Keep Teeth Healthy During Pregnancy

If you are pregnant, your oral health may be the last thing on your mind. However, many Staten Island women experience an increase in dental problems during pregnancy. This article contains important information for expectant Staten Island mothers and those planning to become pregnant.

Dr. Frederick Hecht recommends having a thorough dental cleaning early in your pregnancy. Lying in a dentist’s chair can be uncomfortable during the last trimester. A professional cleaning performed by one of the skilled dental hygienists at Staten Island Dental Care, along with diligent brushing and flossing, helps prevent gum problems that are often triggered by hormonal changes. The American Dental Association has found a positive correlation between periodontal disease and preterm deliveries and low birth weight.

If you are currently pregnant and have sore, swollen or bleeding gums, schedule an appointment today by calling (347) 695-4370. Once the baby is here, it will probably be harder for you to make time for a general dentistry visit.

If you receive dental treatment at Staten Island Dental Care during your pregnancy, be sure to inform Dr. Frederick Hecht that you are expecting. This will affect decisions about X-rays, pain relievers, antibiotics, and sedation dentistry.

Hormonal changes cause an increase in plague production which can lead to decay. If you are eating many small meals during the day, take care to brush after eating. If you avoid sweet snacks, your teeth will be less likely to develop cavities.

Remember, your oral care, nutrition and lifestyle affect your baby. It is essential that you eat a healthy diet with a variety of foods. A poor diet can harm your baby’s tooth and bone development. Be sure to get enough calcium, iron, vitamins A, D and C, protein, and phosphorus. Your Staten Island Ob/Gyn can give you specific recommendations for your age, height, weight and medical conditions.

At Staten Island Dental Care, we take special care of our clients who are expecting.

Sedation Dentistry At Staten Island Dental Care

Dental visits can be extremely stressful and for some Staten Island residents, the fear and anxiety associated with a trip to the dentist prevents them from getting the care they need. At Staten Island Dental Care we provide the best oral sedation dentistry available. We will accommodate your needs with minimal, moderate, or deep sedation.

Don’t let dental dread keep you from achieving a perfect smile.

According to a national survey by the American Dental Association, Crest, and Oral B, the smile is the number one physical trait. Don’t let your smile go unnoticed.

In addition to sedation dentistry, at Staten Island Dental Care we offer our clients a variety of procedures, including restorative dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, porcelain veneers and crowns, root canals, and dental implants.

At Staten Island Dental Care, our professional staff will provide the best possible care for you and your family. Whether you need preventive general dentistry or cosmetic dentistry, the comfortable team at Staten Island Dental Care will give you something to smile about!

For more information on oral sedation dentistry or any other dental procedure, contact us at (347) 695-4370.

We are located at 1520 Richmond Ave, Staten Island, New York 10314. Call today!

Stick Out Your Tongue In Staten Island!

As health professionals, we know that Staten Island dentists diagnose and treat conditions of the teeth and gums, but we sometimes overlook the importance of the tongue.

Have you ever considered all the amazing things your tongue can do? It helps us talk, perceive the texture and flavor of food, chew, and swallow. This strong and nimble gymnast is in near-constant motion during our waking hours. It is a wonder that we don’t accidentally bite it more often as we smile, chew, drink, breathe, swallow, cough, and laugh.

Your tongue can also reveal problems with your health, including digestive problems, infections, and diseases of the blood.

When Dr. Frederick Hecht performs general dentistry oral exams, the tongue is always checked for signs of oral cancer and other serious diseases.

Here are some tongue abnormalities and possible causes:

Swollen tongue: reaction to food/drink/medication, strep infection, leukemia, hypothyroidism
White tongue: dehydration, yeast infection, irritation to tobacco, enteritis, gastritis, colitis, anemia or other nutritional deficiency
Canker sores: may be triggered by stress or reaction to food, toothpaste, or mouthwash.

If you have persistent canker sores, you may want to try eliminating products that contain sodium lauryl (or laurel) sulfate (SLS). SLS is a cheap foaming agent that is found in many personal care products. It can be difficult to find SLS-free dental products in Staten Island. The following brands have previously offered SLS-free versions but check labels carefully every time you buy a new tube. I have noticed that SLS has re-appeared in some brands.

