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.
In a story that spread across the news (and the web) in a matter of hours, a revolutionary surgical procedure took place in Florida that essentially used a female patient’s own eye tooth (canine) as a base to hold a prosthetic lens inside her eye, which was blinded nine years ago due to Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. Blind for nine years, Sharron “Kay” Thornton recently regained her vision through a first-in-the-U.S. surgical procedure at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. The surgical procedure — modified osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis (MOOKP) — implanted her canine eyetooth in her eye, as a tissue base to hold a prosthetic lens in place.
The disease, which claimed Sharron Thorton’s vision for so many years is an idiopathic condition (read: spontaneous and of unknown-origin) which causes the epidermis to separate from the dermis in what is often a life-threatening battle. The condition destroys the cells on the surface of the eye causing severe scarring of the cornea. Because the eye is such a sensitive part of the body – which rejects foreign material, including plastics and other man-made objects – a piece of hard natural tissue was needed for the implantation of the prosthetic lens. Because the body would normally reject an artificial base, the eye tooth was chosen as a hard, durable tissue which was composed of natural minerals that the body would not reject.
Corneal specialist Dr. Victor Perez said of the procedure, which was developed in Italy, “MOOKP has proven effective as a solution to end-stage corneal disease where severe corneal scarring blocks vision and corneal transplants are no longer an option but the eye’s internal structures and optic nerve remain healthy. For certain patients whose bodies reject a transplanted or artificial cornea, this procedure ‘of last resort’ implants the patient’s tooth in the eye to anchor a prosthetic lens and restore vision,” he explained.
Before the eye-opening procedure, the eyetooth was actually implanted in the patient’s stomach for several months, in order to expose the tooth to other bodily tissues (blood, plasma etc), preparing the tooth for implantation within the eye. Had the tooth not been cocooned by the body before implantation, the chances of bodily rejection would have been rather high. Medical technologies like these (and revolutionary medical procedures) have helped improve our life so much – dental or other bodily implants have been used routinely with great success, but the bottom line is that prevention still is the best answer for our health and quality of life. When tragedy strikes – as it did with Kay Thorton – a combination of science and fortune just might save the day.
Full, sexy and luscious lips! It’s something that nearly all women – and some men – long after, some even go to the plastic surgeon to obtain them! Full lips are attractive and can make you look younger and more full of life. When lips spread wide to reveal beautiful smiles, accentuating cheek bones are the perfect accessory for an attractive and healthy image. Save your money and peace of mind, try these easy lip exercises to stimulate collagen production and get a fuller looking lips. These exercises will train your facial muscles and can actually give you the full pouty lips you’ve always dreamed of – without requiring a doctor (and without making your purse lighter)!
There are ways to gain full lips if you weren’t lucky enough to be born with them! For woman, lip-plumping make up is one option as well as lip augmentation (implant surgeries or injections) which artificially give sexy lips, but for some women, the results are not very natural looking – or even attractive. The first exercise works the Musculus Levator Anguli Oris (or Caninus), which is located immediately under the lower medial rim of the orbital cavity (which lifts the corner of the mouth). Lift the corners of the mouth by pulling your lips in and over your teeth (almost making your lips disappear into your mouth). From this position, pull up both corners of the mouth into a pseudo-smile. Repeat this exercise ten times!
The second exercise works the Musculus Orbicularis Oris, which consists of the sinewy fibres of the corners of the mouth. These muscles start above the upper and below the lower lip, providing the basis for the structure of the lips (and also function as the opening and closing mechanism of the mouth). To exercise this muscle and help bring out fuller lips, with forceful tension, pucker your lips as if getting ready for a kiss. Repeat this exercise ten times, holding the pucker for at least one full second. You can support the exercise by tightly pressing your nostrils together. Repeat ten times!
The third and final exercise works the same muscle group (Orbicularis Oris Muscle) but the exercise is different. Press your lips tightly together, as if pursing them tightly to prevent something from parting your lips. To avoid creating wrinkles, position the tip of your middle fingers at the corners of your mouth and pull slightly to the outside. Again, repeat ten times! By following these simple and easy “facial yoga” exercises, you will begin to develop fuller, stronger lips. Keep in mind that water intake will help maintain your lip plumpness (8 glasses of water every day is essential for your body to maintain itself), and keeping your lips moisturized will help as well. These exercises stimulate collagen production in your lips and will eventually build up your smile to a beautiful one! These exercises can also help to improve muscle tone and skin elasticity!
Summer break is a busy time for oral surgeons, who are often busy extracting the wisdom teeth of college bound or high school students. This wisdom teeth removal surgery could be the biggest medical and dental procedure for a young person. As long as as you are under the care of a capable and well-experienced oral surgeon, the procedure should run smoothly, but proper home care after having the wisdom teeth removed is very important to assure a healthy and speedy recovery.
Anesthetics or sedatives used during oral surgical procedures will often take a couple hours to wear away – the first 72 hours are crucial for normative recovery. Pain medication like anti-inflammatory Ibuprofen or narcotic Tylenol #3 with codeine often is prescribed depending on the severity of the procedure in addition to a 3-times-daily antibiotic, such as amoxycillin.
Regarding eating and drinking after oral surgery, avoid soft drinks for a week and avoid alcohol for 3 to 5 days .No smoking forever is the best, however if you really are dying for a draft,wait as long as possible, at least for 24 hours for being kind to your body. The first day at home should consist of using a cold compression (ice bag on 15 minute off 15 minutes for few hours), which can eliminate swelling. Stay away from straws and any mouth-opening activities to prevent loosing blood clots which lay a foundation for regenerate tissues as part of the natural healing process. Using a straw can cause the painful condition known as “dry socket.” Both preventing infection and timely healing are pivotal for post-surgery patients; follow the instructions from your surgeon on medication, diets, hygiene and habit. You’ll fully recover in no time.
