CityDentist

Every day scientists are taking strides in the field of dental research, finding new ways to catch, treat, and hopefully cure disease. Dentists recently discovered that patients who had respiratory illnesses, such as pneumonia, acute bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, were also more likely to have some form of periodontal disease. Many dentists believe this could be because when a patient gets some kind of periodontal illness, the defense systems of the body are weakened, and bacteria has an easier time invading the respiratory system.

We are excited about this information because it will help us catch respiratory illnesses while they are still easily treatable. We want all our patients to be as healthy as they can possibly be, which is why our midtown Manhattan dental office always checks all of our patients for periodontal disease. This is another reason why it is so important to visit a qualified licensed dentist every 6 months. With this kind of information at our fingertips, it is a good time to be a dentist, and an even better time to be a patient.

Dentin hypersensitivity is something that we as dentists deal with on a fairly regular basis. Patients would often come into our office and mention a discomfort whenever there is a change in the atmospheric temperature or air pressure. In some cases, the discomfort can be easily alleviated once the stimulus is removed or dissipates. For others, dentin hypersensitivity is something that needs to be treated professionally by a qualified licensed dentist.

Up until now, there have been only two ways for treating dentin hypersensitivity. While both methods have been relatively effective, a third alternative was recently brought to the media’s attention. Using the Pro-Argin technology, the Colgate-Palmolive Company introduced their line of Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief Desensitizing Toothpaste. Participants in clinical trials and patients who tried the toothpaste have both reported immediate results and four weeks later after a single application. Dentin hypersensitivity may be a problem now for many of the patients we see in our Midtown Manhattan dental office but it doesn’t have to be any longer.

It can be very scary for a child to sit in a dentist's chair and have a person with a white coat (who in their mind is the same person who has been giving them shots) tell them “Open” - usually that pediatric dentist is me. The negative associations formed by such an experience are enough to make anyone anxious, especially a child who doesn’t fully understand what’s happening. How can you make this easier for them?

We are proactive about dentistry, so here’s our solution: We have parents bring their children to our Manhattan office so they can watch mom or dad’s hygiene visits. We strongly recommend this so that your child can see that it’s no big deal. Once this happens, their fear will go away and they’ll get comfortable. After all, if mom or dad can do it, then these people in white coats must not be so bad after all.

Recently Dr. Oz brought to our attention that “indiscriminate” use of X-ray radiation has brought an increase of thyroid cancer. He mentioned the fact that using X-ray for things such as acne and tonsillitis and shoe size measurements are NOT necessary. I agree.

We are keenly aware of the fact that radiation should be minimized at all costs. Our team if anyone could be exposed to dental radiation everyday. There are many measures we use to minimize the exposure to ourselves and our family of patients. Firstly as Dr. Oz mentioned technology has changed and digital X-rays have brought radiation doses down significantly. We have had digital X-ray systems for many years now. We have the most recent release of the industry leading Dexis X-ray sensor. We have a digital panoramic X-ray machine, this beam is less intense over analog systems by far.

As an orthodontic patient I am very appreciative of what my orthodontist did for me.

As an adult I am happy that I had those metal braces when I was in high school. If I were to have braces again however I would never choose metal!

Adults and teens alike have a better option. The photographs you see aside are from a woman who uses the phone for work. She has meetings during the day and did not want to have metal braces altering her appearance. In just 24 weeks her teeth changed from being twisted and spaced to a very pleasing and natural smile!