Whitening with ZOOM! in New York, NY

Keeping your teeth white can be a lot harder than you might think. Even with diligent brushing, flossing and dental cleanings, teeth can still lose their gleam and darken over time due to constant exposure to food and drinks. If you’ve noticed your teeth are yellowing or dull, we offer ZOOM! whitening services to help you restore your teeth’s color and luster. It is one of the many cosmetic procedures Dr. Lloyd Becker offers to help patients achieve the smiles they will love to show off.

To help patients get their whitest smiles, he employs the ZOOM! whitening system, which is chair-side whitening procedure that is done in Maiden Lane Dental, using a safe whitening gel combined with low-intensity light. The light activates the hydrogen peroxide in the gel, which can lighten your teeth up to 10 shades in only an hour! Unlike other whitening systems that involve multiple sessions and take-home trays, ZOOM! produces results that are both drastic and quick.

For the best results, patients should have their teeth cleaned prior to the whitening procedures since tartar and plaque can prevent the whitening gel from working in certain areas. By having your teeth cleaned, you are ensuing that you get an even, white smile.

To schedule an appointment at our office in New York, NY, call 212-509-4585. For more information, visit www.maidenlanedental.com.

What to Do About Sleep Apnea in New York, NY

Sleep apnea is a serious disorder that affects the way you breathe while sleeping. By causing your breath to become interrupted for 10 to 20 seconds at a time and jolting you out of your natural sleep rhythm multiple times a night, the condition can cause your energy, mental acuity and productivity to suffer. Over time, sleep apnea can even lead to serious health problems, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and weight gain.

At Maiden Lane Dental, Dr. Lloyd Becker uses oral surgery to treat sleep apnea and increase the quality of sleep and life for patients.  Oral surgery relieves sleep apnea symptoms by removing the blockage caused by excess tissue, which vibrates and blocks the upper air passages. One way this is done is through UPPP, or uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, which involves removing excess tissue from the upper mouth and throat while under general anesthesia. Maxillomandibular advancement is another procedure used to treat sleep apnea. This procedure moves the lower jaw forward, away from the rest of facial bones, which allows more room behind the soft palate and reduces any obstruction.

If these treatments fail to relieve your sleep apnea, a tracheostomy can be performed. A tracheostomy is when a tube is inserted into your throat to allow breathing. The tube is covered during the day while you are awake and then opened at night while you sleep.

If you have have sleep apnea, call 212-509-4585 to schedule an appointment in New York, NY. For more information about the doctor and his services, visit www.maidenlanedental.com.  

Intraoral Camera at Maiden Lane Dental

Dental technology has greatly improved the diagnosis of dental issues over the years, making early treatment of decay, infection and disease possible. With advancements such as intraoral cameras, dentists can view patients’ teeth more easily and more accurately. This helps them diagnose dental issues earlier and treat them with less invasive methods. At our office in New York, NY, our patients’ oral health is important to us, so we use intraoral cameras and other top-of-the-line technology to keep them smiling.

The intraoral camera is an effective tool for viewing patients’ teeth and mouth from different angles, allowing Dr. Lloyd Becker to see the mouth from a variety of angles—many of which weren’t even available as little as a couple years ago. The camera is connected to a monitor that lets the dentist see the structures of his patient’s teeth more closely and with better accuracy than traditional methods. 

These digital images also allow the patient and insurance companies to see what the doctor has seen, which lets you understand your oral health better and gain procedure acceptance from your insurance company more easily. In addition, by using digital intraoral cameras and digital X-rays instead of traditional dental X-rays, your dentist can limit your exposure to radiation.

To schedule an appointment at Maiden Lane Dental, call 212-509-4585. For more information, visit www.maidenlanedental.com.

Dr. Lloyd Becker Treats TMJ Disorders

TMJ is an abbreviation for temporomandibular joint, which is the joint that connects your mandible (lower jaw) to your skull at the temporal bone. While many call disorders associated with this joint, TMJ, those disorders are more appropriately called TMD (temporomandibular disorder), and TMD can have symptoms that range from teeth grinding and headaches to trouble chewing and pain when opening and closing your mouth. TMD is not only an annoying disorder; it is also a destructive one and can cause serious damage to your teeth if left untreated. At our office in New York, NY, Dr. Lloyd Becker can determine if you suffer from TMD and offer ways to treat the disorder.

