Are you a grider? Those hard candies can exacerbate your teeth griniding tendencies.

No matter how charmed, no life is completely free of stress. And that stress can contribute to a myriad of health problems, including heart disease, digestive problems, immune system disorders and even dental problems if you happen to be “grinder.” A top cosmetic dentist, Jacksonville’s Dr. Eric Burgess, offers tips for busting your bruxing habit.

Known by dentists as bruxism, teeth grinding is just what it sounds like – constant pressure or clenching of the teeth. Often, you people don’t even realize they’re doing it. In fact, many grinders grind when they’re sleeping – the day’s stress seeping into their dreams, perhaps? Grinding also is an involuntary reaction when you’re angry, frustrated or afraid.

While the causes may be situational, the effects, unfortunately, are very visual. Teeth grinding can wear down your teeth, causing them to chip, break or come so loose they have to be pulled. Not pretty. Plus there are the recurring headaches or earaches, intensified sensitivity in the teeth, sore jaw muscles or TMD. So how do you stop doing something you typically don’t realize you’re doing? Here are Dr. Burgess’ tips:

• Nix the stress: While we’ll likely never banish stress and tension from our lives altogether, we can learn to minimize it. Exercise, relaxation techniques, time management, meditation, avoiding known stress triggers and learning to step away from stressful situations long enough to take a few deep breaths and collect your thoughts all can help reduce stress.

• Sleep soundly: When you’re headed to bed, massage your jaw, light some aromatherapy candles and place a warm washcloth over your jaw joints to help relax your muscles and induce deep, restorative rest. Sleeping on your back or using a contoured pillow will help reduce the amount of pressure placed on your jaw joints.

• Watch what you eat and drink: Limit caffeine, alcohol and stimulant or depressant medications or substances that can interfere with a good night’s sleep. Also avoid chewing hard candies and objects (ever know someone with a cup full of chewed up ink pens on their desk?) and gum. All that constant chewing can be habit forming. Check medication labels for bruxism among the potential side effects. And make sure your diet is rich in calcium and panothenic acid.

• See your dentist: Your dentist can check the alignment of your teeth and make sure your dental crowns, bridges, etc. are fitted properly and not placing undue stress on your jawbone. If teeth grinding is a significant problem, your dentist may also recommend a custom-made mouthguard or night guard. And he can help repair an already damaged smile with crowns, implants or veneers.

If you need help getting your teeth grinding under control, or if you need cosmetic dentistry repair on teeth already damaged by grinding, contact the Burgess Center for Cosmetic Dentistry at 904-273-3001.

Prepare for your teeth whitening with tips from Jacksonville’s Burgess Center for Cosmetic Dentistry.

If your plans for the season include teeth whitening, Jacksonville’s Burgess Center for Cosmetic Dentistry has a few tips to help you prepare. The better condition your teeth are in from the start, the better your teeth whitening results will be.

1. Clean up. Your teeth whitening process should start with a professional dental cleaning by a dentist. No amount of brushing and flossing will fully remove plaque and tartar deposits that build up over time like a professional teeth cleaning will. Getting your teeth whitened without first getting them cleaned is a lot like trying to polish or paint a table without first removing the dust. Plus, a dental cleaning will help undercover any more urgent issues that may need to be addressed first, such as cavities, gum disease or exposed roots. If your teeth are sensitive, start brushing with a desensitizing toothbrush several weeks before your appointment.
2. Study up. Make sure your expectations are on point. Even if you’re in great dental help, teeth whitening won’t be as effective with certain tooth discolorations. Whitening processes are most effective on extrinsic stains formed on the surface of the tooth and typically caused by smoking, eating and drinking. Intrinsic stains that develop beneath the tooth enamel may not be improved by teeth whitening at all. Yellowish stains are easy to whiten – brown or grey stains are not. Also, know that materials in tooth veneers, dental caps or dental crowns won’t be affected by teeth whitening agents. So, their color may stick out like a sore thumb among the gleaming white teeth surrounding them.
3. Follow up. This is particularly important if you choose a teeth whitening approach that includes an at-home factor. Prep work takes time and the wear-at-home molds or other devices aren’t always comfortable. But if you slack on your part, then your results will be lackluster. Talk with your dentist at length to make sure you’re aware of all that’s involved. Decide whether your schedule (or your patience level) comfortably allows for doing your part and whether you’re willing to give up bad dental habits that could mar your beautiful results in the future. Follow up appointments with your dentist also are a must to check your progress.

