Anti-Aging in Dentistry

Posted by drgracesun on October 14, 2009 under Beautiful Smile, Healthy Smile, Hygiene, Nutrition and Diet, Smart Smile | Be the First to Comment

Anti-Aging is something of a buzzword in today’s marketplace: the medical community, the marketing community and nearly every community in between seems to have been captured by this craze. What exactly is anti-aging? The concept is to reduce the visual signs of a person’s age to make one appear younger, more vibrant and more beautiful. While there are a range of methods and procedures available to the public to accomplish anti-aging, the patient themselves must be willing to make changes to his or her lifestyle in order to sustain the changes provided by his or her physician.

I recently attended the 5th European Congress in Aesthetic Dermatology and Surgery in Anti-Aging Medicine, hosted by the European Masters in Aesthetic & Anti-Aging Medicine (or EMAA) in Paris, France. The conference focused on a plethora of anti-aging information and news in the field, but what I found interesting were the procedures tailored toward dental medicine. Botox, or Botulinum toxin, is a neurotoxic protein that is in fact one of the most poisonous substances known to man! Despite the dramatic definition, the use of very small amounts of this toxin to treat muscle spasms in anti-aging medicine is widespread. Botox relaxes muscle spasms in a way that can reduce wrinkles, by training specific muscle groups to relax and lower tension.  Botox effects wear off between three and six months, and will need to be re-administered to maintain results.

From the dental aspect, Botox can be used to control a gummy smile. Botox relaxes the muscles in a person’s upper lip – known as hyperactive upper lip – which contributes to a gummy smile. When Botox is injected into the muscle group in a person’s lip, the toxin actually relaxes the muscles and restricts the muscle’s ability to overly contract upward thus showing excessive gum tissue . Botox can also be used to control facial muscle spasms that contribute not only to wrinkles and frown lines, but to headaches as well. By undergoing Botox therapy, the muscles in the lips and face can be trained to eventually relax on their own.

Although Botox may sound like a miracle drug for reducing the appearance of gummy smiles, fine lines and even headaches, one must remember that any anti-aging treatment plan is dual-fold: the patient must be committed to their health in order to achieve long-lasting results. Patient compliance is key in any medical treatment plan, but when it comes to anti-aging, a healthy lifestyle can make all the difference in the world. Diet is one of the most important factors in patient compliance. Everyone has heard the age-old saying “you are what you eat,” – it is absolutely true.

A patient who is concerned with his or her physical health and appearance – and is willing to go through Botox therapy to achieve anti-aging results – must realize that his or her diet is vital to achieving long-lasting results. Vegetables, lean proteins and minerals are all vital in achieving healthy skin, bones and organ function. A poor diet high in refined sugars, fat and carbohydrates with poor habits (like alcohol consumption and smoking, staying up late and no exercise) all will contribute to a faster aging process. We all wishto be young and healthy forever – it all starts with healthy choices.

“Where is Your Tooth #8?”

Posted by drgracesun on March 5, 2009 under Information | Be the First to Comment

Do you know the names and numbers of your teeth? Can you only say “The pointy one in the top right side!” Let’s get to know your teeth better here; it will make you a better communicator with your dental professional – you’ll even be able to pinpoint specific teeth over the phone!

The universal numbering system, pictured above, identifies each tooth in a person’s mouth with an individual number. This system references all the teeth that should be in your mouth, so if you have wisdom teeth (or other teeth) which have been removed, those numbers still exist. # 1 is your upper right wisdom tooth. Each tooth then progresses up one number all the way across to the 3rd molar (wisdom tooth) on the left side of the mouth (# 16). #17 will be the lower left wisdom tooth, and counting clockwise, the last tooth will be #32, the lower right wisdom tooth.

Because most people do not have 32 teeth, due to wisdom tooth extraction, congenitally missing them or extraction due to un-restorable dental conditions, we will skip over any missing numbers. It is also important to know the names of the teeth! Your front four teeth (7, 8, 9, 10) and your front lower four teeth (23, 24, 25, 26) are incisors. Incisors are mainly used for gripping, cutting and shearing food, and are the first thing a person sees when you flash your smile. Incisors also play a dominant role in speech.

Moving further back are the canines (or cuspids).On the upper jaw, canines are also named “eye teeth” because the long root almost points to the eye socket. They are #6 and 11 (upper jaw) and #22 and 27 (lower jaw). Canine teeth are relatively long and pointed, used primarily for holding food while it is being ripped in the mouth.They are an important guide for the bite of your teeth; usually they are the first to wear away. Once canines are worn, other teeth will wear away quickly.

Behind the canines lie the bicuspids (or premolars),  #4, 5, 12, 13 (upper jaw) and #20, 21, 28, 29 (lower jaw). Bicuspids are a sort of “inbetween tooth,” with the properties of both the canine and molar teeth. These teeth transfer food from the canines to the molars for proper grinding.

Finally, the molars make up the rear-most teeth in your mouth. Depending on if you have your wisdom teeth or not, you will have 8 or 12 molars, which lie directly behind the two biscuspids in each quadrant of your mouth, #2, 3, 14, 15 (upper jaw) and #18, 19, 30, 31 (lower jaw). Molars are like a grinding table, carrying out the smashing and grinding of food for digestion.

Next time, try to communicate with your dental professional the name or number of your tooth that is being discussed. It would impress and earn great respect from your dental professional, and would also be the first step to knowing your teeth! Once you know your teeth better, you will likely find taking care of your dental health easier more interesting. If you learn these numbers, you will be one step ahead of most people regarding dental communication!