Blog Archive
Perfect smiles are few and far between, yet everyone wants one. And who can blame us? Every day, images of celebrities bombard us, flashing perfect runway smiles. Whether we’re swiping through websites on our phones, flipping through magazines, or watching movies or our favorite TV shows, we can’t escape those...
You begin orthodontic treatment with a whole lot of anticipation. As the months tick by, and with some work and discipline on your part, the excitement level intensifies. You can’t wait to see the smile you’ve only imagined, the reward for all of your time and effort. Once it’s time...
If you count yourself among the more than 40% of adults who experience mouth pain each year, you’re all too aware that toothaches aren’t something you can easily dismiss. But are they actual dental emergencies? They can be, says Dr. Meriem Boukadoum at 54th Street Dental. Take a moment as...
Having a bright, beautiful smile has a way of making you feel like you can do anything. Think about the last time you visited the dentist for a professional cleaning. Chances are, all the way home you felt pretty good about yourself, and made some promises that this time you’d...
Healthy teeth and gums are often equal parts prevention and treatment. Unfortunately, regardless of how rigorous your at-home oral care routine is, accidents happen and cavities develop. In fact, a majority of people need to visit their dentist at least once for a filling.Like many restorative options, fillings have come...
If you count yourself among the 178 million Americans who are missing at least one tooth, or the 40 million who don’t have any at all, you’re all too familiar with how missing teeth can wreak havoc on your self-confidence, as well as make it nearly impossible to enjoy many...
In a perfect world, tooth extractions would be unnecessary. We would all be born with straight, properly aligned teeth, and we would never have accidents that cause mouth or jaw injuries. Instead, however, Americans make an estimated 2 million visits to hospital emergency rooms for dental pain each year. The...
When you look in a mirror, does your focus immediately go to those imperfections in your smile? For most people, the answer is yes, because very few people are born with flawless, perfectly aligned teeth. Fortunately, dental veneers can address a range of teeth imperfections, says our own Dr. Meriem...
Dental implants are an increasingly popular option for replacing missing teeth. That’s very good news for the 120 million Americans who are missing at least one tooth, or the 36 million who don’t have any teeth at all. It’s particularly great for patients who want to reclaim their oral health with a replacement option...
Think back on your childhood visits to the dentist, and chances are the first thing that pops into your head isn’t a prize you got to choose when you had a great checkup, but instead was the first time you needed a filling. Dental fillings are one of the most...
Dentistry is all about getting and maintaining a healthy smile and functional mouth. General dentistry procedures like checkups and professional cleanings as well as restorative treatments such as fillings and crowns all share the same underlying goal — preserving your oral health. While tooth extractions may seem counterintuitive to that goal, sometimes they’re the...
When you think of common noncommunicable diseases, you probably think of cancer, heart disease, stroke, or perhaps even diabetes. Perhaps surprisingly, then, the most common noncommunicable disease worldwide is actually dental decay or cavities. With so many different cultures in the far corners of the world, it may make you...
Tooth pain is a fairly common condition. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 40% of adults experience some sort of mouth pain annually. Many sufferers can chalk it up to a recent dental procedure, with the discomfort subsiding after a day or...
Perfectly aligned smiles are a thing of beauty. They’re also very rare. In fact, having bite issues, also known as malocclusions, is one of the most common dental problems. Did you know, however, that crooked or misaligned teeth aren’t simply a cosmetic concern? Misaligned teeth can wreak havoc on your...
Getting a tooth pulled is an experience that most of us will have in our lifetime. Surprisingly, perhaps, surgical tooth extractions top the list of most common surgical procedures in the United States. Wisdom teeth are notorious for extractions, particularly if they’re impacted or cause crowding issues that need to be resolved...
Did you ever notice that sometimes no matter how hard you try not to stare at things like gapped teeth, you do anyway? Now imagine being the person who is constantly being stared at. Not so great, huh? That scenario plays out time and time again for up to 25%...
It’s almost hard to believe, but not too long ago, replacing missing teeth either meant getting a dental bridge or dentures — and the choices were partial or full. Fortunately, those days are long gone. Not only have the treatment options multiplied, but also new materials are being used to...
Despite our best efforts with brushing and flossing as well as visiting the dentist for checkups, a vast majority of us will get a cavity sometime during our lifetime. In fact, about 90% of all Americans have experienced at least one cavity in a permanent tooth. In the past, getting a tooth...
