Cosmetic dentistry is now the standard

Cosmetic dentistry is now the standard
New technology, procedures make good-looking teeth easier for everyone

12:00 AM CDT on Sunday, March 30, 2008
By SUSAN KREIMER / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

Thanks to technical advances and consumer demand, cosmetic dentistry has come a long way.

"It's extraordinary what cosmetic dentists can do these days," said Dr. Lorin Berland of the Dallas Dental Spa.

"Early cosmetic dentistry consisted of unnatural porcelain crowns with metal rings around the gum, 'tin-can' braces, and in the extreme, removing ugly teeth and replacing them with dentures."

Now there are better whitening techniques, implants, veneers, porcelain crowns, clear braces and more. The demand for skilled cosmetic dental professionals is growing constantly – and not just for dentists, but also for their vital assistants and laboratory technicians.

"Cosmetic dentistry has really become the standard for dentists who would consider themselves true artisans in their trade, and have the case photos to prove it," said marketing professional Zach Hoffman of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. In March 2007, he helped launch the American Cosmetic Dental Association with his father, Dr. Howard J. Hoffman, a general and cosmetic dentist.

While a few dentists devote all their time to cosmetic procedures, most still operate general practices that incorporate aesthetics. Among those who opted to specialize is Dr. Gregory M. Lutke of Dallas Dental Solutions in Plano.

Dr. Lutke, 50, has two dental businesses. His practice deals solely with aesthetic dentistry, and his other company teaches digital photography and dental imaging to dentists and lab technicians.

"There really is an art to providing each patient with his or her most aesthetic result," he said. And "the ceramist [laboratory technician] is a key partner in the cosmetic process."

Postgraduate work
Dental professionals have acquired these skills through postgraduate continuing education at an additional expense. High-level aesthetic procedures are not part of the general dental curriculum, Dr. Lutke said. But with advanced training, cosmetic dentistry can be highly profitable.

The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry offers a rigorous credentialing process for gaining accreditation. Members also can attend annual meetings and hands-on courses to hone skills and learn the newest techniques, said Laura Kelly, an accredited ceramist in San Ramon, Calif., who is the academy's president.

"Demand is high. We have seen an increase overall in dentistry, and specifically, cosmetic tooth-colored restorations have grown in demand," said Ms. Kelly, 44, who also owns a full-service dental laboratory that makes veneers, crowns, bridges and other fixtures.

"Patients' expectations are higher, and they are requesting more natural-looking teeth than ever before. [There's] consumer awareness through the media, shows like Extreme Makeover," she said.

"The desire for whiter-looking teeth is at an all-time high."

Aside from further education, cosmetic dentistry requires "greater hand finesse as well as a sense of touch," said Dr. Berland, 52, who has practiced in Dallas' downtown Arts District for 23 years. "Most importantly, a cosmetic dentist must develop an 'eye' to create teeth that complement the personality and the physical attributes of the patient."

Designing a smile
In designing a smile, the dentist should communicate visually with the patient whenever possible. That's why Dr. Berland conceived a Smile Guide displaying 18 choices from which patients can select what's best for them.

He got his start at a dental laboratory while in high school. Later, he worked as a dental lab technician for a dentist.

"It was creating lifelike dentures for our patients that rejuvenated not just their smile, but their whole face, that convinced me to pursue being a dentist," Dr. Berland said. "It was thanks to these experiences that I was able to be right there at the beginning of cosmetic dentistry."

Why Looks Matter at Work

Why Looks Matter at Work

AA, BA, MBA, and PA: Each Influence Career Success

By GORDON PATZER, AUTHOR OF THE BOOK LOOKS: WHY THEY MATTER



Educational degree achievements whatever their abbreviated names certainly contribute to career success, and PA (Physical Attractiveness) certainly can help or hinder that success.



It is clear, like it or not, PA can significantly affect workplace perceptions, treatments and office politics, as well as hiring decisions, promotions and incomes. It can affect areas throughout a person's work-life with its influence exceeding objective and seemingly more pertinent criteria. In fact, PA can certainly overshadow and even eclipse criteria that range from a person's university degrees earned to his or her on-the-job performance goals achieved.



