Category Archives: Dental Health

What Are Cavities and How Do They Happen? | New York, NY

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Cavities. They are one of those things that no matter how much we do to protect ourselves against them, can creep up on us unexpectedly. Understanding the factors that enhance or mitigate your risk of developing a cavity, the warning signs, and how they are treated, goes a long way in your ability to make informed decisions about your care routine. Here are some things we think you should know about cavities.

How Do Cavities Happen?


Acidic Foods– Citric acid contained in lemons, limes, and oranges also pops up as an ingredient in processed foods. Citric acid and others weaken teeth and put enamel in danger of erosion which in turn creates crevices for bacteria to stick and become a cavity. It would be difficult to avoid citric acid, so the best thing you can do is consume water throughout the day and keep the intake of acidic foods to a minimum.

Sugar– While sugar doesn’t cause cavities, like citric acid, it contributes to the likelihood you may develop one. Sugar is a harmful bacteria’s favorite food, so the longer sugar lingers on your teeth, the more likely that bacteria will begin to eat it. This weakens your enamel and creates opportunities for that harmful bacteria to hang around and cause a cavity.

Are Children More Prone To Develop Cavities?

Believe it or not, children are not more prone to develop cavities than adults, but there are factors that may put children and elderly individuals at more risk for tooth decay. Children tend to crave and eat sugary foods while doing a poor job brushing their teeth. The elderly tend to take medication that reduces the amount of saliva they produce thus reducing the neutralization properties of saliva. Drinking water throughout the day and regular dental visits can help both children and their grandparents to reduce the chances harmful bacteria may cause a cavity.

How Are Cavities Treated?

If you wake up to a toothache or notice black spots on a tooth, you may have a cavity. Cavities are a common occurrence and dentists have several means of treating them. Treatment options vary depending on how advanced tooth decay has become.

Simple Decay- Fluoride treatments and fillings are viable treatment options if the cavity is in its early stages. Your dentist will apply a solution to the decaying tooth to kill harmful bacteria and place a filling where the cavity was to seal the area to prevent further decay. This is a fairly simple and painless method for cavity removal, as well as the most common treatment option.

Serious Decay- If the cavity has progressed beyond the ability for a fluoride treatment to remove the bacteria, crowns, root canals and tooth extraction are a dentist’s next line of defense. Crowns are custom coverings for decaying teeth; typically made from porcelain, they work to strengthen your affected tooth once the bacteria have been removed. If the decay reaches the inner tooth or pulp, your dentist will remove the pulp, medicate it to clear any infection, and add a filling. Tooth extraction is a last resort option when the decayed tooth is beyond restoration. Your dentist may recommend a bridge or implant for the gap.

Aesthetic Advantage has state-of-the-art educational facilities that can help you take your career to the next level, call us at (212) 794.3552 for more information.

Aesthetic Advantage proudly serves New York, Atlanta, Florida, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Boston, Rhode Island, California, South Carolina, and all surrounding areas.

Effective Ways To Care For Baby Teeth | New York, NY

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Our babies and children may never acknowledge the benefits caring for their teeth at that age have on their adult teeth later. Yet, their health will always be better off from early interventions in proper oral hygiene. “Baby teeth” are the precursor for adult teeth, they are the placeholder and it’s important they be maintained for gum health and reduction of harmful bacteria.

Oral hygiene for our children begins the day their first tooth breaks through the gum. With a damp, soft cloth, lightly wipe your baby’s gums after feeding. Once more prominent, you may use a soft toothbrush and non-fluoride toothpaste twice a day until preschool age. At that age, the amount of toothpaste that can be safely used increases to the size of a pea.

When your child is at that age and able to brush on his or her own, it’s important to keep an eye on them. Many children find the process of brushing teeth to be boring or unimportant, but this is an important age to develop good habits. Singing toothbrushes and flavored toothpaste help encourage kids to find the process more enjoyable and help guide them towards brushing their teeth for two minutes. Another great way to encourage your child is to brush with them and show them how to get to their molars, the back of their teeth, and the front.

