Michael Iott Dental Blog

For many, a visit to the dentist is looked upon with dread. And yet, it is something you must do if you want to keep your teeth. With today's modern techniques and many advances in the art and science of dentistry, a visit to the dentist can be pain free and pleasant. It simply doesn’t make sense to avoid taking care of your teeth regularly.

Here are a few strategies to make dentists visits as stress free as possible:

• Visit your dentist every six months. These regular checkups will catch any upcoming oral issues, addressing them before they become problematic.
• If you have fears about dental procedures, tell your hygenist and your dentist. They will likely be very sympathetic as they want your visit to be as pleasant as possible. Sometimes you’ll find they have strategies for dealing with various fears and phobias to help you not only get through procedures you dislike, but to allay future fears if the procedure needs to be repeated. One young man could not put up with the sound of having his teeth cleaned. The hygienist suggested they polish his teeth first, then clean them. It worked! So ask for help if you need it.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
• Don’t dwell on your appointment. Sometimes the anticipation is worse than the actual event, and worrying about what might happen will put you in a state before you’ve even arrived.
• Have faith in your dentist and hygienist. If you find there is something about their demeanor that does put you totally at ease, don’t feel bad about looking for a new dentist. It’s very important that you be 100% comfortable.

Dentistry has come a long way. The needles are finer, the drills are faster, and just about every dentist does everything possible to make you comfortable and get you out of the dentist chair quickly. Dr. Michael Iott is one of those dentists who goes out his way to ensure you have such an experience. His well-appointed New York City offices also serve Manhattan and Queens, and from your first phone call to schedule your consultation, you'll be treated warmly and professionally by his trained and knowledgeable staff. Click Here to schedule your appointment to see Dr. Michael Iott right away!

Do you find yourself avoiding the dentist when it comes time for your regularly scheduled cleaning? Next time that happens, don’t skip the appointment. Visiting your dentist every six months for a checkup and a cleaning is one of the top tips experts say will guarantee less pain in your future. Those regular visits can catch small issues before they become the kind of big issues that nightmares are made of.

What else can you do to safeguard your smile and the health of your mouth? How about brushing and flossing daily? At the least, brush twice a day, but three times is optimal to avoid the build up of plaque, that colorless, sticky substances that causes tooth decay. And be sure to use a soft toothbrush to avoid damaging your enamel and toss it every 3 months or so for a new one to avoid bacterial buildup.

Another top tip is to eat healthy foods. Your teeth and jaw need exercise. No, not the kind that comes from gnawing on super sized jawbreakers. That’s a no-no. We’re talking about plenty of fresh water, fruits and vegetables and, most importantly, the calcium and protein found naturally in meats and dairy products.

If you do find yourself with a sweet tooth, chew sugarless gum and stay away from taffy, caramels and the like which can stick to your teeth, cause cavities and damage dental work.

You may not think much about your teeth, but you sure will if you no longer have them. Respect your teeth and take good care of your mouth and you can count on having strong beautiful teeth for years to come.

Why do we need to floss? Isn’t brushing enough? How much can get stuck in between our teeth anyway?

Dental floss can prevent tooth decay and gum disease, hold bad breath at bay, and keep our teeth and mouth generally cleaner. So it's worth paying attention to.

The biggest benefit of flossing is that it removes large particles of food from between the teeth. Tiny pieces of food can be lodged in those spaces and, in some cases, floss is the only thing that will get it out. Left there, that food particle will eventually create a fairly nasty cavity. Your gums will appreciate it too, as the flossing removes trapped food that contributes to gum disease.

And what about bad breath? Bacteria that live in between your teeth and live on the trapped food particles cause bad breath. Not a pretty picture, is it? Flossing dislodges those food bits, leaving bacteria nothing to live on. Those bacteria can lead to gingivitis and periodontal disease, causing the gums to recede and pull away from the teeth and setting you up for loose teeth that might eventually require removal.

Perhaps best of all, floss is packaged in a tiny container that fits discreetly in purse or pocket. Next time you have food stuck between your teeth, or that tenacious piece of spinach right in the front, a quick flick of your floss will solve the problem.

When you stop to consider how unpleasant any of these situations can become, doesn't it make sense to add flossing to your daily routine?

