Joseph J. Henry, DDS

Cosmetic Dentist in Orange County, CA

Friday, May 30, 2008

Pure Power Mouthguard Enhances Performance

The Pure Power Mouthguard (PPM) is an offshoot of the Neuromuscular Dentistry principles that I have been using for patients TMJ treatments for years now. We are discovering the exciting benefits that patients are experiencing when we apply these principles to athletics. By aligning a persons bite with the mouthguard it affects how the muscles of the jaw, head and neck position an athletes head upon his or her spine. A more advantageous head postion improves airway patency, and frees up the energy the body uses holding an athletes head in a less than ideal position. This energy in turn is used to improve muscle efficiency and function of the entire body, allowing an athlete to perform at a higher level. Athletes in many sports such in the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NCAA are using the PPM Mouthguard with great success.

You don't need to be an elite athlete to reap the benefits of a PPM Mouthguard. Weekend athletes can benefit as well. If your sport is golf, running, swimming, lifting weights, or cycling, a PPM Mouthguard can give you better balance, a longer golf drive, improve your endurance and cut seconds off your times. Just read the following testimonial from my patient Bret below.

"My name is Bret McCarroll and I have been training in Jiu-Jitsu for 4 years and competing for 3 years. With the nature of the sport, its necessary to wear a mouthgard to prevent any damage to my teeth. Before using the PPM Mouthgard that Dr. Henry made for me I used mouthgards that I purchased from sporting goods stores. They were never very comfortable, you couldn't really talk because it would fall out of place, and it seemed like I would get more fatigued when I wore it. Dr. Henry told me about a mouthgard he could make that was comfortable, stayed in place, and not only would it not restrict my breathing, but it would put my jaw in a position that would help my performance by increasing my endurance and strength. I thought this sounded like voodoo, but decided that if it worked it could give me a definitive edge when I compete so I thought I would give it a try. After wearing my new mouthgard I noticed a difference instantly. For one it was comfortable since it was fitted by a dentist rather than by me boiling a piece of plastic in hot water. And two it snapped into place, so you could speak without the mouthpiece falling out of place. But most importantly, I felt stronger and it did increase my endurance. Previously, when I trained I would usually do about 30 minutes of stretching, 30 minutes of drills, and 30 minutes of new techniques, followed by about 3 or 4 seven minute sparring sessions with another opponent. The reason I trained for 3 or 4 sessions is because that is all I was capable to do physically. After using the mouthgard from Dr. Henry, I could go for 5 sessions and feel like I only trained for 3 sessions. When I train now the only reason I stop at 5 matches is because there is nobody left to spar with and my wife would like it if I came home before 9:00 pm. Another thing this mouthgard helped me do was win my first Jiu-Jitsu competition. I've entered five tournaments previously and my best placing was 3rd place. I believe that the extra 10% to 20% strength and endurance I feel from using the mouthgard gave me an edge over all my opponents. Thank you Dr. Henry!"

posted by Dr. Henry at 5:23 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Hollywood Makeup Artist has Smile Makeover

Our patient, Susie, has a fun story. She is a make up artist in Hollywood who has worked on many full length feature and TV show sets. During the recent writers strike we were fortunate to have hired her to do our patient's makeup for two days while we were photographing our patients for the most recent edition of the magazine "Spotlight on Smiles."

Susie said that during the two day photo shoot she noticed "how everyone was just glowing and their smiles looked amazing". "My old veneers had changed color and I was self conscious about the side of my smile. I felt people staring at the side of my smile. Professionally I was aware of my models and movie star smiles and it made me want to do something about my smile even more. In my industry, I am a reflection of my own work, and my smile now completes my look. When I go to a set to work, people think I am the actress instead of the make up artist! My teeth look so natural, no one knows I have veneers." We did 10 porcelain veneers on Susie as well as taking out the grey silver mercury fillings that had darkened her side teeth. Everyone was thrilled with the result.

