Taking Care of Teeth After Root Canal

A root canal treatment removes diseased tissue from the inner canals of the tooth. After the treatment, our expert in endodontics in LA will explain the best way to take care of your treated tooth. Proper aftercare is important because it will promote healing and reduce the risk of complications.

You may have some lingering soreness and sensitivity. This is normal, since it can take some time for the inflammation to fully subside. You can use warm salt water rinses a few times a day to address pain and swelling. Pain medication can also be helpful for some patients.

Brushing and flossing will continue to be important. You need to remove the plaque from your teeth daily to prevent decay and reinfection, as well as to keep the rest of your mouth healthy. An antimicrobial mouthwash can also be beneficial.

Avoid any foods that are hard or particularly sticky, since these can damage a temporary restoration. If you grind your teeth at night, you will need to wear a night guard to reduce the risk of damage to your teeth. Schedule a follow-up appointment to have your permanent restoration completed. Call our root canal dentist in LA today to learn more.

Best Candidates for Zoom Whitening

Many patients are unaware that there are different kinds of teeth whitening. Our Los Angeles cosmetic dentists prefer Zoom whitening treatments, and find that our patients do, too. Our teeth can accrue stains fairly easily from what we eat and drink. Common stain-causing substances include pasta sauce, hard candies, berries, colas, and dark teas. If you have noticed that your teeth are darker or yellower than they once were, you may benefit from Zoom whitening.

Candidates for Zoom whitening include those who:

• Have extrinsic dental stains

• Are in otherwise great health, dentally, orally, and physically

• Do not suffer from extremely sensitive teeth, as whitening can worsen this issue

Our Zoom whitening dentist in Los Angeles will first clean the teeth before applying a special bleaching gel to the teeth. This gel is then activated with a laser light for fifteen minutes, activating its bleaching properties. This is repeated three times, lasting less than an hour all together. The gel is then cleaned away, and you are able to enjoy your newly bright smile immediately.

Patients are able to come back in for another round of Zoom whitening as many times as they please. Schedule your Zoom appointment today to see what it can do for your smile.

What Does Scaling and Root Planing Do?

Also known as deep cleaning, scaling and root planing is meant to curtail gum disease in its mild or middle stages. This control is accomplished by going into the gums and scraping away all the plaque and tartar that have collected there.

As nearly half of Americans are at some stage of gum disease, scaling and root planing is a necessary deterrent that our dentist in Van Nuys performs on a regular basis.

Past a certain point, you can no longer clean your teeth yourself, at least not in a way that removes the right materials.

To determine the stage of your gum disease, the dentist will do x-rays and a full-mouth exam. If the x-rays show bone loss, or if measurements find you have periodontal pockets deeper than 4 millimeters, you are a candidate for scaling and root planing.

Scaling is the scraping, or removal, part of the procedure. Planing involves smoothing any root structure that may be impacting with the gum.

Typically our expert in scaling and root planing in Van Nuys will do the deep clean one quadrant of the mouth at a time. It is important to treat only the sick areas, and not involve healthy tissue.

For more about scaling and root planing, contact someone from our group.

Common Problems with Dentures and Their Solutions

Whether you get partial dentures to replace a few missing teeth in the front, or full dentures to replace all of your teeth, not every prosthetic is perfect. Your smile may be smoother and your bite forces better balanced, but dentures can be tricky. Listen carefully to your dentists, as they can prep you for problems that may arise.

The most common issue with dentures is the fit, which you and the doctor should try to get right the first time. If you are getting immediate dentures—so called because they are placed right after substantial tooth loss—there may not be time to guarantee a perfect fit. The ADA recommends conventional dentures when possible, as these involve careful measurements of the mouth before placement.

A bad fit can make certain foods harder to chew, or cause whistling and clicking sounds when eating and talking, which can be embarrassing.  In older patients, even if the original fit was right, sizing trouble often occurs due to bone loss or shrinkage. At the first sign of this, you should contact your dentist for resizing or replacement.

Dentures get dirty fast. You should clean them as often as you would your original teeth, except with an ultrasonic cleaner instead of toothpaste. Unkempt dentures will cause odors and irritation in the mouth. You can minimize this risk by not sleeping with your dentures, and soaking them overnight in a solution.

Facts about Root Canal Treatments

Root canal treatments are necessary when decay has reached the center of a tooth (where the pulp, nerves, and blood vessels reside) and causes an infection. This is usually very painful, and is often considered a dental emergency. It can be helpful to know some important facts about root canal therapy in case you ever suffer from an infection.

The fact that is probably the most important to know is that root canal treatment does not hurt. Often you hear people state that they would rather have a root canal than do something. The idea that this procedure is painful is a common misconception. In fact, it is done in order to eliminate pain.

