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.

“This Enamel is Not That Enamel!”

Posted by drgracesun on August 2, 2009 under Information | Be the First to Comment

Let me start by saying that – for some of you – this post may seem a bit silly. However, I get questions in my office about enamel , the white coating of our teeth that the outer layer is made of. Some people confuse the definition “enamel.” Is this enamel the same as that enamel? What is enamel, and how can you keep the different types straight?

Tooth enamel is the hardest and most highly mineralized material in a mammal’s body. 92- 96% of enamel consists of minerals (hydroxyapatite, a phosphate and calcium salt) with the remaining part being water and organic material. Enamel makes up the shiny hard outer layer of a tooth for protecting dentin and pulp , while at the same time carrying out the function of chewing and grinding our food. When you brush your teeth in the morning and at night (and after every meal – hint hint!), you are in fact brushing enamel. The normal color of enamel varies from light yellow to grayish white. At the edges of teeth where there is no dentin underlying the enamel, the color sometimes has a slightly blue tone. Since enamel is semitranslucent, the color of dentin and any restorative dental material underneath the enamel strongly affects the appearance of a tooth.

One day I was asked “why can’t we use bathtub enamel to fix tooth decay, since it is a cavity on the enamel?” Well, in an effort to permeate some inquiring  minds, here are a few other types of enamel – which should never be confused with tooth enamel! Vitreous enamel is the colorful result of fusing powdered glass to a decorative object (usually metal, glass or ceramic tile) by firing, usually between 750 and 850 degrees Celsius. The powder melts and hardens to a smooth, durable vitreous coating used in aesthetic applications, such as decorative work. This technique of applying enamel to add color or texture was originally mastered by the ancient Egyptians! Enamel paint is a type of liquid paint that gives a brilliant glossy shine when cured, and is especially useful in attention-grabbing mediums (such as street signs, door painting and road markers). The term “enamel paint” can also mean an object that is covered in an oil-base paint, but recently has come to include latex-and-water based paints.

Yes, it’s true that there are several different uses of the word “enamel,” but don’t confuse the brilliant white enamel of your teeth with enamel paint or decorative enamel!