Cosmetic Dentistry Blog

A self confident, white smile can be captivating. One of the first things you notice when you meet someone is their smile. Now you can have that bright natural looking smile too. Dream Smile Dental in Canton is offering a special on LumaCool teeth whitening.

LOOK AND FEEL YOUR BEST

There are several ways in which your teeth can become stained over time; through genetics or by age, tobacco, some medications and through some food and beverages teeth can become stained or discolored. The in-office cosmetic whitening procedure is one that will yield the highest results and can whiten teeth up to 9 shades. No matter your age, a beautiful smile can boost your confidence and change the way you feel about yourself.

ONE VISIT

Take advantage of the LumaCool whitening system special at Dream Smile. The entire process in office takes less than 1 hour. Most people with healthy teeth are potential candidates. Your new bright, white smile can help you look younger, healthier, and more vibrant. We have researched the available technology in the market and have chosen to use what we believe to be the best types of whitening systems.

To find out if whitening is the right procedure for you, consult Dream Smile rather than attempting over-the-counter whitening methods. Not everyone can benefit from tooth whitening since it cannot lighten fillings or crowns.

Whether it is a first date or a business meeting, you need all of your tools and assets at your disposal. A self-confident smile should be one of those tools. With technology come choices that can help you smile with confidence.

Even the smallest change to your smile can affect the way you look and feel about yourself. Consider teeth whitening. But consider it the right way.

Over-the-counter whiteners are a bit of a cumbersome process that generally only whitens the front 6 teeth. Whitening toothpastes and rinses have minimal effect on the stained or yellowed teeth.

Teeth Whitening done at the dentist’s office is much more controlled, is easier to use, and produces better results. All toothpastes help remove surface stains and some whitening toothpastes contain gentle polishing or chemical agents. These have more stain removal effectiveness.

But these whitening toothpastes help remove surface stains only, they can lighten your tooth's color by about one shade. In contrast, light-activated whitening conducted at Dream Smile Dental can make your teeth three to eight shades lighter. In-office dental bleaching provides the quickest way to whiten teeth.

Call Dream Smile Dental at 781-330-0900 to schedule your teeth whitening consultation.

The goal of cosmetic dentistry is to turn a dull smile into a bright one. Dream Smile Dental in Canton has several options to restore teeth that are crooked, chipped, stained, have gaps or uneven gums and we have several ways to replace missing teeth.
 
Before we begin we will talk with you about what you want from your smile, and perform an exam to check your oral health. The goal of cosmetic dentistry is functionality along with enhancing beauty.
 
In planning your treatment there are specific measurements we take to achieve the best facial harmony. At Dream Smile Dental our dentists take into consideration the shape of your face, your individual teeth, and the width of your smile. Improving your smile may be as easy as a whitening process, or it could entail something more involved like placing crowns, implants, or orthodontics. We’ll make the best decisions with you about what is best for your case and answer all questions.
 
Cosmetic dentistry can enhance your confidence, increase the health of your teeth, and give you a more youthful smile. Contact us, so together we can begin to help you design a plan that gets you the smile you have always wanted.

What is TENS?

Transcutaneous Electrical Neural Stimulation (TENS) is a term given to battery operated instruments that provide a gentle painless electrical stimulus through the skin to nerve pathways. At Dream Smile Dental, we use ultra-low frequency TENS to deliver a stimulus through the nerve pathways of the head and neck. These gently exercise the muscles controlled by those nerves, and causes the muscles of the head and neck to relax.

How are muscles related to dentistry?

Head, neck and jaw muscles play a very important role in your dental health. Different muscles come into play for posturing, opening, and closing the jaw and swallowing. The muscles that keep your jaw from falling open are small and go from the jaw upward through the cheeks, into the forehead and around the ear. If your teeth don’t fit together properly, these muscles are over-worked. Subconsciously holding these muscles tense for a long time can result in muscles spasms, and tension. Tense muscles restrict blood flow and oxygen to those muscles, and also prevent the washing away of waste products like lactic acid. This eventually leads to headaches or other head and neck pain.

Can’t I just relax these muscles?

No. If your teeth don’t fit together correctly, you subconsciously hold your jaw in a position that often causes muscled tension. It is very difficult to change this on your own and often requires a lot of training. Ultra low frequency TENS relax the muscles of the head and neck.

How does it work?

Electrodes are placed on your skin over the nerves controlling the muscles of the head and neck. The TENS unit is attached to these electrodes. It delivers mild stimulus to those nerves every 1.5 seconds. This causes the muscles to react, and it causes the rhythmic exercising of the muscle. As time passes, these muscles begin to relax and blood flow through them is increased. Because it is repetitive it causes the rhythmic exercising of the muscle. As time passes, these muscles begin to relax and blood flow increases clearing away lactic acid build up and producing healthier more relaxed muscles, resulting in comfort and relief. In most cases, the muscles become relaxed after 45-60 minutes.

