October 17th, 2011
Felicia’s case is a good one to share with everyone. She was referred to me by my friend Norm Huefner, a dentist in Laguna Niguel. Felicia’s case was complex as she suffered from a number of painful TMJ jaw symptoms. As can be seen in the before picture of Felicia’s smile, her teeth were worn down due to her destructive bite. She didn’t like the way her teeth looked, but more importantly she was in a great deal of pain and discomfort. Felicia said “ I’d wake up each morning with tight sore jaws and every meal, chewing was very painful. I was just tired of having pain in my face all the time”. It was obvious that Felicia’s pain was affecting the quality of her life. So we embarked on a journey using neuromuscular dentistry techniques to eliminate her TMJ facial pain. Using a TENS unit, electromyography (emg’s) and jaw tracking we were able to identify an ideal bite position for Felicia’s jaw. She wore an orthotic at this position for several months. As each week went by, Felicia’s TMJ pain diminished. After eliminating her pain with phase 1 orthotics, or a “trial bite”, Felicia chose a phase 2 option of full mouth reconstruction using all ceramic crowns and veneers. As you can see by the photos, her case was a great success. She was thrilled with the esthetic outcome, but more importantly is pain free and the quality of her life is improved!
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
August 12th, 2011
Did you know that as your teeth wear and become ground down the lower portion of your face collapses? This process adds years to a person’s face. In some people, it can look like they wear dentures and forgot to put them in that morning! A person with ground down teeth, most likely caused from a destructive bite, causes the tip of their chin to draw closer to the tip of their nose when their mouth is at rest. The entire lower third of a persons face will be shorter making facial creases and wrinkles much more prominent.
So, what can be done? The answer lies in performing the non surgical facelift. Adding the length and height back to the teeth that have been worn away can restore the lower third of a persons face to its original youthful proportions. This can be done with crowns and veneers that restore the worn down teeth to their original size. Using Neuromuscular dental techniques and computerized equipment not only will restore the teeth to their original size and shape, but will correct the destructive bite that caused the teeth to be so severely damaged to begin with.
Many patients with a destructive bite suffer from a variety of symptoms including severe headaches, vertigo, ear congestion, and jaw joint pain. These symptoms can impact and interfere with their day to day lives. Patients with severe symptoms also rely on drugs to get through their days as well. By correcting a persons destructive bite the non surgical dental face lift procedure offers hope for those who are suffering from these conditions. The procedure simultaneously blends the improvement of facial esthetics with the functional aspects of relieving painful and life interfering head and neck symptoms. My office manager, Orieen, can answer any questions you may have regarding the non surgical dental face lift procedure. (714) 385 1672.
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
August 4th, 2011
The International Association of Comprehensive Aesthetics (IACA) held its three day annual meeting in San Diego last week. Orieen, Debbie, and I met dentists from throughout the world at this high energy dental conference. We attended classes on neuromuscular dentistry, non surgical facelift, sleep medicine, cosmetic dentistry and were introduced to a number of new technologies available in dentistry. Keeping abreast of the latest education and techniques is so important to a progressive dental practice. We were all excited about coming back and sharing this information with our patients!
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
January 20th, 2011
The treatment for sleep apnea after proper diagnosis by a board certified sleep physician is usually CPAP. A CPAP machine provides positive air pressure to a patient with sleep apnea through a small mask or nose piece. For those patients with CPAP intolerance or a mild sleep apnea condition an oral appliance may be indicated. These appliances advance the lower jaw slightly forward keeping the airway open. Treating your sleep apnea with CPAP therapy or oral appliances is a great way to improve your health, decrease the risk of stroke and heart attack, and improve overall quality of life by eliminating excessive daytime sleepiness.
For more information about Sleep Apnea, contact our Los Angeles Dentist, Dr. Henry Today for a Free Consultation
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
January 20th, 2011
Dentists are in a unique position to identify patients who are prone to sleep apnea. Many signs of sleep apnea are visible in the mouth. But first, what is sleep apnea. Typically, when a person sleeps gravity can cause the tongue to fall back in the mouth and block the airway. The sleep apneic can stop breathing for several seconds causing the patient to wake slightly in order to move the tongue and take a gasping breath. This can take place a hundred times an hour in patients with severe sleep apnea.
Imagine the toll oxygen deprivation takes on the body, not to mention all the interruptions in the stages of sleep including the REM dream stage of sleep. This oxygen deprivation throughout the night leads to several long and short term consequences. Long term health consequences of patients with untreated sleep apnea are heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes. Medical studies have shown a person suffering from sleep apnea is 23 times more likely to have a heart attack than a person without sleep apnea. Short term effects include excessive daytime sleepiness, automobile accidents, a lack of the ability to concentrate, and difficulties with libido.
Several indicators of sleep apnea are visible by your dentist. These include narrow, crooked dental arch and teeth, teeth indentations on the sides of the tongue, a high vaulted palate, a large tongue or tonsils, and a recessed chin. These indicators of sleep apnea combined with a large neck (over 17 inches in men, 16 inches in women), and a high body mass index (BMI) are over 97% predictive of sleep apnea.
If a dentist suspects a patient may have sleep apnea, they should be referred to a board certified sleep physician in the area for a sleep study.
For more information on Sleep Apnea, contact our Los Angeles Dentist, Dr. Henry Today for a Free Consultation
Tags: Sleep Apnea
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
May 5th, 2010
My patients come to me for many reasons to improve their smiles. I’ve known Jeff since elementary school and the time had come for him to improve his smile. He was recently separated from his wife and needed to do something for himself. He felt like his smile made him look older and less confident socially as well as professionally. Cosmetic dentistry can have a great impact on a persons life and attitude. A smile makeover was just what Jeff needed!
