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We all love white teeth; in fact, teeth whitening is the number one requested cosmetic procedure in America. Your teeth are porous to a certain degree which means that tea, coffee, some antibiotics, tobacco, and red wine can all have an effect on the color of your teeth. If you are not happy with the color of your teeth, there is no better time than now to make a change. There are many whitening options in today’s market and we want to clarify how these products work and their advantages. There are many ways to achieve a whiter smile, but most involve the utilization of a bleaching agent that is held or painted onto the surface of the teeth; just think your smile can be transformed from dull…to dazzling.

How Does Teeth Whitening Work?

A whitening gel is placed in a tray that fits over your teeth. There is an active ingredient in the gel called carbamide peroxide which breaks down and begins to enter the enamel and bleaches the colored substances. How safe is the procedure? Very; dentists have known for years that whitening/bleaching is a safe and fast way to whiten teeth up to 2-5 shades. When whitening, the structure of the tooth is not changed; only the tooth is made lighter and whiter. If you have fillings, crowns or bonding in on your teeth they will not lighten.

At Home Whitening

You have two options when it comes to at-home whitening, over-the-counter products and take-home kits from our office. The over-the-counter products, like Crest Whitestrips® and paint-on solutions, are less effective and do not provide the brightness our in-office treatment can provide. These products do not last as long, either. The “professional strength” version of Crest® and other brands do have a stronger, more potent bleaching agent in them, again, with limited results. Even the most common at-home methods such as chewing a whitening gum, whitening toothpastes, and mints have a limited whitening ability.

The take-home whitening kit involves a thorough exam, impressions of your upper and lower teeth and the creation of a set of plastic trays that cover your teeth up to the gumline. The trays themselves are made of a soft, flexible and comfortable plastic material that flexes in your mouth and is quite easy to wear. Before inserting the trays, you will fill them with a whitening material (usually a carbamide peroxide mixture) to a level that does not come to your gum tissue, so your gums will not get irritated during the process. Of course, Dr.shiffman, will give you specific instructions for length of wear and frequency to get the desired result.

In Office Whitening

Zoom and Opalescence Boost are our choices for in-office tooth whitening. Clinically proven to whiten natural teeth, They both lighten internal discoloration caused by medication or tooth trauma, as well as superficial stains from foods, drinks and smoking. Fillings and bonding materials remain unaffected. Opalescence Boost features a unique, chemically activated formula that allows us to whiten your teeth without the bothersome heat or ultraviolet rays of a light. It also contains potassium nitrate and fluoride, which help to improve oral health by strengthening enamel, decreasing sensitivity, and offering increased cavity prevention. Opalescence Boost offers results in about an hour. The dentist-supervised, in-office procedure is safe and effective, and offers a brighter, whiter smile after just one appointment. This dramatic change does cost more, but the quick result, lack of daily up keep like the in-home whitening kits, and the relatively low cost to benefit received make it a huge success.

If you would like more information about teeth whitening options, please call our office to discuss the whitening treatments we offer, and which would be best for you.

You Can Smile Brighter This Spring!

Dr. Harvey Shiffman and his Boynton Laser Dental Center staff have recently been trained to provide Nightlase laser snoring treatment to our patients.
Dr.Shiffman is the first Boynton Beach Dentist and the first in the State of Florida to do so. Dr. Shiffman will subsequently provide training to other dentists throughout the United States.

It is estimated that there are millions of snorers in the U.S. Of these, about 1/3 are affected by sleep apnea .
This makes snoring a national disease.

Why is snoring a problem?

Anyone who has been sleeping next to someone who snores understands the problem of snoring. Snoring affects not only the person who snores,but snoring affects their partner and family members.
Many relationships are destroyed or stressed due to snoring.

What many do not know is that snoring also causes many physical problems.

Snoring can cause:

Cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension

Sleepiness and fatigue during the day

Morning Headaches

Impotence in men

Depression

Due to Fatigue we see that snorers are seven times more likely to be involved in car accidents.
Due to Fatigue we can see that many snorers easily lose patience and become aggressive.
Snorers are overrepresented among people who have heart attacks and strokes.