When does Dream Smile prescribe TENS?

If we are treating you for a dental issue where we want to relax the head and neck muscles in order to find your best bite, TENS is applied in the office. However, there are occasions when we will prescribe a small TENS unit for home use called the BNS-40. This is a much smaller version of the office  unit which applies the same stimulus to the muscles.

We may prescribe the home unit for the following:

•   To relax your muscles before you come to the office for dental treatment or analysis.
•   To relieve muscle tension pain.
•   To determine whether relaxation of your facial and neck muscles will lead to pain relief.

What would you think if someone told you that a mouth guard can make you stronger, improve your flexibility and increase your balance? Those are the benefits a Pure Power Mouthguard (PPM). Custom fitted, the Pure Power Mouthguard, properly aligns the jaw putting the entire body in equilibrium.

When the body is in equilibrium, the muscles are completely relaxed and are no longer compensating to hold the body's posture together.

The muscles now have the capability to release more energy, power, strength, flexibility and increased range of motion to the body. Professional and amateur athletes from many sports are praising it, including Terrell Owens and Manny Ramirez.

This appliance, derived from neuromuscular dentistry, shows how connected your bite is to the rest of your body. The idea is to find the ideal bite position (where the muscles and joints are most relaxed ) and build that position into the appliance.

The bite is found by relaxing the muscles and then jaw tracking is done to see, in real time, where the bite is most relaxed. After recording these measurements and creating models of the mouth, we can fabricate the PPM. Once the PPM is placed in the mouth, the jaw automatically moves into the correct position instantly liberating stored energy. It has been found that when a person is in this position, they are better able to use their strength, increase their range of motion, and improve their balance. Background muscle tension is relaxed allowing them to use their body more efficiently.

How is a Pure Power Mouthguard different from a regular mouth guard?
A regular mouth guard is made of material that is heated up and then the teeth are squeezed into it. This material is not durable or comfortable which why you see athletes chewing on the guard and taking it out. 

The pressure-heat laminated mouth guard fits on the teeth, but the material shifts the bite so that the muscles have to work harder. It has been found that athletes with these ill fitting guards may even perform worse with this type of guard.

The Pure Power Mouthguard is a comfortable custom-fitted appliance, using specialized computer technology to pinpoint and capture your ideal bite position. If you or a friend is serious about your sport, call Dream Smile Dental to see if you are a candidate for the Pure Power Mouthguard.

Halitosis is the technical name for bad breath. Halitosis is the third-most-frequent reason for going to the dentist, behind tooth decay and periodontal disease. The intensity of bad breath changes during the day, because of eating certain foods, obesity, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Bad breath may be transient or persistent. Transient bad breath disappears after eating, brushing, flossing, or rinsing with mouthwash.

Persistent or chronic bad breath is a more serious condition, affecting 25% of the population in varying degrees. At Dream Smile Dental, we have some tips for you to rid yourself of bad breath.

Tongue scraping- Bacteria collects on the tissue of your tongue and causes a bad odor. To avoid this, brush your tongue while brushing your teeth with your tooth brush or a tongue scraper.

Regular flossing- Bacteria can colonize in the gums between the teeth and if not removed at least once per day, an unpleasant odor can result. The solution: Floss at least once per day!

Regular hygiene visits- The hygienist uses special instruments to remove plaque and calculus leaving your teeth biologically sound. A toothbrush and floss alone, no matter how frequently used, cannot reach areas that the dental hygienist can. It’s important to attend regular hygiene visits to stop periodontal disease from developing.
 
Regular Dental Exams- Tooth decay is also a form of disease. Bacteria cause the tooth to erode which releases a foul odor. To detect any untreated decay it’s important to come in for a dental exam at least twice per year.

Regular use of alcohol-free mouthwash- Mouthwash helps lower the level of bacteria that causes bad breath. We recommend using alcohol-free mouthwash to prevent from dry-mouth.

Chewing sugar-free gum with xylitol- Chewing gum helps loosen soft depositing that may accumulate on your teeth after eating and in between brushing.

The right toothbrush- An electric toothbrush is far superior in removing the bacterial layer than a manual toothbrush. Use an electric toothbrush and make sure to replace the head every 3 months.
 

There are three different factors which determine your bite: teeth, muscles and joints. Neuromuscular dentistry uses modern technology to assess the function -or dysfunction- of the jaw by evaluating all of these and creating the optimum bite for your jaw structure while creating your new beautiful smile.