The TMJ controls an assortment of jaw functions, including chewing, so if you’re chewing muscles or the joint itself is in pain, it is possible that you have TMD. TMD is often caused by stress, which leads to unconscious clenching and teeth grinding while awake and asleep. TMD’s symptoms include pain, trouble chewing, lock jaw, headaches or ear pain and a popping or clicking sound when opening your mouth. However, these symptoms may be indicative of other health problems as well, so it is important to see a medical professional for a diagnosis.

Grinding your teeth is an especially worrisome TMD-associated behavior since it can lead to further problems with your mouth. If your teeth grinding is left unaddressed, you will cause serious wear to the enamel of your teeth and expose the dentin, which will make your teeth more sensitive to heat and cold and more susceptible to decay. However, you can work with Dr. Becker to relieve symptoms with mouth guards or night guards.

If you think that you might be suffering from TMD or teeth grinding, schedule an appointment Maiden Lane Dental by calling 212-509-4585. For more information, visit www.maidenlanedental.com.

Invisalign in New York, NY

At Maiden Lane Dental, we offer Invisalign aligners so that you can straighten your teeth without committing to a mouth full of metal. Using a series of thin, clear, plastic aligners, Dr. Lloyd Becker can guide your teeth into a smile you will be proud to show off in New York, NY.  

While regular braces are still best for the most serious cases of teeth straightening, Invisalign is great for cases of mild to moderate spacing or crowding. For these cases, Invisalign provides teeth correction that bypasses the discomfort, soreness and restrictive diet that those who have traditional braces must face.

With a computer program that generates a series of aligners with small changes in each, Invisalign will allow you to straighten your teeth without anyone even knowing. Virtually invisible, the aligners are made of thin, comfortable plastic and are completely removable. Therefore, your teeth will not experience the same discoloration and plaque buildup that can normally occur with brackets and wire. In addition, you will be able to eat all the foods you like, such as popcorn, chips, pretzels, nuts, apples, carrots and corn.

If you think Invisalign might be the best option for achieving the smile you’ve been dreaming of, schedule an appointment at with Dr. Becker by calling 212-509-4585. For more information about the orthodontic treatment or the dentist’s other services, please visit www.maidenlanedental.com.

Gum Disease

Caring for your teeth is an essential part of maintaining good oral health, but your gums also play an important role, and proper care is crucial. Gum disease can be a serious detriment to both your oral health and overall wellness, and Dr. Lloyd Becker provides the type of regular periodontal care and checkups you need to maintain peak health and prevent periodontal issues.

With periodontal disease responsible for 75 percent of all adult tooth loss cases in the United States, it is critical to check for and treat periodontal issues when they first arise. Periodontal disease is an infection of the gums that starts when a build-up of plaque on your teeth hardens, creating a suitable environment for bacteria to collect and attack the surrounding gums. In its early stages, this gum disease is gingivitis, but if it is left untreated, it becomes periodontis, which can destroy your gum tissue and lead to tooth loss. Periodontis can even result in a loss of bone mass in your jawbone. Heart disease, diabetes and stroke have also been linked to poor periodontal health.

The state of your gums affects the health of your entire body, so come to our office in New York, NY to receive periodontal cleanings and treatment. It is easier to prevent gum disease or treat it early on than to reverse the effects of periodontis. Call 212-509-4585 to schedule an appointment at our practice. For more information about the dentist or Maiden Lane Dental, visit www.maidenlanedental.com. 

DIAGNOdent

Cavities can sometimes be difficult to diagnose, especially when they reside in the grooves and pits of molars, but technology has improved over the years to make detection of tooth decay easier than ever. While the traditional way to check for cavities involved looking for visual signs of decay, using dental X-rays and feeling for soft areas with a dental explorer, dentists can now use DIAGNOdent laser technology to detect even the smallest amount of decay, and at our practice in New York, NY, Dr. Lloyd Becker uses this technology to provide superior dental services to all our patients. 