Susie's story is a powerful example of how a smile makeover with porcelain veneers can have such a positive impact on a person's professional life. An attractive smile is so important in making a good first impression, not only professionally but socially as well. Susie said "Dr. Henry is an artist with his craft and his team always makes you laugh! They have great chemistry and the teamwork shows in my smile and that of his patients. I am so greatful"!

posted by Dr. Henry at 11:29 AM

Friday, March 7, 2008

Non Surgical Dental Face Lift

This is a pt I recently finished a full mouth rejuvenation on. The veneers on the patients front teeth alone make a huge difference in his smile. A more subtle difference is noticeable in the lower third of his face, however. Before starting the reconstruction, the patients upper teeth almost completely obscured his lower teeth. By restoring not only his front teeth, but his back teeth as well, we were able to restore his teeth back to their original height and size after years of grinding and wear. The years of wear and grinding had the effect of allowing the edge of his chin to drift closer to his nose when he bit down resulting in the collapse of the lower third of his face. This procedure is also coined the "non surgical dental face lift" because it makes our patients look younger by improving the appearance of the lower third of their face. By lengthening the lower third of a persons face it will appear slightly thinner as well. If you look closely at the before and after photographs you can see the facial differences. I used sophisticated equipment to evaluate and establish how much tooth to rebuild and to establish an ideal bite relationship using the principles of neuromuscular dentistry. This procedure is not done haphazardly and not by estimating or "eye balling" the new bite position.

The benefits of the "non surgical dental face lift" or smile rejuvenation to the patient are numerous. The appearance of his smile is dramatically improved. He states he can't believe he went around so long with his smile looking the way it did. He says that since the procedure, he looks more like his siblings in the face whose teeth are not worn away as drastically as his were. The improvement to his facial appearance while not unexpected is an added benefit to his smile rejuvenation/smile makeover!

posted by Dr. Henry at 4:47 PM 0 comments

Friday, February 1, 2008

Sweeden & Norway ban mercury silver fillings

The American Dental Society has announced that beginning the first of the year both Sweeden and Norway have banned the use of mercury-silver (amalgam) fillings. Throughout Europe the use of mercury-silver fillings has been in decline for the last decade for both environmental and health reasons. Sweeden cited health reasons for the ban and Norway for environmental reasons.

Here in the United States, the use of mercury in silver fillings is still considered safe by the American Dental Society and our government. It has been used for over 100 years for restoring tooth decay, however amalgam is approximately 50% mercury. A paradox exists however in the use of mercury-silver amalgam for restoring a tooth with decay. After placing the amalgam into a patients tooth our dental assistants are required to treat the remaining unused portion of the amalgam as hazardous waste taking special handling precautions and waste disposal.

My question is why is a patients mouth the only safe place to keep mercury amalgam filling material?

Fortunately, today we have several proven alternatives to mercury silver fillings. Today metal free dentistry is a reality for restoring decayed, broken down teeth. These alternatives are all tooth colored resins, composites, and porcelains that are not only beautiful but strengthen teeth as well. They can be used directly as fillings or indirectly as inlays, onlays, or even crowns.

If you have any questions concerning mercury silver fillings please don't hesitate to give our office a call.

posted by Dr. Henry at 1:40 PM 0 comments

Monday, January 7, 2008

All Porcelain Crowns

BEFORE

AFTER

Happy New Year! An attractive smile will surely be as important towards success in 2008 as it was in 2007, perhaps more! The first post of 2008 discusses the advantages of all porcelain crowns near the front of the mouth. Crowns are required to restore teeth when a large portion of the tooth has been lost to decay, or fracture. Some of these teeth have had root canals and possibly posts. In the past these teeth were restored with porcelain fused to metal (PFM) crowns. The crown would get its strength from a metal substructure and porcelain would be baked on top of it. In year's past there was no good alternative to crowns with metal, but by today's standard they have many disadvantages. I'm sure you know someone who has some of these in the front of their mouth. They usually leave a blue grey line along the gum, or actually turn the gum a little bluish at its edge. In order to try to hide this grey metal edge of the crown a dentist is forced to place the edge of the crown under the gum line. Crowns placed under the gum can irritate the gum causing it to bleed promoting periodontal disease. Oftentimes PFM crowns are very opaque and lifeless looking since the metal underneath blocks out any light from passing through and lighting up the tooth. Modern cosmetic dentistry offers a solution to this dilemma using all ceramic metal free crowns. Because there is no metal inside these crowns they are very life like looking. Light passes through the crown illuminating it like a natural tooth. Because there is no metal edge to hide, the edge of the crown does not need to be placed under the gum leading to a healthier situation for your tissue. All ceramic crowns are very strong and durable as well. Pictured above is a recent case where a woman came into our office wanting to replace the four crowns on her front teeth. I ended up replacing the four crowns as well as placing porcelain veneers on the teeth behind the crowns. Needless to say she is thrilled with the outcome.

posted by Dr. Henry at 8:35 AM

Monday, December 17, 2007

Holiday Greetings!