I found this article and thought that you might like it.

Red Laser Puts Tooth Decay in a New Light
By PETER JARET
Published: November 15, 2007

THE next time your dentist tells you to open wide, consider this: dentists fail to accurately diagnose cavities 20 to 30 percent of the time.

“Especially in the pits and fissures on the surfaces of molars, it’s easy to miss early signs of tooth decay,” said Dr. Howard Strassler, a professor and the director of restorative dentistry at the University of Maryland Dental School. “And sometimes what you think is a cavity isn’t.”

Ouch.

The widespread use of fluoride, which hardens the enamel surface of teeth, has dramatically reduced tooth decay nationwide.

But it has also made detecting cavities trickier. The harder enamel is, the more difficult it is for dentists to detect small hidden cavities by poking into suspicious-looking areas with the sharp tip of an explorer, the metal tool traditionally used for diagnosis.

Now thousands of dentists are getting help from a device called Diagnodent, which shines new light on easy-to-miss cavities. The hand-held instrument uses a red laser to penetrate the outer layer of teeth. By measuring the way light reflects back, Diagnodent detects signs of decay, but is reassuringly gentle.

Diagnodent is used by an estimated 20,000 dentists in the United States, since its approval by the Food and Drug Administration in 2000, according to the KaVo Dental Corporation, the manufacturer.

“It has become a significant piece of equipment in many areas of dentistry,” said Dr. Kenneth Malament, a clinical professor who specializes in aesthetic and reconstructive dentistry at Tufts University. “People who have it use it every day.”

Some studies have shown it significantly improves cavity detection. “The great thing is that we can pick up cavities when we visually have no evidence,” Dr. Malament explained. “By catching them early, we can treat them before there’s much damage.”

The popular device has its limitations, though. It doesn’t work on teeth that already have fillings. And it occasionally makes mistakes.

The most serious problem is a false positive reading, which indicates decay where there isn’t any.

“I tell dental students that Diagnodent shouldn’t be used as a license to drill,” said Dr. Masatoshi Ando, an assistant professor at the Indiana University School of Dentistry. “It’s useful as a second opinion.” But dentists still need to do a careful visual inspection and poke around with their explorers, he warned.

I came across this article and would like to share it with you.

Is This a Toothbrush or a Drill Sergeant?
By MARTHA SCHINDLER CONNORS
Published: December 20, 2007

Correction Appended

HONESTLY, how hard can it be? We’ve been doing it twice a day since kindergarten. But still we can’t get it right.

“Odd as it sounds, most people are no good at brushing their teeth,” said Dr. Paul Warren, a dentist and a vice president of scientific relations for Procter & Gamble Oral Care.

All you have to do is go tooth by tooth, bristles to the gumline, for at least two minutes, according to the American Dental Association.

But most adults fail miserably. We brush haphazardly, concentrating on the front-and-center teeth and making short work of our molars. For many, the cardinal sin is scouring their gum lines as if plaque were bathtub grout.

Patience is also no virtue among toothbrushers. “They spend an average of 47 seconds doing it,” Dr. Warren said.

All of that incompetence is good news for toothbrush makers. The toothbrush is a mature product, one that designers and industry analysts say has reached far limits of amelioration. But thanks to our ineptitude, toothbrush designers have a raison d’être.

Lately, toothbrush makers have feverishly reworked one of the most worked-over devices known to man. Colgate has presented 14 manual brushes in the last five years. Oral-B typically introduces one electronic brush a year, the fruition of the work of more than 300 designers and engineers over 3 to 5 years.

Never mind that the device we know — bristles mounted on a 6-inch-long handle — has been around for more than 5,000 years. Or that its job, removing remnants of your last meal, be it a bowl of Wheaties or a slab of roasted boar, has remained unchanged. The toothbrush has had more makeovers than Michael Jackson.

Some changes are merely cosmetic, but the majority are intended to make the simple task of brushing even simpler. “Consumers aren’t good at brushing, so we’re taking them out of the equation,” said Graham Mott, a research and development executive for Philips Sonicare. “We’re making the toothbrush idiot-proof.”

