Last night, as I awaited my flight, I had a glass of wine.

Drugstore.com

On the flight, I ate a meal of various spices.

I then attempted to sleep.

As you may imagine, now as I sit in Mexico City, with a several-hour layover, I would like to have breakfast – but also have what would be morning breath – if I ever actually had a ‘night’ – but then I found the absolute perfect solution in my purse.

Colgate Wisps!

They had been sent to me ages ago, and I never really got a chance to, well, give them a chance. But what an amazing invention they are – they are basically a single-use mini toothbrush you can fit in your purse! The toothpaste is embedded in it, and it’s great for that quick as-you-go freshening when, say, your toothbrush is currently located somewhere in the cargo of a plane. (We hope. I always freak out that my luggage and I won’t both make it to the ultimate destination.)

Anyway, these are great! And my breath is now minty fresh, as it should be, well, at all times! Meaning I can now have breakfast – my potato and egg tamale awaits! (No worries, I have another wisp waiting for after!)

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It is even more of a stretch during tight economic times. We can’t let our mouth fall apart though – how unpretty would that be? We chatted with, Dr. Lee Gause, DDS of Smile Design Manhattan, and he shared a few tips for keeping those pearly whites beautiful and healthy.

Don’t Skip your Cleaning!

Cleaning is great example of an inexpensive treatment that prevents problems from developing (cost: approximately $200). Many patients will put off cleanings and let problems develop into more costly problems. For example, if a patient has a small cavity (cost: $400 for a filling) and allows it to grow, it could easily become a tooth needing a root canal and crown (roughly $3,000 procedure).

Payment Plans are a Great Option

For cosmetic dentistry procedures, such as teeth whitening, or porcelain veneers, payment plans are often tremendously useful. Care Credit is a GE company that gives 12 month interest free loans to people that are interested in dental procedures. This allows patients to space out payments and not pay large sums of upfront money for dental work.

Yes, Over-the-Counter Does Work

Some over the counter whitening treatments are relatively effective. The most effective whitening is an in-office whitening treatment, but if a patient simply needs to whiten their teeth only a few shades, Crest White Strips and Listerine Whitening Rinse are two good over the counter products.

Image: Sxc.hu

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“It’s a known fact that teeth yellow with age. And with so many chromogenic foods and beverages that are supposedly good for us, like blueberries, tomatoes, tea and red wine, along with others less so, such as coffee, tobacco, mustard (although I’m not sure mustard’s all that bad), it’s no wonder teeth stain – even with regular cleanings, brushing and flossing! And although when we get tanner, teeth look whiter, temporarily, spring/summer is the ideal time to launch a whitening regimen to prevent them from looking yellower once the tan fades….” the doctor says.

My favorite at home teeth whitening regime is Supersmile, which Smigel actually invented. I started to use it after my teeth were bonded last year, and they really have maintained the white. (And I LIVE on coffee and wine!) Their professional whitening toothpaste is a little pricey (will run about $20), but contains Calprox, which is what they use in professional dental cleanings, and is the  number-one recommended tooth paste by cosmetic dentists worldwide. I just like it because, well, it works and tastes nice!

Image: Supersmile

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“The smile is the picture and a person’s face is the frame,” says General Manager Jeff Doan. “It is crucial to look at each aspect of a person’s face to optimize the realistic look of their veneers.”

Creating the perfect veneers is a very involved process that needs personalization to achieve a realistic-looking smile. Doan says that it is important to recognize that each patient’s mouth structure is different and looking at the patient’s face shape, lip fullness, texture and size of the teeth and mouth is key to achieve for the perfect smile.

Doan offers some advice on veneers for those who want to be an expert on the subject before saying ‘Ah’:

• Mismatched Color – Good veneers should complement the patient’s skin color and eye color. Cheaper veneers are often too white or the top and bottom rows of teeth are not the same color, making it easy to point out a faux smile.
• Uneven Steven – Poorly installed veneers can cause an uneven bite, which can lead to problems with chewing and problems with the patient’s jaw. Good veneers should feel natural in the patient’s mouth and fit without effecting the bite or smile.
• Bad fit – Good veneers should fit over the patient’s teeth and feel natural. Poorly done veneers often crack if the dentist does not shape of the tooth correctly before fitting the new veneers to the patient’s teeth.
• Texture – Cheap veneers often mimic bathroom tiles rather than human teeth. The best veneers look like real teeth and dentists should pay special attention to tooth shape and texture during the creation process.

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It’s that one-of-a-kind smile.

Despite her recent share of personal woes, Brinkley’s smile hasn’t faded. Her public persona seems unmarred by her real life drama, and when she flashes those pearly whites, we get a feeling that all is well.

Following are highlights from Dear Doctor – Dentistry & Oral Health’s exclusive new interview with Christie Brinkley in the Vol. 2, Issue 4 edition.

On how her smile helped her career:

“I think my smile was really my passport to success in the modeling industry.”

On her best beauty secret:

“Smile! It’s instantly UPLIFTING. Both for the face and the spirit! And today my theory has been scientifically proven, that a smile actually releases chemicals into our brain that makes us feel immediately happier! So go out and SMILE!”

On her brief foray into the “expressionless” world of runway modeling:

“I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face!”

On the secret to her famous smile:

“I am very fortunate, it’s called genetics, which is the most precious gift any of us could have along with the intelligence to take care of that gift by practicing good oral hygiene and having regular dental appointments.”

On not needing braces as a teenager:

“I lucked out and got my mom’s beautiful straight teeth— I never needed braces and I never got cavities. That doesn’t mean I didn’t want braces, because it seemed like the coolest kids had them— I wanted them so badly I would bend a paper clip and wear it like a retainer.”