For teeth whitening, Jacksonville’s Burgess Cosmetic Dentistry Center is a top choice. Call 904-273-3001 or use our convenient online appointment request form to schedule your consultation today.

Get your celebrity smile makeover with Jacksonville Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Eric Burgess of the Burgess Center for Cosmetic Dentistry.

We suspected it all along – celebrities aren’t perfect. Their careers and their looks need a lot of managing. And a few of them could use a great cosmetic dentist. Jacksonville‘s Burgess Center for Cosmetic Dentistry and the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentists have a few thoughts on the subject.

A recent survey by the AACD revealed cosmetic dentists’ top picks for the best celebrity smiles. Choices were among this year’s Oscar nominees and the winners were:

1. Natalie Portman
2. James Franco
3. Nicole Kidman
4. Annette Bening
5. Colin Firth
6. Christian Bale

Perennial favorite Angelina Jolie won votes for the most kissable pout with Portman coming in second and Halle Berry and Julia Roberts in a third-place tie. The men’s category saw Jake Gyllenhaal beat longtime favorites like Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Denzel Washington.

But not all celebrity grins are golden. Among those needing a cosmetic dentist, AACD members say, are actor Tom Cruise, television news anchor Katie Couric, actress Jennifer Garner, performer Miley Cyrus and singer/songwriter Jewel. Dentists surveyed said they’d love to see Cruise get a total mouth makeover including veneers. They’d also like to fix retired New York Giants defensive end and NFL commentator Michael Strahan’s diastema (front tooth gap) and give former President George W. Bush splint therapy (bite correction), bonding and veneers.

As for the women, cosmetic dentists want to give Couric a gum lift and lengthen her front teeth; Cyrus a crown lengthening; Garner veneers and Jewel orthodontics and teeth whitening.

Want to give your own smile a celebrity makeover? If you’re looking for a top-notch cosmetic dentist, Jacksonville’s Burgess Center for Cosmetic Dentistry offers an array of services using advanced technologies. Browse our website to see why we’re different, then contact us 904-273-3001 or via our online Request and Appointment feature.

One of the most dramatically effective ways to improve your overall look is teeth whitening. Jacksonville’s Burgess Center for Cosmetic Dentistry offers you three different ways to get a gleaming smile. Choose the best one for you depending on your budget, schedule and goal for your new look.

Over the years, even the best cared-for teeth absorb stains from food, drinks and cigarettes or cigars, gradually becoming darker shade by shade. You’re left with a lackluster smile that just doesn’t live up to your outgoing personality or your sleek, professional image. To help make sure your smile matches your image and outlook, consider one of three very different procedures for teeth whitening.

Jacksonville-area locals are an active crowd – too much fun in the sun to be had, so a long wait in the dentist’s office may not fit many schedules. For the constantly on-the-go set, our Zoom2 one-hour whitening technology is a favored choice. Using a bleaching solution activated with a strong light, we can give patients a bright new smile in an amazingly short time. And results can be enhanced when combined with the whitening tray option.

If you’ve got a little more patience, you may want to try our Day-White tray option for teeth whitening. Jacksonville patients choosing this option get great results at a lower cost than the one-hour alternative. The procedure involves applying a bleaching solution into custom-made trays made just for you and wearing the trays for about 30 minutes a day over two weeks. You’ll begin to see an improvement within a few days and by the end of the second week, you’ll have a dazzling new smile.

Some patients need more than traditional systems for teeth whitening. Jacksonville dentists often see patients whose teeth have harsh stains caused by tetracycline, an ingredient in certain medications. If whitening trays or laser whitening treatments don’t work, we may recommend the Deep Bleaching Technique that combines in-office and home whitening procedures. Using a specialized tray and our proprietary bleaching formula, the Burgess Center is able to offer you the beautiful new smile that other dentists can achieve only by prescribing veneers.

To help decide which teeth whitening option is best for you, use our online appointment request form or call 904-273-3001.