One of the most notable health benefits of Invisalign® is that it allows for much easier and more consistent dental hygiene over the treatment period. Braces are notorious for trapping food between brackets and wires, and they can be difficult to clean. Meanwhile, the clear plastic teeth aligners used in Invisalign® can be removed whenever you need to eat, brush, or floss, helping you avoid built-up plaque and gum disease.

Apart from simplifying oral hygiene, having straight teeth is a health benefit unto itself. When your teeth and jaws come together properly, your teeth will be in less danger of becoming prematurely worn, and you will find it more comfortable to speak and chew. Bite-related problems like headaches and teeth-grinding also tend to diminish with proper alignment. Not to mention, it is easier to remove food debris and plaque from straight teeth and tight-fitting gums.

If you are interested in taking advantage of Invisalign®’s many benefits, please contact our experienced Invisalign® dentist Dr. Howard Perlmutter today to schedule an initial consultation. Dumont Cosmetic Dental serves patients in the Dumont, Bergenfield, Paramus, and Haworth areas of New Jersey.

Teeth can be stained by several different substances, including coffee, tea, wine, and nicotine. Professional teeth whitening – such as the BriteSmile® and Rembrandt® in-office treatments we provide – can eliminate the vast majority of these teeth stains, but there is always the chance that stains can return in the future. To prevent this from happening, you can take a few different steps:

• Floss – The plaque that accumulates between your teeth and at your gum line is like a magnet for teeth stains. Regular flossing will help you fight these stains.
• Quit smoking – This may be easier said than done, but nicotine can cause a lot of damage to an otherwise beautiful smile.
• Use a straw when possible – Drinking cola, iced tea, and darker fruit juices through a straw will reduce the amount of exposure your teeth have to these staining beverages.
• Don’t sip coffee too long – Finishing your coffee in one or two sittings is far less detrimental to your teeth than sipping it throughout the day. If you can, brush your teeth after drinking coffee.

If you have further questions about teeth stains, please contact our experienced Bergen County teeth whitening team at Dumont Cosmetic Dental today. Dr. Howard Perlmutter serves patients throughout the Dumont, Bergenfield, Paramus, and Haworth areas of New Jersey.

• Regular teeth cleanings
• Regular exams
• Dental fillings
• Children’s dentistry

We also offer endodontic services to treat problems arising inside your teeth, as well as periodontics to maintain the health of your gums, jawbone and other tooth-supporting structures.

Visiting the dentist every six months for a teeth cleaning prevents the buildup of plaque, a sticky substance that forms on your teeth when bacteria begin to colonize on the enamel. Plaque can lead to tooth decay and periodontal disease, and it has also been linked to heart disease.

During a dental exam, Dr. Howard Perlmutter can spot early signs of decay, inflammation, and other dental problems. Dental problems are often much easier to treat in the early stages. Progressed decay and infection may require more extensive procedures.

If you are searching for a general dentist in Dumont, New Jersey, please contact experienced general and cosmetic dentist Dr. Howard Perlmutter at Dumont Cosmetic Dental to schedule a consultation.

At Dumont Cosmetic Dental, Dr. Howard Perlmutter offers two sedation dentistry options to patients:

• Oral sedation
• Nitrous oxide

Oral sedation involves taking a pill prior to your dental procedure or treatment. The pill will place you in a semi-conscious state, but you will be able to hear and respond to Dr. Perlmutter and his team. You must arrange for someone to drive you home after this type of sedation dentistry.

Nitrous oxide is a gas administered through a mask prior to and during your procedure. You may know this form of sedation as “laughing gas.” The effects of nitrous oxide wear off quickly, and you do not necessarily need to arrange for someone to drive you home after this type of sedation.

An experienced sedation dentist, Dr. Perlmutter is licensed by the state of New Jersey to provide Enteral Conscious Sedation (which means orally administered sedation), and he is a member of the Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation.

To find out if sedation dentistry in Dumont, New Jersey, is right for you, please contact the experienced sedation dentist Dr. Howard Perlmutter at Dumont Cosmetic Dental to schedule an appointment.

• Apples, carrots, and other crunchy fruits and vegetables
• Bagels, pretzels and hard rolls
• Pizza
• Corn chips or other crunchy snacks
• Nuts
• Meat on the bone, such as chicken wings or ribs
• Corn on the cob
• Hard candy
• Hard cookies

Now, I don’t know about you, but if you take away my ginger snaps, hot wings, and pizza, you’ve taken most of the joy out of eating. And when you add to that list apples, carrots, and celery, you’ve also removed most of the healthy snacks I enjoy. This makes braces a major sacrifice for a year or more.

Invisalign®, on the other hand, allows you to get orthodontic treatment without giving up the foods you love. You simply remove your aligners before you eat and enjoy anything you want. Of course, you should still avoid nonfoods such as ice, pens, and pencils, but otherwise you are free to enjoy your standard diet.

The tradeoff is that you have to brush your teeth before putting your aligners back on. Every time you eat, you must brush. This is not only good for your oral hygiene, but gives you great incentive to cut down on snacking between meals, which can improve your waistline as well.

