I had a lot of fun making this short welcome message video! (But not sure if I should quit my day job and move to Hollywood just yet...) Have a look at it on the welcome page of my new website here: http://www.drrichardromano.com/
Everyone deals with life’s pressures differently. You might know people who have high blood pressure due to the stress in their lives, and others who suffer from blinding headaches or painful ulcers. Perhaps you or someone you know grinds their teeth. As with some of the other problems mentioned, stress causes almost all teeth grinding issues.
How can you tell if you have a problem with teeth grinding? Sometimes people find out that they’re grinding their teeth when a sleeping partner mentions it. Others find out from their dentists, who notice damage or excessive wear on teeth. If you grind your teeth a lot, then you might notice that they hurt, and if you allow the problem to continue, you’ll notice that your teeth become damaged.
Fortunately, there are several ways to stop teeth grinding. Taking a multi-pronged approach addresses the cause of this involuntary but destructive problem while helping to protect your teeth from worse damage.
Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive therapy will help you take stock of your life and determine the source of your problem. While this approach takes some time, it is likely to benefit you by helping you to identify the worst stressors in your environment, and to give you some healthy ways to cope with them. Once you’ve identified stress factors, you can take concrete steps to eliminate them. As stress decreases, your teeth grinding behavior is likely to diminish.
Behavioral therapists can teach you how to be attentive to your feelings as each day progresses, and to specifically relax your jaw and mouth whenever you feel stressed, angry, or anxious. The better your response to stress during your waking hours, the less likely you will be to clench your jaws and grind your teeth at night.
In behavioral therapy, the main goal is to retrain your brain and your body to stop of the teeth grinding habit. Just as your problem took time to show up in your life, though, it will take some time to form new neural pathways inside your brain. Be patient and don’t expect results to happen overnight. Working consistently with your therapist, following his or her instructions, and paying very close attention to the way your body feels will help you make important changes to the way your body reacts to stress and tension.
Mouth Guards
Whether you are using behavioral therapy or another method to stop teeth grinding, it’s a very good idea to provide yourself with some protection while treating your teeth to instant relief from the ongoing discomfort that teeth grinding causes. MouthGuardsForTeethGrinding.com is an excellent source for a variety of different guards that can be worn to alleviate the effects of teeth grinding.
Protective mouth guards are made from plastic or acrylic, and are designed to provide a comfortable fit. They are primarily worn at night while you’re sleeping, since this is when most teeth grinding occurs. Although a mouth guard won’t prevent your body from going through the motions of grinding your teeth, it will cushion and protect teeth from forceful grinding.
If you decide to wear a mouth guard, you’ll notice a big difference in the way your teeth feel as long as you remember to put the guard in place each evening after brushing and taking care of other nighttime routines.
Hypnosis, Meditation, and Affirmations
Hypnosis might sound like a strange way to stop teeth grinding, but it works very well for some people. You might be wondering what makes hypnosis such an effective tool. Here’s how it works: While you are asleep, your subconscious mind is wide awake, and it controls everything that happens. Right now, if you’re grinding your teeth at night, your subconscious is directing your body to do so. The good news is that you can easily reprogram your mind so that it stops telling your jaws to move as a response to stress.
Some individuals seek help from a professional hypnotherapist, while others use online resources that offer audio hypnosis programs that are specifically designed to promote relaxation, help you deal with stress in a healthful way, and stop grinding your teeth while you are asleep. Either way, it can be a good idea to use daily affirmations and meditation along with the hypnosis. Both of these techniques can help strengthen the messages that your mind receives.
Most people find that hypnotherapy, meditation, and affirmations help, but they do take some time to work.
Massage Therapy
Besides working on your stress level, cushioning your teeth, and working on your subconscious, you can obtain relief from discomfort via bodywork or massage therapy. One example is craniosacral therapy, which focuses on the way you move and breathe. This technique can ease pain and help you relax so that you grind your teeth less or stop altogether.
Whichever of these methods you decide to try, be sure that you protect your teeth while you’re waiting for stress-relieving measures to take effect. Meanwhile, keep in mind that the greater your efforts, the sooner you are likely to find relief.
Heart stone: Bay Ridgite Elaine Ng finds an uplifting rock in a planter.
Talk about hard news!
Bay Ridgites are painting rocks with vibrant patterns and kind messages, and scattering the stones across the nabe for others to stumble upon. The whole thing started out as two local women’s quirky hobby, but they say the trend has now gone viral amongst residents looking to spread some good vibes in these tumultuous times.
“People are looking for a way to reach out to their neighbors, and, in the current political climate, there are plenty who want to remind those around them that even though we might not be the same, we’re close and small things can make a big difference,” said Rana Abu-Sbaih, who launched the effort with pal Amie Jo Pappas.
