Posts Tagged ‘tooth loss’

It’s a New Year, a time for all family members, both young and old to renew their vows to take charge of their dental health!  I’m Dr. Catrise Austin, “Dentist to the Stars”, owner of VIP Smiles, and author of a new dental consumer book called “5 Steps to the Hollywood A-List Smile:  How the stars get that perfect smile and how you can too!”  I know that going to the dentist may seem like a family chore, but in these tough economic times keeping your family’s smile in tip top shape can not only save you money in future dental bills, but can keep your family in good overall health.

Early in my career, I had the pleasure of working for New York City’s Health and Hospital Corporation’s dental division.  As a school dentist, I would visit various schools throughout New York City and with permission notes from their parents; I’d take care of the student’s full dental needs throughout the day —for free!  I was amazed at times with the poor condition of many of the young children’s permanent teeth.  It would literally break my heart to have to have to do a root canal or pull a permanent tooth of a middle school or high school aged child because of dental neglect or poor access to proper dental education and/or dental care.  At the end of the day, I always blamed the parents for some of the dental disasters that I saw.

Oftentimes I think parents tend to underestimate the importance of dental health and the power of a smile not only for themselves, but for their children.  Like many people across the land I’m sure many of you out there have attempted to take your smiles into your own hands and have avoided going to the dentist at all costs.  Perhaps you just hate the dentist.  Perhaps you’ve lost or never had dental benefits through your employer.  Or perhaps your family has been hit with hard times and one or more family members have lost a job altogether leaving you with few options to pay for dental care.  Whatever the case may be, avoiding the dentist or not taking proper care of your families’ teeth is a terrible mistake and can cost not only the appearance and health of your family’s smile, but also their overall health and quality of life.  So my goal in 2010 is to educated more parents on what they need to do to arm their families with happy and healthy smiles.

Check Out My Top 5 Dental Disasters To Avoid:

Disaster #1:  Tooth injuries:
Did you know that dental injuries are extremely common during sports activities?  Any parents or children who participate in a sport that contains a chance of injury to the teeth, jaws, or oral soft tissues or which shows a potential risk of concussion could benefit from the use of a custom fitted mouth guard.  An athlete is 60 times more likely to sustain damage to the teeth when not wearing a protective mouth guard. Over the years, I’ve personally treated hundreds of cracked teeth and have even replanted teeth that have been displaced during sports activities such as skiing, biking, karate, rollerblading, and of course the obvious sports like football and basketball.  The average cost to replant a tooth and the follow-up dental treatment is about $5000 as opposed to the cost of $200 to protect your smile with a custom mouth guard (or much less for a store bought sports guard).  So it’s important for family members who engage in sports activities to consider investing in this appliance to protect their smiles.

Disaster #2: Cavities
Cavities can not only be unsightly and painful, but can also be quite costly.  There are several things that your entire family can do to avoid cavities including daily brushing and flossing, using fluoride pastes and rinses to clean your teeth, and drinking fluoridated tap water.  In addition, I try to teach parents to read nutritional labels when making food choices.  It’s important to pay close attention to the hidden sugars that are in your food and drinks to help prevent cavities.

Disaster #3—Tooth Loss:
Missing teeth can be quite cute when it happens naturally during early childhood.  However, the presence of missing teeth in adults due to cavities or gum disease can totally ruin your smile.  It pains me to see an adult with missing teeth, especially front teeth.  Not sexy at all!  Tooth loss can be prevented by proper home care as well as by seeing your dentist regularly for checkups and professional cleanings.   There are temporary short term options for replacing missing teeth as well as permanent solutions such as implants, dentures, and bridges.  Replacing missing teeth can also prevent your teeth from shifting around and changing your bite.

Disaster #4:  Gum disease:
Gum disease is one of the most unrecognized and untreated diseases of the mouth.  As a matter of fact, 75% adults that visit the dentist are diagnosed with advanced gum disease.  If you think your children are exempt, then you’re wrong! It’s important for you to know the signs and symptoms of active gum disease which is characterized by bleeding gums as well as gums that appear red in color, swollen, and tender upon touch.  The truth is, early gum disease is silent and painless. If left untreated, early gum disease can lead to the other dental disasters such bad breath, tooth loss, and other serious health problems.

Disaster #5:  Bad breath
There’s nothing funny about having bad breath!  It can be quite offensive to friends, co-workers, classmates, and your mate.  Trying to mask bad breath with gum, mints, or tongue strips is only a temporary fix.  Bad breath found in children or adults is usually an indication of hidden bacteria being present in the mouth due to improper cleaning habits at home.  It can be easily treated by your dentist with the repair of hidden cavities or with a routine cleaning.

Here’s what you and your family need to do to care for your smile.  I recommend brushing 2-3 times a day with a soft bristled or electric toothbrush to fight bacteria and preserve the enamel on your tooth.  Each family member should get in the habit of brushing in the morning as well as before bed.   I’m sure that you’ve heard this time and time again, but flossing is equally as important as brushing–both must be done at home daily between dental visits.  To make flossing easy on the family, pick up a bag of those pre-loaded floss sticks.  They’re a cinch for both kids and adults to use (and yes, kids should be flossing too!).  Visiting a dental hygienist and dentist team, every six months or as scheduled, is vital in maintaining cavity free teeth and healthy gums.

It doesn’t take a million bucks to smile.  In my book I even share options on where to find low cost and even free dental care across the nation for those families who may be financially challenged.   Ignoring your smile today will only lead to costly dental disasters tomorrow. So I encourage you to take charge of your dental health and make it a priority. If you’ve been guilty of putting off your next dental exam and professional cleaning, consider making an appointment ASAP. For more smile tips and your VIP pass to dental resources, pick up or click to order my new book “5 Steps to the Hollywood A-List Smile: How the stars get that perfect smile and how you can too!” today.

This guest post was written by Dr. Catrise Austin.  Dr. Austin owes her A-List career to a love of belly laughs. As a new dentist, Dr. Austin enjoyed many nights at the comedy clubs of New York City where she met up and coming comedians such as Chris Rock, Tracey Morgan, Mike Epps, and Dave Chappelle. Before you could say, “Brush after every meal” Dr. Austin was known as the “Dentist to the Stars”.

But Dr. Austin, who originally became a dentist because of how she felt as a young girl with a less-than-perfect smile, knew that great smiles weren’t just for Hollywood. So she wrote 5 Steps to the Hollywood A-List Smile a primer of everything you need to know about having a great smile including rating your smile, a dictionary of dental services, how to find affordable dental services, and steps you can take at home to create a great smile. Pick up your copy today!