Biotene
Sensodyne Pronamel
Tom’s of Maine
Rembrandt Low Abrasion

If you can’t find an SLS-free toothpaste at your local Staten Island Walmart or Target, I would suggest trying health food stores, specialty drug stores, or trusted online sites.

Many of my Staten Island family dentistry patients have asked me about tongue-scraping. I recommend thorough dental hygiene including cleaning the tongue. To schedule a consultation to discuss any dental health issues including tongue scraping, please contact my office at (347) 695-4370.

Dr. Frederick Hecht DMD
Staten Island Dental Care

Providing general and cosmetic dental services including sedation dentistry and restorative dentistry.

Embarrassed By Your Teeth In Staten Island?

What is a beautiful smile worth? Staten Island men and women who have received a smile makeover at Staten Island Dental Care say it was worth every penny.

Your smile is a part of you that you share with your family, friends, and Staten Island colleagues every day. An attractive smile creates confidence. If you are embarrassed by your smile, you waste mental and physical energy trying to hide it.

How would your life improve if you felt comfortable in every social and professional situation? If you have been trying to hide your smile for years, what incorrect assumptions have others made about you? Do you come across as self-conscious or distant because you hardly laugh at jokes and barely crack a smile when you meet someone for the first time?

Investing in a Staten Island cosmetic smile redesign is the best way to feel younger, more attractive, and able to share your true self. When you quit trying to hide your teeth, you are free to put all your energy into your work, play–everything!

At Staten Island Dental Care in Staten Island, Dr. Frederick Hecht carefully contours perfect smiles for our smile design patients.

We also make sure our smile makeover clients are completely relaxed during treatment. If you are afraid of dentists, or have had negative experiences in the past, rest assured that we understand how you feel and our caring dental team will do our best to alleviate your concerns. We even offer sedation dentistry for patients who experience severe dental anxiety.

Come in for a cosmetic dental services consultation. Learn about Staten Island dental implants, porcelain crowns, root canals, porcelain veneers and teeth whitening. In addition to restorative and cosmetic dentistry, we also offer family and general dentistry.

Life is better when you love your smile. Call Staten Island Dental Care in Staten Island today!

Staten Island Dental Care
1520 Richmond Ave
Staten Island, New York 10314
(347) 695-4370

Comfortable Care For the High Fear Patient

I Evaluate Your Teeth – You Evaluate Staten Island Dental Care

Hello friends of Staten Island Dental Care. Welcome to my Staten Island dentistry blog. This site is for my patients and anyone in the Staten Island area who doesn’t have a regular dentist.

I invite you to call (347) 695-4370 to schedule an evaluation.

I’m not talking about an ordinary dental evaluation, although I will certainly examine your teeth and gums thoroughly and advise you on any necessary preventative or restorative needs. I invite you to perform your own evaluation of me and my dental practice.

I encourage you to evaluate:

My education, experience and cosmetic dental skill

The variety of services we provide at Staten Island Dental Care

My recommendations about your dental needs

Before and after photos of my smile makeover patients

My philosophy of preventative dentistry

The length of the wait time for your appointment

My office atmosphere and attentiveness of my professional dental team

All the extras that make your dental visits pleasant and comfortable

My ability to explain the technical details of procedures and characteristics of restorative materials

The many services available at Staten Island Dental Care including general dentistry, smile makeovers, and sedation dentistry

My Staten Island Dental Care website at http://www.AfraidOfTheDentist.com

Fair enough? I will evaluate your dental needs and you can evaluate everything about me and my practice. I am confident that you will like what you find.

Dr. Frederick Hecht
Staten Island Dental Care
1520 Richmond Ave
Staten Island, New York 10314

http://www.AfraidOfTheDentist.com

Find A Dentist

There are a lot of places to look for a dentist, but its not always easy to find a dentist in Staten Island.

It used to be that in Staten Island you could find a dentist just by walking down to the corner of the street. Like many small towns, there would be a dentist on the corner of ‘north and main’, just up from the fire house, and across from the bakery.

Today, finding a dentist around Staten Island can take a little more time, and a little more effort. Our local Staten Island community is spread out a little more, and there is more than one option for finding a local dentist in Staten Island.

