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Month: May 2018

What You Need To Know About Invisalign (Part One)

· Cosmetic Dentistry · Comments Off on What You Need To Know About Invisalign (Part One)

Straight, white, and cavity-free teeth are the epitome of a healthy smile, and achieving this takes a little work from both you and your dentist. Decent oral health comes as a result of brushing and flossing daily and seeing your lovely dentist twice a year. Beyond preventative dental care, cosmetic procedures such as teeth whitening can be easily accomplished in office in a couple of visits. Having white and healthy teeth takes relatively little effort; it’s straightening teeth that may take a little more work.

If you’ve been considering straightening your teeth for the first or even the second time — after the middle school braces were a bust — Zen Smiles Miami has a solution for you! At Zen Smiles Miami, the focus on preventative dental care and education is what brings the best in optimal dental health. Find a myriad of treatments from cosmetic dentistry including teeth whitening and Invisalign to family dentistry, dental implants, and gum disease treatments. Follow along in today’s post as we examine Invisalign and how it can help straighten you out!

Invisalign is here for simple straightening to more complicated fixes.

What is Invisalign?

Invisalign is a revolutionary type of orthodontics that straighten teeth without the traditional method of metal braces. The aesthetics of metal braces has always been a downfall of orthodontics — they’re bulky, a bit unsightly, and everyone can see them. Invisalign differs in that they’re clear plastic retainers that guide your teeth into a straighter pattern and are comparably more attractive and go undetected.

What Can Invisalign Treat?

Invisalign has seen innovation since its inception and can treat a myriad of different smile concerns. The disconnect between Invisalign and traditional braces is that some think Invisalign can’t treat their issue, but more often than not, it can.

Overbite – If you have an overbite where your top set of teeth overlap the bottom, Invisalign can help fix this bite pattern.

Underbite – When your bottom teeth are in front of your top teeth, this is considered an underbite. Invisalign treats underbites, however, more advanced issues may require surgery.

Crossbite – A crossbite has a mix of teeth that sit inside your lower teeth and upper teeth. A crossbite can cause additional issues than just the aesthetics because the teeth can wear down and chip more easily. It can also cause the gumline to recede and create small chips that eventually lead to bone loss. Invisalign is great for some crossbites, but always see a skilled dentist such as us at Zen Smiles Miami.

Gap teeth – This type of issue is when teeth are present with a large gap between two or more teeth. Food easily gets stuck and can cause gum tenderness and may lead to gum disease. Invisalign treats gap teeth with an experienced dentist.

Having straight teeth is not only aesthetic — it can improve on regular dental care practices and minimize tooth decay. Invisalign is a great option for those looking for orthodontics apart from braces and can treat most bite patterns.

Stay tuned for part two as we look further into how Invisalign can help!

For more information on Invisalign or to schedule a consult, contact our office today!

How Intermittent Fasting (IF) May Help Gum Disease

· Family Dentistry, Uncategorized · Comments Off on How Intermittent Fasting (IF) May Help Gum Disease

Gum disease — more than 47 percent of Americans have it, that is almost half of our adult population suffering from a preventable dental health condition! It’s important now to address how to prevent, even in the most unassumable ways!

Having a healthy mouth is truly the window into your body’s overall wellness, so if you think you’re suffering from gum disease, there are ways to help treat and prevent it. Find out an interesting concept to tackling this overly abundant dental health issue through intermittent fasting!

A Quick Word on Gum Disease

Gum disease, or periodontitis, is inflammation of the gums. In its early stage, it’s referred to as gingivitis and can be swollen and prone to bleeding. In more advanced forms, periodontitis, causes the gums to pull away from the teeth and can create pockets where teeth can become loose and fall out.

Gum disease is a result of plaque and tartar overgrowth and people are more at risk with poor oral hygiene habits. The best defense is preventative dental health habits such as brushing twice per day and flossing at least once.

How Does Intermittent Fasting Help Gum Disease?

If you’re not familiar with intermittent fasting (IF), in its most simple form is fasting for a 16 hour period and then only eating within an eight-hour timeframe. The best example is eating only from 12 pm to 8 pm, and then skipping breakfast the next day. It will vary from person-to-person — some use a six or even four-hour window between feasting and fasting.

How your microbiome plays in

Your microbiome which is composed of a beautiful ecosystem of bacteria, as we’re learning, is greatly tied to our health. When the balance is tipped, it can affect our digestion, immune health, and brain health. When there is an overgrowth of bacteria it causes both gum disease and bad breath.

The biggest research going into learning about the microbiome is how we influence our daily choices and activities. Through many studies, it is clear that the more diverse our bacterial ecosystem is the greater it benefits our health.

Not only is it now about what we eat — the modern diet has proven to be a disadvantage to a flourishing gut habitat — it may be about when we eat!

Fasting and your microbiome

There are many studies that site how fasting not only benefits our brains and metabolism but now our gut health. As the rhythm of our eating patterns is dynamic, so is how our gut bacteria respond to our feeding and fasting states. The rhythm is only disrupted when there is more feeding than fasting which leads to metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

Many biological things occur when you fast, namely, when your body burns energy reserves in response to it.

We’ve just begun to scratch the surface of how IF may help gum disease. We looked at what gum disease is and how to prevent it traditionally and broke into the conversation about IF and the microbiome. It will all tie together to gum disease, so stay tuned for part two!

In the meantime, schedule a teeth cleaning and help prevent the onset of gum disease today!

We’ll give you a reason to smile!

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Hours

By appointment only, no waiting time.

Monday: 8:30am-5:00pm
Tuesday: 8:30am-5:00pm
Wednesday: 8:30am-5:00pm
Thursday: 8:30am-5:00pm
Friday: 9:00am-1:00pm
Saturday: Closed

Our Location in Coral Gables

Logo - Karen Martinez DMD - Dentist in Coral Gables

Karen Martinez DMD - Zen Smiles Miami
401 Coral Way #410, Coral Gables, FL 33134
Telephone: (305) 446-5676