To learn more about this and other benefits of Invisalign® orthodontic treatment, please contact Dr. Howard Perlmutter, cosmetic dentist, serving patients throughout Bergen County, NJ.

A dental bridge typically involves three units: two crowns anchored on teeth adjacent to the gap that support the middle false tooth. Sometimes, though, bridges are constructed to be supported by dental implants. Bridges have a number of advantages:

• Can be used when you do not have enough jawbone to support an implant
• Are firmly anchored to your existing teeth so they won’t slip like removable dentures
• Are long-lasting restorations
• Are efficient restorations if teeth adjacent to the gap would benefit from crowns

Most bridges are only recommended for a single missing tooth. To replace more missing teeth, you may need a combination of a dental bridge and dental implants.

To be a good candidate for a dental bridge, you must either have teeth in a good enough condition to support your bridge or you must be a candidate for dental implants to support the bridge. When properly cared for, a dental bridge is expected to last 10-15 years.

To learn more about dental bridges, please contact Dr. Howard Perlmutter, helping patients across Bergen County, NJ.

Sports drinks can also adversely impact your dental health by staining and weakening your teeth.

A recent study by the New York University College of Dentistry found that all of the leading sports drinks weakened the enamel of teeth and softened dentin. In addition, Gatorade and Powerade proved to have a significant staining effect on teeth.

This means that people who consume sports drinks before, during and after a workout may not only be dehydrating themselves, but also putting their teeth at risk.

While limiting dark-colored sports drinks and other beverages such as coffee, wine, tea and sodas can reduce the damage to your teeth and keep premature staining to a minimum, the truth is it’s difficult to impossible to avoid every type of food and drink that can adversely affect your teeth. If your teeth have become discolored due to the natural aging process and/or the cumulative effects of stain-causing drinks and food, there are a number of teeth whitening options available.

At Dumont Cosmetic Dental, Bergen County, New Jersey, dentist Dr. Howard L. Perlmutter offers in-office teeth whitening as well as professional-strength take-home teeth whitening treatments.

If you would like to learn more about your teeth whitening options, please contact Dumont Cosmetic Dental to schedule your consultation with New Jersey cosmetic dentist Dr. Howard L. Perlmutter. We proudly serve patients in the Dumont, Bergenfield, Paramus, Haworth and Bergen County, New Jersey, areas.

The first step in dental implant placement is determining whether you are a candidate for the procedure. This includes evaluating your gum and jaw bone health. If you have periodontal disease, that will have to be evaluated prior to placing the implant. If you have low bone density of inadequate bone volume to support an implant, you may need a bone graft before you are able to receive your dental implant.

Once you are cleared as a dental implant candidate, you will have surgery to receive the implant. The surgery does not take long, and it can often be performed during the same procedure as a dental extraction. The implant is placed into the jaw bone.

Depending on which tooth is being replaced and the condition of your mouth, you may be eligible for immediate placement of crowns, which allows you to get your implant procedure completed the same day. Otherwise, you may have to wait until the implant is incorporated into the jaw bone before completing the procedure. It may take 3-6 months for your dental implant to incorporate into your jaw, at which point it can be topped with an aesthetic dental crown.

Once completed, your dental implant requires no special care to maintain. Simply brush, floss, and make regular dental appointments.

To learn more about the dental implant placement procedure, please contact Dr. Howard Perlmutter in Bergen County, NJ for a consultation.

• Have sufficient bone and bone density to support the implant
• Not have any unresolved infections, including advanced gum disease
• Have good general health including bone and circulatory health that will allow your bone to heal around the dental implant
• Be a nonsmoker or prepared to quit smoking for the surgery and recovery

If you meet these characteristics, then you are an ideal candidate for dental implants. The best way to determine if you are a candidate for dental implants is to schedule a consultation with a dentist. You can also receive help if you may need a bone graft or periodontal treatment to improve your candidacy for dental implants.

To learn whether you are a candidate for dental implants, please contact Bergen County cosmetic dentist Dr. Howard Perlmutter today.

All too often, people avoid the dentist. The reasons for this avoidance vary but generally are oriented toward a dislike or phobia of the dentist’s office and dental procedures. Reasons patients seek sedation dentistry include:

• Past traumatic dental experience
• Sensitivity to the sounds, sights and smells of the dentist’s office
• Neck, back and shoulder pain caused by sitting in the dentist’s chair
• Sensitivity is not adequately numbed with local and topical anesthetics
• Feelings of anxiety caused by time spent sitting still in the dentist’s chair

If you do not see the dentist every 6 months for a teeth cleaning, or if you go to your cleanings but cancel follow-up procedures, you may benefit from sedation dentistry. Sedation comes in the form of pills that you will take once you arrive at the dentist’s office.

If you live in the areas of Bergenfield, Dumont or Haworth, New Jersey, and are interested in sedation dentistry, please contact experienced sedation dentist Dr. Howard Perlmutter to schedule a consultation.