Charmaine Johnson DDS Premier Smile Center

We can all make a list of everything we are proud of. As a dentist, one of the things that make me happy is if a patient is proud of their smile.

For some, it may be a healthy, clean and cavity free smile. For others it may be a sparkling, white and dazzling smile. Either way, your smile is integral to your health and happiness. The way we talk or eat, and the way we feel about ourselves are all affected by the state of our smile.

As a dentist, I look at a person’s smile from 4 major areas:

1. The health of the gums and bone – this is the foundation that holds the teeth in place. You may have the most beautiful teeth but if the foundation is poor, the teeth will fall out.
2. Cavity free and infection free teeth
3. The bite and position of the teeth – many times, the way we bite can cause a great deal of damage and fractures of the teeth
4. Cosmetics and the beauty of our smile

We all know someone with bad breath. Unfortunately, most people don’t know that they have it and only your children or grandchildren will tell you!!!!!

So, how does one eliminate bad breath?

1. Firstly, determine if you have bad breath or not by asking a significant other or your dentist. It is normally difficult to determine bad breath on yourself.
2. Some odor causing foods like onions and garlic can cause the bad odor to come out through your lungs for up to 24 hours after ingestion. Try to reduce the intake of these foods.
3. Examine the back of your tongue for a tongue coat. The tongue harbors 50% of the total bacteria in the mouth. These bacteria produce sulphide odors which is the smell of rotten eggs. This is the main source of most bad breath. We suggest using a tongue scarier to scrape the very back of the tongue. Do this 10-15 times every morning. A toothbrush is not as effective. It is like using a broom to clean a shag carpet.

The coronavirus is all anyone can think about right now, but one way to take a break from all the heavy news is to think about the good things ahead.

You can plan for the future and look forward to the many ways life will improve. If you’ve long been considering ways to improve your smile, now is the time to research cosmetic dentistry treatments so you’re prepared to discuss the details with your Fort Lauderdale dentist when the time comes.

1. Minimal-Prep Porcelain Veneers

Plenty of people used to be wary of porcelain veneers. They wanted the look, but they didn’t want to go on the road to get there – the removal of tooth enamel. Now, minimal-prep and no-prep veneers barely alter your natural teeth before the veneers are bonded permanently in place.

Now that dental offices are only seeing emergency patients and not doing any elective procedures, I want to shed some light on what is considered an emergency procedure.

According to The American Dental Association, emergency procedures are: “potentially life threatening and require immediate treatment to stop ongoing tissue bleeding [or to] alleviate severe pain or infection.”

Conditions include uncontrolled bleeding; soft tissue bacterial infections with swelling that potentially compromises the patient’s airway; or trauma involving facial bones that potentially compromises the patient’s airway.”

Examples of urgent dental care treatments, include:

Some key positive things about coronavirus.

a) For most people, the immediate risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to be low. Older adults and people with underlying health conditions, such as diabetes, lung disease, or heart disease are at a greater risk.

b) Someone who has completed quarantine or has been released from isolation does not pose a risk of infection to other people.

c) There are simple things you can do to help yourself and others:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds as the top way to clean our hands.

“But if soap and water are not available, using a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol can help,” Not all hand sanitizers are the same . They have different percentages of alcohol. The only ones that are effective against viruses are those that have more than 60% alcohol, so look at the label when you buy your hand sanitizer.

There’s so much information out there about this virus, it’s often hard to discern what is real and what is a myth. Here are some myths according to the WHO.

• The virus cannot be transmitted in hot, humid environments.
• False – The virus is transmitted in all environments. 

• Taking a hot bath prevents you from catching the virus
• False – your body temperature remains around 36.5 – 37 degrees celcius even in a hot bath

• Coronavirus can be transmitted through mosquito bites.
• False – coronavirus is a respiratory virus which spreads primarily through droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose. 

I have had a few questions from patients if mouthwash will help protect against the coronavirus.

At this point, there is no evidence that mouthwashes protect you from Coronavirus. Some people are thinking that Listerine mouthwash with alcohol will help. However, this is not true as the only 60% alcohol content will kill the virus. But please don’t rinse with alcohol or rubbing alcohol or any of those.

The other question from patients who have had gum disease is : does peridex, the prescription mouth rinse we use after a scaling work. There is no evidence that it works against viruses as it is designed to work against the gum disease bacteria.

However, it appears from a recent study, that 1% hydrogen peroxide will reduce the salivary load of the coronavirus. The American Dental Association is recommending dentists have patients rinse with 1% hydrogen peroxide before we start any dental procedure on them.

One of the most encouraging aspects of the COVID-19 is that it is an enveloped virus.  This means that it has a weak fatty envelope, which is easily broken down by most disinfectants.

Smile makeovers come in all shapes and sizes. Some upgrades take one visit to a dentist near Fort Lauderdale to complete, other makeovers take multiple visits over several months.

There is no one right way to get a healthy, strong, pain-free, attractive smile. The only question is: What’s the right smile makeover for you?