A few years ago, media website She Knows published an article about the link between a healthy smile and high self-esteem. At the end of the article, readers were offered a simple survey. It only had one question, “Are you happy with your smile?”

Over 1,400 readers answered, and the results might surprise you. If you’re unhappy with your crooked teeth, yellow teeth, or deep overbite, then you aren’t alone. Seventy percent of the survey’s respondents are not happy with their smile.

Recently lost one of your back teeth? A molar? You may not feel that there’s any reason to replace the tooth, since the gap isn’t noticeable to anyone except your dentist. You would be wrong.

Your teeth never stop moving. If you lose a molar, that creates an open space in your mouth – a space that neighboring teeth will eventually move to fill.  This movement can change the shape of your bite; change the way you chew, speak and breathe; result in misalignment, clenching, grinding, crooked smile, jaw pain and a host of other problems.

That’s where a space maintainer comes in (or goes in, actually).

Space maintainers are oral appliances that help maintain the lost tooth space between your teeth. Typical treatment involves your dentist placing a bracket around one tooth. The bracket has bars which extend across the lost-tooth gap and rest against the next tooth. The bars keep the teeth from moving toward one another. Sound simple? It is.

If you’ve recently lost a tooth, ask your dentist about a space maintainer -- and whether it’s a good idea for you. 

A child’s mouth is also much different than that of an adult. Your pediatric patients require special consideration and care when it comes to oral appliances. Competence and success in the manufacture of adult oral appliances doesn’t guarantee the same when it comes to pediatric appliances.

And that means that you need to take special care in the selection of your pediatric dental lab supplies.

SML (Space Maintainers Laboratories) specializes in the high quality, prime selection and reliable service you’re looking for. 

Visit us at: 
CDA - Booth #1234
AAPD - Booth #401
AADSM - Booth #205

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released data from a national survey of sleep habits across the United States. What they found wasn’t surprising. Over a third of Americans reported that they regularly got less than seven hours of sleep a night. This despite the fact that lack of sleep has been connected to a multitude of serious health issues, including exhaustion, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

Secrets of Successful
Sleep Dentistry

A FREE WEBINAR featuring one of the worlds leading authorities on sleep dentistry...

Dr. Jonathan Greenburg

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 5:30 pm PST  

If you have sleep apnea, you may have already tried CPAP therapy. If you couldn’t adapt to wearing the mask, the next step is to usually a custom dental sleep appliance. Worn at night, these appliances are engineered to promote oxygen flow and uninterrupted sleep by maintaining an open airway.

If you have Medicare, chances are the cost of your appliance is at least partially covered. The category of “Medicare approved sleep appliances” includes most of the major oral appliances on the market today. Not every dentist is aware of this – and it may fall upon you to keep them informed. Your dentist will need to provide Medicare with the required records -- and a written appliance prescription from a doctor.

Speak with your dentist today about Medicare approved sleep appliances. You can also visit www.Medicare.gov to learn more about your coverage options. 

Dentistry is all about problem solving. Your patient comes in with a concern or complaint. You choose from multiple available options to find the best solution possible. Such is the case when you examine a young patient in need of a crown. You have a variety of crowns to choose from: stainless steel crown; pediatric strip crown made from composite; polycarbonate crown; resin veneer crown; zirconia ceramic crown. Crowns and crowns and crowns…so which is your best option?

When determining the best crown for the job, you’ll need to consider the advantages and disadvantages of each option. Factors like durability, aesthetics, adaptability (not to mention parent preference and budget) are all to be weighed. A pediatric strip crown made of composite offers good aesthetic restoration, but is also susceptible to fracture. Ideal for incisors, it is perhaps not the best option for mashing, grinding back teeth. SML can help.

SML dental labs can help you make the right choice and supply your practice with the custom pediatric crown to best fit your patient’s need.

SMLGlobal offers a series of webinars about integrating dental appliances into your dental practice.  

Periodontists, more than most dental practitioners, need to partner with dental labs they trust. Periodontists engage in a wide range of surgical and cosmetic dental procedures that often require custom manufactured implants and appliances that fit perfectly into the patient’s mouth.

Are you a periodontist who has had trouble receiving high quality appliances from your dental lab? Maybe they’ve made mistakes in manufacturing to your specs or been slow to ship materials (forcing your patient to wait longer than necessary for a needed procedure).

Don’t work with sub-par dental labs. No need to settle for poor fitting or low quality dental appliances and implants. At SML (Space Maintainers Laboratories), we have built a network of high quality dental labs throughout the country that can cater to the special needs of periodontists.

We’ll make the appliances and implants you need --quickly and correctly -- so you can offer your patients a bright new smile!