One of the great guilty pleasures of watching the Emmy Awards is playing “Joan Rivers” and critiquing the fashion sense of the stars and celebrity wannabes as they trot down the red carpet. This year’s show did not disappoint. Did you see Lauren Graham’s dress? Yikes!

Most of us sitting at home focus on the obvious … designer dresses, hair and makeup, inexplicably strange plus-ones (Is that old guy her dad or her date?). Not cosmetic dentist to the stars Catrise Austin. She officially rates the best and worst smiles on the red carpet.

It was a great year for smiles in Dr. Austin’s opinion. One of the most “radiant smiles” seen at this year’s Emmys was that of Sofia Vergara, star of Modern Family and winner of “best female celebrity smile.” The award for “best male celebrity smile” went to Glee’s Mathew Morrison. Other praiseworthy smiles belong to CSI Miami’s Eva LaRue and True Blood’s Stephen Moyer.

Dr. Austin isn’t shy about naming names when it comes to the worst smiles.

"John Lithgow’s teeth desperately need straightening.” Dr. Austin told the website WENN. “I recommend either porcelain veneers that could cosmetically align his teeth in just a week or clear removable braces that could straighten his smile in approximately one year. He also needs a boost of teeth whitening to brighten his dull yellow smile.”

Dr. Austin notes that even Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks would benefit from cosmetic dentistry. “Christina is a beautiful girl, but you’ll notice that she rarely smiles in her pictures on the red carpet perhaps because her smile is far from perfect.” Ouch!        

Considering how much effort goes into making celebs look great for their brief moment in the Emmys spotlight, you have to believe their time and money might be better spent on regular dental visits.

I will always remember my first job out of college. With a steady paycheck and my own insurance benefits, it was the first time I felt truly on my own. My first dental insurance was an HMO, which usually means you choose among a list of participating providers. But in this case, my dental insurance chose a dentist for me.

Now I’m not knocking HMO’s but the dentist I went to was not one I would have chosen on my own. She was located in a run down building on the other side of town. With its peeling paint and out-of-date furniture, the office looked, well, unclean.

My other concern was there wasn’t an ounce of dental technology in the office. No CEREC® or Waterlase® – not even an intraoral camera! And if I wanted laser teeth whitening, I’d have to go elsewhere.

I have to admit that as a dentist, she was professional. And although the office looked dingy, it did meet the sterilization requirements set by the Centers for Disease Control and American Dental Association, including an autoclave to sterilize her instruments. She also met the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) safety guidelines by washing her hands and wearing gloves. 

Regardless, I switched to a PPO dental plan so I could choose an out-of-network dentist. I needed a comfortable environment, sedation dentistry and advanced dental technology to help relieve my dental anxiety. And considering the only tooth filling material available in my HMO dental office was amalgam, I had to go elsewhere to get the composite resin fillings I wanted.

One can only assume why she didn’t keep up her office. Regardless of a dentist’s skills, it can be a real turnoff when an office doesn’t look clean. And unfortunately, there are some dental offices out there that just aren’t. That’s why we verify that all of our dentists agree to meet OSHA’s safety standards before allowing them to become members.

If you have concerns about your dentist’s sterilization methods, discuss your concerns with them. If you’re not comfortable speaking with your dentist, contact your state dental association. They may be able to tell you whether your dentist is taking the proper safety precautions. Or call us to find a dentist who does!

Somebody snarkily asked me the other day why he should bother using 1-800-DENTIST® to find a dentist. And honestly, I kind of wanted to smack him.

Of course it didn’t help that this dude really knows how to push my buttons. I guess some people have way too much time on their hands. So if you’re wondering, I’m going to give you the same answer I gave him.

I could write some entertaining fluff about why 1-800-DENTIST is the best way to find a dentist and how our service works, but you already know all of that. You’ve already heard about how our dentists go through a screening process and that we’re the leading dental referral service in the nation.

That’s not the reason I would encourage you to use our free service to find a dentist.

This is: We genuinely care about your dental health. I work with a community of “true believers,” people who are dedicated to spreading the word about the importance of professional dental care. Seriously.

I know it sounds cheesy, but if you look at the statistics, our nation’s dental health is in a sorry state. Sometimes I think people just don’t get it or even care if they end up with missing teeth. The fact of the matter is that your oral health is part of your overall health, and you need to take care of your smile or your body may suffer.

So unless you want to risk developing diabetes, heart disease or a stroke, you might want to schedule that dental checkup you’ve been putting off.

So why would I encourage you to use our service to find a dentist? Because I actually care about your health. I want you to have the best dentistry has to offer so you can look and feel your best.

Oh and by the way, the look on the guy’s face was priceless. You know, it really does make everything we do here worthwhile.

Working at 1-800-DENTIST®, I am often asked to recommend electric toothbrushes and other dental products. But a friend recently complimented me on my smile and asked for some dental care tips. I was flattered to be giving out advice. Looking back at how I’ve ended up with such amazing oral hygiene habits took me back a bit …

My oral hygiene routine stems from a couple of incredibly mean parents who made sure I brushed and flossed properly on a daily basis. They literally stood there like they had nothing better to do while I begrudgingly brushed my teeth. All of them. For like, two whole minutes, which felt like forever.

And they totally used fear tactics to get me to brush. Of course I was always hearing things like, “Good boys and girls brush their teeth every day.” And knowing you had to be good to get a yearly visit from Santa, I obliged.

If you’re interested, I’m still in therapy.

Now that I work at 1-800-DENTIST (talk about karma), good oral hygiene has become even more important. Of course, there’s still A LOT of guilt there.

Can you imagine sitting at your cubicle when Fred Joyal, the face of our national TV commercials, walks by? Do I really want to be the only one who looks like I just don’t care? Instead of the fear of Santa, it’s now because of the fear of Fred that I take extra special care of my smile.

For my friend, it’s the fear of massive dental problems that got his attention. Of course, discussing bad oral habits eventually lead to a discussion of the painful – and expensive - problems one inevitably faces when they don’t take care of their smile, including cavities, gum disease, root canals and missing teeth.

I was pretty proud of myself when my friend told me that my dental care tips actually got him to change his oral hygiene habits. Guess I can look forward to that visit from Santa this year! Fred would be proud.