Hema Patel, DDS

Going Swimming? Shield Your Teeth!

Summer isn’t much fun if you can’t take a few plunges into a swimming pool, but, as we all know, pool water can dry out our skin and hair. What most people don’t know is that it can also permanently stain and erode our teeth. One study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology back in 1986, concluded that, out of 747 competitive swimmers surveyed, 39 percent suffered from enamel erosion of their teeth. In a more recent paper, in May 2011, dentists from the...

Can a Baby Really Be Born With Teeth?

Last month, here in Fremont, the newborn son of a family friend surprised his parents by coming into the world with two perfectly normal front teeth in his lower jaw. If the child had been born several hundred years ago, he might have had something to worry about, because there were old wives’ tales regarding natal teeth, such as that a baby born with teeth would be selfish, or that such a baby was a vampire. Fortunately, we are enlightened enough not to to worry about the baby’s...

Ready, Set, Smile—It's Your Wedding Day!

I was having lunch recently with a good friend who is also a well-known wedding planner, and she was talking about one of the weddings she was planning. She said she would love to see her bride and groom have their teeth-whitened prior to the wedding. The conversation got me thinking about the smile menu...