Recent news reports regarding health concerns over bisphenol-A and its use in plastic bottles, cans and home electronics also included dental sealants. Bisphenol-A is a chemical that mimic estrogen hormon in the body. The alarm on Bisphenol-A is not new and typically comes and goes in the media. Most media attention af bisphenol_A dimethacrylate and sealants stems from the original study from Spain. This study incorrectly grouped all dental sealants together as a possible health risk after reporting on the chemical composition of a single substance. Although bisphenol-A has been shown harmful when used in significant quantities, this is not the case with bis-GMA. Bis-GMA is a stable resin monomer . Most composites and sealants on today’s market do not contain bisphenol-a dimethylacrylate resin. To err on the cautious side ask your health care provider what are the chemical composition of the tooth color material used and specifically the presence of bisphenol-A in it.

As you know I love this toothbrush and I believe it is more efficient than the other competitor’s in the market. In my cosmetic dental office I do a test on every single product before recommending it to our patients. But it seems like Ultreo has had some design issues. Some units just stop working after awhile; they just do not get charged. Ultreo originally attributed this to a design flaw in a circuit board of a particular batch but it seems to me that it is more than jsut that batch. I should point out that the company has been very responsible to replace the defective units right away. I have stopped recommending the toothbrush for now though.

Meanwhile sonicare has changed their design and has switched to the pull out head like Oral B and Ultreo. One of the issues with Sonicare was accumulation of debris around the neck of the brush where it attached to the body. By changing the design that issues should be resolved. In their newer model they have also added an UV light brush head sterilizer. It is a nice gadget, if you are a gadget guy but in reality there is no evidence that it really does anything despite what they might say. I would still recommend changing your brush head after an illness like cold or sinus infection anyway.

FDA has issued a warning on the use of denture cleansers. It has asked the manufacturers of denture cleansers to change their label to clarify that their products are designed to clean dentures in a container and not in the mouth. There has been some reports of allergies to one of the ingredients called persulfate including at least one death. Although it seems like most of these reaction were due to misuse of the cleansers but the reaction might also occur when the cleanser is used as directed. Possible signs of allergic reaction may include irritation, tissue damage, rash, hives, gum tenderness, breathing problems, and even low blood pressure. Reactions may not occur immediately and it can occur after many years of use. At Seattle Cosmetic dental office the well being of our patients is our utmost concern. People at risk are those who can not read or understand product labels.

She has had the traditional crowns done on her upper teeth and of course nothing is done to her lower teeth. Her smile has lost the harmony it used to have with longer teeth on one side than the other. Her line of smile is tilted to one side. She should at least have her lower teeth whitened to have a match at least colorwise.

Halle Berry’s  smile was voted the most attractive smile by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry members. The beauty of her smile is in the natural look, symmetry and harmony of her teeth.I always tell my patients that if after I had done their teeth someone asks them who their dentist is, I failed to create a natural look for them.

It looks like she has a set of lumineers or prep-less cosmetic dental porcelains on her teeth. Her smile was symmetrical, natural and harmonious. I am not sure why she had the veneers done. In this photo the teeth look bulky and more squared than her previous photos showing her natural smile

Lumineers or prep-less veneers is not indicated for everyone. I do them for someone whose teeth are tilted back and the extra addition does not make their smile protruding out

 It looks like she has a set of lumineers or prep-less cosmetic dental porcelains on her teeth. Her smile was symmetrical, natural and harmonious. I am not sure why she had the veneers done. In this photo the teeth look bulky and more squared than her previous photos showing her natural smile

Lumineers or prep-less veneers is not indicated for everyone. I do them for someone whose teeth are tilted back and the extra addition does not make their smile protruding out.

After posting this  I came across Dr. Youn’s post in his weblog about her porcelain veneers. It sounds like she has had them redone and the new set of veneers look more natural.

Has Jamie Foxx had cosmetic dentistry?