Because the wide use of fluoride in recent years has hardened the outer layer of enamel on our teeth, cavities have become smaller and harder to diagnose, but the DIAGNOdent fluorescent laser provides a revolutionary way to detect decay. By using this laser, we can find decay that even dental X-rays and intraoral cameras at 30 times magnification can miss. The DIAGNOdent allows Dr. Becker to catch cavities at their earliest stages by reading what’s going on underneath the surface of teeth and detecting even the smallest amount of decay.

Early detection with the DIAGNOdent radically improves the quality of dental health care that our practice can provide because the technology allows us to preserve more of your tooth’s structure. When a cavity is caught early, it not only saves more of the tooth from decay; it also prevents the need for more radical dental treatments required for larger cavities.

At Maiden Lane Dental, we employs state-of-the-art technology to provide superior dental care to our patients. For the best diagnosis and treatment, schedule an appointment by calling 212-509-4585. For more information, visit www.maidenlanedental.com.

Night Guards

At our practice in New York, NY, we see many patients who suffer from bruxism, a condition marked by teeth grinding or excessive clenching. Some of these people grind their teeth or clench their jaw consciously throughout the day, but an even greater number do so at night while sleeping. Many of our patients who grind at night do not even realize that they do it until the results of the behavior give the condition away. If you grind your teeth, you will often experience damage to your enamel, as well as jaw pain, headaches and gum irritation. To protect your teeth, you must seek treatment, and Maiden Lane Dental, we find that night guards are the best way to prevent bruxism’s negative effects.

Similar to those worn by athletes, night guards provide a barrier between your top and bottom teeth when you sleep. By reducing wear to your teeth and making it harder for you to grind, your teeth will be healthier and you will feel better overall. We custom fit these night guards to make them as comfortable as possible. To fit you with a night guard, we will take an impression of your teeth to send to our dental lab for fabrication. Night guards created in a lab are very durable and can last for up to 10 years.

If you find yourself frequently waking up with headaches or pain in your jaw, it is very possible that you grind in your sleep. Often those who do not treat their bruxism end up with TMD, and they can even change the appearance of their face. To diagnose and treat your night grinding, call 212-509-4585 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Lloyd Becker. For more information, visit www.maidenlanedental.com. 

Root Canal

While the thought of having root canal therapy fills many patients with dread, the procedure is a necessary one for those whose teeth become infected in the nerves. If left untreated, infections can cause more than pain; they can turn into abscesses, which may lead to a loss of bone mass in the jaw. Treatment is imperative, and you can trust Dr. Lloyd Becker to relieve your pain at our office in New York, NY.

Although root canals may not sound pleasant to you, they are well worth it to stop your pain and improve your oral health. While there may be some soreness after the procedure, it is only temporary and is usually nothing that over-the-counter painkillers cannot take care of.

During a root canal, Dr. Becker will remove the infection by applying a local anesthetic to the area and drilling into the tooth to create an opening in the canal. Then he will remove the infected tissue and clean the area. Once the infection has been removed, your tooth will be filled with a sealant and then fitted with a crown to protect it from infection in the future. The crown also helps improve the appearance and strength of the tooth. After the procedure is completed and soreness subsides, you will once again be able to eat without experiencing pain and sensitivity to heat, cold and pressure.

If you’re in pain, you don’t need to suffer. Schedule an appointment at Maiden Lane Dental by calling 212-509-4585. For more information, visitwww.maidenlanedental.com.   

Digital X-Rays

We believe that early detection is the best way to treat our patients. With that being said, we have recently adopted digital X-ray technology into our practice. Digital radiography will better allow us to diagnose and treat patients the right way before it becomes a more serious issue.

 

Digital X-ray technology offers many benefits over traditional X-rays. The biggest difference is the amount of radiation it emits, about 90 percent less than traditional machines. While the radiation in traditional X-rays is not necessarily harmful, it’s never a good idea to expose someone to any type of radiation.

 

Another great benefit of digital radiography is the immediacy of it. You don’t have to wait for the image to develop anymore. Right after the image is taken it is immediately displayed on a bedside monitor. This greatly cuts down on patient chair-time. The instant imaging software is a great way for us to “Go Green” because there’s no harmful chemicals used to develop the images and the image itself is not printed so there is no waster there. The image is displayed on an environmentally friendly monitor that files it away with your personal records for future use without printing.