Research studies focusing on PA and particularly its many associated consequences began 40 years ago in the mid-1960s and continue today. The quantity and quality of studies have increased continuously with no end in sight. Disciplines involved in the research span literally A to Z, Anthropology to Zoology, with subfields of psychology providing the most critical mass of research.



The Federal Reserve Bank


Economics as a discipline has not turned a blind eye to the power and monetary values of PA. Nor has the Federal Reserve System. A 2005 issue of "The Regional Economist" made public a study about PA conducted that year by economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Conclusions from their research corroborated a principle finding identified repeatedly by separate researchers: People with higher physical attractiveness receive higher pay.



The Federal Reserve's research conclusion provides a sense of assurance and thus comfort about the accuracy of similar findings by dissimilar researchers -- but it does not lessen the discomfort of knowing that reality.



Don't panic. Don't overreact. Diversify your portfolio.
Recommendations concerning a person's PA in today's workplace are not unlike mainstream recommendations concerning a person's finances in today's economy. For example: Don't overstress and let fear or anxiety irrationally overpower your thinking about PA, let alone your finances. Don't hastily jump to abruptly overhaul your financial portfolio, or your physical appearance. Expand your portfolio of respective alternatives, both to enhance probabilities of favorable returns for your financial investments and to improve your PA to increase probabilities of favorable career outcomes.



Don't panic each time when the latest publicly reported PA research findings come to your attention. If you do nothing different immediately, the probability is good that nothing dramatically negative will occur. Of course, on the flip-side, doing nothing carries the same likelihood of nothing positive happening.



Don't overreact in pursuit of abrupt enhancement of your looks. Before taking action, take reasonable time with reasonable thought. Remind yourself that you have achieved your current relatively comfortable lot in life with your current looks. Of course, a person's PA changes with each advancing year along with associated assessments in the workplace.



To achieve the highest likelihood of best overall returns, a good financial portfolio should diversify among many investment components and alternatives. Analogously, to achieve your best overall appearance for your workplace and career goals, you should diversify your alternatives among the many components that contribute to a person's overall PA. Expand your thinking, with realistic perspectives about alternatives to improve or at least maintain your PA. Be mindful that appearance is a multi-dimensional landscape, in which PA is a powerful prevailing dimension with many defining features -- some that represent assets and some liabilities.



Small Differences, Big Consequences


Small differences in a person's PA can translate into big consequences for career success. A complete makeover is neither necessary nor likely appropriate to reap benefits of looking better at work.



Although few people admit, or even realize, that they judge people in the workplace by their looks -- much to the benefit of people with higher PA and much to the detriment of people with lower PA -- people are not defenseless. Because many factors (both physical and non-physical) determine a person's PA most people have actions and alternatives available to them.



People should "not do nothing," just because they can't do everything. Measures taken to increase PA can range from routine to non-routine. Basic hygiene, industry-appropriate clothes, proper nutrition and optimal sleep represent one end of the continuum alternatives to raise PA. The other end of the continuum includes liposuction procedures, pharmaceutical facial filler injections, face-lifts, hair transplants, gastric bypass operations and other cosmetic surgeries. Of course, technology, ethics, religion, societal norms, social pressures, and financial resources, as well as an individual's own judgment and motivation, define pursuits and alterations acceptable for any one person.



Small physical changes with significant consequences can begin with improvements related to grooming, hairstyle, eyewear, cosmetics, fit and style of clothes, physical fitness and dentistry.
At the same time, improvements in interpersonal styles, attitude, personality, self-esteem or self-confidence, and even education achievements can increase a person's physical attractiveness as judged by others and by oneself.



Gordon Patzer has conducted formal research about physical attractiveness phenomenon for over 30 years. In 2008, AMACOM Books published his sixth related book titled, "Looks: Why They Matter More Than You Ever Imagined." For additional information, see www.GordonPatzer.com or email Gordon@GordonPatzer.com. Back to the title of this article, the abbreviated names of his educational degree achievements include BA, MS, MBA and Ph.D.