Jamie Foxx used to have a gap between his two front teeth. This gap is called diastema. One way of closing a diastema is to use veneers. The draw back to the use of cosmetic veneers to close a diastema is that, the teeth could potentially look wider than they naturally would. Jamie Foxx has had his upper teeth veneered to close his diastema.

At a later date it looks like might have had porcelain veneers placed on his lower teeth as well.

Another way of closing a diastema is to move the teeth by using orthodontic procedures like Invisalign. If the gap is too wide and therefore making the cosmetic porcelain veneers looking also too wide, Invisalign could be used to spread the gap between other front teeth. Afterwards placement of veneers would result in a more proportional smile.

Sally Field is talking about Osteoporosis and aging of the bones these days.

One of the biggest contributors to an aged look is a middle age smile.

Five signs of middle aged smile are:

•1)      Yellow or gray teeth.

•2)      Crooked or crowded teeth.

•3)      Old crowns with black lines around the gums.

•4)      Worn down teeth.

•5)      Silver fillings.

Sally Field’s teeth have gotten more yellow through out years. It looks like she has an old crown on her front tooth. This crown has maintained its original white color and it stands out next to the other discolored teeth. Her front crowded teeth also contribute to the tired, aged look.  Zoom whitening and invislaign would not only straighten teeth but makes them whiter and younger looking. Porcelain Veneers not only straighten the teeth but also changes the color of them on the permanent basis.

Be careful how you toss the floss. More people are getting the message that flossing is important. Brushing your teeth just removes the food from the front and the back of the teeth and the only way to clean between them is by using the floss. As dentists we ask our patients to floss specially at night before they go to bed.  After floss is used a lot of people just flush it down the toilet.

Floss, specially the non shreded kind binds with the other waste material and creates large clumps. They gum up impellers, which are part of the pumps in the city’s sanitary pumping stations.

Strands of floss wrap around the motors of the impellers - rotating devices that move the waste. When the motors don’t have enough power to overcome the jam, they shut down. Recently the Toronto water distric had to deal with this situation. According to the official this is a recurring issue every fall.

Next time you meet someone for the first time pay attention to what it is about them you notice first. Eighty five percent of people look at  the other person’s eyes first and then they look at their smile before noticing anything else about them.

As a cosmetic dentist, I am among those fifteen percent that looks at the smile first. A smile says a lot about a person; maybe it is true that a smile carries thousands of words. The discolored front tooth tells about a childhood accident. The worn down teeth projects a stressed personality and long white, scalloped teeth exude sex appeal.

During this election season I have been watching and hearing  major presidential candidates. I have read and listened to their speeches and their debates. I have wondered what their smiles suggest about their personality and self confidence.

 Senator Barack Obama’s smile projects warmth and likability. His teeth are slightly longer and more rounded than usual. His smile is his face’s most   dominant feature. the white, soft smile makes him appear accessible and approachable.

 He has a wide smile that shows over twelve teeth; normally eight teeth are the most people show when they smile. The wide smile makes his eyes to squint.   Squinting of the eyes during smiling is an indication of an honest smile.

  Senator Hillary Clinton’s smile projects confidence and success. Her teeth are more squared at the edges than I have seen with women’s teeth usually. That   makes the appearance of her smile more powerful and in charge.

 I have also seen some photos of her with the teeth not as white as her portraits. I am not sure if the whiter smile we see on this photo is photoshoped  or not. She might have gotten her teeth whitened also at one point or another. Her eyes are the more prominent feature of her face and her smile just compliments them.

 Senator John McCain’s teeth protrude slightly outward and his lower teeth are crowded. He appears ambitious but very conservative. The Metal crown on his upper right side visible when he smiles gives an impression of traditional, no-nonsense type of person. Whiter teeth just does not work for him and it will look unnatural.

His large Buccinator muscles (cheek muscles) represents a clencher and projects an aggressive but non-threatening personality.

I guess the question is whose smile do you want to see on your TV screen for the next four years.