It can also be helpful to know how the procedure is done. The process begins with our root canal dentist in Agoura Hills drilling in to the tooth in order to access the center. They will then remove any decay and infected pulp. Once the area is clear, they will fill it with a specially filling called “gutta percha”. The process is completed with the placement of a restoration, usually a filling or crown.

If you have any more questions about root canal treatments, contact our dentists today.

Are Dental Implants Right for Me?

Dental implants are the most advanced way to replace lost teeth. An implant is an artificial root that is inserted into the jawbone. Once it has been implanted, the bone grows around the implant, securing it into the jaw so that it can be topped with a crown. If multiple teeth are missing, several implants can be used to support a bridge or denture. Our dentist in Huntington Beach can help you decide if dental implants are right for you.

You might be a candidate for dental implants if you:

•    Are missing one or more teeth
•    Want a natural-looking restoration that does not rely on healthy teeth for support
•    Prefer a restoration that is as stable as your own teeth
•    Want a replacement that can be brushed and flossed like a natural tooth
•    Want a permanent restoration

Although dental implants can take longer to place, they can last a lifetime if they are taken care of as recommended. Proper brushing, flossing, and regular dental checkups are critical to the success of your dental implants. Call us to find out more about having a lost tooth replaced with an implant or to schedule your consultation with our expert in dental implants in Huntington Beach.

How Effective is Invisalign in Aligning the Teeth?

Invisalign can treat a variety of dental cases, including crossbite, overbite, and excessively gapped or crowded teeth. Since most patients want to see what they get beforehand, most providers keep smile galleries, with before and after Invisalign pictures. This comparison is still the best way to personalize the effectiveness of Invisalign, as you can easily find a case resembling your own.

Invisalign uses a push mechanism to straighten the teeth. Plastic aligners, or trays, exert this force over a series of interlocking exchanges, during which you trade out your aligners for a new set every two weeks. If you wear the aligners as instructed— twenty hours a day in most cases—you essentially qualify for the next set, or next stage of your treatment.

During treatment, you can eat and drink whatever you want. The lifestyle interference you expect from traditional braces is minimal with Invisalign. As long as you commit to the program, which includes regular brushing and flossing and making sure your trays stay clean, the program will work for you.
The finishing touch of Invisalign is the retainer, which prevents slippage in the months after treatment.

Ask your Los Angeles Invisalign provider if this treatment is the most effective choice for you.

Importance of Orthodontic Treatments at an Early Age

Experts advise parents to bring their children in for an orthodontic evaluation around the age of seven. This is right around when they start losing their “baby teeth”. This may seem like too early of an age to be thinking of this kind of thing, but it is actually the perfect time.

The truth is, it is never too early to start saving for orthodontics if they are to be needed. One of our orthodontists in Rocklin should be able to tell you at this time if braces will be necessary in the future, based on how the new teeth are growing in and if the patient has any dental-related bad habits, such as habitual thumb sucking. The patient will not likely need to begin treatment right away. It is vital for all of the permanent teeth to come in first.

If necessary, treatment will likely begin during the early teenage years. This has proven to be the best time for straightening the teeth and correcting the bite. All of the permanent teeth have come in, but the jaw is still developing, making it easier to be adjusted as needed.

Waiting for an older age before getting orthodontic treatment can make the process longer and more complicated. Early orthodontic treatments are the best way to create a perfect smile.

Is Snap On Smile Cost Covered by Insurance?

Snap On Smile is a comfortable, modern accessory that fixes any smile, no matter the state. You place a simple prosthetic over your cosmetically flawed teeth for the illusion of a perfect smile.  You can keep it on while you eat, and take it off when you feel like it.

However, because your teeth are still the same under the prosthetic, Snap On Smile is considered a cosmetic procedure. It does nothing to fix your bad bite or crooked teeth, except to hide them from view. The price of Snap On Smile can vary depending on where you live, but as a cosmetic procedure, it is not likely to qualify for insurance coverage.

Most dental insurance providers prefer to concentrate either on preventive care, such as cleanings and fillings, or dental emergencies, like root canal therapy and broken tooth repair. Cosmetic dentistry, which includes things like teeth whitening and dental bonding, usually goes unfunded because of its elective nature.
If you are interested in Snap On Smile and expect insurance to cover it, you should have a talk with your provider to find out just how much coverage you get. Certain indemnity plans cover cosmetic dentistry, but most people do not have these.

For more, contact your Snap On Smile dentist in Los Angeles.

