Magician Michel Grandinetti can levitate a 500-pound motorcycle, melt into a 7-foot-tall wall of solid steel, and make borrowed rings vanish and reappear baked inside bread. Yet the master illusionist admits to being in awe of the magic that dentists perform when it comes to transforming smiles. In fact, he told an interviewer that it’s “way more important magic than walking through a steel wall because you’re affecting people’s health… people’s confidence, and you’re really allowing people to… feel good about themselves.”

Michael speaks from experience. As a teenager, his own smile was enhanced through orthodontic treatment. Considering the career path he chose for himself — performing for multitudes both live and on TV — he calls wearing an orthodontic device (braces) to align his crooked teeth “life-changing.” He relies on his welcoming, slightly mischievous smile to welcome audiences and make the initial human connection.

A beautiful smile is definitely an asset regardless of whether you’re performing for thousands, passing another individual on a sidewalk or even, research suggests, interviewing for a job. Like Michael, however, some of us need a little help creating ours. If something about your teeth or gums is making you self-conscious and preventing you from smiling as broadly as you could be, we have plenty of solutions up our sleeve. Some of the most popular include:

• Tooth Whitening. Professional whitening in the dental office achieves faster results than doing it yourself at home, but either approach can noticeably brighten your smile.
• Bonding. A tooth-colored composite resin can be bonded to a tooth to replace missing tooth structure, such a chip.
• Veneers. This is a hard, thin shell of tooth-colored material bonded to the front surface of a tooth to change its color, shape, size and/or length; mask dental imperfections like stains, cracks, or chips, and compensating for excessive gum tissue.
• Crowns. Sometimes too much of a tooth is lost due to decay or trauma to support a veneer. Instead, capping it with a natural-looking porcelain crown can achieve the same types of improvements. A crown covers the entire tooth replacing more of its natural structure than a veneer does.

If you would like more information about ways in which you can transform your smile, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about the techniques mentioned above by reading the Dear Doctor magazine articles “Teeth Whitening,” “Repairing Chipped Teeth,” and “Porcelain Crowns & Veneers.”

February marks National Children's Dental Health Month. It’s important for children to form daily oral hygiene habits early, but how do you get little ones to take care of their teeth? Try these tips:

Describe your actions. When children are too young to brush on their own, gently brush their teeth for them, narrating as you go so they learn what toothbrushing entails. For example, “Brush, brush, brush, but not too hard,” or “Smile big. Let’s get the front teeth. Now let’s get the teeth in the very back.”

Make learning fun. Around age 3, children can start learning to brush their own teeth. To model proper technique, play follow the leader as you and your child brush teeth side by side, making sure to get all tooth surfaces. Then you both can swish and spit. After brushing together, brush your child’s teeth again to make sure hard-to-reach surfaces are clean. Note that children generally need help brushing until at least age 6.

Encourage ownership and pride. Children feel more invested in their oral health when they get to pick out their own supplies, such as a toothbrush with their favorite character and toothpaste in a kid-friendly flavor. To boost pride in a job well done, reward your child with a sticker or star after they brush their teeth.

Keep your child brushing for two minutes. According to the American Dental Association, toothbrushing should be a two-minute task. To pass the time, play a favorite song or download a tooth-brushing app designed to keep kids brushing the recommended two minutes. For increased motivation, electric toothbrushes for children often have a built-in two-minute timer as well as appealing characters, lights and sounds.

And don’t forget one more key to a lifetime of good oral health—regular dental visits. If you have questions about your child’s dental hygiene or if it’s time to schedule a dental visit, please contact our office. To learn more, read the Dear Doctor magazine articles “Dentistry & Oral Health for Children” and “Top 10 Oral Health Tips for Children.”

The most romantic holiday of the year, Valentine’s Day is celebrated each February 14th. It’s a time when many look forward to giving (and receiving) cards, flowers, and other tokens of love. On special days like this, it’s natural to want to look your best—and many surveys rank a person’s smile as his or her most noticeable (and appealing) physical feature. But what if you are unsatisfied with your smile?

Don’t worry! Today, cosmetic dentistry can resolve smile problems as never before. Here are some popular and effective dental treatments that can quickly brighten up your smile.

Tooth Whitening
In just one visit, dull or stained teeth can often be lightened by up to 10 shades! How? We use special bleaching solutions that are applied safely, under our careful supervision, in the dental office. You can’t use these concentrated solutions at home. But if you‘re not in a rush, we can prepare custom-made take-home bleaching trays and whiteners that are safe for home use. The same results can be achieved, but the process may take weeks instead of hours. After months or years, depending on lifestyle factors (like whether you smoke or drink coffee, red wine, etc.) your teeth can have whitening treatment again.

Cosmetic Bonding
Small chips, cracks, or other minor irregularities can be quite noticeable in an otherwise flawless smile. Fortunately, these problems can often be resolved with a treatment called cosmetic bonding. In a relatively simple in-office procedure, we can apply tooth-colored bonding material to restore teeth to better appearance. Layers of high-tech bonding material are built up and cured with a special light to form a tough, natural-looking tooth surface. Bonding isn’t as long-lasting as some other types of restoration, like veneers or crowns, but it’s an easy and inexpensive way to resolve some smile problems.

Professional In-Office Cleaning
Remember that feeling you get after your regular checkup? Your mouth feels squeaky-clean, your breath is fresh and you’re ready to show that sparkly smile. So why wait until your next routine appointment? You can schedule a hygiene visit any time. We will remove plaque from your teeth, check your gums for signs of periodontal (gum) disease, and make sure you’re on track for good oral health. If any problems are found, we’ll take care of them right away. And if you have questions about cosmetic procedures, it’s the perfect time to ask. A professional cleaning can help your smile look (and feel) great.

If you have questions about brightening up your smile, please contact our office or schedule a consultation. You can learn more in the Dear Doctor magazine articles “Artistic Repair of Front Teeth with Composite Resin” and “Important Teeth Whitening Questions Answered.”