Bethesda cosmetic dentist Dr. Bernard Greenbaum realizes that almost half of American’s make New Year’s resolutions but most don’t stick with them. Dr. Greenbaum has a suggestion for a resolution that can keep your smile beautiful and your heart healthy at the same time and it doesn’t involve a treadmill.
Get your teeth cleaned on a regular basis! 
It sounds too good to be true but science says otherwise. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in America so prevention should be on your list of resolutions for 2012. Research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions in November showed that people who had their teeth cleaned had a 24% lower risk of heart attack and a 13% lower risk of stroke. By removing inflammation-causing bacteria from your teeth you reduce your heart disease risk.
Visiting your dental hygienist for a professional cleaning keeps your teeth sparkling and healthy. During your visit you will also receivean examination to make sure that no problems have developed since your last visit.
Once your teeth are clean it is the perfect time for teeth whitening. You can choose from one-hour in office whitening procedures or custom take home kits made especially for you. A whiter, brighter smile is the perfect thing to start the New Year.
Please contact Bethesda cosmetic dentist Dr. Bernard Greenbaum at 301-530-3600 today for more information and to schedule your next appointment.
Bethesda area college students are home for the holidays and many arrive home complaining of severe headaches. These headaches are typically diagnosed as migraines but that diagnosis may not always be correct. Many of these headaches may be caused by by unconscious grinding or clenching of the teeth — a condition known as bruxism.
Bruxism is very common. About 50% of adults will occasionally grind or clench their teeth and even children can suffer from bruxism. Because the muscles of the jaw are so strong this constant grinding can cause teeth to break or wear down and can cause damage to the jaw joint (temporomandibular joint). A common symptom of bruxism is headache pain. Other symptoms may include jaw or facial pain, stiffness or pain in the neck or shoulders, and even discomfort in the ears.
HOW NEUROMUSCULAR DENTISTRY CAN HELP
Bruxism may start with stress or anxiety — a typical part of any college student’s life. For other patients bruxism may be part of an underlying sleep disorder or a sign of temporomandibular joint dysfunction. Add in the poor diet, bad posture and crazy sleep schedules experienced by most college students and the fact that they have developed bruxism is not surprising.
Neuromuscular dentistry uses sophisticated jaw tracking software to find the optimal position for the jaw ensuring that the surrounding muscles remain relaxed and free of pain. For most patients a custom orthotic appliance is worn to help maintain the correct jaw position and protect the teeth from damage due to bruxism. Headache pain is relieved and future damage to the muscles and jaw joint can be avoided!
To find out more information about Bethesda neuromuscular dentistry and how it can help solve your headache pain please contact the office of Dr. Bernard L. Greenbaum at 301-530-3600 to schedule a consultation.
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Sleep problems or sleep disorders of some kind affect one-third to one-half of all Americans. The cost to society in lost productivity and accidents is huge as well as the toll these problems take on the patients and their families. Recently almost 5,000 police officers in the US and Canada were screened for sleep problems and about 40% of them tested positive for at least one type of sleep disorder. The most common was obstructive sleep apnea. 
Dr. William Kohler of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine stated “Police officers are obviously a very important group because they are there to protect us, and unfortunately, at times when they are distracted because of tiredness, they are at risk to themselves and others.”
Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with being overweight and about a third of the officers in the study had a BMI higher than 30. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the soft tissues of the mouth and throat relax during sleep and block the airway. The sleeper stops breathing for several seconds until the lack of oxygen causes a partial wakening to begin breathing again. The sleeper does not remember these episodes which can occur from a few to hundreds of times each night. The bed partner of the sleeper is also wakened frequently because of the loud snoring and gasping for breath that accompanies the disorder. Both partners feel exhausted the next day.
Untreated obstructive sleep apnea is associated with cardiovascular disease, stroke, weight gain and increased risk of accident. Treatment usually begins with CPAP but many patients find it difficult to tolerate sleeping with machines. Oral appliance therapy is proven to be an effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea and is available in the Bethesda, MD area from Dr. Barnard Greenbaum.
Police officers are not the only ones that need a good nights sleep in order to perform their jobs. Contact us today at 301-530-3600 to schedule your consultation to see if you may be a candidate for oral appliance therapy.
This time of the year can be especially stressful. Year end problems at work, shopping not completed, cards not mailed, in-laws visiting — all can ratchet up your stress levels. Stress can cause lots of physical symptoms ranging from headaches to hives but it can also cause problems with your oral health. Stress can show up in your mouth in the form of canker sores, cold sores, teeth grinding and even gum disease. Here’s how to recognize and deal with some of these stress related problems.
Canker sores are small ulcers that appear inside the mouth – sometimes singly other times in groups. They may appear to have a white or gray colored base that is bordered in red. Stress and fatigue can increase the risk of canker sores but they are not contagious. They will go away in about a week to 10 days. If they are very sore you can use over-the-counter topical anesthetics. It is best to avoid salty or spicy foods and highly acidic foods so you don’t irritate the canker sore.
Cold sores are also called fever blisters. They are actually caused by the herpes simplex virus and are contagious. Emotional upset, stress or even sunburn can trigger an outbreak. They will heal on their own in about a week. Prescription treatments are available.
Stressful situations can make you clench your teeth or grind them together. Bruxism is the technical term for teeth grinding and it can lead to cracking and breaking of teeth, wearing down of the teeth and can lead to problems with the temporomandibular joint (TMJ or jaw joint). Many people grind their teeth at night while sleeping and don’t realize they are doing it. See your dentist about your bruxism as soon as possible. Sleeping with a specially made orthotic device can protect your teeth and your temporomandibular joint from damage.
