The Cosmetic Dental Industry is a multi Billion dollar Industry and demand for Cosmetic Dental Procedures such as Teeth Whitening, Composite or Tooth-colored Fillings, Porcelain Veneers, Lumineers and Orthodontic options such as Invisalign is at an all time high and growing. People from all cultures, backgrounds, and heritages now seek these services, are ready to pay huge sums of their discretionary incomes each month to beautify themselves and to boost their Self Image. Why is that?

Studies show that when a person feels good about himself/herself, it triggers a series of emotions that play out into series of life events that can bring about Joy, Peace and lasting Happiness. Man as you know, is in a state of perpetual pursuit of Happiness as defined by his beliefs and environment.

Your Smile is one of the first things you notice about yourself in the mirror and what others notice first about you. An Attractive Healthy Smile has been shown to erase years off a person’s appearance, lead to better relationships, and has even been shown to increase Career and Personal Success. The American Dental Association (ADA) has reported an increase of 300%+ in the rate of teeth whitening by consumers in just the last few years alone.

White, Evenly shaped and Aligned Teeth, supported by Healthy Gums and housed within a Healthy Mouth devoid of pain, disease and odor-causing bacteria is the ultimate goal of every dental consumer and the market is saturated with a plethora of products and services to meet this high demand.
While most products and services can bring about instant gratification and feelings of well being, if it not coupled with some internal work such as an analysis of habits and belief systems and the proper understanding and alignment of thoughts and actions, these Cosmetic dental enhancements will only serve as a ‘band aid’ and its temporal nature will manifest. The old classic visual of a dog chasing after its own tail will be the result and no long-term gain or gratification will ensue.

Habits such as excessive intake of Sweets, Smoking, chewing Tobacco, excessive ingestion of Tea, Coffee, red and dark Wines, staining foods and drinks, Mouth Breathing, Use of Desiccating Mouth Rinses, Drugs necessitated by poor health, Grinding and Clenching, ineffective Brushing techniques, and infrequent visits to a Dentist will all negate any attempts to whiten and brighten your smile and have a healthy mouth.

Diet, Stress Management, and Lifestyle Analysis and Modification should play leading roles in every Smile Program and healthy daily habits coupled with frequent visits to your dentist and following through with health-enhancing treatment recommendations is vital protocol in the quest for a lasting Beautiful Smile.

Cosmetic Dentistry can be a Band-Aid, is never a Cure, and the process of acquiring A Permanent Beautiful Attractive Healthy Smile is a Life-long Journey. It is a Lifestyle and a valid ‘means to an end’ ......Happiness!!

Post your comments, and tune in to 'Smile Talk Radio" with Dr. Q at Blogspotradio.com/Smile-talk.
Alternatively, email your headshot photo for a digital  smilemakeover  to smilemakeover@matterofsmiles.com. Its Easy, its Fun, and its Free!

We must stop this Violence now before its too late!

What happened in Newton, Connecticut December 14, 2012 hit close to home, really close to home. I find myself mortified to a state of utter numbness, paralysis, heartbreak, to a depth I didn’t know existed within me. The silence has left me pondering why such a thing happened and, how such a thing could have happened.

With more details emerging about this unspeakable tragedy, it becomes obvious the core problem is a multi-faceted one, one that stems not only from our attitudes and laws surrounding guns, but also from the violent nature of the world we currently live in. There are countries at war around the world and atrocities of similar and even greater proportions occurring on a daily basis in many parts of our broken world. TV programming, videos, movies, technology games are charged with violent crimes and and deadly virtual games. 

This culture of violence is perpetrating every facet of our existence, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. This insidious violence is breaking down the fabric of the human specie, tearing apart our nations, our communities, our families, the very essence of who we are.

The complex faces of violence are greed, hatred, intolerance, bigotry, separatism, isolationism, brain dysfunction, mental illness and the list goes on and on and on.

Contempt breeds contempt, violence breeds violence and we are all sadly part of this vicious cycle whether we are conscious of it or not. We are either direct participants, enablers of participants, or enablers of violence by our very choice to not get involved.

I propose we all take a moment to set aside our guns (those with guns), our thoughts, words, actions, fears, and focus on LOVE.

Love is something that authors and poets have tried to define and explain for centuries.

Scientists have also recently started to investigate and understand this phenomenon called Love. There are many explanations, definitions, what its not and many differing viewpoints. What we know unequivocally, is that without this thing called love, we cannot, will not survive as a human specie.

There are those who argue that evil dwells amongst us and an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth is the way to go.This, my friends will lead to carnage and destruction and the end of the world. I say, love has the power to heal even the scum of the earth. If enough of us choose to love, we will achieve that critical mass necessary to automate healing on our broken earth. Love at critical mass will be more spectacular than a viral campaign on steroids. It is the only way to go. Love will lead ultimately to Peace on Earth.

Each day, close your eyes, take a deep breath, focus on love and allow loving thoughts, images, feelings come to you. If this is difficult, just speak the word Love repeatedly and imagine a blue hue of light surround and engulf you.