Let’s look at a few of the ways to find a local dentist in Staten Island:

The old timers among us still reach for the yellow pages when we look to find a dentist in our local Staten Island community. The yellow pages have been a standard for dentists since the beginning, and are a quick way to get a good list of local Staten Island dentists.

Studies are showing an ever increasing number of Staten Island consumers are turning to their Internet connection to find a dentist. To find a dentist online can mean more than just a name and a phone number; many dentists, like us, have additional information on their website that will help you gain a better understanding of their practice and the services they provide.

Many people find a dentist in the Staten Island community through printed mailers and flyers that come to your door. Staten Island dentists spend a lot of money on these types of flyers, which can often carry a discount opportunity or special promotion.

The most popular method used to find a local cosmetic dentist? …Word of mouth. Studies have shown that people in Staten Island are more willing to listen to a family member or close friend when it comes to finding a local Staten Island dentist.

We understand this last point, and make it our job to keep our patients happy, healthy, informed and comfortable during their visit to the dentist. We know if you leave happy, your friends and family in the Staten Island area will hear about us, too.

If you are looking for a dentist in Staten Island, please give us a call. You can reach us at (347) 695-4370.

If you know a friend who is trying to find a dentist in the Staten Island area, please pass our name along. We offer sedation dentistry for fearful patients.

We look forward to seeing you both!

Tooth Decay in Staten Island?

At Staten Island Dental Care, we restore decayed teeth to create smiles that are both healthy and beautiful. Recent advances in both techniques and materials have made the ‘impossible’ not only possible, but affordable for everyone in Staten Island as well.

Dr. Frederick Hecht has been restoring teeth since 1976. Ongoing training is essential for staying on the cutting edge of the cosmetic dentistry industry.

Decay is the most common Staten Island dental problem and the second most common disease in the nation (number one is the common cold). If you have one or more teeth with decay, it’s time to take care of them.

Fillings, inlays, onlays and dental crowns are used to restore teeth for our Staten Island cosmetic dental patients. Even the most basic procedure – filling a cavity – has evolved. There are several types of new materials available including porcelain and composite resin. Each has specific strengths and aesthetic considerations. Staten Island patients who replace silver amalgam with tooth-colored fillings love getting the metal out of their smile.

Inlays and onlays are more extensive restorations. There are two types: direct or indirect. Direct inlays and onlays are made in your Staten Island cosmetic dental office on the spot and applied in one visit. Indirect inlays and onlays are fabricated in a Staten Island dental lab. They usually require a second visit but the results are well worth the extra trip.

When a Staten Island client has a tooth that cannot be restored with an inlay or an onlay, a natural-looking crown is the answer. At Staten Island Dental Care, we create crowns that blend in perfectly with the rest of your teeth. Let us show you some photos of patients who have received smile makeovers – you will not see any “Chiclet” crowns that stick out like a sore thumb. In fact, you won’t be able to tell which of our Staten Island dental clients have crowns.

Staten Island Dental Care is located at 1520 Richmond Avenue in Staten Island. Dr. Frederick Hecht is currently accepting new patients. We offer sedation dentistry for patients fearful of dental work. Call (347) 695-4370 to schedule an aesthetic dental consultation.

Afraid of the Dentist? Your Staten Island Sedation Dentist Can Help

If you live near Staten Island and experience severe anxiety when undergoing (or even thinking about!) dental treatment, oral sedation is for you.

Conscious sedation dentistry is available in Staten Island at Staten Island Dental Care. We have been providing sedation dentistry in Staten Island for several years with excellent outcomes. Whether it is called relaxation dentistry, oral conscious sedation or anxiety-free dentistry, it is completely safe and very popular for our nervous restorative and cosmetic dental clients in the Brooklyn area.

Though it may sound impossible, with oral conscious sedation, Staten Island dentistry patients can actually relax during dental visits. In addition, healing times for oral surgery and extensive cosmetic dentistry procedures are often shorter if the patient is sedated during treatment.