I placed
all ceramic crowns, bridges, and
porcelain veneers on 20 of Jeff’s teeth. His bite was adjusted for
tmj health and function, and now he can’t stop smiling! If you think a smile makeover would make you feel better about yourself either professionally or socially, give our office a call to make a complimentary appointment to discuss how your smile can be improved.
(714) 385-1672
Before……………………………………………………….After
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
May 5th, 2010
The Makar
Pure Power Mouthguard is off to a great start in 2010. First, the New Orleans Saints claim the Super Bowl over the Indianapolis Colts and then shortly followed by a number of winter Olympians claiming medals in the Vancouver 2010 games while wearing or training with the PPM. Approximately 40 of the New Orleans Saints players were fitted with the performance enhancing mouthguards at the start of the 2009-2010 season. During the Monday Night Football game televised between the Saints and the Falcons, Jon Gruden discussed at length on the air the mouthguards and the benefits the Saints players received from them. Tracy Porter, who sealed the super bowl victory for the Saints with a last minute interception is a big believer in the PPM and has talked about the mouthguard on ESPN a number of times since the big game.
In Vancouver , the US Olympic Team set a record for the most medals ever won in a single Olympic games. A number of winter Olympic athletes wore or trained with the PPM mouthguards, including Bode Miller, Lindsey Vonn, Apollo Ohno, and many others.
The PPM mouthguard is a recreational device that has its basis in the science of
Neuromuscular Dentistry. Neurommuscular Dentistry emphasizes the role of the jaw, head, and neck muscles in TMJ disorders. Symptoms such as headaches, jaw pain, stuffy ears, and vertigo can be related to problems with a person’s bite and jaw alignment. If you are suffering from any of these conditions or just want to improve you performance with a PPM don’t hesitate to call the office to get more information.
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
September 8th, 2009
Shaquille O’Neal has joined the swelling ranks of professional athletes to endorse the Pure Power Mouthguard. Shaq used the PPM throughout last season with terrific results. He had one of his most injury free seasons since beginning his career in the NBA. He attributes his health with the increased flexability he has discovered since using the PPM. Shaq is quoted as saying “If anyone wants to see their real game, they definitely need to get a PPM. Who doesn’t want to see their real game or their true potential. PPM works and it works immediately!” Athletes like Shaq discover this increased flexability while using the PPM due to the science behind Neuromuscular Dentistry. Neuromuscular Dentistry has been used for years to treat TMJ symptoms such as headaches, facial pain, stuffy congested ears, and neck aches. At the Orange Center for Cosmetic Dentistry, we are one of the few offices in Orange County to offer the PPM to our patients as well as neuromuscular dentistry for the treatment of tmj symptoms. If you are a serious athlete, or a weekend warrior who wants to take their performance to the next level, call today. 714 385-1672
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
May 18th, 2009
What is important when choosing a dentist to do your
smile makeover? First, do your research. Family and friends who have actually had cosmetic dentistry done are a great source of information. The internet is another wonderful source. A dentist’s web site should outline the specific additional training that most cosmetic dentists have, like at the Las Vegas Institute (LVI). The web site should have numerous photographs of cosmetic procedures that he/she has actually performed (not stock photography). When you choose an office to visit, it should be neat, clean, and modern looking. Talk with your dentist and his team members and let them know what it is you would like your smile to look like. He or she needs to listen to your concerns regarding your smile and give you options and benefits of various treatments such as porcelain
veneers,
bonding, or all
ceramic crowns. Your dentist ought to be able to show you photos of his/her dentistry that he has actually done. It finally comes down to trust. Your smile is too important and deserves the finest in materials and expertise!
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
February 23rd, 2009
Before veneers…………………………..After veneers
Nicole came to us with a couple of concerns about the appearance of her smile. She wasn’t sure a
smile makeover would correct her problems. She had a crown done on her front tooth when she was a teenager and it had started to turn black around her gums. She also felt her teeth were a little small and could be whiter. Nicole decided to replace her front crown with a modern all
ceramic metal free crown and to have 9
porcelain veneers placed on her other upper teeth. She chose a whiter color for her new crown and veneers as well as picking a size she felt better fit her face. Her satisfaction with the result is apparent in the photos taken after the procedure was done. The darkness is gone around the old crown and her smile is larger and much whiter than before. Her
attractive smile now matches her exuberant personality!
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Felicia’s case is a good one to share with everyone. She was referred to me by my friend Norm Huefner, a dentist in Laguna Niguel. Felicia’s case was complex as she suffered from a number of painful TMJ jaw symptoms. As can be seen in the before picture of Felicia’s smile, her teeth were worn down due to her destructive bite. She didn’t like the way her teeth looked, but more importantly she was in a great deal of pain and discomfort. Felicia said “ I’d wake up each morning with tight sore jaws and every meal, chewing was very painful. I was just tired of having pain in my face all the time”. It was obvious that Felicia’s pain was affecting the quality of her life. So we embarked on a journey using neuromuscular dentistry techniques to eliminate her TMJ facial pain. Using a TENS unit, electromyography (emg’s) and jaw tracking we were able to identify an ideal bite position for Felicia’s jaw. She wore an orthotic at this position for several months. As each week went by, Felicia’s TMJ pain diminished. After eliminating her pain with phase 1 orthotics, or a “trial bite”, Felicia chose a phase 2 option of full mouth reconstruction using all ceramic crowns and veneers. As you can see by the photos, her case was a great success. She was thrilled with the esthetic outcome, but more importantly is pain free and the quality of her life is improved!
For over 20 years, Dr. Joseph Henry has been developing a passion for putting on a smile.