December 2007

Dear Friends,

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. As seems to be the case every December, the past year seemed to go by even quicker than the year before! This years Christmas picture was taken at Black Gold golf course in Yorba Linda. We included our spouses in the picture so that when we talked about them in the office you can put a face to their names. In the picture, I’m holding a flagstick with the number ‘50’ on it that Orieen, Marla, and Debbie made for me to remind me that I turned 50 this past November. I didn’t really need their reminder!

My family had an action packed 2007. My oldest son graduated from high school and started college this fall at U.C. Irvine. He is living in the dorms and seems to be enjoying his time away from his 3 other siblings. I also have a son that’s a junior at Servite High School, a daughter that’s a freshman at Rosary High School, and my youngest daughter is in the 6th grade at Holy Family School. We took a wonderful family houseboat vacation on Lake Powell in July. The kids enjoy the wakeboarding, and jet skis. I really enjoy the quiet beauty of the lake. In July, my wife, two daughters, and I spent five days in Chicago. They enjoyed the shopping and sightseeing while I attended a dental meeting. We all managed to see a Cubs game at Wrigley Field though. I also made 5 or 6 trips to the Las Vegas Institute (LVI) to instruct other doctors in cosmetic dental procedures as well as TMJ conditions. I also gave lectures to dentists in Woodland Hills, Monterey, and Bakersfield.

Orieen and her husband David enjoyed a wonderful vacation in New York City with her sister and nieces. They were celebrating their niece Stephanie’s graduation from Chapman University. In October, the two of them got away to David’s favorite golf spot, Kauai. In November, Orieen’s whole family got together again in Las Vegas for her sister’s birthday.

Debbie and her husband Cal had a quiet year. Her daughter and her two grandsons were living with Debbie for a few months while her son in law was working in Texas. She enjoyed the time with them. Debbie and Cal enjoy riding Cal’s Harley motorcycle on most weekends with their friends. Debbie also enjoyed a trip to visit her sister in Park City, Utah.

Marla and her husband Paul traveled to the east coast for a historical tour this past spring. Paul retired this year from the Anaheim Police Department after 30 years of service. After 2 months off, he took a part time position as a Park Ranger and is enjoying a more stress free job. They enjoy keeping up with their grandson’s, 4 years old and 15 months old.

Our hygienist Anh is balancing motherhood with practicing hygiene. Her son is 10 months old now and doing very well. They are looking forward to baby’s first Christmas. Our other hygienist, Lizz is also doing the balancing act between motherhood and hygiene. Her two children are 2 and 3 years old now. Besides being a wonderful hygienist, Lizz is a talented artist and has just taken up her childhood dream of learning the accordion!

This should bring you all up to date on everything that’s going on at the office. We all want to thank you for the trust you place in us to take care of your dental health. I also appreciate your continued referral of family, friends, and colleagues to our practice.

We all hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season, and many blessings for 2008,

Dr. Henry, Orieen, Debbie, Marla, Anh, and Lizz

posted by Dr. Henry at 11:56 AM 0 comments

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Is the Time Right for a Smile Makeover?

Before

After

Is the time right to treat yourself to a smile makeover? Do you ever look at your smile in the mirror with a bit of disappointment when you put on your lipstick or adjust your your necktie? Are you the one in all the photographs with a tight lipped smile? In Orange County and Los Angeles your smile can be one of your greatest assets and can reveal a great deal about your personality. According to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry 3 out of 4 people feel that an unattractive smile can hinder a person's career success. 90% of Americans believe that a smile is an important social asset. Many of our patients here at the Orange Center for Cosmetic Dentistry have felt the same way and they have chosen to do something about it!

With today's advanced procedures worn, chipped, teeth can be repaired with porcelain veneers, crooked overlapping teeth can be straightened, ugly metal fillings can be replaced with natural tooth colored fillings, and missing teeth can be replaced. In order to give you the smile that you've always wanted, careful attention is paid to many details. Details such as size, length, color, and shape of your new porcelain veneers will customize your new, vital smile exactly the way your want it.

So, if you think your smile is holding you back in your profession, or socially, or if you believe your smile is keeping you from achieving your dreams, then it's time to treat yourself to a smile makeover!

posted by Dr. Henry at 1:51 PM 0 comments

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