Finding TMJ Relief

TMJ, or temporomandibular joint disorder, can cause pain and discomfort in many areas, including the jaw, face, head, ear, neck, and shoulders. It can also cause lock jaw, difficulty eating, and popping or grating sensations in the joint. This pain and discomfort can also fluctuate, meaning it disappears at times only to come back in full force. Fortunately, there are several methods used by experts, including our Thousand Oaks TMJ dentist, that can lessen or even eliminate these symptoms.

The first form of treatment is usually stress relief, relaxation techniques, and stretching. TMJ can be caused by the grinding of the teeth, which typically occurs during times of stress. Eliminating sources of stress and relaxing can reduce this reaction, and therefore eliminate TMJ. Stretching the muscles in the jaw and neck can also loosen tension.

Grinding the teeth is also something that happens at night for many people, whether they are stressed or not. This is called bruxism, and can fortunately be treated easily. Our Thousand Oaks TMJ dentist can prescribe a mouth guard or splint to wear and night that prevents your teeth from even coming in contact.

Other common forms of TMJ relief include physical therapy, acupuncture, and anti-inflammatory medications. In certain cases, surgery may be necessary.

Gummy Smile Reduction Techniques

An estimated seven percent of men and fourteen percent of women have gummy
smiles. Of course, not everyone agrees on what constitutes “excessive
gingival exposure”, as is the proper term. Orthodontists consider two
millimeters of exposure to be “gummy”. Patients think three millimeters is
acceptable, and general dentists go as high as four millimeters.

Because of this dissonance, and because fixing a gummy smile is mostly a
cosmetic task, gummy smile reduction overlaps with several well-known
plastic surgery methods. These include:

• Botox—injections to the upper lip can reduce gingival
exposure, although Botox is temporary and must be repeated.

• Lip fillers like Restylane and Juvederm—these are also
temporary but use biosynthetic, hypoallergenic materials that minimize side
effects and have more longevity.

• Lip repositioning surgery—more drastic by far, this
irreversible procedure cuts the muscles that lift the upper lip.

For the more dental-minded, the following procedures are suggested by our
expert in gummy smile reduction in Van Nuys:

• Crown lengthening, which works well if the gummy smile is due
to shorter teeth.

• Orthodontics, which can address erupted or crowded teeth that
may be causing gingival display.

• Orthognathic surgery, an extreme event that repositions the
jaw. Laser surgery is also available.

If you worry about your smile being too gummy, contact our dentist in VanNuys.

Losing Multiple Teeth

It is surprising to learn that seventy percent of Americans between the ages of thirty-five and forty-four are currently missing one or more of their teeth. Missing even just one tooth is very dangerous to an individual’s dental and oral health. A gap in the smile can result in the teeth shifting in to the space, creating orthodontic problems. Missing teeth can also lead to degeneration in the jaw bone, which can significantly alter the structure of the face. Patients have several options for replacing multiple teeth. The following is information about these options.

Dental Implants

Tooth implants are the restorations preferred by both experts and patients alike. Multiple teeth implants not only restore the look and functionality of the smile, but reverse the effects on oral health that the missing teeth have caused.

Dental bridges

A bridge may be the most efficient way to replace several adjacent missing teeth. The two teeth on either side of the gap are topped with crowns. These crowns are attached to pontics, or artificial teeth. Though not quite as stable as implants, bridges can restore the smile effectively and without surgery.

Dentures/Partial dentures

Possibly the easiest option are partial dentures. These attach to the gums using a suction method, meaning no surgery or treatment is needed. Dentures are removable, which allows for flexibility, but have been known to slip when eating or talking.

How is Sleep Apnea Usually Treated?

Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that affects millions of Americans of all ages. If not treated, it can significantly increase your risk of health problems ranging from depression and weight gain to diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Our dentists offer treatments for sleep apnea to improve breathing during sleep and to alleviate daytime symptoms.

Common sleep apnea treatments include:

1. Sleep apnea mouthpieces
Mouthpieces are custom-fit appliances that fit in the mouth like a mouth guard or orthodontic appliance. They are approved as a first-line treatment for mild-to-moderate sleep apnea and can be used in those with more severe sleep apnea who cannot tolerate other treatments.

2. Sleep apnea machines
Machines that use air pressure to maintain an open airway are a first-line treatment for severe sleep apnea and can be used in those with mild-to-moderate sleep apnea, as well. These machines are attached to a mask that covers the nose, or the nose and mouth, and must be worn regularly to ensure success.

3. Lifestyle changes
Lifestyle changes are typically focused on an individual’s specific risk factors and can be used in conjunction with other therapies that provide immediate relief.

Call us to find out more or to schedule an appointment with our expert in sleep apnea in Los Angeles.