Other than chipmunk cheeks for a couple days, the other common complication related with wisdom teeth extraction is the discomfort associated with dry socket. What causes dry socket and the prevention of dry socket are still being researched, but as a general rule the surgeon’s technique should be gentle and precise, so as to not traumatize the bone during the procedure. If the tooth is impacted or laying side ways, instead of forcing it out with forceps (which can create excessive compression on the bone), the surgeon should use a rotary tool with a saline cooling system to create access to the impacted molar. The molar will be dissected into smaller pieces and removed, without traumatizing the bone. On the patient’s part, there should be no rinsing, spitting, smoking or sucking of any kind for the first 24 hours after oral surgery. This will prevent disruption of the blood clot from a physical force in the mouth. Better oxygen saturation and circulation of the blood from not smoking is also important for healing. A good diet rich in antioxidants and vitamin c, lean proteins are good for tissue regeneration, for overcoming the negative influence on our body from consuming antibiotics. Eat yogurt or take acidophalus to restore the friendly flora in our body to prevent a yeast infection.
If your are healthy, forget all the above mentioned, you will be just fine after surviving the oral surgery!
Being able to smile is a beautiful thing – we all deserve a beautiful one! Some of us might need some work to obtain a dazzling smile, and cosmetic dentistry has been very popular and reaching that dazzle. Just don’t let your dream turn into a nightmare while pursuing your smile make over!
If you are planning on having any elective cosmetic work done, make sure your physician is familiar with different cosmetic options and has a good training background. The most common cosmetic dentistry problems can be prevented if you do your homework, including unsatisfactory cosmetic outcomes or clinical and technical shortcomings! These problems can lead to a not so happy nor healthy smile, altered speech, gum irritation, increased tooth sensitivity , chipping, loose teeth and even breakage of porcelain (from insufficient bonds between natural teeth and porcelain veneers from an overly trimmed tooth structure or bite issue). These errors end up needing additional work (like crowns, root canals or gum surgery) and can be painful and infuriating.
It is important when considering any kind of cosmetic work – dentistry or otherwise – that you evaluate your own needs, and knowing your own health as a foundation for your own future. The consequences of only looking at cosmetic dental procedures without the health side can put your long term oral health at risk. If you have a fairly healthy mouth with well-aligned teeth, it may be easier to get satisfactory cosmetic results with the average cosmetic dentist . If you have seriously mis-aligned teeth, gum disease or lots of dental work / TMJ problems (or are prone to cavities), you have a much more sensitive oral cavity and must be very careful with who you choose to be your cosmetic dentist. Also, you may require multiple steps in order to attain a healthy, long lasting result.
It is also important to have a well thought-out plan before the procedures starts as good communication with your cosmetic dentist and technician is key. Not only is it necessary to be able to convey your desires clearly, but it is also best to go through the proper diagnostic steps to analyze the problem, plan the treatment scientifically with a mock-up or wax-up procedure and set up the detailed 3-D blueprint of your smile makeover before proceeding with dental reconstruction work. Make sure your dentist and ceramist are well experienced by asking other patients what kind of work you can expect and by checking into his or her credentials, education and training background (www.aacd.com is a good reference site). Look at pictures of past cases the dentist has worked on, and get a feel of what kind of sincerity and caring attitude the dental team will be able to provide you, in order to help make your important decision. Make sure you ask questions about what will make the procedure a long term success before proceeding the work.
It is a wonderful thing to have a great smile, but maintaining it will be just important. Proper home care and regular professional check-ups are musts – proper diet and healthy habits will keep your smile beautiful for a long time! Finally, wear a night guard if you are prone to bruxism as they can help maintain the structure of your oral system.
It is almost summer time, and typical family vacations are being planned in many families! Whether you are planning on taking a family road trip or are trekking across the globe, remember to get a dental checkup before your trip – dental care abroad isn’t always convenient, and can in fact be risky business.
Especially when traveling to remote destinations or developing regions of the world, it can be difficult to find adequate or specialized dental care depending on what needs you may have, or what dental emergencies may arise during your trip. In the most extreme places, dental treatment can be both painful and dangerous, depending on the tools and medicines available to the dentists on staff – dental qualification standards are also frequently much lower abroad than those in the western world.
Many Americans wishing to avoid expensive dental care by voyaging outside the borders of the United States travel to Mexico or Eastern Europe every year, and while this may be a way to save money, it is important to be aware that all American dentists hold a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree from an accredited dental school, and hold practicing licenses which are issued only after rigorous examination periods which must be renewed every year. These strict practicing guidelines do not always exist abroad. Guidelines for strict sanitation and hygiene in dental offices are regulated by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), another safety precaution which developing nations often are lacking.
If you choose to go abroad to a remote or developing location to seek dental treatment, be sure to check with that country’s health ministry to inquire about health and safety standards for practicing dentists. Call local health offices and get a feel of what you can expect. If possible, research and find a specific doctor you will visit, and check up on his or her qualifications and practicing history. Once you arrive, your eyes will be your best tool to determine the state of his or her practice! Make sure hands are being washed, instruments are coming from sterilized packaging, and “get a feel” of the place. If you are suspicious, do not proceed!
The Organization for Safety and Asepsis Procedures (OSAP) has published a Traveler’s Guide to Safe Dental Care, which should be read by any and all persons traveling abroad to receive dental treatment – www.osap.org. Finally, dental referrals may be available from the consolate of the country you are a citizen of! Be sure to call the embassy once arriving in your destination country and get all available information. Make sure to be healthy, be prepared, and have a fun and safe trip.
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