On whether the modeling world required her to have cosmetic dentistry work done:

“No, they just wanted me to STOP CHEWING!!!!! They always want you thinner!”

On the power of a smile:

“I think a smile makes EVERYONE beautiful! It’s the greatest gift we give each other. It’s an expression of friendship, love and peace!”

On what currently makes her smile:

“Saturday Night Live cracks me up! The cast is fantastic; the political humor is spot on. Let’s face it we all need a good sense of humor these days!”

On the back country skiing helicopter crash that nearly changed her smile forever:

“I fractured two molars in the back of my mouth and I had to get two dental implants. While I am grateful for the dental implant technology that feels and looks so natural, just thinking of that accident makes my teeth ACHE! OUCHIWAWA!”

On how she began her career:

“I moved to Paris at 18 to pursue art studies, and worked briefly there as an illustrator. In the spring of 1973, my life changed when I was spotted walking down Rue Pernety in Paris, by a fashion designer looking for a special look for an assignment. He told me later he immediately thought, ‘That’s the girl!’”

On how the modeling industry has changed since she began her career:

“I am happy to say that beauty has evolved to include all ethnicities, shapes, sizes and ages… And models have gone from nameless ‘clothes hangers’ to fully branded household names… It’s a REAL career today!”

On Hollywood’s obsession with white teeth:

“When it comes to teeth, keep it as natural as possible— do not go OVER board on whitening. You want your teeth to compliment your face. Your friends should not be required to wear sunglasses when you smile!”

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I sat down with my good friend, cosmetic dentist to the stars, Dr. Jeff Golub-Evans (Vogue Magazine’s “Guru of Cosmetic Dentistry,”) and asked him to muse about the candidates’ smiles…and how he might have improved them.

Dr. Jeff and I chatted about how much hard work must go into all that smiling! “For John McCain it has been particularly hard work because his teeth are so short. They’ve been ground down through the years, a tell-tale sign of aging, so he has to work harder than the other candidates to smile!” Senator McCain has to physically force his mouth apart to show any upper teeth. Often that extra effort appears as a grimace or a sarcastic look, but it may very well be just the man trying harder to smile!

“Too bad; it could easily have been corrected!”

Dr Jeff says that as we mature, and the tissue of the face drops, we show more of our bottom teeth when we talk and less of our top teeth. Senator McCain was still talking with his top teeth four years ago, but his political shift to the right has been matched with the shift of his smile downward. McCain’s teeth are also much darker than the other three candidates’ teeth ….. another sign of aging.
“With so much emphasis on the look of the Republican vice-presidential candidate, with her $150,000 clothing allowance, and her $22,000 per week make up artist, you would think that someone in the McCain campaign might have suggested a $500 in-office dental whitening for the presidential candidate. . .it would have cost less than a Sarah Palin eyebrow for the day!”

As for the other side of the ballot…

“Senator Barak Obama has an engaging, inviting smile. His teeth are literally smiling. How clever!” It appears that he is radiating that big bold smile because his teeth are shaped in a arch form that is smiling. It’s a technique Dr. Jeff has used for years for the modeling industry. “It could be pointed out, on the other hand, that Senator Obama has “working class” teeth. His upper front teeth are out of synch with the rest of the smile, too big, too white. They are and will continue to be fodder for cartoonists, but their appeal lies in the fact that they are not perfect, that they were probably not crafted with the idea that the man whose spaces and irregularities were being fixed would be eventually running for President of the United States.”

And on to everyone’s very favorite SNL character sketch subject…

“Governor Sarah Palin has TV Beauty Pageant teeth. Through the years I have provided that cookie-cutter smile style hundreds of times for beauty contestants, aspiring actresses, even Hooters girls. Hers are a perfect match for her, kind of Stepford Wife-like, delivering the message that she’s an All-American girl and not that smart.”

And then there’s Joe Biden. “Senator Joe Biden has an exaggerated Bill Clintonesque presidential look, and has been well made : gray hair transplants, well fitted suits, and cosmetic dentistry. He looks the part, though some might say that he is a living caricature of a presidential look combined with a used car salesman, with a smile that is a bit too perfect, a bit too white, and a bit too wide.” But when Dr Alfano, the former Dean of New York University College of Dentistry, mentioned at a graduation ceremony several years ago , that an over 70-something morning talk show host, (Regis), had “successfully raised the bar on white,” it gave permission for almost-70-somethings, like Senator Biden, to do the same.

What about the past smiling history of our presidents? “George W. Bush has his father’s old man smile, Clinton and Kennedy had celebrity smiles, Eisenhower’s was grandfatherly and Reagan’s smile was off-centered. It is well-known that George Washington sported a set of wooden teeth, though Paul Revere also made a set for him on a metal base.”

Could it have possibly been made with lighter teeth for special public occasions?

A smile – and what it means – goes a long way! Keep all this in mind when you vote on Tuesday!

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So, just when I start to become a big vocal fan, they have come out with something new.  Crest Whitestrips Daily Whitening Plus Tartar Protection.   Yeah! 

A couple great sounding things about this product – it is a 5 minute daily commitment, and, obviously, it contains a chemical that prevent tartar from building up on your teeth (pyrophosphate, if you’re interested).

To me, this is a no brainer – a multi use product that will not only whiten your teeth, but will prevent some of the ick that causes your teeth to become less white in the first place.

As of this writing, this is unavailable, but I would keep a close eye on Amazon, Drugstore.com and your local stores, because it is coming soon (this month), and the MRSP is $39.99 and has a 38 day supply.  I have about a weeks worth of regular Whitestrips left, so I am hoping this shows up soon!

Image source:  Whitestrips.com

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