Joseph J. Henry, DDS

AFTER

Happy New Year! An attractive smile will surely be as important towards success in 2008 as it was in 2007, perhaps more! The first post of 2008 discusses the advantages of all porcelain crowns near the front of the mouth. Crowns are required to restore teeth when a large portion of the tooth has been lost to decay, or fracture. Some of these teeth have had root canals and possibly posts. In the past these teeth were restored with porcelain fused to metal (PFM) crowns. The crown would get its strength from a metal substructure and porcelain would be baked on top of it. In year's past there was no good alternative to crowns with metal, but by today's standard they have many disadvantages. I'm sure you know someone who has some of these in the front of their mouth. They usually leave a blue grey line along the gum, or actually turn the gum a little bluish at its edge. In order to try to hide this grey metal edge of the crown a dentist is forced to place the edge of the crown under the gum line. Crowns placed under the gum can irritate the gum causing it to bleed promoting periodontal disease. Oftentimes PFM crowns are very opaque and lifeless looking since the metal underneath blocks out any light from passing through and lighting up the tooth. Modern cosmetic dentistry offers a solution to this dilemma using all ceramic metal free crowns. Because there is no metal inside these crowns they are very life like looking. Light passes through the crown illuminating it like a natural tooth. Because there is no metal edge to hide, the edge of the crown does not need to be placed under the gum leading to a healthier situation for your tissue. All ceramic crowns are very strong and durable as well. Pictured above is a recent case where a woman came into our office wanting to replace the four crowns on her front teeth. I ended up replacing the four crowns as well as placing porcelain veneers on the teeth behind the crowns. Needless to say she is thrilled with the outcome.

Is the time right to treat yourself to a smile makeover? Do you ever look at your smile in the mirror with a bit of disappointment when you put on your lipstick or adjust your your necktie? Are you the one in all the photographs with a tight lipped smile? In Orange County and Los Angeles your smile can be one of your greatest assets and can reveal a great deal about your personality. According to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry 3 out of 4 people feel that an unattractive smile can hinder a person's career success. 90% of Americans believe that a smile is an important social asset. Many of our patients here at the Orange Center for Cosmetic Dentistry have felt the same way and they have chosen to do something about it!

With today's advanced procedures worn, chipped, teeth can be repaired with porcelain veneers, crooked overlapping teeth can be straightened, ugly metal fillings can be replaced with natural tooth colored fillings, and missing teeth can be replaced. In order to give you the smile that you've always wanted, careful attention is paid to many details. Details such as size, length, color, and shape of your new porcelain veneers will customize your new, vital smile exactly the way your want it.

So, if you think your smile is holding you back in your profession, or socially, or if you believe your smile is keeping you from achieving your dreams, then it's time to treat yourself to a smile makeover!

Last week, Dr. Marty Abelar and I presented a two day lecture to 70 dentists, hygienists, assistants, and dental lab technicians at the Hyatt Regency in Monterey, CA. The participants were very energetic as we presented the Las Vegas Institute (LVI) Regional Event that included such topics as designing smiles, porcelain veneer preparation guidelines, and rapid cementation techniques for porcelain veneers. The first day ended with a discussion of how dentistry today can improve people's lives by improving the appearance of their smile, and by helping them to feel better by eliminating headache, neck pain, facial pain, ear congestion, and vertigo commonly associated with TMJ dysfunction.

The second day began with a discussion of neuromuscular dentistry and how TMJ symptoms can be resolved. This lecture reviewed the science behind Neuromuscular Dentistry and the sophisticated equipment that it employs, such as computerized jaw tracking analysis, recording of jaw muscle EMG's, sonography of the jaw joint, and how the TENS unit is used to relax facial muscles that are involved with TMJ dysfunction. We then demonstrated the use of a TENS unit on five members of the audience who had various degrees of signs and symptoms of TMJ Dysfunction. It was rewarding to see how excited everyone in the room was after the demonstration. The two days ended with lectures on 5 star customer service, marketing, and some specifics of Marty's and my journey of how we practice dentistry. We were thrilled by the large number of doctors who signed up to take a course at LVI.