COSMETIC TOOTH MOVEMENT USED BY BELLEVUE COSMETIC DENTIST

Cosmetic Tooth Movement Gives Beautiful Smiles

The Cosmetic Dentists at Brookside Dental, Bellevue, WA, use removable orthodontic appliances, called Hawley Applicances, to move a limited number of teeth prior to doing veneers and crowns on anterior teeth. This limited tooth movement method is used to preserve the integrity and strength of the individual teeth by aligning the teeth, so that much less tooth structural material needs to be removed if crowns or porcelain veneers are used for a smile makeover. The limited use of removable orthodontic appliances is usually a more conservative option to veneers and crowns that are done without any orthodontic treatments. In many cases the limited movement of the teeth will be such that no tooth structure will need to be removed and therefore not require any porcelain crowns or veneers. This procedure when needed makes a more beautiful and long lasting smile by preserving the maximum amount of natural tooth structure. Very often, all that is required following limited tooth movement with Hawley Appliances is Seattle Tooth Whitening for a beautiful smile makeover.

Before Limited Tooth Movement Lower teeth are in need of alignment and straightening.


After Limited Tooth Movement Lower teeth are in perfect alignment for a beautiful new smile.



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NO TAX ON COSMETIC DENTISTRY PROCEDURES

Beautiful Cosmetic Dentistry.

Cosmetic Dentistry Tax Did Not Pass In Washington State

Washington State recently proposed a sales tax on all cosmetic procedures. While this proposed tax would have mainly impacted medical doctors, it had serious implications for all family dentists in Washington State. The implementation of a retail sales tax on "cosmetic dentistry" procedures would have had terribly bad effects for patients. It would have put general Bellevue Dentists in the position of being tax experts by having to determine what would be taxable "cosmetic dental" procedures and what would not be a taxable "general dentistry" procedure. This would have been a nice cash cow the state legislators, but would have made nightmare situation for the average dentist to make such a determination. Insurance companies might begin listing many procedures as cosmetic so that they would not have pay the doctor or dentist.

Cosmetic Dentistry Tax Would Hurt Patients

The legislative bill as it was written to tax "cosmetic medical services", lacked clear language about what was or was not a medically necessary service to be taxed. If it was enacted, both family dentists and cosmetic dentists would have had the liability for the legal determinations of what was and wasn't a "cosmetic dentistry" procedure. These determinations could have been subject to audits and challenges by insurance companies, the State of Washington, and the IRS. Tax determinations should not be the job of health care providers.

Additionally, there would have been wide variations in what each individual dentist determines to be or not to be a "cosmetic dentist" service. This variation would most likely vary between various cities and counties depending upon the patient make up of individual dentists. In some cases, it may cause people to put off needed work because their dentist has determined that the work MIGHT BE considered cosmetic and it would therefore be taxable and increase the patient's bill. One example of this would be a person that is in an accident that breaks off part of a front tooth--it needs to be fixed for proper function, but it also has a cosmetic aspect in terms of appearance. Does that person get unfairly taxed for fixing that front tooth?? How about a person that has a decayed tooth extracted and now needs a new bridge or an implant to keep the teeth properly spaced for optimum function--it obviously has a cosmetic aspect also. Does that
person get unfairly taxed for maintaining proper tooth space and proper dental function?? The list of needed dental procedures that might be considered "cosmetic dental services" in various situations is very long. Would the need of more state money in subsequent years lead to the state legislature or state auditors increasing the number and types of general dental procedures or necessary dentistry services that fall into the cosmetic arena?? It could have happened if the tax had passed. The sponsor of similar legislation enacted in New Jersey in 2004 is at this writing attempting to have the "cosmetic tax" repealed, because it is unworkable.

DENTISTRY, CUCUMBERS AND ORAL HEALTH

COSMETIC DENTISTRY AND CUCUMBERS CAN THEY WORK TOGETHER FOR BETTER ORAL HEALTH AND A BETTER SMILE

Cucumbers for a better smile! Really, you ask. Well why not! According to some information that I read recently in a news letter, the power of the cucumber as a beauty aid is well known. It has recently been elevated to the status of a super food. Cucumbers are loaded with vitamins and anti-oxidants and all of the good carbohydrates that a body needs. You are probably wondering if you have any of these beauty and tooth aides in your refrigerator at the present time. Before you say that they can't possibly good for my teeth, yet me tell you all the things and ways that they can be used.

They originated in India and have been cultivated for thousands of years. People have used them in salads, eaten them raw and have turned them into pickles. They have been used for a variety of things besides just eating. So, did you know that:

1. Cucumbers contain many of the vitamins and minerals that you need each day, including B1, B2, B5, B6, C, Folic Acid, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorous, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Cucumbers provide a quick pick me up and nutritious snack with all of their vitamin B and good Carbohydrates.

3. Cucumbers slices can be used to give your bathroom a spa-like fragrance and it can eliminate the fog on bathroom mirrors when rubbed on them.

4. Cucumber slices have phytochemicals that cause the skin to tighten. They can be rubbed along some wrinkles to help give an instant lift to your skin, although the effect is not long term.

5. Many people use cucumber slices over their eyes to help enhance the beauty of their eyes.

6. A few cucumber slices eaten before going to bed should allow you to wake up refreshed.

7. Boiled cucumbers can make a pleasant steam spa because the nutrients in the steam are soothing and relieve mild stress.

8. Cucumbers when eaten can freshen the breath and kill some oral bacteria.

Upon reading this in the news letter, I thought if the last item is true that cucumbers when eaten can freshen the breath and kill some oral bacteria, then they most likely have some beneficial effect upon your teeth. If that is the case then they probably are able to help enhance a person's smile. I found this interesting information so I thought I would pass it along.

ANCIENT GEM-STUDDED TEETH

ANCIENT GEM-STUDDED TEETH OF EARLY COSMETIC DENTISTS

EARLY COSMETIC DENTISTRY

The glittering teeth (Grills) of some hip-hop stars are not exactly unprecedented. Sophisticated cosmetic dentistry allowed Native Americans to add splash to their teeth as far back as 2,500 years ago, a new study says. Drills made of obsidian were used to embed jewels into the teeth of these ancients. I came across this very interesting article about gem-studded teeth in the Implant blog which I follow. Early Cosmetic Dentists exhibited rather amazing technical skills. Some of the ancient civilizations made false teeth by using beautifully polished abalone shells made into an elongated triangular shape that had the pointed end notched. These new notched teeth were then hammered into the jaw bone with multiple teeth being implanted in some cases. Also, some ancient civilizations used silver wire and gold wire to make artificial bridges. As far back as 2,500 BC, extensive gold bridgework was made with gold bands running across the front of the teeth and would have been very apparent to onlookers. People of high status, wealth and positions of power who had the money would most likely have had these golden cosmetic dentistry bands and other types of cosmetic dental work performed. Interestingly, according to the original National Geographic article about the jeweled teeth, they were only meant for decoration and not to represent status. Before the Spanish conquests of the 1500s, the ancient people of Mesoamerica sought to beautify their teeth with gem stones, such as the skull from Chiapus, Mexico, shown in the original article. So based on this information, it is logical to say that the first American Cosmetic Dentists were practicing their dental arts somewhere in Mexico or Central America.