I hope you like the new site — my team and I have been working on it for a couple of months. The site was designed with you in mind. I wanted to make it easy for you to find information, to see more Before and After Stories, and to learn about how cosmetic dentistry can make you feel like a new person.

You’ll also find a new dentistry forum — something I’m really excited about as I’ve been wanting to do one for a couple of years now. If you have any questions about your oral health or about cosmetic dentistry, please post your questions and I’ll answer them.

And while we’re talking about the new site, I’m also pleased to announce that the blog was named one of the top 30 dental blogs by Medical Coding and Billing for “exuding overall brilliance.” How wonderful is that? In addition, I was named one of the Top 25 Women in Dentistry by the Dentistry Products Report. I’ll post a link as soon as I get one.

Thank you for your continued support and trust. As I say on my Office pages, cosmetic dentistry is all about you . . . and I and my team are here for you. Let me know what you think of the new site and if I need to include additional information.

Last week I had the pleasure of being a guest at my alma mater, Manhattanville College. The Tri-Beta Biological Honor Society invited me to lecture on success and goal setting.

I found the experience quite inspirational. I loved meeting the students, three of whom were seniors applying to medical or dental school.

We talked about the importance of not only setting goals, but writing them down, too. Afterward, we all had dinner. A great time by all!

When you need more extensive dental work, such full mouth reconstruction, you may have to see a cosmetic dentist who specializes in more advanced procedures. Celia Milton is one such person.

A New Jersey Wedding Ceremony Officiant and Minister, Celia writes that she was in need of extensive implants and reconstruction. Her regular dentist referred her to Dr. Robert Jaffin, DMD, a periodontist in Hackensack, NJ and Dr. Jorge Barrios, DDS, a prosthodontist in HoHoKus, NJ. Celia writes:

“When my regular dentist referred me to these dentists, I was terrified, and very depressed about the whole process. I am a public speaker; my appearance and my ability to speak (of course) is of primary importance to me.

“Every step of the way, Dr. Jaffin and Dr. Barrios made me feel comfortable, confident, and hopeful about my result. They worked together seamlessly, and the result is just amazing; my smile is beautiful and natural.

“They also went out of their way to involve everyone in their office in my journey. I can’t say enough about their artistry, their professional expertise and their warm and concerned treatment of someone who was very obviously freaking out. I love them both.”

Celia, thank you for your story! Your smile is beautiful.

As many patients have explained through their stories this month, going to the dentist is a postive act because you’re taking care of your health.

And that is exactly the idea reporter Alexa Gural picked up on in this terrific West Roxbury Transcript article, “Contest Puts a Big Smile on Better Image for Parkway Dentists,” going to the dentist is “disease arresting.”

Thank you, Alexa, and the Transcript, for a wonderful write up!

I’ve been a fan of David Meerman Scott since I first read his book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR.

So imagine my thrill when I finally got to meet him last week at the MassNetComms meeting on social media marketing!

David gave a great presentation about his new book, World Wide Rave — and even though he had been traveling all over Europe just days before, patiently signed copies of his book and posed for photos — including the one below.

Thank you, David!

You can find a great slide show on AOL Health about what your mouth is telling you regarding your overall health. The slide show includes information about dry mouth, jaw pain, and missing teeth.

In addition, AOL Health includes information about healthy snacks for teeth (of course, you already knew that eating apples is good for you!) and the top teeth stainers.

I’m very pleased to announce my first post with the DrBicuspid.com Website. A relatively new site, DrBicuspid.com is geared toward professionals in the dental industry.

Take a peek at my first post, “Let’s Be More Than Just Tooth Plumbers” and let me know if you agree — or disagree — that dentists should be “mouth physicians” and not just “drill and fill” specialists.

While watching the recent debates, I found myself analyzing the presidential candidates and their smiles and concluded that their smiles give clues into their personalities – and possibly their governing style.

John McCain’s yellow teeth and a gold crown on his upper right molar show his age. He probably got that gold crown in the Navy because few dentists do those anymore.

In addition, he has old amalgam or silver fillings in the posterior teeth – and the bluish black color of the fillings shines through, making his smile and his teeth look worn and very old.

