2011 December Archive - Dr. Mitchell A. Josephs' Blog

Archive for December, 2011

Don’t Short Cut the Number of Veneers

Posted on: December 27th, 2011 by Dr. Mitchell Josephs No Comments

Q: I would like to have veneers on my uppers. I just wanted six, but my dentist insists I do eight to ten. What do you think? Lisa in Wellington

A: Lisa, get to the nearest computer or smart phone and email me. I will respond to the email by attaching a photo of what happens when patients try to cut corners and only treat their front four or six teeth. The photo is of a fashion model in a magazine, believe it or not! Ninety percent of patients show 10 teeth in a full smile. If you don’t treat the full smile, you can wind up looking like you are missing back teeth or reveal the unsightly transition of a veneered tooth adjacent to an un-veneered tooth. For free consumer info on veneers, contact us.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Mitchell Josephs will be giving a FREE LECTURE on Incision-Free Dental Implant Surgery, Digital Crowns & Veneers, Choosing a Dental Office and NEW TOPIC: Oral Care for Cancer Patients, at the Double Tree Hotel, PGA Blvd. in Palm Beach Gardens on Thursday January 19^th at 4:00 pm. Attendees will receive a FREE copy of his book: “Tooth Talk”. There are only 33 seats left. Call today to register at 561-832-2917

Dr. Mitchell Josephs practices Cosmetic, Implant and General Dentistry in Palm Beach and hosts the “Tooth Talk” radio show on Fridays at 11am and Tuesdays at 8:30am on WBZT AM1230. (www.radiotoothtalk.com) On staff at Good Samaritan Medical Center, Dr. Mitchell Josephs is a Faculty Advisory Board member at McGill University’s Faculty of Dentistry.

drjosephs@palmbeachdentist.com
44 Cocoanut Row, Palm Beach, FL 33480
888-DRTOOTH (888-378-6684)
www.palmbeachdentist.com

Dentists Can Now Give Botox and Dermal Fillers

Posted on: December 20th, 2011 by Dr. Mitchell Josephs No Comments

Q: I have seen in my travels that many dentists are doing Botox and Juvederm. Is this safe?

A: I know this concept is a little hard for many patients to swallow. (Look, believe it or not, 50% of the population is afraid to even get their teeth cleaned by us!)

Many health professionals are providing injectable cosmetics: plastic surgeons, gynecologists, internal medicine doctors, dermatologists and allied health care providers such as physician assistants (PA’s) and estheticians. None of these practitioners learned these procedures in school unless they graduated after 2004. Therefore, they (and myself) learned these skills during recent continuing education courses.

Like anything else, the importance is training. The American Academy of Facial Esthetics trains both dentists and medical doctors on how to use these drugs. Each doctor must know his limitations. One of several advantages of having these procedures performed at the dental office is that they can be combined with your four month check-up and cleaning visits, as most of these drugs wear off in four months. I will address this topic further next week.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Mitchell Josephs will be giving a FREE LECTURE on Incision-Free Dental Implant Surgery, Digital Crowns & Veneers, Choosing a Dental Office and NEW TOPIC: Oral Care for Cancer Patients, at the Double Tree Hotel, PGA Blvd. in Palm Beach Gardens on Thursday January 19^th at 4:00 pm. Attendees will receive a FREE copy of his book: “Tooth Talk”. There are only 37 seats left. Call today to register at 561-832-2917

Less Injection Pain by Neutralizing the Anesthetic

Posted on: December 13th, 2011 by Dr. Mitchell Josephs No Comments

Q: With today’s technology, can’t you dentists find a way to eliminate the shot? Dan in Wellington

A: Easy Dan-O. “Chill-ax!” (As my teenage son says.) You are in luck. Seventeen studies have shown that part of the pain from Novocain injections are from the acidity of the solution and that buffering the solution greatly increases injection comfort.

A new technology has come down the dental pike called Onset. This device injects sodium bicarbonate into the anesthetic solution to decrease the acidity.

Other devices, which have been around for several years are the CCS (Computer Controled Syringe), the Vibraject and the Dental Vibe. These devices inject extremely slowly and block pain stimuli by vibrating the tissues and needle respectively. For free consumer info on these hi-tech beauties, contact us.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Mitchell Josephs will be giving a FREE LECTURE on Incision-Free Dental Implant Surgery, Digital Crowns & Veneers, Choosing a Dental Office and NEW TOPIC: Oral Care for Cancer Patients, at the Double Tree Hotel, PGA Blvd. in Palm Beach Gardens on Thursday January 19^th at 4:00 pm. Attendees will receive a FREE copy of his book: “Tooth Talk”. There are only 39 seats left. Call today to register at 561-832-2917

Implant Attachments for Dentures: What’s best?

Posted on: December 6th, 2011 by Dr. Mitchell Josephs No Comments

Q: I would like just two implants and two attachments placed in my lower jaw to keep my lower denture from moving. I have seen some of my friend’s dentures and no two look alike. How do I know which type of attachment is best for me? Layla in Boynton Beach

A: I am glad your friends are comfortable enough to “show their stuff”. This reminds me of a scene in the first Jaws movie where the three shark hunters compare their scars one night on the boat. Sheriff Brody, played by Roy Scheider, was only able to show an appendix surgery scar.

With full lower dentures, it is recommended to place at least four implants for greater stability and retention i.e. Grip. This way if one implant should fail, you still have three to hold the denture in place. If only two implants are placed, and one fails, your denture will put excessive forces on the remaining single implant, which could lead to its failure.

As far as attachments are concerned, there are six major types, made by five different companies. Locator, by Zest Anchor, was recently written up in the Clinicians Report Newsletter and was rated “excellent” by the evaluators. The decision on which to use is based on several factors, including how parallel your implants are to each other and how much room you have between the upper and lower arches of teeth. For a free consumer guide on implant supported overdentures, please contact us.

Dr. Mitchell Josephs practices Cosmetic, Implant and General Dentistry in Palm Beach and hosts the “Tooth Talk” radio show on Fridays at 11am and Tuesdays at 8:30am on WBZT AM1230. (www.radiotoothtalk.com) On staff at Good Samaritan Medical Center, Dr. Mitchell Josephs is on the Faculty Advisory Board at McGill University’s Faculty of Dentistry. Send questions to drjosephs@palmbeachdentist.com or call 888-DRTOOTH (888-378-6684) or visit www.palmbeachdentist.com