a meal or brushing your teeth and hence this may in turn slow down the process of treatment. Metal braces achieved results faster because they were worn constantly by the user and hence the pressure was maintained on the teeth constantly for certain duration.
Clear braces help you get that perfect alignment for your teeth | Dental Health Care

UCLA dental school Prof. Dr. Edmond Hewlett has several observations and suggestions that can help consumers decide which teeth-whitening process, if any, is for them:
1. All teeth-whitening methods that apply hydrogen peroxide to the teeth can be equally effective, but do-it-yourself procedures require persistence.
2. People with grayish teeth aren’t likely to benefit from teeth whitening.
3. Exposed roots of the teeth are unlikely to respond to teeth-whitening treatment.
4. Porcelain veneers and crowns aren’t affected by teeth-whitening substances, so people with them typically shouldn’t use whiteners. If they did, different parts of their teeth would have different shades.
5. Some patients experience uncomfortable side effects during the whitening processes. For them, the bleaching chemical can cause shooting pains or can make the teeth extremely sensitive to cold. Sensodyne toothpaste, which contains potassium nitrate as its active ingredient, can reduce sensitivity if a patient brushes with it before the teeth-whitening begins. Dentists can also use different concentrations of peroxide, depending on the patient’s sensitivity.
6. Don’t hesitate to ask your dentist for advice on which do-it-yourself products to use. “The dentist knows your mouth and understands price issues.”
7. Adhesive strips are more effective than brush-on products and rinses.
8. Tooth-whitening toothpastes are designed to remove surface stains, not to bleach the underlying tissue.
9. The American Dental Association has no certification process for teeth-whitening products, but it’s working on one. The Food and Drug Administration is also studying the issue.

Money: How to decide about teeth whitening | teeth, whitening, use, products, different - OCRegister.com

The Chicago Dental Society show in Chicago this past weekend displayed the latest attempts at making a trip to the dentist less unpleasant.  One development is an alternative to the cold white goo patients must hold in their mouths to make a model of their teeth for crowns and bridges.  A new scanner by Cadent iTero that makes a digital 3-D impression of a patient’s mouth eliminates the goo. Instead, the dentist uses a hand-held wand to get an impression of your teeth.  Dentists still have to make a mold to create a temporary crown, but it sets up much faster than the permanent mold. The device is not available yet for braces — but they’re working on it.
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