2012 June Archive - Dr. Mitchell A. Josephs' Blog

Archive for June, 2012

Crowns Over Implants, Connect Them or Not?

Posted on: June 26th, 2012 by Dr. Mitchell Josephs No Comments

Q: I recently had two implants with bone grafts placed on my lower left missing molar area. The dentist who placed them said he placed 10 mm long implants, but wish he had “placed longer ones”, but could not due to the location of an important nerve at the bottom of the jawbone. He recommended that my regular dentist make the two crowns connected to each other. My regular dentist told me, ask the implant dentist!

This worries me as I once had a bridge that was three teeth all connected, preventing me from flossing, resulting in my losing two teeth due to decay and gum disease. My question is should I have two single floss-able teeth, or play it safe and have two connected crowns? Stanley in Palm Beach Gardens

A: Let’s not allow “too many cooks to spoil your dinner.” Both doctors are asking the other one to “make the call” on splinting the two crowns or fabricating two single unit crowns. Splinting crowns together is usually done if less implants are placed then the number of teeth needed in the final result. Or, natural teeth that have loose roots due to severe bone loss from periodontal disease. If the dentist who placed the implants has tested them three months after the surgery, and they seem well integrated into the bone, then I say create single crowns for easy flossing.

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: Laser Dentistry, at the Double Tree Hotel, PGA Blvd. in Palm Beach Gardens on Friday July 13^th at 10:00 AM. Attendees will receive a FREE copy of his book: “Tooth Talk”. There are only 40 seats left! Call today to register at 561-832-2917

Dr. Mitchell Josephs practices Cosmetic, Implant and General Dentistry in Palm Beach and hosts “Tooth Talk” on WBZT AM1230 (www.radiotoothtalk.com) Dr. Josephs is a Faculty Advisory Board member at McGill University’s Faculty of Dentistry and completed his residency at Manhattan’s Beth Israel Medical Center and Mt. Sinai Hospital.

____________________________________________________________

drjosephs@palmbeachdentist.com

44 Cocoanut Row, Palm Beach, FL 33480

888-DRTOOTH (888-378-6684)

www.palmbeachdentist.com

Dental Laser Often Means No Need for Shots

Posted on: June 19th, 2012 by Dr. Mitchell Josephs No Comments

Q: I recently needed a crown on a tooth that already had a root canal. Why did the dentist still have to shoot me all up with shots of Novacaine all over again, even though the tooth had its nerve removed? Doris in Stuart

A: Recently I visited my favorite optometrist for an eye exam. (The guy is a dead-ringer for sounding and looking like actor Vince Vaughn). I was worried I was going to have my pupils dilated for the glaucoma test which would render me useless and looking like I was on drugs. Thankfully, his new technology measured my eye pressure with a blast of air with a really cool machine.

Traditionally, many dentists need to have you numb to either pack chords of thread or burn the tissue with an electrosurgery unit to retract the gum away from the tooth and stop any bleeding for an accurate impression. Many of my colleagues and myself now use a diode laser that performs the same task (called: laser troughing.), but without a need to anesthetize the patient. For a link to a video that demonstrates this, 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: Laser Dentistry, at the Double Tree Hotel, PGA Blvd. in Palm Beach Gardens on Friday July 13^th at 10:00 AM. Attendees will receive a FREE copy of his book: “Tooth Talk”. Seating is limited to 50 attendees. Call today to register at 561-832-2917

____________________________________________________________

drjosephs@palmbeachdentist.com

44 Cocoanut Row, Palm Beach, FL 33480

888-DRTOOTH (888-378-6684)

www.palmbeachdentist.com

New Crown & Bridge Cement, Increases Longevity

Posted on: June 12th, 2012 by Dr. Mitchell Josephs No Comments

Q: In my eighty years of life, I have had to have crowns and bridges redone from time to time due to decay forming underneath. Some of these crowns have been less than 5 years old. Is there any new technology that can prevent this?..Daniel G. in Boca

A: I’m on the case! With time, some crowns will have recurrent decay. This can be caused by several factors, loose fit allowing the cement to wash out, trapping bacteria under the crown, gum recession (either due to aging or periodontal disease) subjecting the exposed root to decay causing bacteria, and most often, these days, the many medications patients take which cause a dry, acidic mouth resulting in root caries (decay below the gum line.)

You can try to prevent recurrent decay by getting a cleaning every three months instead of six, use artificial saliva substitutes for dry mouth and, always floss and brush twice per day and after meals. Your dentist can also use a new hi-tech crown cement from the people who brought us Volvo and the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Launched in Sweden in 2009 Ceramir, a bioceramic luting cement has recently come to the USA. This new cement has better integration with tooth structure, an alkaline pH, which discourages acid-producing bacteria, an initial release of fluoride and is not weakened by moisture. Contact us for free consumer info on this great technology.

Dr. Mitchell Josephs practices Cosmetic, Implant and General Dentistry in Palm Beach and hosts “Tooth Talk” on WBZT AM1230 (www.radiotoothtalk.com) Dr. Mitchell Josephs is a Faculty Advisory Board member at McGill University’s Faculty of Dentistry and completed his residency at Manhattan’s Beth Israel Medical Center and Mt. Sinai Hospital.

____________________________________________________________

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

Dentists Using Natural Lip Augmentation Technique

Posted on: June 5th, 2012 by Dr. Mitchell Josephs No Comments

Q: I see that many dentists are now doing Botox as well as many types of MD’s who are not plastic surgeons and dermatologists. Who is best for lip jobs that wont make me look like a duck? Angie in West Palm

A: Firstly, I don’t know why so many woman think us guys even notice their lips. No offence, but we must be concentrating on other parts of the anatomy……like teeth and hair. Evolution tells us we are attracted to healthy looking humans who appear to aid in procreation of the species. Crazy looking lips have nothing to contribute to this endeavor. (Neither does ankle tattoos of barbed wire; have you been to a state fair lately?)

Dentists who take many hours of continuing education are now trained in Botox and Dermal fillers (Juvederm) for the face, forehead and perioral tissues, lips, nasolabial folds, marionette lines, etc. We dentists have been injecting patients with syringes every hour on the hour for our entire careers.

The reason why so many patients wind up with flat, thick, fish, duck or platypus lips is due to clinicians who only add volume. The technique taught to dentists in their training is injecting dermal fillers into the vermillion border of the lip. (The dividing line between flesh and red-colored lip tissue.) This will roll out the lips creating a natural plane of fullness. Check out dentist who have certificates from the AAFE (American Academy of Facial Aesthetics.)

____________________________________________________________

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