What can you do to reduce snoring?

Lose weight if you are overweight

Avoid alcohol before bedtime

Avoid eating large meals 2 hours before bedtime

Avoid energy drinks such as Red Bull

Surgical Treatments involving hospitalization, general anesthesia, pain and prolonged healing.

Snoring and pregnancy.

Many women suffer from snoring during pregnancy. The last three months of pregnancy can be challenging. This form of snoring usually disappears by itself and should not be treated.

Laser energy has been used both in pure medical applications and cosmetic treatments for decades. In recent years, a new type of cosmetic, non-surgical application came on the market, namely the tightening of tissue/skin by laser-based heat. this has been available outside the body for such areas as the face, chest and stomach. A couple of years ago experts in the field of Laser Treatment realized that the method could be used even for a tightening of the tissue in the throat and snoring and apnea problems could be addressed.
The patented Nightlase treatment developed on this idea proved to be very effective and absolutely painless. You need two or three treatments, each about 30 minutes and then you can eat,drink,talk and live a completely normal life immediately after the completely painless treatment. This is quite different from the painful surgical procedures with long convalescence times which are the currently offered options along with occlusal splints, oxygen masks or other inconvenient and impractical equipment needed at night.

Call Dr Harvey Shiffman, your Boynton Beach dentist at 561 737 6400 to see if you are a candidate for Nightlase treatment.

Dr. Shiffman is currently receiving training in the Nightlase snoring and sleep apnea procedure. Nightlase Treatment is a patent-pending, fast, non-invasive and friendly way of increasing the quality of a patients sleep. Nightlase lessens the effects of sleep apnea and decreases the severity of snoring through the use of gentle, superficial, Erbium:Yag laser light. No anesthesia is used in this procedure. Nightlase treatment causes a tightening of the tissue and leads to a reduction in the sound of the patients snoring and a lessening of the affects of sleep apnea. Research has shown that Nightlase reduces and attenuates snoring and provides an effective, non-invasive way to lessen the affects of sleep apnea. Nightlase requires no device to be worn during sleep, involves no chemical treatment, and no anesthesia. It is and gentle and easy for the patient and their loved ones to regain a good nights sleep. Call us with any questions that you may have.
Dr Shiffman and his Boynton Laser Dental Center always strive to be on the cutting edge of laser and dental technology and to be your Boynton Beach Dentist.

We are winding down our free oral, head and neck cancer screening event, and have provided these services to many people who had not had a comprehensive oral cancer screening using the Velscope oral cancer screening device. The Velscope allows us to see tissue changes many years before they are visible to the naked eye and routine screening protocol. The importance of this is that we can locate early lesions and make the appropriate referrals for our patients for treatment before something becomes life threatening. Oral cancer screenings save lives. The significant increase in oral cancers because of the HPV virus makes this even more important for patients of all ages. Anyone who is sexually active can potentially get exposed to the HPV virus and should get tested. Testing is very simple using the OralDNA testing procedure which is based on saliva. We have offered this service to our patients for over a year now and nominal cost and is even covered by many health insurance plan.

An article published recently presents some interesting information. Many of our adult patients suffer from “Burning Mouth syndrome” or “Burning tongue syndrome”. It is characterized by a consistent feeling of a burning sensation, on the lips, tongue, and the roof of the mouth,that doesn’t diminish with time. The article discusses the possibility that damage to the nervous system during menopause may be to blame. The syndrome affects about 5 % of Americans. It appears that BMS patient’s nerves are processing stimuli incorrectly. “there’s a short circuit in the nervous system and the brain can’t turn off the pain receptors. the study showed that although BMS can effect both sexes it occurs 7 times more often in menopausal and postmenopausal women. We at Boynton Laser dental center have been using cold laser biostimulation to help reduce or eliminate the symptoms successfully in some of our patients.

How to keep your gums and teeth healthy. This is a good “how to” video on good brushing and flossing technique.

