The modern world is about minimizing the tediousness of your everyday, whether that means flying first class, taking a car service to work or staying at your favorite hotel while away on business. Now you can enjoy the same first-class treatment at the dentist. Whether you’re in for a check-up or a major procedure, you can sit back and relax with all the latest comforts.
Leave your car with the valet and ride the glass elevator to ORA’s tranquil penthouse setting atop Rodeo Drive. Follow along the garden terrace to the glass doors. Upon entering, you’ll be greeted by the concierge who will escort you into the guest lounge where plasma screen televisions and newspapers from around the world allow you to catch up on the latest international news. Take a moment to mix yourself something from the tonic bar in our solarium overlooking Rodeo Drive before meeting with Sam David Saleh, BDS, hons.
ORA’s tranquil penthouse setting atop Rodeo Drive creates a highly calming environment that facilitates energy, balancing and cleansing. Distinctively decorated treatment rooms are designed to enhance the total spa experience through a variety of customized choices. You can select one of the four mood enhancing surroundings and then choose from a menu to further stimulate all five senses.
Each treatment room is distinctively decorated, allowing you to enjoy your favorite elements of design, whether that is sleek and modern or plush and warm-toned. Choose your favorite aromatherapy and opt for heat or massage functions on your chair. Once you’re settled in, the dentist chair becomes your personal entertainment center: Slip on earphones and relax to a concerto or slide on fiber-optic goggles and enjoy your favorite television show or movie. Use your sedentary time to indulge in a foot massage.
Saleh respects his clients’ busy lives and knows that sometimes one must take luxury wherever they can find it. “If you have to be stationary, why not enjoy a movie and a foot massage?” He wants to ensure his clients’ dental health and peace of mind. “I think of it as a wellness center, not just a dental office,” Saleh says. From pain-free anesthesia to Must-See TV, you might just start enjoying your trip to the dentist.
The objective of cosmetic dentistry, which is elective dental work, is to improve the appearance of the teeth and to enhance one’s smile. Cosmetic dentistry does not contribute to the health of the teeth.
The art and science of dentistry has made advances such that one need not remain resigned to stained or chipped teeth. There are several cosmetic techniques available that allow one to correct dental anomalies that can impair appearance. These include:
Bleaching
The process of bleaching or tooth whitening helps to brighten teeth that become dark with age or get stained due to smoking, tea/coffee drinking, etc. Bleaching removes extrinsic as well as intrinsic stains. The process, which can be carried out once every three years, is carried out largely by using hydrogen peroxide solution. Bleaching can whiten teeth by up to 5 times the original shade. A bleaching tooth tray that carries the peroxide solution can cost between $ 200 – $ 500.
Bonding
The appearance of teeth that have spaces in between or are cracked and chipped can be improved by the bonding process in which a hard, sterile, and inert tooth-colored plastic is affixed to the teeth. The manner in which bonding is done affects the shape, size, and appearance of teeth. The composite fillings wear more quickly than the traditional silver fillings and patients are usually advised to refrain from hard foods that may result in the chipping of the bonding material. The bonding process takes 10-15 minutes for a tooth. The bonded restoration stains similar to natural teeth.
Porcelain Veneers
These are extremely thin shells used to cover the front side of the teeth. Porcelain veneers are more resistant to stains and chipping as compared to bonding. They are bonded to the teeth using a special bonding material and can be used to alter the appearance of teeth, provide fullness to the upper lips, and fill gaps between teeth. Porcelain veneers enable a more consistent appearance as compared to bonding, they do not stain and a veneer treatment can last for up to 15 years. As compared to the application of crowns or caps, teeth are ground to a lesser extent during veneer treatment.
Orthodontics and periodontics
Orthodontics deals with the prevention and treatment of dental and facial irregularities. Braces are used in orthodontics for the treatment of crooked teeth, protruding teeth, widely spaced teeth, an underbite, etc. Metal braces made from titanium are expensive and need to be worn for 2-3 years. Non-invasive straightening braces cost less and require to be worn for a lesser period of time. Lingual braces are placed behind the teeth and are ideal for those who lay emphasis on cosmetic appeal. Periodontics helps individuals to enhance their smile by altering the contours of the gums, it is a simple surgical process accomplished using laser.