Stress can also cause an increase in dental plaque which can lead to serious gum disease. Regular brushing, flossing and dental hygiene visits are necessary during stressful times.
Finding a healthy way to cope with this stress such as exercise, journal writing, meditation, even something as simple as taking a walk can help keep your stress levels from causing physical symptoms and long term damage to your health. Please contact Dr. Bernard L. Greenbaum in Bethesda, MD today at 301-530-3600 to schedule your dental check up.
Waking in the middle of the night because you have to “go”. The medical term for this is nocturia and research suggests that nighttime urination frequency can help doctors screen for sleep apnea. Nocturia and sleep apnea have been linked before but this is the first time researchers have sought to discover whether it can predict if someone suffers from sleep apnea.
The researchers looked at over one thousand patient charts from two New Mexico sleep centers. Data collected from the patients included nocturia, snoring, weight, sex and age. Snoring is typically a sign that someone may have sleep apnea but it turns out that self-reported nocturia was just about as accurate in predicting who would test positive for sleep apnea.
If you are waking in the morning feeling just as tired as when you went to sleep, if you snore or if you find yourself waking throughout the night to visit the bathroom you may suffer from sleep apnea. Treating your condition can give you back your energy and help you avoid the serious side effects that come with untreated sleep apnea such as high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.
Oral appliance therapy treats obstructive sleep apnea without masks or hoses. A small, custom mouthpiece is worn during sleep and gently places the jaw in a position that keep the airway open during sleep. No more snoring and no more stoppages of breath.
Please contact Dr. Bernard Greenbaum’s Bethesda, MD office at 301-530-3600 today to find out more about oral appliance therapy for treating obstructive sleep apnea.
About 45 million Americans suffer from headaches each year making it the most common medical complaint. Patients seeking to discover the reason for the headaches or a way of stopping them often face frustrating rounds of visits to various specialists without finding relief. One common cause of headaches that many people don’t know about is a problem with the tempomandibular joint, your jaw joint.
Migraines or frequent, continual headaches may be a sign of temporomandibular joint dysfunction or TMJ. The temporomandibular joint (jaw joint) is one of the most complex in the human body. Common causes of TMJ pain include accidents, bruxism (grinding teeth at night) or a bad bite (malocclusion).
Malocclusion can occur for many reasons. Teeth may not fit together properly because of old, broken dental work, misaligned teeth or missing teeth. A dentist who has specialized training in the field of neuromuscular dentistry has the ability to correct the improper bite and relieve stress on the temporomandibular joint, allowing the muscles surrounding the joint to relax. This relieves the recurring headaches and the neck and shoulder pain that often accompany them.
If you suffer from frequent, recurring headaches please contact the Bethesda, MD office of neuromuscular dentist Dr. Bernard L. Greenbaum today at 301-530-3600 to schedule your appointment for a TMJ evaluation.
Yet another link between your oral health and your overall health, in this case the health of your bones. A study from Sweden says that it is possible to use dental X-rays to predict which patients may be at risk of bone fracture. The research was published in the journal Nature Reviews Endocrinology and showed that sparse bone structure in the lower jaw is an indicator that the individual is at greater risk for bone fractures in the future.
The study used data from the Prospective Population Study of Women in Gothenburg that has been running for over 40 years. The researchers believe that although the study data was about women, the same link will apply to men. The study also showed that the older the person, the stronger the link between the sparse bone structure in the jaw and bone fractures. Hopefully this research will translate into guidelines that can be used in dental offices since more people get regular dental x-rays than seek out bone density testing or other types of x-rays. A dentist could share x-ray data with physicians to help monitor those most at risk of fracture.
Dental x-rays are used for more than finding hidden cavities. Dentists use the films to check on the health of the jaw bone, detect oral cancers and infections so they are an important part of your dental examination. Digital x-rays (radiographs) have reduced the amount of radiation drastically and the process is much more comfortable for the patient. Using a small sensor we are now able to instantly view digital images and share our findings with our patients.
Please contact your Bethesda, MD area cosmetic dentist Dr. Bernard Greenbaum at 301-530-3600 today to schedule your next appointment.
A survey from the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) found that 99.7% of Americans believe a smile is an important social asset. The survey also showed that 74% believe that a person’s smile greatly impacts their chance for success. These statistics are hardly surprising to cosmetic dentists.
Despite the economic downturn, teeth whitening procedures have increased by 300% since 2006. Cosmetic dental procedures using porcelain veneers have increased by 250%. Why? The reason for the popularity of these cosmetic dental procedures can be found in the AACD survey results. In this age of employment uncertainty many people are realizing that a more youthful, attractive smile can give them an edge over their competition.
Cosmetic dentistry can make dramatic, life changing improvements. Many people who are unhappy with the appearance of their teeth avoid smiling or laughing in public. Imagine how life would change if you could express your joy freely, without lifting your hand to cover your face. Imagine a job interview without that added stress. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Bernard Greenbaum and you will be surprised how easily and quickly you can get the smile you’ve always dreamed of.
Choosing a cosmetic dentist can be confusing. Because cosmetic dentistry is not a board certified specialty anyone can call themselves a cosmetic dentist. When choosing a dentist to provide your cosmetic care look at the type of cosmetic continuing education training the doctor has received. Dr. Greenbaum completed his advanced cosmetic training at the prestigious Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies and offers his patients years of experience in the art and science that creates a beautiful smile.
To schedule your consultation for a cosmetic dental makeover or a tooth whitening procedure please contact our Bethesda, MD office at 301-530-3600.
