Worn Down Enamel Puts Teeth in Danger

But a simple, high-tech procedure can repair enamel, prevent future problems and avoid tooth loss

If you’re 50 or older, chances are you’ve noticed a few grey hairs and maybe a wrinkle or two --- but you probably haven’t noticed the fact that your teeth may be changing, too. In fact, the enamel on their surface may have started to wear away -- putting your smile in serious danger.

You see, even though tooth enamel is the hardest substance in our bodies1, it can wear down, ex-posing the softer dentin inside the tooth, leading to some very serious problems.

When you think about how hard we ask our teeth to work, that’s really no surprise.

For starters there’s all the biting and chewing we do every day. And there are lots of other factors too, like drinking too many soft drinks, chewing on things like ice, and grinding our teeth – not to mention various medical conditions, drugs and supplements.

All those factors pile up, with the result that by the time you’re 50 or so the enamel on your teeth, particularly the teeth in the front of your mouth, can be so worn that the dentin begins to show through as yellow spots at the middle or edge of a tooth. The dentin can “cup” as well, causing what some dentists refer to as “potholes” in your teeth.

Potential Tooth Damage or Loss

What’s worse, the thinning edges of these “pot-holes” then begin to develop chips and micro-fractures, setting the stage for a downward spiral that can lead to the need for expensive and time-consuming dental work like root canals and crowns or even the loss of your tooth.

That’s a shame – and totally unnecessary, because there are simple and effective ways to repair worn enamel and prevent future problems, if the condition is caught promptly.

Unfortunately, this potentially devastating condi-tion is not something you’re likely to notice on your own – at least not in its earliest stages.

Most often there’s no pain associated with enamel loss, although some people do notice increased sensitivity to hot and cold.

As for appearance, you might possibly see areas of yellow dentin if you examined your teeth very carefully using a good magnifying mirror and an extremely bright light. Even using these tools, though, you’d only be able to detect the problem AFTER you had already lost a considerable amount of enamel.

The good news is that my team and I look for signs of enamel wear every time you visit. And, if we see a problem, we have the tools to fix it.

 High Tech Repair

Basically, what we do when we see a problem is very gently reshape the affected area, then flow in an ultra high tech composite resin that match-es your enamel in both color and strength.

The process is simple, quick and so comfortable it rarely requires anesthetic. And, we can reinforce and protect as many teeth as needed in just one visit.

What’s more, this simple repair should last for many, many years – and, if needed, we can touch the resin up or redo it quickly and easily.

When you consider that this simple procedure can help you keep your teeth – and avoid all the time, drilling, anesthetic and expense of root canals and crowns – it’s hard to think of a more effective way to preserve your smile.

If you’d like to know more, just ask. We’ll be happy to fill you in on all the details about this important treatment.  (914) 241-2242

http://www.WestchesterTopDentist.com


1. http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/healthy-teeth-10/tooth-enamel-protection?page=1

Dentist in Mount Kisco NY Is Reviewed By Patient Ron M.

Dentist-Mount Kisco NY Provides Special Care For Diabetic Patients |Dentist Mount Kisco NY

Special Care for Diabetes Patients

If you have diabetes, the number one thing you can do for your oral health is keep your blood glucose levels as normal as possible. Here’s why: When your blood glucose levels are poorly controlled, you’re more likely to develop gum disease and lose teeth than people who don't have diabetes. In turn, gum disease could cause your blood sugar to rise, making your diabetes harder to control. So it’s imperative that you keep your teeth and gums clean by brushing twice a day and flossing daily. And if you wear dentures, remove and clean them every day.

Dentist in Mount Kisco NY, Dr. Steven Abel
works with area physicians to treat their
Diabetic patients.  Dr. Abel has received
special training in the oral health needs of
the Diabetic patient.  

Keeping up with your regular dental hygiene visits is also crucial for patients with diabetes. A professional cleaning is the only way to remove the plaque and tartar that lead to gum disease.  We will help determine what frequency is best for you based on your specific periodontal health. Also be sure to discuss your diabetes status and current medications with your dentist at each dental visit.

Warning Signs: Gum Disease

Because diabetes makes you more prone to developing gum disease, it’s important to be able to identify the warning signs. These are the most common:

- Bleeding gums when you brush or floss

- Red, swollen or tender gums

- Receding gums

- Pus between the teeth and gums

- Persistent bad breath

- Loose permanent teeth

- Changes in the way your teeth fit together when you bite

- Changes in the fit of partial dentures or a dental bridge

Also keep an eye on other symptoms that might develop, including white patches on your tongue, which could indicate oral thrush, an infection caused by fungus that grows in the mouth, and soreness and ulcers in the mouth, which could be a sign of dry mouth. If you notice any of these symptoms, be sure to give our office a call immediately.