It only takes a minute. Imagine if every person on this earth took a minute out of their day to focus on Love and healing. It will be enough to begin to negate the effects of violence on our broken earth.  A baby step for each of us, a giant step for mankind.

Much love and healing to our brothers and sisters in Connecticut and to all our friends around the world.

Esi Quaidoo

Bellevue, WA

Coping in today's World

The advance of technology is progressing at a brisk and perhaps alarming pace, and we truly live in unprecedented times. ‘The butterfly effect’ , the metaphor which encapsulates the concept of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory in science, is more apparent, and more than ever before, we live in a global economy where literally what happens on one continent, country, region, community, family and to one person resonates in some way, and is felt by everyone across the globe in a very short period of time if not immediately.

There are wonderful aspects to the advancements that we enjoy today like the speed of communication, discoveries and applications in medicine and Quantum Physics, and the savings in time and money is mind boggling.

So why are we more than ever before, still plagued with the plethora of vices, diseases, war, economic meltdowns, divorce, discontent, and stress in our world and why does this seem to be getting out of hand instead of getting better as the positive progression and application of technology would suggest?

My personal view is that, while we have made enormous strides towards improving the physical aspect of things, either through innovation and application of technology, we have failed deplorably in integrating it in a manner that improves or supports the developments of our emotional, mental, and spiritual states at the same pace which consequently has created a huge deficit and imbalance in our wellness and states of being.

Our global culture and society is addicted to quick fixes like fad diets and drugs on a microscopic level and the superficial relief of symptoms and conditions like the use of force in the insane wars consuming our planet at the present time.

Despite our growth, development and sophistication, we have somehow failed to recognize the futility of such short-term measures or perhaps knowingly or unconsciously perpetuated these measures for economic gain and the control of unsuspecting masses. We, the unsuspecting masses have followed blindly, quietly giving up our power to reason, discern, and our innate ability to resolve, heal and restore.

Why are we spending billions of dollars in research and cures for cancer and spending billions more polluting our environment and creating the very conditions that weaken our immune systems and predispose us to disease? As a society, why do we engage in thoughts, beliefs and lifestyles that break down our moral fiber and promote violence, fear, and negative emotional states and stress?

Metaphorically, when we have a headache because of sleep deprivation, bad posture, bad nutrition or an imbalanced lifestyle, an aspirin can quickly relieve the symptoms, but if we do not tackle the root cause of the problem, the headache will recur and become a chronic condition. Your body soon builds up tolerance to the relief agent, requiring more of it for symptomatic relief. Side effects eventually manifest and soon you have multiple problems, which you then treat symptomatically, and the vicious unending cycle builds exponentially. Such is the state of affairs in our world today.

All physical problems in our bodies microscopically and in our world macroscopically have their root causes in the imbalance of our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual states!!

The first step in reversing this debilitating trend is to become aware of what is truly going on so that you can begin to discern the root causes of the problem.

There are a plethora of ways a person can break away from the ‘herd’ mentality that creates such behavior, beliefs, and attitudes, and begin to reclaim and activate their personal power and innate ability to heal and restore without the harmful use of drugs and physical force.

One such way is through the knowledge and practice of Reiki.

Reiki is a Universal Life force that is available to all of us, and can help us to heal and restore our bodies, minds, and spirits, as well as our planet.

For a free resource and to learn more about the power and benefits of Reiki, go to www.aquariansmileandlifemasterycenter.com/reiki or www.matterofsmiles.com/reiki

Your Smile Coach

Dr.Q

What is Success?

The famous American Poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson said it most eloquently, when he said .....

'Success is to laugh often and to laugh much: To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived'

Success is having the ability to smile, and smiling often to light up your corner of the world. So, starting today, increase your episodes of smiling and see how you feel and notice how the world smiles back at you.

Your Smile Coach,

Dr.Q

I watched the Movie 'Invictus' with my family on New Year's Eve featuring Morgan Freeman and other fine Actors. Invictus is the name of a Poem by William Ernest Henley. It goes like this:-

"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the Master of my fate:
I am the Captain of my soul."

This Movie will Inspire, Motivate, and uplift You!!
Make it a point to see it and witness the Power of the Human Spirit.

Esi Quaidoo (Your Smile Coach)

To Give is to Live Life to its fullest

“The seed for greatness and blissful happiness lies usually in absolute obscurity.
In the depths of our misery, discontent, unease, our very human condition, lies that genius which when discovered, cultivated, and nurtured with absolute faith, will unfold the magnificent, exquisite Divine Power, the highest manifestation and essence of who we are as human beings.
Embrace our circumstances we must, no matter what… we must resolve to uncover the elusive and dormant seed of knowledge, wisdom, grace, light …..Our Divine Birthright and True Greatness and nourish it relentlessly till fruition”

Esi Quaidoo



Giving of Ourselves, our Time, Talent, and Treasure is the Fastest and Surest Way to Discover and Live our True Essence and True Greatness.

Find out more about how you can join Dr. Q's Smile Movement by going to www.matterofsmiles.com