Sedation dentistry is great for alleviating anxiety for our Staten Island patients, and oral conscious sedation can be effective for treating or working with the following:

Teeth sensitivita;
Fear of needles;
A powerful gag reflex;
Difficulty controlling body movement;
Lengthy multi-procedure visits;
Difficulty becoming numb with traditional injections.

If you need dental work more extensive than a filling; such as a root canal, dental implant, crown replacement or wisdom tooth extraction; call Staten Island Dental Care at (347) 695-4370. When you come to our office at 1520 Richmond Avenue in Staten Island, we can give you more information about sedation dentistry.

Sedation dentistry is only one of the services we offer at Staten Island Dental Care, where your smile is our top priority!

Cavity Fighting Chewing Gum For Our Staten Island Patients?

I’m Dr. Frederick Hecht DMD of Staten Island Dental Care in Staten Island. My Staten Island dentistry clients often ask me if chewing xylitol gum is an effective substitute for tooth brushing and regular Staten Island dental exams.

Before I answer that question, let me tell you a little bit about xylitol:

Xylitol is a natural sweetener that was first discovered in birch tree bark but is also found in many fruits and vegetables. Unlike most other sweeteners (natural or synthetic), xylitol is actually good for your teeth. Numerous clinical studies have demonstrated that xylitol prevents the growth of the bacteria that initiates decay. It also reduces plaque and strengthens tooth enamel.

Xylitol has other benefits, as well. Because it is low on the glycemic index, many of my Staten Island diabetic patients enjoy it as a healthy alternative to sugar. If my Bayonne cosmetic dentistry patients complain about frequent dry mouth, I recommend Xylitol gum or mints to stimulate saliva production without promoting tooth decay.

Now, back to the golden question. Is xylitol gum just as effective as brushing your teeth and seeing your Staten Island family dentist regularly? Absolutely not! If you cannot brush your teeth after a meal, chewing xylitol gum for five or ten minutes is probably a good idea. However, you should still brush your teeth thoroughly (with a soft brush) after meals and get twice-yearly exams and oral dentistry deep cleanings at your Staten Island dentistry clinic.

At Staten Island Dental Care, our goal is to keep your smile healthy and beautiful for life by preventing dental problems before they start. If you postpone Staten Island dental visits until you feel pain, you risk losing teeth and most certainly will require more extensive treatment than if the problem was caught earlier. Is it time for a dental exam? Call us at (347) 695-4370 to book an appointment. Our comfortable is waiting to take care of all your dental needs. We also provide cosmetic dentistry and sedation dentistry services.

Your New York Dentist And Cleaning Your Teeth

New York is known for its beautiful smiles, and our local Staten Island community is no exception. Keeping your teeth clean is an important factor in maintaining your beautiful Staten Island smile. One of the benefits of regularly visiting your local dentist in Staten Island is a thorough teeth cleaning and a review of your brushing habits.

Our Staten Island dental hygienist helps you keep your teeth clean by assessing the condition of your teeth, and recommending improvements to your daily teeth cleaning habits. Our Staten Island oral hygienist can also professionally clean and polish your teeth at your regular Staten Island dental check up. You should schedule a regular dental check up every six months to prevent gum disease.

I work at Staten Island Dental Care located in the state of New York. We specialize in sedation dentistry in the Staten Island New York community, including the surrounding areas of Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Cleaning your teeth in New York is the simple task of removing plaque (a sticky deposit that gets left on teeth in which bacteria thrives) and tartar (a calcium deposit that forms on teeth and aids in tooth decay). This is done by brushing regularly with a toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste, and flossing. Brushing and flossing at least twice each day can keep plaque and tartar from building up on your teeth and results in cleaner, healthier teeth. A regular visit to your local Staten Island dental hygienist will help you stay on top of problems that can go unseen.

The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends visiting your local Staten Island, New York dentist at least once every 6 months for a regular dental check up and teeth cleaning. These regular visits to your Staten Island dentist potentially prevent the undetected development of problems that can occur from neglecting to clean your teeth.

To keep that beautiful Staten Island, New York smile in good shape, come in for a dental check up and teeth cleaning.

Call Staten Island Dental Care in Staten Island New York to make an appointment. You can reach us right now at (347) 695-4370.

Dr. Fredrick S. Hecht