Play a round of word association with "summer," and you'll probably come up with "vacation," "camping," or "beach" just off the top of your head. But the slower pace of this sultry season offers opportunities for other pursuits—like home improvement projects. If you're in a "fixer-upper" mood, you might consider something out of the box: a smile makeover.

Changes to your dental appearance start a lot like the typical home renovation—you're not satisfied with how things look. And, like home projects, you can go little on smile enhancements (akin to maybe repainting the bedroom) or go big (that shiny new addition).

If you're up for this kind of makeover this summer, here are a few suggestions for improving your smile.

Teeth whitening. Stained tooth enamel can make your smile look dull and dingy—but you can reverse this with a professional whitening treatment. Using a precisely formulated bleaching solution, we can give you a brighter smile at just the level of brightness you want. And with good care and occasional touchups, your bright and shiny smile could last for years.

Dental bonding or veneers. Chips, stains that resist whitening or an unsightly gap can detract from an otherwise attractive smile. We can repair many minor defects by bonding tooth-colored composite material to your teeth. For more extensive defects, we can also cover teeth with custom dental veneers, thin layers of porcelain that hide dental flaws.

Orthodontics. Straightening misaligned teeth is primarily beneficial to your long-term dental health. But it can also transform a smile, earning it the title, "The Original Smile Makeover." And braces aren't your only choice—depending on your particular bite problem, you may be able to use nearly invisible clear aligners, which you can also remove for meals and hygiene.

Dental implants. Nothing downgrades a smile like missing teeth. But you can replace those teeth with dental implants, a highly popular and effective restoration. Implants have two outstanding qualities: They provide a life-like appearance that's indistinguishable from a natural tooth and they're quite durable—over 95% are still in place after ten years.

You can receive these and other cosmetic dental measures as standalone procedures or grouped with others in a comprehensive smile makeover. Some—like teeth whitening—can often be done in a single visit, while others—like teeth straightening or implants—can take months or even years.

What's important, though, is that you get the ball rolling with a comprehensive dental exam. From there, we can lay out your options and help you decide on your specific makeover plan. It could be one of your best summer projects ever!

If you would like more information about smile makeover options, please contact us or schedule a consultation. To learn more, read the Dear Doctor magazine article “Cosmetic Dentistry.”

Many people with diabetes are hesitant about getting dental implants because they’re under the impression their chances of failure are greater than for non-diabetics. But if you’re one of the 26 million Americans with diabetes, that isn’t necessarily so — with a little extra precaution before, during and after implant surgery.

Diabetes is a group of diseases that affect how the body processes glucose. This simple sugar is used by the body to provide energy to cells, but can also cause damage if its volume level in the bloodstream is too high. The body normally regulates this through the hormone insulin produced by the pancreas.

The pancreas in people with Type 1 diabetes doesn’t produce insulin and so they must receive an outside source of the hormone through daily injections with careful daily monitoring of glucose levels. Those with Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease, don’t produce a sufficient amount of insulin or the body no longer responds to the insulin produced. For either type, abnormal glucose levels — either too high or too low — can have adverse affects on the body, including blindness, nerve damage, gangrene, coma or death.

Diabetes can also slow wound healing, increase the risk of infection, and alter the body’s inflammatory response, all of which are major concerns when placing implants. Because implant placement involves minor surgery in which a wound results, there’s been wide concern that a slower healing process could increase the risk of implant failure.

Recent studies, though, are encouraging especially for patients who have their diabetes under control through medication, diet and exercise. Patients with poor glucose control are at higher risk, because it can take longer for the bone to heal around an implant after placement. For such individuals special considerations to guard against infection may be needed during implant surgery.

In fact, the implant success rate for most diabetics is about the same as for non-diabetic patients, 95%. With proper disease management and a little extra wound care, you can be among the many that experience a favorable outcome and a more attractive smile with dental implants.

If you would like more information on diabetes and dental care, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation.

Around one in ten U.S. adults have diabetes, a metabolic disease that can disrupt other aspects of a person's health like wound healing and vision. It could also cause complications with dental implants, the premier replacement choice for missing teeth.

There are two basic types of diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone needed to regulate the amount of sugar glucose in the bloodstream. With the more prevalent type 2 diabetes, the body either doesn't produce enough insulin or doesn't respond efficiently to the insulin produced.

Uncontrolled diabetes can contribute to several dangerous health conditions. In addition to vision impairment and poor wound healing, diabetics are at higher risk for other problems like kidney disease or nerve damage. Drastic swings in blood glucose levels can also cause coma or death.

Many diabetics, though, are able to manage their condition through diet, exercise, medications and regular medical care. Even so, they may still encounter problems with wound healing, which could complicate getting a dental implant.

An implant is composed of a titanium metal post imbedded into the jawbone. Because of its affinity with titanium, bone cells naturally grow and adhere to the implant's metal surface. Several weeks after implant surgery, enough bone growth occurs to fully secure the implant within the jaw.