Porcelain Crowns
Porcelain crowns are used for broken teeth, teeth with silver filling or those with excessive decay, and also teeth that have undergone root canal treatment. Crowns can be matched to tooth color.
Dental Health Care is one of the best prevention programs to ensure fresh breath, healthy mouth and teeth for life. Dental diseases are not considered to be fatal. Hence very often people neglect the importance of oral hygiene. Nevertheless, the cost of dental disease in pain, suffering, treatment and loss of work is huge. Teeth are meant to last a lifetime. By taking good care of your teeth and gums, you can protect them for many years to come.
Tooth decay is not restricted to children’s disease. It can occur to anyone as long as natural teeth are in the mouth. It is caused by bacteria that usually exist in the mouth. The bacteria stick to teeth and form a colorless and sticky film called dental plaque.
An important part of dental health care is to know how to brush and floss perfectly. Careful brushing each day removes plaque. In addition to brushing, using dental floss is required to keep the gums healthy. Proper flossing is imperative because it removes plaque and leftover food that a toothbrush cannot reach.
The following are the brushing Tips.Worn out toothbrushes cannot properly clean your teeth and may injure your gums. So it is recommended to replace them every three or four months. Teeth should be brushed gently with very short strokes and enough pressure so that you feel the bristles against the gums. The tips of the bristles do the cleaning, so it should not be compressed. Never use a toothbrush with very hard bristles .It can damage the gums. Teeth should be thoroughly brushed at least once a day, preferably twice in a day. Children should clean their teeth after every meal and at bedtime.
The following are the flossing tips. Flossing removes plaque and food particles from between the teeth and below the gum lines where the toothbrush can’t reach. As tooth decay and periodontal disease often start in these areas, it’s important to clean them thoroughly and daily. A commercial floss holder may seem helpful to use. Most children cannot floss their own teeth until age 10.
Gums may be sore and bleed for the first five or six days after you floss .It is a sign that plaque and bacteria are being removed. If bleeding does persist even after a few days it is better to consult your dentist. Exercise care while flossing as improper flossing injures your gums. Consult your dentist about how to floss properly, to avoid injuring your gums.
A healthy smile is a winner at any age. Eat a balanced diet and restrict munching snacks between meals. If you need a snack, choose nutritious foods such as raw vegetables, plain yogurt, cheese or a piece of fruit. Fluoride is important for both adults as well as children. Fluoride compounds are present in drinking water and some foods. Brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Replace your toothbrush every three or four months or sooner if the bristles are worn as it won’t do a perfect job of cleaning your teeth.
Apart from following a good dental health care, it is essential to have regular check-ups by the dentist whether you possess natural teeth or depend on false dentures. It is also vital to abide by with any special treatments that are required to make sure of good oral health. For example, if you have sensitive teeth caused by receding gums, your dentist may advise using special toothpaste for sometime. If you have on false dentures, keep them clean and free from food that causes bad breath and gum irritation. Make sure that you brush all the surface of the dentures with a denture care product once a day. A common cause of tooth loss after one crosses 35years of age is gum disease which is also known as periodontal disease. This occurs due to infections of the gum and bone that hold the teeth in its place. Gum diseases are also caused by dental plaque.
Remember you can have just one set of natural permanent teeth in your lifetime. Take good care of it and the reward will smile back at you every time you look at your reflection. Keep away from activities that are harmful to the teeth such as smoking, addiction to caffeine etc. A healthy mouth is indeed an indication of a healthy body. By taking care of your teeth, eating a balanced diet and visiting your dentist regularly, you can have healthy teeth and an attractive smile your entire life.
About the Author:
Mary Rose has several books to her credit including those on Beauty and Fashion.