 

In many cases, digital X-rays are able to detect early stages of tooth decay where traditional X-rays would not. The image we get is far more detailed than other imaging software. Catching decay early can prevent cavities, gum disease and other periodontal issues. By getting to these symptoms earlier, our staff is better equipped to stop it now and even prevent it in the future. 

Veneers

If you think movie star smiles come from teeth whitening or straightening alone, you’d be wrong.  The real secret to a white, bright, flawless smile is porcelain veneers. At our Lower Manhattan dental practice, we utilize dental veneers to completely change your smile.  The results have added up to some dramatically beautified smiles.  Many of us would love a close-up-ready, celebrity smile, but how can you be sure if porcelain veneers are the right option for you?

 

Determining whether or not veneers are a sensible cosmetic option for you begins with understanding just what they are, which Dr. Lloyd Becker details during your first appointment.  Veneers are a thin ceramic shell that fits over the tooth and creates a new, customized smile surface. Each veneer is custom crafted according to an overall desired smile appearance.  We will take a mold of your teeth and have the veneers created at a third-party dental lab. Dr. Garrison uses this restorative treatment for patients who have significant tooth staining, cracked, gapped, misaligned or chipped teeth.

 

New York residents who visit the cosmetic and restorative dentistry practice are given comprehensive, one-on-one attention in determining which options are best for restoring and improving their smiles-- whether they’re seeking porcelain veneers or another one of Dr. Becker’s services.

Dental Implants

There are many options to fill the space left behind from a missing tooth. Dental implants are the only permanent solution available for replacing missing teeth. Implants are widely considered the modern-day solution to missing teeth as they provide an aesthetically pleasing, permanent answer to a serious problem. We provide dental implant procedures to help our patients restore their smile and fix their bite after implant surgery.

 

When you lose a tooth, it is important to act quickly to fill the space. Apart from the cosmetic issues, patients who have missing teeth will often suffer from compromised chewing efficiency and tooth drifting. The space left behind from a missing tooth causes the other teeth to drift into that space which can lead to misaligned teeth. When teeth become misaligned, they become more difficult to clean, leaving unreachable pockets in the teeth that will collect bacteria. This will almost certainly lead to periodontal issues that will eventually lead to additional tooth loss if left untreated.

 

Receiving a dental implant is a surgical procedure and patients are put under a general anesthetic. A dental surgeon will make an incision into the patients gum line where they will insert the implant. The implant will be secured into the jawbone where it will need to sit for three to six months so the bone can grow around it, this process is called osseointegration. After the surgery, patients will visit us to receive a crown over the implant. This is done so the patient’s teeth do not drift and they can eat normally. Once the implant is secured, Dr. Lloyd Becker will place an abutment on top of the exposed implant that will support a permanent crown.  Dental implants are the only completely permanent solution to missing teeth.

Oral Cancer Screenings

Oral cancer is a type of cancer that often goes unnoticed because it has very few signs and symptoms that patients notice. This is why the team at Maiden Lane Dental performs oral cancer screenings during each routine visit here in our New York, NY office.

 

Patients who use tobacco and drink alcohol regularly are at a greatly increased risk for oral cancer. While drinking and tobacco use are most often associated with oral cancer, there is a new demographic developing in the field, oral cancer is now being connected to human papillomavirus, also known as HPV. Oral cancer can appear anywhere in the oral cavity. It is most often found:

• On the lips
• On or under the tongue
• On the roof of the mouth
• Back of the throat
• The inside of the cheek

It is very important for everyone to have an oral cancer screening at least once a year, especially those who use tobacco or drink regularly. Dr. Lloyd Becker is able to incorporate oral cancer screenings into regular check-ups and cleanings. During this quick procedure, Dr. Becker will inspect your nose, mouth and throat. He will also examine the skin on the head and neck regions, feeling for lumps in the neck area as well.

 

The ability to detect oral cancer early is a great tool for Dr. Becker. He is able to identify and pinpoint the start of a potential problem much earlier in its evolution thanks to advances in modern technology. Individuals who have regular cleanings at least twice a year, are much more likely to have problems detected early as their oral condition is documented with each visit.