But this integration process may be slower for diabetics because of sluggish wound healing. It's possible for integration to not fully occur in diabetic patients after implant surgery, increasing the risk of eventually losing the implant.

Fortunately, though, evidence indicates this not to be as great a concern as once thought. A number of recent group studies comparing diabetic and non-diabetic implant patients found little difference in outcomes—both groups had similar success rates (more than 95 percent).

The only exception, though, were diabetic patients with poor glucose control, who had much slower bone integration that posed a threat to a successful implant outcome. If you're in this situation, it's better if you're first able to better control your blood glucose levels before you undergo surgery.

So, while diabetes is something to factor into your implant decision, your chances remain good for a successful outcome. Just be sure you're doing everything you can to effectively manage your diabetes.

If you would like more information on diabetes and dental health, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Dental Implants & Diabetes.”

You've lost some teeth, and now you have to decide how to replace them. A fixed bridge or a partial denture are certainly good options. But the best choice today that dentistry has to offer is dental implants.

Implants have exploded in popularity among both dentists and patients, offering exceptional quality in life-likeness and durability. But they do have one drawback that might cause you to hesitate in choosing them: They're usually more expensive than other common tooth replacement systems, even more so if you're replacing each individual missing tooth with an implant.

But before you pass on them for something more affordable, take another look at dental implants. Here are 4 reasons why implants could be the wiser option for tooth replacement.

Life-like and functional. Other restorations can effectively mimic the appearance of real teeth, and they're reasonably functional. But implants score at the top in both categories because they replace more of the tooth—not just the crown, but the tooth root as well.

Bone friendly. Other restorations can't stop the gradual bone loss often caused by missing teeth, and dentures in particular can accelerate it. But implants are made of titanium, a bio-compatible metal that's also bone-friendly—bone cells readily grow and adhere to its surface. This accumulated growth around the implant site helps slow or stop bone loss.

Long-term savings. The integration of bone and implant creates a durable hold that can last for several years, possibly outlasting other restorations in the same situation. Taking into account all the costs—installation, maintenance and possible replacement—that can occur over the life of a restoration, implants could actually cost less in the long run.

Versatile. Implants can be used for more than single tooth replacements—they can be incorporated with other restorations like bridges or dentures to provide better support. Marrying implants with traditional tooth replacement systems can be less costly than implants individually while enhancing benefits like durability and bone strength.

Dental implants may not be right for everyone, particularly those who've experienced advanced bone loss. But if a thorough dental exam shows you're a good candidate, dental implants could be well worth the investment in your health and appearance.

If you would like more information on dental implant restorations, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Dental Implants: Your Best Option for Replacing Teeth.”

Between the final game of the World Series in late October and spring training in February, major league baseball players work on their skills preparing for the new season. Reporters on a Zoom call to the New York Yankees' training camp wanted to know what star outfielder Aaron Judge had been doing along those lines. But when he smiled, their interest turned elsewhere: What had Aaron Judge done to his teeth?

Already with 120 homers after only five seasons, Judge is a top player with the Yankees. His smile, however, has been less than spectacular. Besides a noticeable gap between his top front teeth (which were also more prominent than the rest of his teeth), Judge also had a chipped tooth injury on a batting helmet in 2017 during a home plate celebration for a fellow player's walk-off home run.

But now Judge's teeth look even, with no chip and no gap. So, what did the Yankee slugger have done?

He hasn't quite said, but it looks as though he received a “smile makeover” with porcelain veneers, one of the best ways to turn dental “ugly ducklings” into “beautiful swans.” And what's even better is that veneers aren't limited to superstar athletes or performers—if you have teeth with a few moderate dental flaws, veneers could also change your smile.

As the name implies, veneers are thin shells of porcelain bonded to the front of teeth to mask chips, cracks, discolorations or slight gaps between teeth. They may even help even out disproportionately sized teeth. Veneers are custom-made by dental technicians based on a patient's particular tooth dimensions and color.

Like other cosmetic techniques, veneers are a blend of technology and artistry. They're made of a durable form of dental porcelain that can withstand biting forces (within reason, though—you'd want to avoid biting down on ice or a hard piece of food with veneered teeth). They're also carefully colored so that they blend seamlessly with your other teeth. With the right artistic touch, we can make them look as natural as possible.

Although porcelain veneers can accommodate a wide range of dental defects, they may not be suitable for more severe flaws. After examining your teeth, we'll let you know if you're a good candidate for veneers or if you should consider another restoration. Chances are, though, veneers could be your way to achieve what Aaron Judge did—a home run smile.

If you would like more information about porcelain veneers, please contact us or schedule a consultation. To learn more, read the Dear Doctor magazine article “Porcelain Veneers: Strength & Beauty As Never Before.”