Please feel free to forward this to any family members or friends who you think it may help.

As always, we are committed to your overall health and look forward to seeing you soon.

Dr. Steven Abel

(914) 241-2242

http://www.WestchesterTopDentist.com

Dentist in Mount Kisco NY Says You Don't Have To Have Yellow Teeth Anymore!

Legend has it that comedian Rodney Dangerfield once asked his dentist for advice.

“Doc – my teeth are yellow. What should I do?”


To which his dentist replied: “Wear a brown tie!”

Fortunately, these days we can give much better advice than that.

Most of us begin life with beautiful sparkly white teeth, but just as the years bring wrinkles, sags, bags and more – the age fairy can make our teeth much more yellow or brown than they used to be. Why does nature add this cruelty to her bag of tricks?

Here is a brief primer on yellowing teeth. The outer coating of our teeth is made of enamel – a beautiful smooth sparkling white surface. On the inside is a material called dentin, a darker material which makes up the core of our teeth. Normal activities such as chewing and exposure to acids in foods cause microscopic cracks in our enamel, allowing the yellow dentin to show through.

As most of us know, certain foods and drinks can also stain our teeth, contributing to a darker appearance. Smoking makes things much worse (and it’s not too good to the rest of your body either)  Basically there are two types of tooth stains –extrinsic stains (those that form on the outside of the teeth) and intrinsic stains (those that come from within).

Simple extrinsic stains can be removed by a good professional tooth cleaning and polishing. As these become more complex, tooth bleaching – either professional or over-the-counter, will be required.  Intrinsic stains, those that come from the inside of your teeth, are more difficult to remove and typically involve treatment from a dental professional.

Mount Kisco NY Dentist, Dr. Steven Abel
offers several different teeth whitening options
for even the darkest teeth!

A question that we are often asked at our   Mt. Kisco NY Dentist office, Westchester Dental Care, is “Do those whitening kits I can buy at the drug store actually work?” The answer is: Maybe. Unfortunately some of them actually harm the enamel.  It's better to have safe whitening treatments done with dental supervision rather than risk damaging your teeth.  Not only are the materials safer and actually bleach more effectively, but we fabricate a custom application tray which fits your teeth perfectly, allowing the whitening materials to work at their maximum.

The good news is, you no longer have to put up with yellow unsightly teeth!  Modern tooth whitening techniques are one of the greatest, easiest to use, most predictable and economically comfortable advances we have seen in dentistry in a long time!  We have the best Teeth Whitening Procedures available today right here in our Mount Kisco NY Dental Office.  In addition to take home trays with several different whitening options and strengths, we also offer ZOOM in office whitening, and KOR deep bleaching.  At Westchester Dental Care we will discuss all of your teeth whitening options with you.

Call us today at: (914) 241-2242 to hear about our new Whitening Special and schedule your complimentary whitening consultation.  Our goal is to give you the biggest happiest smile possible!

We look forward to meeting you.

Visit our website at http://www.WestchesterTopDentist.com

Mt. Kisco NY Dentist Reveals The Key To Life Long Health-The Mouth Body Connection

Your body is an intricately balanced ecosystem of interconnected parts and every one of those parts plays an essential role in the preservation of the whole. So if something goes wrong in one part of your body, it has consequences felt throughout the entire body. No other bodily system exemplifies this idea better than the mouth, which acts as a window into the general health of the entire body. Dental professionals have named this holistic approach the mouth-body connection.

Gum Disease: An Inflammatory Condition

Periodontitis, or advanced gum disease, impacts approximately 75% of the American population. Causes for the disease include the use of tobacco products, stress, certain medications, and even hormonal and genetic factors. As gum disease worsens, your body tries to fight off the infection by producing an inflammatory response which causes the gums to become red, swollen, and sore. If left untreated by a dental professional, the inflammation could spread to the jawbone, weakening tooth roots, and causing tooth loss.

Gum Disease and the Health of the Whole Body

Emerging research from the American Academy of Periodontology suggests that your oral health provides a reliable indication of your general health and scientists have effectively established a link between periodontal disease and other inflammatory disorders in the body. This means that if you suffer from gum disease you may also suffer from health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and kidney disease as you age.

