en-us http://www.metronycdentist.com/blog_rss.xml NYC Dentist Blog Sat Sep 4 11:36:01 2010 Health http://www.metronycdentist.com/blog/2009/03/athletic_mouthguards.htm Thu Mar 19 22:29:10 2009 Performance-enhancing athletic mouthguards, like the popular Pure Power Mouthguard and Under Armour Performance Mouthwear, seem to be a miracle of modern medicine. The premise is, the right mouthguard can help the entire body can function at peak capacity. Athletes who invest in these custom mouthguards make claims of improved focus, balance, endurance, and strength. Pro athletes, in sports ranging from golf to boxing to football, have turned to these appliances for an edge over competitors. Your run-of-the-mill athletic mouthguards are protective in nature. They distribute impact to reduce the severity or occurrence of injuries, such as mouth cuts, concussions, and tooth ... http://www.metronycdentist.com/blog/2009/03/dental-shift.htm Wed Apr 1 00:57:30 2009 From the New York Times If I have one serious regret about my age, it is that my permanent teeth developed before New York, my hometown, got fluoridated water. I first lost a permanent molar to decay in my early 20s, and the resulting bridge has had to be replaced several times in subsequent decades, ultimately as a four-part apparatus. Now that has to go as well. Because I could not floss and clean properly under the bridge and between the supporting crowns, I developed a severe periodontal infection. Dr. Michael Zidile, the young periodontist I consulted, took one look at ... http://www.metronycdentist.com/blog/2009/12/overallhealth.htm Sun Dec 6 17:46:38 2009 One day in medical clinics, the big picture of a patient's state of health may be found in little pictures from the mouth, says Li Mao, MD, a new professor at the University of Maryland Dental School. The mouth or oral cavity area is an excellent indicator of the whole body's health, says Mao, who is the chair of the new Department of Oncology and Diagnostic Sciences at the School. Mao recently joined the Dental School to be at the forefront of a movement to retool dental education, he says, to make dentists practice more within the bigger health care community ... http://www.metronycdentist.com/blog/2009/12/new-study-shows-that-dentists-can.htm Mon Dec 7 02:47:54 2009 In a remarkable study in Sweden, dentists have led the way in a study designed to spot the early-warning signs of cardiovascular disease - which can lead to heart attacks. The study published in this month's Journal of the American Dental Association enrolled 200 patients who were selected to make sure that the results were truly independent and reliable; patients had to be forty five years or older with no previous record of taking medication for hypertension and no visits to a health care professional during the preceding 12 months during which glucose levels, total cholesterol levels or blood pressure had ... http://www.metronycdentist.com/blog/2009/12/moist-snuff-contaminated-with-harmful-substances.htm Tue Dec 15 05:12:19 2009 A new study on the smokeless tobacco product called moist snuff placed between lip and gum - has led scientists in Minnesota to urge the tobacco industry to change manufacturing practices to reduce snuff's content of carcinogens. Their study is published online in ACS' monthly journal Chemical Research in Toxicology. It reports that this category of tobacco products contains surprisingly high levels of certain toxic and cancer-causing substances. Called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), they may contribute to carcinogenic effects associated with smokeless tobacco use. Irina Stepanov and colleagues note that use of moist snuff increased by almost 80 fold between 1986-2003, ... http://www.metronycdentist.com/blog/2009/12/added-sugar-in-raisin-cereals-increases.htm Sat Dec 19 23:49:52 2009 Elevated dental plaque acid is a risk factor that contributes to cavities in children. But eating bran flakes with raisins containing no added sugar does not promote more acid in dental plaque than bran flakes alone, according to new research at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Some dentists believe sweet, sticky foods such as raisins cause cavities because they are difficult to clear off the tooth surfaces, said Christine Wu, professor and director of cariology research at UIC and lead investigator of the study. But studies have shown that raisins are rapidly cleared from the surface of the teeth just ... http://www.metronycdentist.com/blog/2010/03/teeth-grinding--clenching-what-you.htm Wed Mar 3 02:56:27 2010 Our upper and lower teeth are supposed to glide together smoothly, touching only when we are chewing food. Unnatural grinding or clenching can cause wearing and cracking of the teeth, as well as serious jaw impairment. The reality is that all of us grind our teeth on occasion – when we are angry or anxious, for instance, or when our sleep is disturbed. But when we grind our teeth on a regular basis, we have a condition called bruxism (from the Greek bryx, meaning a “gnashing of the teeth”). If bruxing persists, as it does in an estimated 20 percent of ... http://www.metronycdentist.com/blog/2010/06/acids-in-popular-sodas-erode-tooth.htm Sat Jun 5 17:25:46 2010 Root beer could be the safest soft drink for your teeth, new research suggests, but many other popular diet and sugared sodas are nearly as corrosive to dental enamel as battery acid. Prolonged exposure to soft drinks can lead to significant enamel loss, even though many people consider soft drinks to be harmless or just worry about their sugar content and the potential for putting on pounds, the study says. The erosive potential of colas is 10 times that of fruit juices in just the first three minutes of drinking, a study last year showed. The latest research, published in ... http://www.metronycdentist.com/blog/2010/06/teeth-whitening-myths--facts.htm Mon Jun 28 22:44:39 2010 Why Teeth Stain There are many causes of tooth discoloration. The most common causes include consumption of staining substances (smoking, coffee, tea, soy sauce, berries and colas), tetracycline (antibiotic) staining, excessive fluoride, old fillings, aging and genetics. Store-bought whitening toothpastes can remove external stains that are on teeth, but stains that are deep within teeth won't bleach out. Whitening toothpastes and professional dental cleanings will not change the internal color of teeth, nor will they be able to remove intrinsic stains located deep within the teeth. How Does Whitening Work? There are basically two ways to whiten teeth professionally--customized whitening ... http://www.metronycdentist.com/blog/2010/09/toothpaste-that-takes-a-cue-from.htm Thu Sep 2 03:34:06 2010 You've probably used an exfoliating cleanser before—a formula that goes beyond getting you clean thanks to scrubbing particles that boost skin's brightness. Well, think of Colgate ProClincal Daily Whitening toothpaste as an exfoliating cleanser for your teeth. Part of Colgate's new professionally inspired, high-performance collection, Daily Whitening offers all the tartar control and cavity prevention of a typical toothpaste, but it approaches whitening in an interesting new way. Looking at the toothpaste on your toothbrush, you can easily spot the little specks: ProLuminex crystals. These tiny silica particles make a noticeable difference in stains in just a few weeks. Powerful ...