If you suffer from headaches, ear congestion, dizziness, difficulty swallowing, neck pain, jaw clenching or teeth grinding, jaw joint pain, and even nervousness or insomnia this treatment can pinpoint the source. In evaluating your teeth, and the muscles and joints of your jaw, you can alleviate TMJ disorders and in the process, get the smile you have always dreamed of.

There are various types of muscles located in the face and neck that hold your jaw, control the movement of your jaw, and allow you to chew and swallow; all of which is done subconsciously. If your bite is off, your body automatically strains the muscles of your jaw, working the muscles extra hard. This is why the temporomandibular joints become over stressed and TMJ occurs. The goal of Dream Smile Dental is to find and restore your jaw to its natural, optimal position. TMJ disorders are eliminated by restoring your jaw to that position where the muscles, teeth and joints are in balance.   This takes the pressure off of your joints and overstrained muscles, eliminates jaw or teeth clenching, and allows for your muscles to act naturally, and with no effort, make your jaw function properly.

Dental Implants are a great option to consider for replacing missing teeth. Rather than resting a false tooth on the gum line or using adjacent teeth as anchors, implants act as long-term replacements that your periodontist fixes into the jawbone before the cosmetic dentist can place a permanent crown on top of it.
 
Tooth loss can have a far-reaching effect on your dental health and personal appearance. Dental implants are artificial replacements designed to fully replace lost teeth both in functionality and in appearance. Dental implants are very durable and have a long-lasting life. Once installed, they can last for at least 10 to 15 years or even more depending on the aftercare that is taken.

Due to new technology, it is now possible to replace missing teeth and actually implant a working and natural looking tooth. The most popular dental implants are made from titanium. Titanium is used because it has a number of properties which make it very suitable; it is very durable and is very resistant to corrosion. It is biocompatible, which means that the human immune system should not reject implants made from titanium.  Osseointegration is the process where the titanium dental implants implanted into the bone and the cells of the bone fuse with the titanium. They grow together making the implant very stable; because of this, titanium is the material of choice.
 
The first step to dental implants is where the titanium screw is implanted into the jawbone. Once the gum line heals fully, the crown is built over the titanium implant. The crown is constructed from porcelain or composite materials and is built in such a way that it matches the surrounding teeth.

Those who are fond of reading magazines and watching television are often curious how those models have such shiny white teeth. Well, there are people who are really gifted when it comes to their teeth. All they need is a little maintenance and they can have that bright smile for a long time. There are also people who have teeth that are easily broken or damaged. Some dentists say it is because of the lack of calcium in their body. However, we can all have that bright white smile by undergoing some dental procedures.

The most sought after treatments center around cosmetic dentistry, which has great benefits for people who have oral problems. Cosmetic Dentstry is proven to be very effective in restoring your smile. There are procedures that can be accomplished in a day's work but there are some processes that will take more time to accomplish .. such as those procedures that require surgery. The majority of restoration procedures are affordable and well worth the investment. Cosmetic dentists specialize in teeth whitening that can take as little as one visit. There are other procedures that are involved like dental bridges, gum surgery, veneers and implants. The presence of black spots can be solved by filling up your tooth with tooth colored fillings. We can also fix dentures, lengthen your crown, and repair cracked teeth all with the help of cosmetic dentistry.

The demand for cosmetic dentistry has sky rocketed over the past few years. Increasing your confidence can be done through cosmetic dentistry, in great thanks to the advancement of technology and science.

Cosmetic dentistry is a specialized field using dental procedures to restore and beautify teeth. It is very popular today and more and more people are opting for cosmetic dental procedures to improve their appearance, comfort and lifestyle.

People see cosmetic dentists for different reasons, one being basic comfort. Whether from accidents or through genetics, your teeth may have been broken or have grown in a way that causes you general discomfort. If orthodontic work has not been successful, or is not possible in some cases, the best alternative for many is cosmetic dentistry.

Others undergo cosmetic dentistry in order to enhance their smile. Cosmetic dentistry is becoming more and more common for the general population. People in every industry and field are turning to cosmetic dentists to get the smile they have always wanted.

Also, seniors are finding that through implants and veneers they can increase the life of their teeth and their overall comfort, and are choosing functional cosmetic dentistry. An alternative to dentures is priceless for many.

Often people do not even realize that their dental work is considered cosmetic. Veneers, bleaching and invisible braces are all part of cosmetic dentistry. There are a number of cosmetic dental procedures available today. Some of the most common are teeth whitening, to restore the normal color of discolored teeth; veneers, which are placed on the outside of a tooth mainly for smile enhancement; and dental implants, which are used to replace missing teeth.

Whether you are interested in cosmetic dentistry for the look or for durability, the dentists at Dream Smile Dental can provide you with excellent care and quality when it comes to veneers, bleaching and invisible braces, or any dental procedure, cosmetic or otherwise.