So you really think you are too old for cosmetic dentistry? Well, you should know that cosmetic dentistry can brighten a smile of any age. Multiple modalities are available to the dental professional today, ranging from relatively inexpensive teeth bleaching, recontouring, and bonding to more complex procedures consisting of veneers, ceramic crowns and implants.

A simple whitening procedure can brighten teeth that are yellow or gray from age. There are several options from drugstore brighteners to custom dental trays or in-office whitening, depending on your budget and the quality of whitening desired. Tooth whitening corrects brown, yellow and mottled teeth and can brighten a dull smile.

Another simple procedure is the recontouring or reshaping of chipped or misaligned teeth. With recontouring and reshaping, crowded or chipped teeth can sometimes easily and non-invasively be corrected in one visit.

Composite bonding is another procedure that can be used to close a space between teeth or to repair chipped or cracked teeth. It is often non-invasive and anesthetic is not always needed. The composite material is chemically bonded to the tooth and polished to match the remaining tooth surface. Worn out silver fillings can also be replaced with tooth-colored bonded composite restorations.

The above are all relatively non-complex cosmetic procedures.  For a more long-lasting solution, the modern porcelain veneer offers the most esthetic result.  The porcelain veneer is a thin shell of ceramic that bonds  to the front surface of the teeth. The porcelain veneer does not stain or discolor. Veneers can close spaces, straighten crowded teeth, and cover discolored and chipped teeth. Placing custom veneers requires a high degree of technical skill as well as attention to cosmetic detail. Veneers require less tooth reduction than conventional crowns and can conservatively transform a smile.

If too much tooth is missing or damaged for a composite or porcelain veneer then an esthetic crown may be the answer. Today we have all-ceramic crowns and Zirconia crowns that are more life-like than the porcelain-to-metal crowns in use for the past 30 years. When carefully crafted by a talented cosmetic dentist and cosmetic dental laboratory, the all-ceramic crown is undetectable.

People are always embarrassed when their smile uncovers a missing tooth. Today the dental implant is a durable replacement that feels and functions like the missing tooth because the implant replaces the root as well as the tooth. The dental implant is surgically placed into the bone and fuses with the bone in a process called osseointegration. Restored dental implants are a very conservative way to replace teeth and help preserve facial structure.

Another less-costly option to replace a missing tooth is the bonded bridge for areas of light function or the conventional bridge, both of which can be fabricated of all-ceramic materials.

Some cosmetic procedures are elective, but other times the unsightly teeth are symptomatic of underlying dental disease. So a cosmetic procedure may also be an investment in your dental health and might even be covered by your dental insurance.  Teeth bleaching, recontouring, composite bonding, porcelain veneers, all-ceramic crowns and implants are all cosmetic procedures, sometimes just different ways to solve a problem. Call our East Setauket dental office, come in for a free consult, and explore what is the right solution for you!

I was at a business meeting this morning speaking to a man with a rather large gap between his two front teeth. We started talking about teeth, and he asked me if I knew that a gap between the teeth had become quite fashionable. I didn’t, so I went onto Google to check this out.

Sure enough a website on global fashion called Refinery29 features an article this month called “Gap Teeth: The Latest Must-Have Accessory?” http://www.refinery29.com/gap-teeth-the-latest-musthave.php. The article includes photos of several models and actresses who flaunt their teeth gaps, including Lauren Hutton, Lara Stone, Georgia Jagger and Anna Paquin. As the author writes, these are “all beauts who know how to work a good gap.” Maybe so, but I can’t help but think their beauty would be enhanced by some excellent cosmetic dentistry.

Unfortunately and all too often, un-cosmetic dentistry, done by dentists without the proper training and experience, gives people an unnatural look. The author adds, “More and more (blessed be!), it seems those hideously super-sized, glow-in-the-dark veneers are being replaced by normal beautifully imperfect canines.” What she may not know is that well-crafted veneers are beautiful and natural looking and undetectable. Check out our veneers and see how naturally beautiful they look.

Last February I posted a blog entry called “Teeth Whitening at the Mall” (See http://drterryshapiro.com/blog/?p=27.) I spoke about the dangers of having whitening (a dental procedure) done by unlicensed individuals. I mentioned that the State of Tennessee had outlawed this practice and that I hoped New York State (and that includes Long Island) would follow the standards set by Tennessee and outlaw the illegal practice of dentistry in the state’s malls.

Here we are just one year later, and New York State has done just that in their new guidelines just published! The guidelines from the New York State Board For Dentistry state:

“Recently, consumers in New York State have been exposed to a significant number of products involving teeth whitening. While certain over-the-counter products may be safe, other products available for self application or through retail outlets have the potential to cause harm.

“Underlying dental health conditions may make a patient a poor candidate for certain teeth whitening processes. These processes may not be effective, and may actually do harm to a patient’s teeth and gums. The application of teeth whitening products in a retail outlet, not subject to the infection control requirements of a dental office, creates a risk of disease transmission for the consumer and individuals working in such an establishment.