Tooth extractions are so common they are practically a rite of passage. A whopping 85% of the general population undergoes wisdom teeth extractions in preparation for orthodontic treatment or because their teeth are impacted. Other patients need to have an extraction because their tooth is damaged beyond repair due to decay, trauma,...
You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t want beautiful, perfectly aligned teeth. After all, a dazzling smile opens doors and makes a great first — and second — impression. In our world of immediate gratification, we not only want something yesterday, but all of its benefits too, without any...
A beautiful, bright off-the-runway smile has a way of changing how you feel about yourself and the world around you. A dazzling smile is a definite confidence booster, making you feel like you can accomplish anything. But then life happens. What was once a flawlessly bright smile starts to dull...
Even if you’re the bravest of patients, hearing these two words — root canal — can strike fear in you, especially if you’ve never had one yourself but only heard the dramatic story that your BFF recounted at your last “friends night out.” A root canal is a fairly common...
The unfortunate truth is tooth extractions happen regardless of how vigilant you are with your at-home oral care routine. Sometimes tooth decay causes so much damage that the tooth can’t be saved. In other cases, gum disease causes irreparable damage to the foundation of the tooth and it needs to...
Have you ever flipped through a magazine and grew totally preoccupied with the beautiful white smiles the models were flashing? While you’re getting jealous over those perfect smiles, are you holding your hand in front of your mouth because you’re so self-conscious about that chipped tooth you got when you...
It never fails. Have you ever spent months planning that perfect family vacation only to have something happen at the last minute to throw everything off schedule — or threaten to cancel it altogether? Emergencies happen. It’s an inconvenient fact of life. Don’t dental emergencies always seem worse somehow? Questions...
Missing teeth are often fodder for standup comics or funny stories told around the kitchen table at family gatherings. But missing teeth aren’t all that rare. In fact, an estimated 178 million Americans are missing at least one tooth, and about 40 million Americans don’t have any teeth at all....
Think of wisdom teeth and extractions often come to mind as well. This should come as no surprise, because about 85% of us will have our wisdom teeth extracted at some point. Wisdom teeth extraction is so common that it has almost become a rite of passage for young adults....
While it’s generally accepted that there’s a connection between oral health and overall health, can a healthy, bright smile actually make you more confident and successful? Perhaps. In fact, a study by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry reported that 99.7% of adults believe that a smile is an important...
Practically from the moment we’re born, it seems someone is always trying to capture our image to document a moment in time. Think back to those corny “say cheese” pictures, when our family and friends tried to get everyone to smile just right. Although smiling for the camera has always...
For many Americans, childhood memories often include a long and awkward chapter on orthodontics. With all of the advances in dentistry, it’s hard to believe that in the not-so-distant past, fixing issues like crooked teeth meant just one thing — traditional metal braces, sometimes with added “head gear,” and always...
Just about everyone will experience an emergency situation at one time or another – whether a pipe bursts in your home during the winter or your car breaks down on the highway while you’re on vacation. It’s natural to feel helpless and anxious when you don’t have the ability to...
A bright, dazzling smile not only makes you want to smile back, but also seems to automatically connect positive characteristics to the person who flashes that awesome smile. The person smiling, whether they’re a stranger or a friend, seems confident and attractive. The superpowers of a smile don’t stop there....
For many people, an upcoming visit to the dentist’s office presents a whole host of negative thoughts and anxiety. Some patients have memories of a bad past experience with a toothache, or a procedure. Others may simply react to the sounds and sights of the dentist’s office – the high-pitched...
Missing teeth are often fodder for amusing stories about someone’s uncle or grandfather with bad-fitting dentures that slip or fall out. It’s all very funny until you end up needing a tooth extraction yourself, due to a trauma, severe gum disease, or tooth decay. Suddenly the topic of missing teeth...
The word enamel is probably not new to you. In fact, it’s a fairly familiar dental term that comes up frequently in commercials and advertising. You may have heard that once enamel is damaged it can’t be repaired. But what exactly is tooth enamel? Our own Meriem Boukadoum, DDS, at...
On average, American adults have 25 teeth, meaning they’ve lost seven of the full complement — 28 plus four wisdom teeth. Any time you have a tooth extraction, you run the risk of developing a minor but often painful complication called dry socket. This condition develops when the clot that...
Misaligned teeth can cause many oral health problems from cavities to jaw pain. At 54th Street Dental, Dr. Meriem Boukadoum has corrected malocclusion for countless patients with the popular Invisalign® system. She offers the following overview, explaining the importance of proper alignment. Why are some teeth crooked while others are...
