The Smile Experience

Can stress damage your teeth?

Stress can show up in your mouth through clenching, grinding, cracked teeth, enamel wear, jaw discomfort and other changes that your dentist may be among the first to notice.

In this episode of The Smile Experience, we discuss the connection between stress, oral health and overall health. We explore why treating a damaged tooth is only part of the equation, why identifying the underlying cause matters, and how lifestyle can affect your teeth and smile. 

We also look at stress-related dental changes in children and teenagers.

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction
00:23 – One patient’s transformation
03:00 – The connection between stress and oral health
03:40 – Clenching, fractures, tooth wear and erosion
05:39 – Meditation and lifestyle changes
06:20 – Early intervention and the bigger health picture
07:10 – Recognizing the signs of stress
07:45 – Broken teeth and stress after COVID
08:20 – Why health conversations matter
09:25 – Age-appropriate tooth wear
10:09 – Stress and medications in younger patients
11:17 – Grinding, sports and protecting teeth
13:00 – Night guards and everyday clenching
13:51 – Protecting your health and your teeth

Children can experience snoring, sleep-disordered breathing, and even sleep apnea. These issues can affect far more than just sleep.

In this episode of The Smile Experience, Dr. David Fiorillo and pediatric dentist Dr. Sarah Filstrup discuss pediatric airway health and how breathing patterns can influence a child’s sleep, oral health, facial growth, and overall development.

They explore why nasal breathing matters, signs parents should watch for, and why recognizing potential airway concerns early can make an important difference as a child grows.

Topics include:
• Snoring and sleep apnea in children
• Mouth breathing vs. nasal breathing
• How breathing patterns can affect facial and jaw development
• Signs of disrupted breathing and sleep
• Allergies, enlarged tonsils, and other potential airway concerns
• Tongue ties and oral development
• Pacifier use and its effect on developing teeth and jaws
• Palatal expansion and early orthodontic intervention
• When to talk with a pediatric dentist, pediatrician, orthodontist, or ENT

Because so much craniofacial growth occurs during childhood, early identification can provide an opportunity to support healthier growth and development before certain patterns become established into adulthood.If your child snores, sleeps restlessly, frequently breathes through their mouth, or shows other signs that concern you, this episode explains what to look for and where to start.

Inhale, exhale. How you breathe affects how you sleep. And how you sleep affects how you perform. Your mouth and teeth tell us so much about how you're breathing, often before you notice a problem.

In this episode of The Smile Experience, Drs. Fiorillo & Filstrup explain why your airway is the gatekeeper of your sleep and ultimately the foundation of your health. As dentists, they're often the first to see the signs of a breathing problem.

In this episode:

• Why sleep has overtaken diet and exercise as the most important pillar of health
• Nose breathing vs mouth breathing, and why your nose filters, warms, and conditions air in ways your mouth can't
• The nitric oxide effect: how nasal breathing helps deliver oxygen throughout your body
• Dr. Fiorillo's own story: jaw surgery, a deviated septum repair, and the breath of air he'll never forget
• What mouth breathing does to your saliva, teeth, and gums
• Snoring, restlessness, and grinding as red flags for sleep apnea, and how your dentist can quarterback a referral to an ENT or sleep specialist
• Oral appliances vs CPAP: what helps at each level of apnea severity
• Kids and airway: enlarged tonsils, ADHD-like behavior, and the patient story that changed one child's life
• Simple tools and practices: nose strips, mouth taping, and teaching kids lip-closed nose breathing

Plus, a preview of the next episode, where they'll dig into pediatric airway, growth, and development.

Dental Insurance: In-network, out-of-network, fee for service. What does all this mean?

In this episode of The Smile Experience, Dr. David Fiorillo and Dr. Sara Filstrup break down dental insurance in simple terms and tell you what you need to know. If you've ever been told a dentist "doesn't take your insurance," this episode will change how you hear that phrase.

In this episode:

• What in-network and out-of-network actually mean
• Why out-of-network doesn't mean your insurance can't be used
• How insurance can shape the care you receive
• Why annual maximums haven't changed in decades
• How to decide what's right for you

Have a topic you'd like us to cover? Leave a comment below.

Half the population doesn’t go to the dentist regularly. Why?

In this episode, Dr. David Fiorillo and Dr. Sarah Filstrup explore the fears and misconceptions that hold patients back from optimal oral health and confidence, and explain how modern dentistry has evolved to be more comfortable, personalized, and empowering.

In the premiere episode of The Smile Experience, Dr. David Fiorillo and Dr. Sarah Filstrup introduce the heart behind their work and the vision for this podcast. As a married couple and longtime dental partners in the Boston area, they share the perspective that guides their approach to patient care, health, and confidence.

This is the beginning of real conversations about modern dentistry, wellness, and the power of a smile, far beyond what you might expect.