Ranging from the Mona Lisa's mysterious smile to Marilyn Monroe's classic red-lipstick smile, or cartoon characters such as Ursula's sinister smile from The Little Mermaid, smiles can mean many things in our society. What can we learn from a smile? Smiles may be naturally expressive and genuine, or faked and forced, perhaps even miserable. A smile does not necessarily mean we're feeling happy. People will sometimes laugh as a response to shock,...

Our Question: We've been seeing videos and tutorials EVERYWHERE about charcoal toothpaste and similar charcoal products...is charcoal powder actually safe for our teeth? What We Found: Theoretically, the activated charcoal binds to stains, tartar, and bacteria, removing them when you rinse your mouth, thus making your teeth whiter. But, it might also bind to necessary bacteria in our mouths needed for digestion. Dr. Peter Auster, the founder/president of the Empire State Academy of...

The Academy of General Dentistry “Several studies, during the past five years, have proven bleaching to be safe and effective”. With teeth whitening trays, people may experience some tooth sensitivity and gum irritation, which disappears once you stop using the product or by decreasing the amount of time you bleach your teeth, and people have had similar experience with teeth whitening strips as well. To combat the sensitivity, we recommend that...