Did you know you can have a cracked tooth but not know it? It’s true! You might think that a cracked tooth would be painful and obvious, but sometimes the pain comes and goes, and the crack is invisible. Dr. Meriem Boukadoum at 54th Street Dental wants you to enjoy...
It began with some discomfort on one side of your mouth. Then it hurt to chew. Now you’re wondering if you need a root canal or if your tooth needs to be pulled. While the thought of having a root canal isn’t exciting for most people, neither is the thought...
When it comes to taking care of your teeth, there is no replacement for great dental hygiene practices. Yet most people unknowingly make at least one mistake that could lead to tooth decay, gum disease, or even tooth loss. While Meriem Boukadoum, DDS of 54th Street Dental stands at the...
A cavity is a hole in your tooth. Though preventable, cavities are the most common chronic oral health condition in both children and adults in the United States, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Here at 54th Street Dental, we see a lot of cavities that...
While spending a couple hours getting a root canal probably isn’t your idea of fun, it may be the best chance you have at saving your tooth. Pulling teeth to “avoid the hassle” of getting a root canal can actually lead to more costly, complicated dental work in the long run....
As you age, your teeth can lose their natural brightness. Years of eating and drinking can stain your teeth and destroy their whiteness. Having your teeth whitened can significantly improve your smile. And once you have a brilliant smile, you want to keep it that way for as long as...
Invisalign® trays are the top choice for removable aligners worldwide because they work faster than other aligners to straighten teeth. They’re transparent and easy to clean, and they don’t come with bouts of pain each time you get a new tray to fit your moving teeth. However, because Invisalign trays...
There are many reasons you might need to have a tooth extracted. Decay, damage, injury, and even overcrowding are all common reasons to have a tooth pulled. And about 85% of us need to have our wisdom teeth extracted. At 54th Street Dental, we know that it’s not pleasant to...
Dental emergencies can feel terrifying. Will you lose your tooth? Will you need surgery? Will you be able to get to the dentist with enough time to solve the problem? In this blog, Meriem Boukadoum, DDS at 54th Street Dental discusses five common dental emergencies and what steps you should...
If you have missing teeth, you aren’t alone. About 120 million people in the U.S. are missing at least one tooth. At 54th Street Dental, Dr. Meriem Boukadoum has helped many patients feel more confident about their smile by using dental implants. Dental implants offer an exciting option for people...
When the color and condition of your teeth stop you from smiling, we can help you find a way to let your smile shine. At 54th Street Dental in New York, NY Dr. Meriem Boukadoum and her staff understand the embarrassment discolored and chipped teeth can cause, and we want...
There isn’t anyone who finds out they need a root canal and feels thrilled. Instead, you probably have lots of questions and maybe a little fear. But despite what you may have heard, root canals are similar to routine fillings, and we can do the procedure in just one or...
You’ve probably considered the cosmetic benefits of straighter teeth. After all, you know your smile would be more appealing if your teeth were straighter. But you may not realize that along with that cosmetic improvement, you’re likely to feel a boost in your self-confidence and improvement in your overall...
No one’s teeth stay a bright, pearly white forever, but you can regain much of that vibrancy. Everything from genetic factors to foods and beverages you consume can change the color of your teeth. Zoom!® teeth whitening treatment provides a powerful and effective way to find your way back to...
Does this sound usual? You get up in the morning and rapidly cover your mouth with your hand so your partner doesn’t get a whiff of your awful breath. Morning breath, halitosis — whatever you call it, it can be repulsive and it likely isn’t the way you need to...
If you’re suffering from mild to moderate smile flaws that detract from your appearance, our team of dentists may recommend dental veneers. These cosmetic restorations are designed specifically for you, made from thin shells of porcelain, that resemble the look and shape of a natural tooth. Each individual veneer will...
For most people, a dental veneer enhancement takes only two visits to our Midtown, New York office. Your first appointment begins with preparing your teeth for their new restorations and taking an impression for us to create your customized porcelain tooth covers. While your new veneers are being designed, a...
If the smile that greets you in the mirror makes you cringe, there’s an easy and quick solution, that doesn’t require years of orthodontics. Enjoy a Hollywood smile in as few as two visits, with custom-crafted porcelain veneers from 54th Street Dental. If you’re suffering from teeth that are… Crooked...