How to explain our ineptness when it comes to oral hygiene? “Most people don’t really understand the process or don’t want to spend the time and effort they should,” said Dr. Howard S. Glazer, a former president of the Academy of General Dentistry, an organization devoted to advocacy and continuing education. “They think it’s O.K. to go once around the park and then home.”

People don’t follow their dentists’ instructions, either.

“Lots of patients brush way too hard, no matter what we tell them,” said Dr. Susan Karabin, a periodontist in Manhattan and the president of the American Academy of Periodontology. “They think they’re not doing a good job unless they’re spraying toothpaste all over the vanity.”

Fret not, the oral care industry is here to help. The new Ultreo brush ($169.99) adds ultrasound to sonic bristle action to make things even easier. Just gently move the handsome orange-tinged gadget until you get the signal to relocate other part of your mouth. This hint occurs every 30 seconds.

Too tough on your teeth? The Colgate 360 (about $3.99) has a NASA-worthy bristle configuration, with extra rubber bits that squeegee plaque away with almost no pressure at all.

For the truly brutish (or brainless), there’s the Oral-B Triumph ($149.99) with SmartGuide, which features a remote digital display that delivers an audible and visual warning when you’re brushing too hard. Or the Sonicare FlexCare ($179.99), with its two different routines, the speedy GoCare setting and the MaxCare mode, a 2-minute cleaning and 1-minute massage.

Gizmos like these are designed to beat heavy-handed brushers at their own game. "These brushes provide their own motion, so they do the work for you,” explained Mr. Mott of Philips Sonicare. “Even if you’re doing everything totally wrong, you get the job done —and you can’t hurt yourself."

Damage by toothbrushing is more common than you might think. After $5,000 worth of gum surgery, Stephanie Mascott, 32, a recovering aggressive brusher, bought an Ultreo and now hopes to have kissed her receding gums goodbye. “With a manual brush, it’s too easy to get carried away,” said Ms. Mascott, a brand director in San Diego.

Correction: January 3, 2008

The Skin Deep column on Dec. 20, about dental care, referred incorrectly to the Ultreo, a sonic brush that signals how long to brush each tooth. It should be moved around on the tooth during these intervals; it should not be stationary.

If you really want to avoid frequent visits to your dentist, you must practice good oral hygiene. This includes twice daily brushing, flossing, using a fluoridated toothpaste and regular dental visits about every six months for cleaning and a checkup. But what kind of toothbrush is best—a manual toothbrush or one of those fancy electric ones? Does it matter?

Dentists surveyed on the subject discovered most patients, although they were making attempts at good oral care, were not brushing properly, either because their technique was wrong or they did not brush long enough. So the first rule in brushing well is to do it correctly. If you’re not sure how to do it, the hygienist at your dentist’s office will be happy to show you.

Most people still use a manual toothbrush, even though power toothbrushes have been available since the 1960s and have been shown to be more effective in plaque removal and reducing gingivitis. The cost of a power toothbrush and being unsure about which brand to buy are two of the reasons many people stick with a manual toothbrush. However, despite many advances in manual toothbrush design, the average manual toothbrush removes only about 50% or less of plaque. Dentists agree that, for those who cannot afford a power toothbrush, the battery-powered versions provide a significant improvement over manual toothbrushes and cost less than $6.00. Some studies show the battery-powered toothbrushes are as effective in removing plaque as the more expensive electric versions. Better yet, children who use power or battery-operated toothbrushes brushed longer and better, due in part to ease of use for their smaller fingers and hands, the smaller brush head size which helps children reach more inaccessible parts of the mouth, and the sheer fun of brushing with a toothbrush that does the work for you.

In some ways, it can be said that, since the main goal of brushing is to maintain good oral health, it is more important to be sure to brush regularly than to worry about what type of toothbrush you’re using. But why not get the very best results for your efforts? If you’re not used to using a power toothbrush, try the battery-operated version first, then take your time comparing prices, styles, designs and features before you purchase an electric toothbrush.

And be sure to schedule a checkup with Dr. Michael Iott. The hygienists are happy to talk to you about proper brushing and flossing techniques, and Dr. Iott’s entire staff is there to support you in your quest for excellent oral health. Contact the office today!