Tooth health matters from the day they appear, so parents who take their children’s oral hygiene seriously and encourage good habits aid the child’s adult teeth later- even if they don’t know it yet.

Aesthetic Advantage has state-of-the-art educational facilities that can help you take your career to the next level, call us at (212) 794.3552 for more information.

Aesthetic Advantage proudly serves New York, Atlanta, Florida, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Boston, Rhode Island, California, South Carolina, and all surrounding areas.

Starting 2022 with a New Smile | New York, NY

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Now that we are wrapping up 2021 and looking towards 2022, we should ask ourselves – are we living the happiest life we can? For many of us, the answer is no. And this is where our new years resolutions come in.

As we look to improve ourselves, both physically and mentally, there are some areas we cannot do alone. One of these is our smile. If you are considering a smile makeover, there are some major things to consider. After all, no two smiles are alike. Hair color, teeth, skin tone, gum tissue and overall health of your teeth are all factors that go into developing your ideal smile and maintaining a healthy mouth. You and your dentist will discuss and compose a dental treatment plan. So, let’s take a minute to break down the aspects of your smile and what our dental professionals look for when designing your smile makeover:

Tooth color. Replacing fillings with natural tooth-colored restorations, teeth whitening, porcelain veneers, crowns, bridges and composite bonding.

Alignment and spacing. Crooked teeth overlap or have gaps can be straightened and aligned, when necessary, through orthodontics or Invisalign and improved with veneers.

Missing teeth. One or more missing teeth can affect the appearance of your smile and affect your bite. Teeth can be replaced by dental implants, bridges or partial dentures.

Harmony and balance. Uneven, chipped and cracked teeth can be cosmetically bonded for an improved appearance, and a gummy smile can be re-contoured to help improve the overall look of the smile.

Full lips, smile and cheeks. An unshapely or aging face can be rejuvenated with procedures including orthodontics and/or oral maxillofacial surgery.

Aesthetic Advantage has state of the art educational facilities that can help you take your career to the next level, call us at (212) 794.3552 for more information.

Aesthetic Advantage proudly serves New York, Atlanta, Florida, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Boston, Rhode Island, California, South Carolina and all surrounding areas.

Predictable Implant Abutment Selection | New York, NY

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Over the past decade, the dental profession has witnessed an influx of abutment designs and techniques. The promises of aesthetics, predictability, and ease, however, are seldom realized. The fact is that every tooth to be replaced has its own anatomy, gingival tissue contour, bone level, tissue tone, adjacent tooth, and other variables that are hardly “predictable”. One or two types of abutments cannot be used in case designs with predictable results. With the same abutments used on all cases, an aspect of treatment may be compromised (i.e., occlusion design, aesthetics, food impaction, or the presence of a black line on the tissue). Proper diagnosis for each tooth in each situation must be discussed with the surgeon and restorative dentist.

A proper waxup of critical areas (e.g., cement enamel junction levels, interproximal spaces, and available bone with or without augmentation procedures), may possibly provide an acceptable result. Four parameters have remained constant: the width of the implant, depth of tissue, angulation of placement, and clearance of the opposing arch for available material. These parameters enable clinicians to select the appropriate abutment.

Abutment selection, however, cannot be accomplished until the tissue has properly healed. In this new generation of implant prosthetics, every implant clinician must have a provisional abutment applicable for all cases, to aid in determining the shape of the tooth being restored, and the final abutment. In the aesthetic zone, during immediate restoration, the provisional abutment can help scallop the tissue and maintain the height of the gingiva. During delayed healing placement, zirconia abutments may be the next choice due to its warmer color tone.

To read more of this article, click here.

Aesthetic Advantage has state of the art educational facilities that can help you take your career to the next level, call us at (212) 794.3552 for more information.

Aesthetic Advantage proudly serves New York, Atlanta, Florida, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Boston, Rhode Island, California, South Carolina and all surrounding areas.

