Dr. Lattinelli Awarded 2018 Invisalign Preferred Provider
We are excited to announce Dr. Lattinelli has been recognized as a 2018 Preferred Provider by Invisalign®. This recognizes Dr. Lattinelli as an Invisalign® provider with the experience to give his patients the proper care and attention for a successful dental alignment.
Cosmetic Dentistry Procedures Offered by Dr. Lattinelli
Part of Dr. Lattinelli’s practice is helping our clients with cosmetic dentistry concerns. This type of dentistry focuses on improving the look of a client’s smile, teeth, or mouth. Cosmetic procedures can improve a client’s quality of life by giving them a lovely smile or proper teeth alignment. People often mistake cosmetic dentistry as simple vanity, but it can be critical to restoring a patient’s mouth or teeth following illness or injury. There are five major types of cosmetic dentistry we will describe here.
There are common myths about your teeth which can create confusion and actually keep you from maintaining proper Manhattan dental health. Let’s take a look:
“I don’t need to go to the dentist until I feel tooth pain.” Preventive care is very important in dentistry, because Dr. Lattinelli can often diagnose tooth or gum problems in their very early stages. This not only makes treatment simple, it usually is much less costly than when a major repair is needed later. Seeing Dr. Lattinelli twice each year for a routine cleaning will help prevent dental disease and pain later on.
“I shouldn’t floss because it creates spaces between my teeth.” This is not true, flossing does not move your teeth and create spacing between them. Flossing is good for your teeth because it prevents tooth decay from occurring in the small spaces between teeth. If you have not been flossing regularly, you may notice some bleeding when you start. This will slowly decrease as your gums get acclimated to flossing. If you have not flossed regularly in some time we recommend you get a dental cleaning first because the floss may not successfully remove the tartar and plaque that has built up between your teeth. If you are flossing and see any continued bleeding contact Dr. Lattinelli because there could be a gum problem you aren’t aware you have.
“It’s a baby tooth, no need to worry about it.” Baby teeth in children are very important. As a child grows, the baby teeth create the proper spacing for the permanent teeth growing below them. If a baby tooth gets a cavity or disease the child could lose the tooth prematurely, creating a space that could create future problems for the permanent teeth. If you suspect your child has a cavity or other problem with their baby teeth please make an appointment with us.
“I brush every day but it doesn’t matter when I do.” Patients are encouraged to brush twice each day, but one of those brushings should occur before going to bed. When you sleep you produce less saliva in your mouth which provides a cleansing effect during the day. If you skip brushing before bedtime you are increasing the possibility of dental issues since food will remain in your mouth all night long. It’s also recommended you brush immediately after consuming high-sugar foods or carbohydrates which can create cavity-causing acids.
“Diet sodas won’t cause any problems with my teeth because they have no sugar.” It is true that diet sodas don’t have real sugar, but what they do have is a very acidic chemical composition. Our mouths have naturally occurring bacteria which love acids. Therefore any diet sodas can increase the likelihood of these bacteria becoming active and contributing to tooth decay. The acidity of diet soda combined with the bacteria cause a gradual wearing away of the outer tooth enamel, resulting in increased sensitivity of the teeth. Every time you sip a diet soda it takes your mouth about 20 minutes to neutralize that acid, so every sip starts the process over again and again. Other acidic foods like orange or other citrus juices can have a similar effect.
“There is no connection between the health of my mouth and the rest of my body.” To the contrary, the health of your mouth is very important to your overall health. Diseases of the mouth can cause bacteria to enter your bloodstream and affect your entire body. Dental disease has been shown as a link to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other illnesses. Don’t ignore your mouth and teeth if they don’t feel well; they can make you sick.
“My teeth are unhealthy because I am getting older.” There is no automatic correlation between age and dental health. If you make a lifetime effort to maintain your dental health you will likely have healthy teeth in later years. On the other hand, people who ignore dental care or eat poor food choices can see dental issues and loss of teeth at a young age. Make the commitment for you and your family and promote proper dental hygiene from a young age. Your teeth will thank you.
Dr. Lattinelli is always ready to assist you with your dental needs, so call our office at 212-752-7188 for an appointment. Don’t put off dental care, failure to address dental issues can affect you the rest of your life.
Manhattan Dentist | Upper East Side Dental Health
Senior Oral Health
Caring for your teeth is important at any age. Oral health actually affects your overall health, so it's important to maintain proper dental care and accommodate the needs of your teeth. Learn more about senior oral health care and the common issues that seniors face by reading on.
One of the many dental services performed by Dr. Lattinelli and his team is dental implants. There is any number of reasons why implants may be needed, including loss of a tooth or teeth due to injury or tooth decay that is severe enough to prevent saving the tooth. If you need a dental implant in the Upper East Side area, what’s involved and what is the recovery time?
When it comes to achieving the perfect smile, crowns and veneers are the most talked about tools. However, some people get veneers and crowns confused. To get a better grasp of the differences between crowns and veneers, continue reading this blog post.
Even though our tooth enamel is strong, it can easily weaken over time. We want to keep our enamel strong to keep our teeth looking and feeling healthy, but how can we take care of our tooth enamel?
Oops, you've chipped your tooth! It happens to the best of us, whether your enamel becomes worn down, you bit into something hard, or you took a nasty fall. Chipped teeth are uncomfortable, unflattering, and can lead to additional oral health problems. When it comes to fixing a chipped tooth, there are three options you can choose from.
If you're a parent, then you probably already know how difficult it can be to convince your child to go to the dentist. Even some grown adults dislike the dentist, so a trip to the dentist isn't always a breeze for your children. However, all hope is not lost.
Gum disease is a common condition that affects many people. Having healthy gums contributes to having healthy teeth, and overall positive health. If you want to care for your gums, but aren't sure if you have gum disease, the following blog post will explain to you how you can tell if you have gum disease.