Copyright 2008 Gordon Patzer

Dr. Mike Maroon & Dr. Darryl Simms attend Dental Conference in Austin, TX

Dr. Mike Maroon & Dr. Darryl Simms of Advanced Dental are attending the Academy of Comprehensive Esthetics Dental Conference in Austin, Texas today and tomorrow.

It's always fun when we can learn new things and improve our skills so we can provide better treatment for our patients.

We look forward to seeing everyone next week!

About Us

Advanced Dental has been providing Advanced & Cosmetic Dentistry in Connecticut for years and people LOVE the way we care for them. If you are looking for an Experienced and Board Certified Cosmetic Dentist, look no further. Dr. Mike Maroon & Dr. Darry Simms are the experts for Cosmetic Dentistry in Connecticut. Take a look at all the services we have to offer.

Effects of Premature Birth Last a Lifetime

Effects of Premature Birth Last a Lifetime

By CARLA K. JOHNSON, AP



Posted: 2008-03-26 15:45:21

Filed Under: Health News

CHICAGO (March 25) - The largest-ever study of the long-term consequences of premature birth finds that children born early have higher death rates in childhood and are more likely to be childless in adulthood.



Experts called the research significant because it followed 1.2 million Norwegian births over decades. It also raises questions about future risks for even tinier babies saved today by modern medicine.



New drugs and therapies first used widely in the 1990s now save smaller and sicker babies. So the babies in the study may have been healthier, on average, than children born premature in recent years, experts said."



Are we improving their survival but at the expense of significant problems down the road?" asked study leader Dr. Geeta Swamy of Duke University Medical Center.



Most preemies grow up to have good health and normal reproduction, but the researchers found heightened risks compared with babies born at full term from 1967 to 1988. The findings add to known consequences of prematurity such as lung problems, disabilities, mental retardation and school delays.



U.S. rates of premature births climbed steadily during the past two decades reaching an estimated 12.8 percent of births in 2006, government figures show. More than 540,000 babies were born premature that year. Fertility treatments that result in multiple births and older mothers contributed to the rise. (The rate of premature births in Norway that year was 7 percent.)



"In the United States, there is an epidemic of preterm birth, and prevention is absolutely critical," said Dr. Alan Fleischman of the March of Dimes. He was not involved in the study.



Fleischman said prevention efforts include hormone treatment for women with a history of giving premature birth, avoiding inducing labor unless medically necessary and reducing the number of embryos implanted at one time during fertility treatments.



In the study, appearing in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, more than 60,000 Norwegian children were born premature, about 5 percent overall. Only single births were included.



As expected, babies born early were more likely to die during the first year of life compared with babies born at term. Surprisingly, their increased risk of death persisted as they aged.



The children who were born five to nine weeks early (28 to 32 weeks into the pregnancy) showed a doubled risk of death from ages 1 to 5 compared with children born at normal term. (The overall risk of death was low: 33 of the 5,880 children in the premature group died.)



When the researchers looked at boys and girls separately, they found a stronger link in boys between premature birth and higher death rates in childhood.



The causes of childhood deaths are still being analyzed, but birth defects and childhood cancers played a role, Swamy said.



In adulthood, other differences showed up. Prematurity was linked to lower levels of education and more childlessness in both men and women in a subset of more than 580,000 births from 1967 through 1976.



Women who were preemies had a higher risk of giving birth to premature babies themselves. The risk of next-generation premature births increased with the severity of prematurity in the mothers.



The study didn't examine reasons for these greater risks. Possible culprits include genetic differences, birth defects, economic factors and social obstacles, Swamy said.



As in other studies, there were more premature births among single mothers and those with less education.



The research was based on data from Norwegian birth, death and other records.



Norway's homogenous population and its universal access to medical care make the findings a "best case scenario," said Dr. Wanda Barfield of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She co-authored an accompanying editorial in the journal.



In the United States, premature birth rates among black mothers are higher than among white mothers, she said.