Ensure Long-Term Protection of Patients’ Restorative | New York, NY

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As the clinical challenges of debilitated dentition are addressed, clinicians must also consider the significance of occlusal rehabilitation and with this, occlusal protection. The following two case presentations represent different, but significant occlusal challenges. As each patient sought aesthetic improvement, often the solution involved major occlusal change. The use of an anterior splint device (ie, BiteSoft™) to manage occlusal disharmony and Bruxism may often be required to achieve long-term treatment success and preserve the patients, as well as the clinician’s restorative investment.

“For patients with Bruxism, BiteSoft™ provides a means to effectively manage the condition and offers peace of mind knowing that their investments are adequately protected.”

Want to read more, including Dr. Rosenthal’s case presentations? Click here.

Aesthetic Advantage has state of the art educational facilities that can help you take your career to the next level, call us at (212) 794.3552 for more information.

Aesthetic Advantage proudly serves New York, Atlanta, Florida, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Boston, Rhode Island, California, South Carolina and all surrounding areas.

Is Cosmetic Dentistry Vain? | New York, NY

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No one wants to be thought of as vain, but in this day and age, a large stress is placed on the way we look. If we don’t like something about ourselves, we try to change it. We go on diets, we dye our hair – there is a myriad of options we can do to improve our appearance. Cosmetic dentistry is the branch of dentistry that mainly deals with the appearance of teeth. There are several procedures involved, like teeth whitening, teeth straightening, veneers, crowns, bleaching and reshaping. While it is true that cosmetic dentistry is “elective” in more ways than one, in just as many ways, cosmetic dentistry also offers plenty of benefits from an improved smile.

A better-looking smile helps improve your self-confidence and self-esteem significantly. This then makes it easier for you to go out, smile and socialize with other people. By helping you become more confident about yourself and feel more attractive, you have a much better chance of living a better and more positive life.

The word “cosmetic” always gives off the impression that the main, and only, beneficiary is one’s appearance and that it’s only done to improve one’s look. Though, as far as cosmetic dentistry goes, it’s not always just about esthetics, it’s also about improving your oral and overall health.

Not only that, but there are many other cases where cosmetic dentistry helps in improving the overall function your teeth. Those with misaligned teeth or bites often develop worse dental problems that may result in painful areas outside of one’s teeth and this is something that cosmetic dentistry can help with.

Aesthetic Advantage has state of the art educational facilities that can help you take your career to the next level, call us at (212) 794.3552 for more information.

Aesthetic Advantage proudly serves New York, Atlanta, Florida, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Boston, Rhode Island, California, South Carolina and all surrounding areas.

A Miracle of Collaborative Giving | New York, NY

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A smile makeover gives new hope to a cancer patient.

By David Ward, DMD

I’ve often had patients come and go with very little fanfare. It’s not that I don’t want to know more about my patients’ personal lives; it’s just that the day’s pace leaves me with precious little time to ask more than the typical superficial questions: How are the kids? How is your spouse? Congratulations on your new baby!

But on a rather ordinary day in March 2011, I met an extraordinary person. At the age of 55, Roger decided it was time to get the smile he always wanted. After cursory introductions and greetings, I sensed Roger’s uneasiness and asked about his health and medical information. He told me he’d recently seen a doctor for a medical problem and needed more tests. They suspected cancer.

But Roger quickly became more upbeat and began opening up about his desire for a better smile. It was immediately clear that we’d have a great relationship and I’d enjoy providing him with a new smile.

After discussing his goals and desires for his smile, we started discussing a budget. We obviously wouldn’t be able to complete the full plan of crowns and veneers he’d hoped for due to financial constraints, but we agreed on a staged treatment over a period of time. Roger left after chatting with just about everyone on my team, which became a common occurrence that we all came to enjoy during the course of his treatment.

Want to read more? Click here.

