Long Island Dentist, Dr. Terry S. Shapiro

http://drterryshapiro.com/visit-denture/

A new mobile gaming app called Toothsavers has been launched by the Ad Council of the American Dental Association and the Partnership for Healthy Mouths. This mobile device game asks children to rescue fairy tale characters from an evil, cavity-creating sorceress who casts a wicked, teeth rotting spell on the fairy tale kingdom. The game was created in conjunction with the Kids’ Healthy Mouths campaign. A spokesperson for the Ad Council of the ADA said that Mobile techn...ology plays a major role in influencing young people’s behavior and is a great fit for this campaign. The game is part of the ongoing effort to use technology to promote health and well-being. The mobile game has three key features to teach parents and children about the importance of dental health. One, in a timed, finger-swipe brushing game, players can save characters from the cavity-creating sorceress. Two, in the two-player version of the game, kids can brush the teeth of their opponents when the mobile device is held up to their mouths. Three, the app offers a toothbrushing companion so children and their parents can keep track of the child’s brushing progress. It is also a morning and nighttime tooth brushing reminder. So the app is both a teaching tool and a way to monitor a child’s toothbrushing routine. The app is geared toward children of ages three to six. It is available free in the App Store and Google Play for Android and iOS devices. It can also be found on the internet at 2min2x.org/PlayToothsavers. Yes I downloaded the app and clicked around. Cute graphics. I like the slogan 2min2x which means brush your teeth for two minutes, two times a day. I’ll play it for kids in the office and see how they like it and how effective it is.

A Yiddish curse heard on NPR's Leonard Lopate show on September 13: "May you lose all your teeth except for one - so you might have a toothache." Love it! During this Jewish holiday season, the week’s Please Explain program was all about Yiddish. The program discussed the origins of the Yiddish language and how it has influenced our culture. Chutzpah, glitch, klutz, schlep, and tchotchke are all Yiddish words that have entered into everyday usage. So "Gut Yontiff" everyone!

Good discussion of how to close the gap in today's New York Times: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com//09/12/ask-well-gap-toothe/

Liz had a large space between her front teeth and she showed a lot of gum. She was unhappy with her smile. We gave her a new smile - and she is one happy camper!

I just updated my Place Information on HERE Maps

I just updated my Place Description on HERE Maps

Am I the only dentist who is overly sensitive about dental cartoons? I am always on the lookout for the nasty dental cartoon - and aren't they always nasty? Not to mention that the genre unnecessarily frightens people and would turn anyone into a dental phobic. The following cartoon appeared in the September 9 issue of The New Yorker - and it's not even funny. Yes, frightening - right up there with The Marathon Man and The Little House of Horrors. Should I cancel my subsc...ription? Take the magazine out of the reception area? Or should I just add it to my collection of dental cartoons - and wait in anticipation for the next one. Am I the only dentist who is overly sensitive about dental cartoons? I am always on the lookout for the nasty dental cartoon and aren’t they always nasty? Not to mention that the genre unnecessarily frightens people and would turn anyone into a dental phobic. The following cartoon appeared in the September 9 issue of The New Yorker and it’s not even funny. Yes, frightening right up there with The Marathon Man and The Little House of Horrors. Should I cancel my subscription? Take the magazine out of the reception area? Or should I just add it to my collection of dental cartoons and wait in anticipation of the next one.

A New Smile for Nancy I first met Nancy almost a year ago. Her front teeth badly needed help. One front tooth had discolored composite fillings and a fracture. The other front tooth was short and tipped inward. We extracted the fractured tooth and placed an implant. After the healing period we placed an abutment (implant post) and porcelain crown. We restored the other tooth with a porcelain veneer. Both teeth are now whiter and more evenly situated. Nancy looks years younger and she just keeps smiling. She brought us early vegetables from her garden for a thank you.

I love this cartoon of a woman brushing her teeth with a cup of hot tea (New York Times, April 29, 2013). The question is: why don’t we use hot water to brush our teeth? I have to confess that I have never asked myself this question, nor has anyone ever asked it of me. But someone did think to ask it of the Times‘ C. Claiborne Ray. He, in turn, contacted the American Dental Association. Their spokesperson, searching for an answer, offered that hot water might soften to...othbrush bristles, rendering them less effective. But where is the study that shows this? The spokesperson also suggested that hot water that sits in a hot water tank may harbor harmful chemicals. But in the end he contradicted himself in recommending that hot water be used to rinse the brush after brushing. The bottom line: brush and floss carefully regardless of the water temperature and visit the dentist regularly! See more

What do you do if you or your child has a fall and a tooth is knocked out (we call this an avulsed tooth)? This is truly an emergency. You need to know that the tooth has the best chance of survival if action is immediate. Put the tooth in liquid - preferably milk - and get to the dentist immediately. Milk is compatible with teeth and has essential nutrients and growth factors. But I have recently read that soy milk is also an excellent medium for the avulsed tooth. Soy milk is rich in protein, amino acids, vitamins and minerals that are essential for cell nutrition.

Always looking to keep up with new developments in dentistry, I took two continuing education courses this week. Wednesday night was a lecture on how periodontal therapy can enhance orthodontic results. That gummy smile in which too much gum tissue is exposed when the patient smiles can be eliminated with periodontal treatment. An impacted tooth can be coaxed into position with proper periodontal access. On Friday I took an all-day course on All on Four, in which implants... are placed and teeth affixed the same day, thus eliminating a removable denture when all of a patient’s teeth need to be extracted. This is an amazing service for people who qualify for this treatment. Recently a woman came into my office with an upper bridge that was failing. Her teeth could not be salvaged. But she did not want her husband to know that she was going to lose her teeth. So we scheduled her for teeth-in-a-day: her teeth were removed, implants placed and a provisional fixed bridge placed. She looks great and her husband never found out that instead of her own, failing teeth, she now has implants!