Inspired by rock-painting groups that have popped up across the country, Abu-Sbaih in January busted out her own craggy collection from lakes, rivers, and creeks she has visited over the years and began painting the stones with her friends and family.
Word quickly spread beyond Abu-Sbaih and Pappas’s circle of friends, and the pair created the “Bay Ridge Rocks!” Facebook group so other locals could get in on the action.
The page now has nearly 200 members, and hundreds of smooth-stone paintings pepper the Ridge with faces, rainbows, and slogans such as “You rock” and “Rock on.” Each is tagged with instructions urging the finder to share a snap on social media, and collect or re-hide their discovery.
Plenty of local kids have taken up the hobby, and Abu-Sbaih said it’s great to see youngsters tearing their eyes away from screens and getting some fresh air.
“People are putting their phone in their pocket — I think it opens up a lot in their lives,” she said. “It’s getting people outside, getting people to be creative, and getting people to brighten up someone’s day.”
Now, Bay Ridge Rocks is coming out of the underground and making appearances at community events. At the Children’s Choral and Arts Festival of Peace, held at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd on Feb. 11, Pappas and Abu-Sbaih set up a table with a veritable quarry of pebbles for tykes to decorate — and that was just one of many more events to come.
“The goal is to keep sharing this with others,” said Abu-Sbaih. “And in our community I think it’s really going to blow up because anyone can do it, whether you have a family or not. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Bay Ridge Rock’s next outing will take place at PS 102’s Art Gala (211 72nd St. between Third Avenue and Ridge Boulevard in Bay Ridge), March 9 at 1–8 pm. Free.
Reach reporter Caroline Spivack at cspivack@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260–2523. Follow her on Twitter @carolinespivack.
Place of birth and current city:
Brooklyn and Staten Island
Patient since: About 2007. “Dr. Romano does great work!”
Occupation: When we sat down to chat,
the camouflage print of the lining of his jacket peeked through, exposing
Michael’s military past. He led an exciting career in military communications
and intelligence, and currently works as a consultant for people who import and
export. This ranges from “nuts and bolts and
screws” to “200 million dollar aircraft.” This job has been equally exciting,
as it has allowed Michael to travel widely and meet an array of people,
including Margaret Thatcher, Jacques Cousteau, François Mitterand.
Hobbies: Work is his hobby! It's a good thing his job is so interesting,
and includes travel (sometimes as many as 50-60
flights in a year!) and attending events such as
airshows -- he even got to walk on a B-1 bomber!
Favorite Brooklyn restaurants: Ginos on 75th& 5th
Favorite decade: The
early 1960s when he was working on crypto-intelligence for the US military. “It was very interesting being a young man in the military traveling
the whole Far East.”
Childhood memory: “The first time I saw my wife, I was 14, she 13”
Person from history he'd most like to meet: Ronald Reagan
Here's a beautifully illustrated article from The Brooklyn Daily Eagle that we thought our patients would enjoy! Dr. Romano & Team
The Brooklyn Bridge is a tourist magnet even in February cold
By Lore Croghan
It's irresistible. Even when temps are in the 30s and the wind whips wildly over the East River, the Brooklyn Bridge draws crowds of visitors. Selfie-snappers from myriad nations and New Yorkers in need of a breath of fresh — and very cold — air all flock to the pedestrian walkway of the famed span, which was built by the Roeblings in the 19th century.
Brushing and flossing help control the plaque and bacteria that cause dental disease.
Brush your teethat least twice a day(especially before going to bed at night) with an ADA approved soft bristle brush and toothpaste.
Brush at a 45 degree angle to the gums, gently using a small, circular motion, ensuring that you always feel the bristles on the gums.
Brush the outer, inner, and biting surfaces of each tooth.
Use the tip of the brush head to clean the inside front teeth.
Brush your tongue to remove bacteria and freshen your breath.
Electric toothbrushes are also recommended. Simply place the bristles of the electric brush on your gums and teeth and allow the brush to do its job, several teeth at a time.
Daily flossing is the best way to clean between the teeth and under the gumline. It also disrupts plaque colonies from building up, preventing damage to the gums, teeth, and bone.
Take 12-16 inches (30-40cm) of dental floss and wrap it around your middle fingers, leaving about 2 inches (5cm) of floss between the hands.
Using your thumbs and forefingers to guide the floss, gently insert the floss between teeth using a sawing motion.
Curve the floss into a “C” shape around each tooth and under the gumline. Gently move the floss up and down, cleaning the side of each tooth.
Floss holders are recommended if you have difficulty using conventional floss.
It is important to rinse your mouth with water after brushing, and also after meals if you are unable to brush.
