I am proud to be participating in the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Charitable Foundation’s (AACDCF) Give Back a Smile (GBAS) program geared to helping heal the effects of domestic violence endured by more than five million individuals each year in the U.S. and Canada. I am one of many volunteer dentists involved with GBAS,…
Year: 2014
Hermey Finally Gets His Due! One of Santa’s Elves Wanted to Be a Dentist!
Just a few years ago I was enjoying a nostalgic trip back in time watching the classic animated story of Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I had forgotten and was amazed that Hermey, one of Santa’s elves, expressed a burning desire to become a dentist! The show is now celebrating its 50th year and believe it…
Bleachorexia: When to Call it Quits on Teeth Whitening
Bleachorexia, or as I like to call it, bleachomania, is what occurs when someone over-whitens their teeth. I liken it to body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), often but not limited to teenagers, where one is continually finding fault with their appearance. While most of us would like to have a brighter, whiter smile, especially around the…
Mentoring Dental Students
For the second year I have been asked to mentor dental students at my alma mater, Temple University. Temple University’s Kornberg School of Dentistry is the only Dental school in the country with such a program. It’s called “Mentoring for Life,” and is intended to help guide dental students through school and transition them into…
Dental Check-ups = Prevention
Sometimes I feel like a broken record, constantly reminding people of how important it is to see their dentist for regular dental check-ups. Two recent experiences though remind me of how important it really is to “hold the line”. A month or so ago I helped to deliver over a million dollars in donated dental…
Halloween and the Surprising Truth about Cavities
Yes, it’s that time of year again – Halloween – now second only to the Christmas holiday in the amount of money and attention we pay to it as a culture. Halloween – that time of year when children across the country dream of dressing up as their favorite character and scouring the neighborhood for…
Microbeads in Toothpaste - What you should know.
The ADA Speaks Out on “Good Morning America” I received the following issues alert from the American Dental Association (ADA) which I thought would be useful to you. I am reprinting this important information below. ABC’s Good Morning America (GMA) contacted the ADA for a segment that aired in September on microbeads (polyethylene) in toothpaste.…
7 Tips For Treating Dry Mouth
In July I wrote a blog about 15 drugs that can cause dry mouth (Xerostomia).There are actually hundreds of medications that can cause dry mouth, a particularly nasty problem that can cause rampant tooth decay, oral infections, difficulty in chewing and swallowing, and otherwise make people miserable. Xerostomia can also be especially difficult to treat,…
Porcelain Veneers - The Best Thing I Ever Did!
I was thinking about this the other day and one of the best things I ever did (for myself that is) was to get porcelain veneers. My teeth were healthy, but discolored, retroclined (angled inward), worn down from grinding and had spaces between them. I already had orthodontic treatment to correct some of the spacing,…
Mouthwash Ingredients - Why you should avoid those containing CPC
I’ve known for some time that sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), a detergent found in many toothpastes can contribute to apthous ulcers – those small annoying ulcerations in our mouths that mysteriously affect many of us. What I didn’t know until recently was that cetyl pyridinium chloride (CPC), the active ingredient in many mouthwashes, i.e. Crest…