Ensuring Your Lifelong Health

The power to maintain optimum oral health – and thereby maintain the health of the whole body – is in your hands. Establish a consistent and thorough at-home dental hygiene regimen. This includes brushing in the morning and evening, flossing once a day, and using an antiseptic mouthwash in the evenings. Look for changes you can make in your diet. Incorporate nutritious, anti-inflammatory foods into your diet and eliminate foods such as white sugar, refined flour, and excess salt. Moreover, visit your dentist on a regular basis for routine checkups and cleanings.  After a routine dental hygiene visit it takes the bacteria approximately three months to repopulate pockets around teeth to a level where they are destructive to bone and supporting structures.  This is why a professional cleaning every three months is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

Schedule an Appointment

Concerned you may be suffering from gum disease? We encourage you to schedule an appointment with Dr. Abel by calling our Mount Kisco NY dentist office at (914) 241-2242. We serve Mount Kisco, NY and surrounding areas.

www.WestchesterTopDentist.com

A Little Bit Of Fun Christmas Trivia From Your Dentist

Alabama was the first state to recognize Christmas as an official holiday. This tradition began in 1836.

Although many believe the Friday after Thanksgiving is the busiest shopping day of the year, it is not. It is the fifth to tenth busiest day. The Friday and Saturday before Christmas are the two busiest shopping days of the year.

An average household in America will mail out 28 Christmas cards each year and see 28 eight cards return in their place.

Animal Crackers are not really crackers, but cookies that were imported to the United States from England in the late 1800s. Barnum's circus-like boxes were designed with a string handle so that they could be hung on a Christmas tree.

California, Oregon, Michigan, Washington, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and North Carolina are the top Christmas tree producing states. Oregon is the leading producer of Christmas trees.

Charles Dickens' initial choice for Scrooge's statement "Bah Humbug" was "Bah Christmas."

Christmas trees are edible. Many parts of pines, spruces, and firs can be eaten. The needles are a good source of vitamin C. Pine nuts, or pine cones, are also a good source of nutrition.

Non-Surgical Treatment of Gum Disease-Mount Kisco, NY

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ADVISED TO WATCH FOR SIGNS OF GUM DISEASE?

Chances are, if you’ve ever visited a dentist, you’ve been checked—to some extent—for symptoms of this problem. Here at Westchester Dental Care in Mount Kisco, NY, for many of our patients, a routine check up typically reveals healthy, disease-free gums. We’re glad for that… But sometimes people with healthy gums forget that it’s still important to regularly look for early signs of a problem.

If you have early signs of gum disease, the best thing that can be done is to take care of it before it gets out of hand. For many of you that may mean being well informed about gum disease, including symptoms to watch for.

Gum disease can be divided into three stages which can range from a simple amount of gum inflammation to major tissue damage and tooth loss. It’s been said before, but as a reminder, the sooner periodontal disease is caught the more we can do to successfully reverse the affects. Unfortunately, gum disease usually doesn’t hurt until sufficient damage has been done. At this stage, people often lose teeth. The bacteria associated with gum disease has also been linked to heart disease including heart attacks, Alzheimer’s Disease, strokes, Diabetes, osteoporosis, respiratory disease, digestive disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, kidney disease, certain cancers like kidney and pancreatic, and low pre-term birth weight babies. Having this bacterial infection in your mouth puts you at serious, often life threatening risk!

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms that are listed below, you may be at risk, and it is critical that you have a dental examination.  Eight out of ten Americans has some form of gum disease.  Are you one of those eight?  It may be as easy to correct as having your teeth professionally cleaned.

• Gums bleed easily while flossing or brushing

• Swollen, red or tender gums

• Receding or separated gums that are exposing teeth

• Changes in how your teeth fit together

• Constant bad breath or unpleasant taste in your mouth

If you have dental insurance, routine dental hygiene visits and exams are often covered at 100%. Also, if you have dental insurance, your 2011 benefits will be expiring in about 6 weeks. Now is the time to call our office at (914) 241-2242 to get in before the end of the year.

We are conveniently located right across the street from the Mount Kisco Medical Group at 103 South Bedford Road in Mount Kisco. Don’t lose your benefits. Do this for yourself! Dental problems never get better with time.

As our way to welcome new patients who schedule their exam and dental hygiene visit before the end of the year, we will provide FREE teeth whitening. That’s a $600 value at no cost to you. You will have pretty white teeth for the holidays!

Again, call our office today at (914) 241-2242 and be sure to check out our website at www.WestchesterTopDentist.com for more great dental information!