“The application of teeth whitening products by or with the assistance of someone who is not a licensed dentist or dental hygienist may constitute the illegal practice of the profession of dentistry, which is a crime. The State Board for Dentistry office will refer any allegations of the illegal practice of dentistry to the Office of Professional Discipline for investigation.

“Individuals should consult with a licensed dental health professional and have their overall dental health evaluated before making decisions regarding teeth whitening products and services.”

Read more about teeth whitening at http://www.drterryshapiro.com/teethwhitening.html.

People who come to my East Setauket dental office for cosmetic dentistry often ask if I also do general dentistry. The answer is, “Yes.” I believe that it is a mistake for cosmetic dentists to limit their practice to cosmetic procedures. A dentist cannot ignore a patient’s dental health, and that is what a cosmetic dentist might do if he/she just does cosmetic dentistry.

Back teeth matter! You cannot just place veneers on the front teeth without addressing the health of the back teeth. Each tooth has a function, and all of the teeth must function in harmony. When dental cosmetics fails it is often because the back teeth were not considered in the treatment plan. And I am pleased that my cosmetic patients are so pleased with my cosmetic dentistry and the care that I provide that they want to continue as my patient and send the rest of their family for their general dental needs – and yes I treat children also!

A prospective patient came into my East Setauket dental office recently to ask about porcelain veneers. She was unhappy with how her front teeth looked. She had old composite bonding that was stained and chipped. Her teeth had spread out, there were spaces in between the teeth, and she noticed that her teeth were loose. She thought that her problem was just cosmetic, and she was concerned that her insurance company would not cover elective cosmetic procedures.

I took some close up digital photographs of her smile, as I usually do for consultations. We then discussed her photographs which I had enlarged on the computer screen. She could see the condition of her back teeth and the condition of her gums, and she began to realize that she had other problems that contributed to her unattractive smile. We took xrays to confirm that she had decay and defective fillings in her back teeth and she had the bone loss associated with gum disease.

My point is that what may appear to be solely cosmetic is often a symptom of underlying dental disease. Her needed dental work was not only cosmetic, and she was able to collect her insurance benefits. She completed the treatment, is now in good dental health and has a beautiful smile!

Last week while the world was riveted on the loss of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, I was fascinated by the contrast in their smiles.  Farrah Fawcett flashing her famous smile and Michael Jackson most often showing no teeth at all.  What made Farrah’s smile so extraordinary?  It was broad - she showed all of her teeth back to the first molars ad her bottom teeth too.  The New York Times obituary said of one famous photo of her: “She looked delicious but also a little carnivorous, her gleaming white teeth frozen in a friendly but slightly ferile smile.“

Farrah’s photo was taken in the early 1970’s, well before veneers or cosmetic dentistry.  Back then we didn’t have the dental materials or technology to create such a beautiful smile.  It had to be natural.  Today it takes great skill to approximate such a gorgeous smile.

Come in to our Long Island dental office for a consult and we’ll discuss what we can do for you to give you that Farrah Fawcett smile!

After writing my blog entry yesterday about Vice President Joseph Biden’s teeth, I Googled “Joe Biden teeth” and up came a website: http://joebidensteeth.com/. I kid you not! There is also a very funny (funny to dentists anyway) YouTube video about Joe Biden’s teeth at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN5RLFchZGA.

In case you are wondering, it looks to me like the Vice President has had a full mouth reconstruction, consisting of porcelain crowns covering all of his existing teeth and bridges to replace any missing teeth. But the crowns are too white, too opaque, and too long and bulky for him. I would have done much better dentistry so that the teeth looked natural and were appropriate to his face. Crowns and bridges should look like real teeth. Unfortunately his look fake. Check out my Before and After Photos and Crowns and Bridges pages on this website and you’ll see some beautiful dentistry that I did at my East Setauket dental office.download between strangers movie life of brian download free rear window dvd bratz genie magic download free download knock off dvdrip

A recent dental journal article stated that “Now that the teeth are looking much better aesthetically, isn’t it time to consider the perioral areas around the smile? If the teeth look great but we ignore the rest of the face, then we have really limited what we can accomplish with aesthetic dentistry.” The author goes on to advocate that dentists learn to place dermal fillers to plump out lips and smooth out facial wrinkles around the mouth. The author concludes his article by stating that the dentist is the “healthcare professional of choice” to deliver such procedures.

So what do you think? I think this is pushing the envelope too far (an apt metaphor here). The American Dental Association defines dentistry as “the evaluation, diagnosis, prevention and/or treatment (nonsurgical, surgical or related procedures) of diseases, disorders and/or conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and/or the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body; provided by a dentist, within the scope of his/her education, training and experience, in accordance with the ethics of the profession and applicable law.”

What’s interesting is that this definition of dentistry is vague enough to include the placement of dermal fillers by dentists. But it also should be noted that the statement was adopted by the ADA House of Delegates in 1997. The dental profession has certainly changed a lot since then! An updated definition is needed. For the present, this Long Island dentist will keep her distance from dermal fillers, and she will focus on the teeth and their supporting structures – where I believe the dental focus should be.

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