Like John McCain, Joe Biden also has a smile that shows his age. It appears that Biden may have a denture for his mandibular or lower teeth. In addition, his maxillary or upper teeth appear to be a rehab of older crowns. The combination of old and new dental work isn’t well integrated. His upper teeth are dull due to old porcelain crowns and his mandibular teeth are very flat – they look like a denture or an even an older rehab of crowns.

The fact that John McCain has not whitened his teeth – which could be done quite easily while on a ride on the Straight Talk Express – or replaced those black fillings with tooth-color fillings says a lot.

He’s not concerned with looking his age or with how other people view him. It could be he views teeth whitening as ‘too Hollywood’ – a perception that goes against his ‘maverick’ personality.

Biden, on the other hand, would benefit from having wider maxillary teeth and less taper, which would offset his long face, and give him a more powerful smile. Right now his smile is too flashy – and this is because the new work on his upper teeth doesn’t reflect the light well. Hence, his smile may not look sincere to some people and thus he may not come across as trustworthy. And, because his lower teeth are flat, I would hazard a guess he grinds his teeth due to stress.

Because they are younger and benefited from regular dental care as children and teens, both Barack Obama and Sarah Palin have beautiful, youthful smiles. Obama’s teeth have retained their enamel and natural shape – an indication he doesn’t suffer from teeth grinding, even with the stress of the Presidential race.

Obama’s teeth are simply gorgeous naturally – and they add significantly to his star power.

Palin, on the other hand, had orthodontic treatment as a teen but her right central tooth is shorter than her left tooth. Thus, she doesn’t have symmetry between her front two teeth – a problem that is easily rectified with cosmetic dentistry.

She may have decided against cosmetic dentistry because she’s not as concerned with how she looks – the same as her running mate, John McCain. She’s an outdoor type who keeps busy and active – fixing a minor imperfection is not on her list of priorities. However, her teeth are oval shaped and very pretty and they perfectly match her heart-shaped face.

This time last year it was myself and Mary, my office manager, in our Boston cosmetic dentistry office.

It used to be very quiet . . . but not anymore! That’s because we had lots of changes in the last year, including:

>> Hiring Dr. Carlos Abboud, one of the premier periodontal specialists in the U.S.

>> Opening a new family dental practice in Dedham.

>> Hiring hygienists to help with routine cleanings in the Boston office. We also hired an RN, who started last week, to oversee IV sedation with Dr. Abboud, who uses this technique when performing periodontal and cosmetic surgery for our patients.

Having Dr. Abboud means we are now a full-service cosmetic dentistry practice that can perform full mouth reconstructive and periodontal plastic surgery procedures, including bone grafting, gum grafting, mini dental implants, and gum enhancement.

Due to all these exciting changes, we now have fourteen employees! Wow! Some days I can’t believe it.

To celebrate our success, we spent one evening last week at F1 Boston racing go karts. My good friend of many years, Frank, beat all of us. Dr. Abboud ran a close second.

The picture is of me holding the victory flag. It’s been a wonderful year!

Sleep apnea was a hot topic at the IACA (International Association of Comprehensive Aesthetics) conference a couple of weeks ago.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is caused by a partial or complete blockage of the upper airway, which occurs during sleep.

People with untreated OSA frequently stop breathing while sleeping – sometimes hundreds of times a night – and often for a minute or more. Episodes usually end when the individual wakes up slightly, returning to normal breathing.

You can read more about it at my newsletter: Dentists on the Front Line of the Battle Against Obstructive Sleep Apnea

One of the new and interesting theories brought up at the conference is that bruxism — or teeth grinding — might be caused by sleep apnea. Because they have a dry mouth from snoring and the open posture of the mouth, people need to create saliva and mucous to lubricate the airway while they sleep. Hence, they grind their teeth.

Attending conferences is one way I try to keep abreast of new developments in dentistry. The IACA is a progressive and dynamic organization that is always on the cutting edge of clinical and technological advances in Aesthetic Dentistry, so I enjoy attending their conferences.

Of course, having the conference in Orlando was very nice, too.