Dr.Harvey Shiffman has been practicing dentistry since 1984 and has been  a Cosmetic Laser Dentist for the last seven years.  Technology has been steadily improving in this field, and Dr.Shiffman has stayed up to date with extensive continuing education through the Academy of Laser Dentistry, of which he is attaining Fellowship status , the Montana Center for Laser Dentistry, and the Masters of Laser Dentistry in New York.

We have performed thousands of laser dental procedures at The Boynton Laser Dental Center.  Our most modern laser equipment  includes the Lares Powerlase AT laser which allows us to perform fillings, cosmetic gum procedures and more  without injections and pain or discomfort for most people.  Dr.Harvey Shiffman is proud to be the first South Florida dentist to be trained and certified to perform the PIPS, photon induced photoacoustic streaming root canal procedures and our results have been added to the  international dental journal.

We are also proud to be the first South Florida Dentist to be trained and certified in the WPT or wavelength-optimized periodontal therapy, which is the definitive, cutting edge Dental Laser treatment for periodontal (gum) disease.  Dr.Harvey Shiffman and the Boynton Laser Dental Center have also been advocates of  Cold Laser or Low Level Laser therapy in the treatment of TMJ, facial pain and post operative issues referred by others.  Dr.Shiffman’s  dedication to Laser Dentistry at the Boynton Laser Dental Center in Boynton Beach ,Florida is being acknowledged by the “Laser Geeks” training organization and the Lares Research Company next week and Dr. Harvey Shiffman will be trained to become a Dental Laser instructor for these organizations, which makes us at Boynton Laser Dental Center , in Boynton Beach, Florida  very proud of Dr.Shiffman’s  commitment to bringing our patients the most up to date, cutting edge technology for their care.

We presently have available to our patients saliva diagnostic DNA testing. One type of testing is for Periodontal disease , to test for the specific bacteria types that can cause Gum Disease .This greatly aids in our ability to treat it. The connection between oral disease and heart/ systemic disease is well documented at this time. We can also do saliva DNA testing for the HPV virus that causes Cervical cancer in women and oral cancer in both men and women. The role of HPV in cancers of the head and neck in unquestioned, HPV is now known to be an independent risk factor for oral and throat cancers. you should be tested if you have traditional risk factors for oral cancer, if you are sexually active, have a family history of oral cancer, have signs or symptoms of oral cancer or a suspicious oral lesion. More information is available at our office, Boynton Laser Dental Center in Boynton Beach, Florida. telephone 561 737 6400 or by visiting www.oralcancerfoundation.org or www.cdc.gov

Know Someone With Forward Head Posture?

Forward head posture

No wonder you’re always tired. You have a forward head posture!

Neck pain, fatigue, carpel tunnel syndrome, TMJ syndrome, fibromyalgia, headaches ~ can how you hold your head be the cause of all these conditions? If you, or someone you know, suffers from forward head posture, and an estimated 90% of the population do, then the answer is definitely yes!

With correct head posture, the ear is centered over the shoulder. If the ear is off center to the front of the shoulder, this is known as forward head posture. For every inch the head is forward of this center position, it exerts an additional 10 pounds of pressure on the muscles in your neck and upper back, causing them to work harder to keep your head erect and your chin up!

But how do you get into the habit of a forward head posture? Today’s use of computers, television and video games may contribute to this condition which ultimately compresses discs and causes extensive damage.

Here are several ways to help correct this condition:

Break up you time using computers or video games

Exercise

Chiropractic and or physical therapy in conjunction with dental care

Have an evaluation for TMJ or repair or replace missing back teeth.  Missing back teeth can affect the proprioception between the upper and lower jaws affecting head and neck posture. Proprioception is your brains ability to know its position is space relative to the rest of your body.

The World Health Organization recently recognized and honored the Velscope enhanced oral assessment device. The Velscope was one of only eight commercial devices to be honored.  The Velscope device helps improve the oral health of patients by allowing dental practicioners to discover eraly stage oral cancers and other oral abnormalities.  Boynton Beach dentist Dr. Harvey Shiffman at his Boynton Laser Dental Center has been using the Velscope in clinical practice for  over three years and has diagnosed several cases of oral cancer and precancerous lesions .