Laser eye surgery is a corrective treatment for people who need to wear glasses or contacts to correct their vision. Laser eye surgery is a permanent treatment that improves vision by changing the shape of the eye’s lens.

Inside the eye, right behind the pupil, is a small clear lens that lets light into the eye and focuses the light to create clear vision. When it is working properly the lens can bend and shift to change focus, much like turning the knob on a pair of binoculars to focus them.

If the lens isn’t working properly, it is like the knob on the binoculars is stuck in the wrong place, making everything a blur. Laser eye surgery uses a very precise laser to change the shape of the lens, and remove the blurriness. Unfortunately, the lens is still not working properly; someone who is both nearsighted and far sighted can use laser eye surgery to fix their lens so they can see far or near clearly, but not both.

Laser eye surgery is not perfect, it will not give most people 20/20 vision, and some people may still need to wear glasses for driving or similar activities. People with certain eye problem like macular degeneration can’t get laser eye surgery. Also, a person’s vision needs to stay the same for at least a year before they can get the surgery; if their vision is still changing they need to wait until it stops.

Most insurance plans consider laser eye surgery to be an optional procedure and will cover very little of the cost, if anything. This means laser eye surgery can be a very expensive operation for many people.

Anyone who is considering getting laser eye surgery should speak with their eye doctor about whether is it is an option and any potential problems or side effects.

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that affects the cells that produce melanin – the chemical that gives skin its color. Melanoma is one of the most dangerous types of skin cancer, because it can spread throughout the body and is difficult to treat.

Doctors divide the progression of melanoma into 4 stages, but for people who aren’t medically trained it is easier to think of melanoma as being either primary (only affecting the skin) and advanced (spread to other parts of the body).

Primary melanoma is usually surgically removed. Some doctors may recommend use of a medical cream if surgery will leave severe or prominent scarring on the face or other prominent part of the body, but not all doctors agree with this approach.

If the melanoma is small enough, the surgery will be all the treatment that is necessary. If it is larger, then a doctor may recommend other treatments such as chemotherapy as a precaution. Depending on how large the melanoma is, the doctor may also biopsy the nearby lymph nodes. The lymph nodes are usually the first place melanoma will spread to.

Once melanoma is established in the lymph nodes, or spread to other parts of the body it is advanced melanoma. When the melanoma has only spread to one other location, or is just in the local lymph nodes, doctors may choose to surgically remove the affected area. Sometimes this will catch the melanoma and prevent it from spreading further.

Most of the time, once melanoma spreads it is too late for surgery to be effective. Treatment for advanced melanoma varies, as chemotherapy is rarely effective. Immunotherapy may be tried, sometimes in combination with chemotherapy. Radiation therapy may shrink the tumor, which can reduce discomfort and symptoms. A person with advanced melanoma may benefit from joining a clinical trial studying new treatments that may be more effective.

Sometimes melanoma that has been surgically removed will return. This is called recurrent melanoma and is treated the same way as advanced melanoma. Unfortunately, because of how difficult it is to treat melanoma effectively, advanced and recurrent melanoma both have very poor prognosis.

Metastatic melanoma is medical speak for when melanoma skin cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer. It starts in the skin cells that produce melanin, the chemical that gives skin its color. If it isn’t caught early, it spreads through the skin to the lymph nodes. Once in the lymph nodes, it can spread throughout the body.

When melanoma first spreads to the lymph nodes it may be possible to surgically remove the affected lymph nodes to prevent it developing into full metastatic melanoma, but usually by the time it is found in the lymph nodes, it is to late to stop the spread.

Metastatic melanoma is very difficult to treat. It does not respond well to chemotherapy or radiation. Doctors are trying immunotherapy which seems to be at least partly effective. Unfortunately, immunotherapy has some severe side effects so that many patients cannot take high doses. Since the higher the dose, the more effective it is, people who cannot take high doses of immunotherapy will not get the full benefit of the treatment.

At this point, metastatic melanoma cannot be cured. Even the best available treatments will only act to prolong life. Due to how difficult the cancer is to treat, the prognosis is poor, with only 15% of people with metastatic melanoma surviving more than 5 years.

People who have metastatic melanoma may benefit from looking for clinical trials they can join. Clinical trials test new medications that are not yet generally available to see if they will treat the cancer. Sometimes these new medications will have dangerous side effects, or will not be effective. Anyone wanting to take part in a clinical trial should speak with their doctor about what trials may be available and how likely it is to help them.

What is Cosmetic Dentistry?

Cosmetic dentistry refers to any dental technique specifically designed to improve the look of a person’s teeth and smile. Many of the things done in cosmetic dentistry procedures are a normal part of dental work such as crowns, bridges and fillings. Others, such as veneers and whitening are more purely cosmetic.

How do I Find a Cosmetic Dentist?

Cosmetic dentistry isn’t a recognized dental specialty, so any dentist can perform cosmetic dental procedures and there is no special certification or training required. There are dentists who have built their practices on cosmetic dental procedures, and these may have more experience with purely cosmetic procedures.

A good start to finding a dentist for a cosmetic procedure is to find a local dentist you are comfortable. Ask him or her about cosmetic work they have done, and if they have before and after pictures of their work that you can see. Make sure they understand what you goal is and any specific needs you may have.

What if My Teeth are Damaged?

A skilled dentist can use crowns, bridges, implants and other techniques to repair damage to your teeth, while improving the way they look. A person with a number of problems may need to see the dentist for multiple visits over a series of weeks or months.

Will My Insurance Cover Cosmetic Dentistry?

Every insurance policy is different, but dental insurance tends to be pretty restrictive in the kind and number of procedures you can have done. If your regular dentist recommends a cosmetic procedure for medical reasons, you may be able to get partial coverage for the procedure.

Cosmetic dentistry isn’t for everyone, but for people who feel it is right for them, it can make a large difference in their appearance, and self-confidence. Anyone interested in cosmetic dental procedures should speak with their dentist about what their options.

Porcelain veneers are used to change the appearance and shape of teeth. They are also called porcelain laminate veneers.

When a person gets a porcelain veneer, the dentist will make a mold of their tooth, and send the mold out to be used to make the veneer. When the veneer is made, the dentist will remove about a millimeter of enamel on the tooth, and then cement the porcelain veneer to the tooth. The whole process takes around 3 visits.

Because of the enamel that is removed, porcelain veneers are permanent. They need to be replaced every 5-10 years. In between replacements they are taken care of with ordinary dental hygiene. The porcelain does not respond to tooth whitening procedures, so it is a good idea to get teeth whitened to the color you’d prefer before getting a veneer.

Porcelain veneers are generally considered a conservative approach to correcting the shape and appearance of teeth. The porcelain closely resembles real teeth, and the veneers are strong and unlike crowns, do not require major reshaping of the tooth.

Alternatives to veneers include crowns and bonding. Crowns are more expensive and involved, and are better for teeth with significant decay or other problems. Bonding is a minor procedure that makes mild changes to the shape of the teeth, and is good for fixing chips and filling in small gaps between teeth.

Veneers can also be made out of a resin, and each type has advantages and disadvantages. Resin veneers don’t need as much enamel removed, but are not as natural looking as porcelain veneers.

As a cosmetic procedure, veneers are rarely covered by dental insurance. Porcelain veneers are expensive, with the cost averaging around $900 per tooth. If you are considering porcelain veneers, speak with your dentist about how much they will cost, and whether they are a good option for you.