Snoozing Your Way Through Dental Appointments | New York, NY

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Of all the health professionals feared most by adults, the dentist is at the top of the list. Dental Anxiety (DA) is the actual diagnosis for this fear and adults everywhere have it. Dental professionals everywhere have been busy making huge strides in order to calm those fears. Some are turning their dental offices into more of a spa feel than a dental one. Aromatherapy, soothing music, weighed blankets – if you can think of a soothing way to relax, chances are your dental professional has it. And if you still need “something stronger”, there’s sedation dentistry.

Sedation dentistry is the way your dentist relaxes you enough to handle the dental procedure through the use of medication, in addition to the numbing agent applied to the area that will be worked on to alleviate any pain caused by the procedure. The use of sedation is to make you as comfortable as possible as they do their job and to make recovery time minimal.

If you don’t need much to relax you, chances are you will receive nitrous oxide, or laughing gas. It is given to you as you breathe through a mask, so zero pain or needles are involved. If you need to be calmed with more than a little gas, the next step up is an oral sedative so no pain or needles are involved to make a patient groggy, but you will be awake during the procedure. IV sedation takes affect a lot quicker, but the dentist also has the ability to adjust the amount as needed. Administered by medications prior to your procedure, deeper sedation methods will render you unconscious and unable to be awakened easily.

Aesthetic Advantage has state of the art educational facilities that can help you take your career to the next level, call us at (212) 794.3552 for more information.

Aesthetic Advantage proudly serves New York, Atlanta, Florida, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Boston, Rhode Island, California, South Carolina and all surrounding areas.

Smile Design Enhanced with Porcelain Veneers | New York, NY

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by Dr. Dean C. Vafiadis, DDS

Porcelain veneers within reason allow for the alteration of tooth position, shape, size and color. They require a minimal amount of tooth preparation – in this case reduction (approximately 0.5 mm of surface enamel) – and are, therefore, a more conservative restoration than a crown, which requires significant removal of sound tooth structure. Although not the only alternative for all esthetic abnormalities, they are truly a remarkable restoration when they are the treatment of choice.

To read more about smile design, click here.

Aesthetic Advantage has state of the art educational facilities that can help you take your career to the next level, call us at (212) 794.3552 for more information.

Aesthetic Advantage proudly serves New York, Atlanta, Florida, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Boston, Rhode Island, California, South Carolina and all surrounding areas.

Encourage Your Patients to Drink More Water | New York, NY

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48% of American adults consumes at least one glass of soda and other sweetened beverages each day, according to a Gallup poll. Furthermore, statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show more than 16 percent of children ages 2 to 19 have untreated cavities.

What you may not know is that bacteria feed on what you eat and drink, especially sugars, and this creates acid that can break down the tooth’s outer surface and dissolve the valuable minerals that protect teeth from decay. The more your teeth break down, the more likely you will develop tooth decay and other dental maladies in the future.

“Sipping sugary drinks gives bacteria in the mouth more power to create acid that weakens tooth enamel and causes cavities,” said CDA President-elect Lindsay Robinson, DDS. “In addition, sports drinks pose many of the same risks as other sugar-loaded beverages, such as irreversible dental erosion, and should not be substituted for water.”

CDA urges people to swap out sugar-laden drinks for a glass of milk or water this summer. Milk contains lots of calcium, which strengthens teeth and water produces saliva, which helps to keep bacteria from setting up shop in our teeth’s crevices.

“Water contains no sugar, no acids and no calories, so your teeth, and your body, will benefit,” said Robinson. “Water also helps keep gums hydrated and rinses away food particles that would otherwise remain in the mouth promoting bacterial growth that causes decay.”

Most importantly, protect teeth throughout the year by brushing for two minutes, two times a day with fluoride toothpaste, flossing regularly and visiting a dentist for a complete dental checkup on a regular basis.

Aesthetic Advantage has state of the art educational facilities that can help you take your career to the next level, call us at (212) 794.3552 for more information.

Aesthetic Advantage proudly serves New York, Atlanta, Florida, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Boston, Rhode Island, California, South Carolina and all surrounding areas.