Dr. Lilya Horowitz | Source | General Dentist and Owner at Domino Dental

Lilya Horowitz, DDS and founder of Domino Dental, elaborates: "To place veneers of any kind you must be licensed to practice dentistry in your state. To obtain this license you must complete a four- year undergraduate program, as well as a three- or four-year accredited dental school program, which gives you a DDS or a DMD [Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry] degree. In some states like New York, you also need to complete one year of hospital training until your license is granted." Even with a DDS or DMD degree, it takes dentists years of additional practice to become truly skilled at veneers. "It’s like any other profession — you can go to school and get a license to practice law, build houses, cut hair or perform plastic surgery, but how good will you be right after graduation?" Dr. Horowitz says.

Doctor Lilya Horowitz, a dentist in Brooklyn, NY, explained that because carbonated water is a lot more acidic than regular water, overdoing it on seltzer can have harmful effects on your teeth. "Regular water is pretty alkaline, with a PH of around 7," she says. "A lot of seltzers are around a 3 or 4 PH, and if they're citrus-flavored, they can be even more acidic." That acidic quality can decay the protective enamel that coats your teeth, leaving them vulnerable to long-term damage and cavities. For patients who love seltzer water but suffer from enamel decay, Dr. Horowitz recommends substituting daily seltzer with flavored alkaline waters.

Choosing to straighten your teeth with the Invisalign system (or traditional braces) also benefits the longevity of your natural teeth, says Lilya Horowitz, D.D.S., a fellow in the Academy of General Dentistry and dentist at Domino Dental in Brooklyn, New York. Straight teeth are easier to clean and don’t develop as much plaque and bacteria buildup that can lead to gum disease and eventual tooth loss, she says.