The findings suggest people may want to tell their doctors if they were born early."



That may help doctors to manage adult health and reproductive conditions for future generations," Barfield said.



On the Net:

JAMA: http://jama.ama-assn.org/



Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

2008-03-26 09:38:06

All Done Weighting

from Cathy Barber, Founder of All Done Weighting

.

Are you tired of waiting for the perfect diet?

The one where you lose the weight and keep it off forever?


Imagine losing weight and imagine not putting it all back on!


After 25 years of dieting I finally figured out the answer and you can too.

Do you find yourself thinking . . .

• I have to go on a diet again.


• I dread going on another diet.


• It seems all I think about is my weight or my diet.


• I lost weight and then put it all back on...and then some.

I used to think these thoughts all the time. I'd love to show you how I stopped the diet thoughts and lost weight once and for all. I have stayed at a healthy weight for over 15 years. At 54 years old I feel better than I did in my 20's or 30's and I never diet.

Let me share my experience and the All Done Weighting process with you:

Toss out your diet books and imagine:

• Being comfortable eating comfort food.


• Eating only what you really want on your own schedule.


• Eating to satisfy your heart, your soul, and your body.


• Achieving your own healthy weight without ever going on another diet.
  
  

You can free yourself from the diet madness just as I did.

Click here to find out how!

Too Shy To Ask? Basic Dental Questions We Think We Should Already Know

Too Shy To Ask?
U.S. News
Basic Dental Questions We Think We Should Already Know

Your Way To A Healthy Smile

Everything you need to know to keep your pearly whites in tip-top shape. Good dental information from US News & World Report.

Click here to visit their site.

Advanced Dental - CT Lumineer Experts

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LUMINEERS are contact lens-thin and are placed over existing teeth with removal of little to no tooth structure (unlike traditional veneers.) LUMINEERS is the painless, permanent cosmetic solution for stained, chipped, discolored or misaligned teeth.

Contact our office for a complimentary consultation today at 860.828.3933 or info@AdvancedDental.com to see how LUMINEERS can make a difference in your life!

Invisalign FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers




Q. How does Invisalign work?

A. Using the latest advances in 3-D computer technology, Invisalign translates our instructions into a series of nearly undetectable Aligners. You wear each set of Aligners for about two weeks, moving your teeth gradually week by week, millimeter by millimeter until you've achieved the desired result.




Q. Is Invisalign effective?

A. Thousands of doctors are treating patients with Invisalign. It works for a wide range of people whose teeth are too crowded or have spaces between them, as well as for those teeth may have shifted after having worn braces in their youth.



Q. How often will I have to wear my Aligners?

A. Invisalign only works while you're wearing the Aligners. It's recommended that you wear your Aligners full-time, day and night, except to eat, brush and floss your teeth - or as directed by your dentist.



Q. How long does Invisalign take?

A. The duration of treatment depends on the severity of your case, which determines the number of Aligners you need. However, the average is about 12 months. Once we determine whether you are an Invisalign candidate then we can determine the length of your treatment.



Q. How much does Invisalign cost?

A. As with traditional braces, the cost will be based on the complexity of your case and the length of treatment. You can expect the fee to be between $3500 to $6000 depending on your particular situation. Also, if your dental insurance plan pays a benefit for traditional braces, it will typically provide a benefit for Invisalign to the same extent.



Q. Can anyone use Invisalign?

A. Nearly everyone who needs straighter teeth can be treated with Invisalign alone or as part of a combined treatment plan for adults and mature teens.



Q. How do I get started?

A. Simply call our office at 860.828.3933 for a complimentary consultation and we'll see if Invisalign is right for you.







Call 860.828.3933 or email info@AdvancedDental.com for a complimentary Invisalign consultation with Dr. Mike Maroon today!

Welcome to the Advanced Dental Blog!

Welcome to the Advanced Dental Blog. Here you'll find useful information regarding Advanced Dental of New England LLC, patient news, team happenings, advances in dentistry & technology, and more. We invite you to share your own personal testimonials and refer your family & friends to this site to learn more about Advanced Dental.



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