Who says dental school is all hard work? Not Olivia and Sophia Huszti, who are working their way through University of Detroit Mercy’s School of Dentistry. (The same place their parents met many years ago.) While dental school is truly a great deal of work in the classroom, there is also a lot of work outside the classroom. Upperclassmen take it upon themselves to meet members of the first-year class to offer friendship, support and some tips for handling the studying and the stress of dental school. In addition, many students participate in local chapters of national organized dental associations. Still, the sisters know there has to be a little time for fun. The photographs here are from a recent event the sisters threw to meet the new students and blow off a little steam watching the Detroit Lions. The event was a membership meeting of the Detroit Mercy chapter of the American Student Dental Association, “a national, student-run organization that protects and advances the rights, interests and welfare of dental students.” That’s according to the webpage on Detroit Mercy Dental’s website. The ASDA’s goal is to introduce students to organized dentistry in the hopes that they will be involved during their career. It provides services, information, education, representation and advocacy. The chapter has monthly meetings where members learn about issues that affect dentistry and organizes workers to staff the free dental clinic they partner on with St. Vincent de Paul as well as other events that serve the community and allow the students to hone their skills with patients.

Aside from twice-yearly checkups, the most common reason people make appointments with Huszti Dental Care is to address issues that make them uncomfortable with their smile. It could be uneven teeth, maybe discoloration or maybe you chipped a tooth and don’t like the way it looks. It's called cosmetic dentistry and our patients are surprised at the number of options they have to bring their smile to its fullest. And they are even more surprised at the low costs of many of them. And we should say they are relieved to learn nearly everything can be done in our Milford Road office. Take tooth contouring for instance. This is a procedure where a dentist takes a special tool and reshapes the tooth by removing some of the enamel. Why do this? Well maybe one of your teeth is larger, making for a non-symmetrical smile. Or maybe you have chipped a tooth and you would like to fix that. Some people have teeth that overlap near the bottom and that, too can be addressed through tooth contouring. It’s simple, painless and can be done in one appointment without any follow-up. Gum contouring is a similar procedure except that the dentist removes gum instead of enamel. This addresses what some people call a “gummy smile” and can fix an uneven gum line or an overgrowth of gums. This procedure is done by a periodontist — we have one right in our office — and will require local anesthesia to numb the area, and you may experience mild soreness, but it’s temporary and quickly goes away. One of our most popular cosmetic dentistry services is teeth whitening. Many patients come to us after an over-the-counter product to bleach their teeth yields an uneven or disappointing result. (Spoiler alert: They usually do!) Our products are better, quicker and last longer — provided you take care of your teeth. We also offer clear braces that realign your teeth quicker than traditional braces. Our patients say none of their friends and family notices their aligners, but they all notice the results! Lastly, porcelain veneers can cover broken, undersized or permanently discolored teeth to make them symmetrical and bright. So if something is bothering you about your smile, let us know next time you are in. Chances are we have a solution that will give you a more confident smile and leave you wondering why you didn’t take care of it before!