Children lose their primary teeth by the time they are teenagers. Even so, these “baby teeth” serve a very important function in the development of permanent teeth. Without the aid of primary teeth, the permanent teeth would not come into proper alignment, requiring orthodontic treatment later. Therefore, proper care for primary teeth is essential for a child’s oral health.
In early childhood, primary teeth have immature enamel, making these teeth less resistant to cavities and decay. Therefore, caring for a child’s baby teeth should begin even before the teeth appear. Parents can help keep an infant’s mouth bacteria free by wiping the gums off with a clean, damp cloth every day. Once teeth appear, they should be gently brushed with an infant toothbrush after every feeding.
Dental appointments should begin early in childhood for proper fluoride cleanings and to monitor teeth for problems. If a cavity appears, it is important that it be caught early and treated, so that the tooth can be saved. To prevent and treat tooth decay in children, our dentist in North Hollywood provides services including sealants, fillings, crowns and root canals.
To protect the health of your child’s teeth today and for years to come, contact our pediatric dentist in North Hollywood today.
TMJ is an acronym for the Temporomandibular joint, which connects the jaw to the skull. Symptoms occur almost as though this joint, which functions as a kind of hinge, becomes rusty. Here is an incomplete list of those symptoms:
• Jaw pain
• Ear pain
• An audible clicking sound in the jaw
• Popping sounds in the ears
• Pain in the temples
The condition concurrent to these symptoms is TMD, or temporomandibular disorder. However, the terms TMJ and TMD are used interchangeably.
At their worst, TMJ symptoms require surgery and physical therapy. Some sufferers develop difficulty chewing or discover an abrupt change in the way upper and lower teeth fit together.
However, our expert in TMJ syndrome in Thousand Oaks has found that most cases of TMJ are highly treatable, and can even be dealt with at home. You can take muscle relaxants or aspirin, or apply heat or cold treatments to painful areas. You can also learn relaxation techniques or undergo counseling to address problem areas in your personal life. TMJ is notoriously brought on by too much stress.
For more about TMJ and how to treat it, contact our TMJ dentist.
Periodontal disease, more commonly known as gum disease, is an exceptionally common problem for adults. In fact, it is estimated that approximately half of all adults over the age of 30 suffer from some level of the disease. Its earliest stage is known as gingivitis, but it can easily advance into full blown periodontitis.
Our expert in periodontics in Orange County can rather easily diagnose the problem at a regular dental appointment. The symptoms are usually quite clear, including swollen and red gums, bleeding gums, bad breath, a receding gum line, pockets forming between the gums and the teeth, and more.
If gum disease has been identified, there are a number of things our OC dentists can do to eradicate the disease. The root cause of the disease is plaque. As a result, that is the first thing that must be removed. This includes removing it underneath the gum line in a treatment called scaling. If the gum disease had been present for some time, the teeth might be damaged below the gum line, too. This damage creates small grooves and crevices that bacteria are able to hide in. To address this, our dentist will perform a procedure called planing, where the tooth is smoothed out.
If you have receding gums, you may be wondering if dental veneers are a possible way of addressing this issue. While it may be possible to receive veneers with receding gums, it is almost always advisable to first take of the receding gums before getting the veneers placed.
As we age, it is natural to experience some level of gum recession. Extreme gum recession, though, may be a sign of gum disease. If you are only experiencing gingivitis, then this stage of gum disease is highly treatable and reversible. You may restore better health to your gums through more frequent dental cleanings and better oral hygiene. In some cases, a scaling and root planing procedure may be required. Once your gums are cleared up, then you will be a better candidate for veneers. If you are experiencing periodontitis, you will likely need to take more drastic measures to return your gums to a point where getting veneers will be possible. Replacing the soft tissue that you have lost through a gum graft surgery can be a good option that may better set you up for veneers.
If you already have veneers and your gums are receding, it is possible that the borders of the veneers may be starting to show. You may also benefit from a gum graft surgery in this scenario, but our Los Angeles dental veneers doctor may recommend replacing your veneers for the best results.
Since dental implants are typically made of titanium, they are generally very durable and highly bio-compatible. Still, it is possible for an emergency to happen involving your dental implants.
A severe blow to the face is an example of an event that can cause an implant to crack or fracture. Implants are stronger than they have ever been, but they are unfortunately not invincible. If the fracture happens in such a way that it impacts the living tissue that surrounds the implant, such as cutting into the bone or gums, you will need to visit our emergency dentist. It is also possible for an implant to fail because of a condition known as peri-implantitis. In some instances, an implant may need to be removed as a result.
Although it is rare, it is also possible for severe nerve damage to occur during the placement of the implant. This can happen with an inexperienced surgeon who places the implant incorrectly. There is also a risk with upper teeth of puncturing the sinus cavity. As a result, the sinus cavity can become infected or inflamed. An X-ray or a CT scan may need to be taken, followed by corrective surgery.
If you are having an implant-related emergency, contact our expert in emergency dental implants in Los Angeles as soon as possible.
Sleep apnea is a serious physical ailment that brings with it a host of negative consequences for your general health and your daily life. And while treatment is available from our Thousand Oaks sleep apnea expert, the first step is, of course, diagnosing the condition.
The first thing to do is to keep a sleep journal for a week or two prior to your appointment. Note how you slept, how you felt in the morning, and everything you can thing of as it pertains to your sleep.
The next step is to go into your appointment to discuss your symptoms with your sleep apnea expert. They will undoubtedly either give you an at-home diagnosis testing machine, or request that you go to a sleep center. While the sleep center will test for more things and provide more rigorous results, in most situations the at-home test is sufficient to determine the presence of the condition or not. It will monitor your breathing and your hard heart, among other things.
The information gleaned from a night or two of testing while you sleep will then be returned to our expert in sleep apnea test in Thousand Oaks. The data will indicate if you have the condition.
A full mouth reconstructionist dentist describes the type of specialist who rebuilds and restores all of the teeth in both the upper and lower jaws. Restorative dentists who specialize in procedures like crowns, bridges, and veneers can incorporate dental specialists like periodontists, oral surgeons, orthodontists, and endodontists.
Teeth that have undergone decay and trauma, injury or fracture, and/or severely worn from acid erosion and grinding are most needed. A stable bite, for instance, is important for overall oral health so that one may consider restorative plans with one’s dentist before beginning the procedure. Such treatments involve soft tissue and bone grafts, and one’s dentist will look for excessive bone density irregularities to prevent further issues from occurring.
The surgery involves quite a few steps depending on one’s needs. Cleaning and periodontal care for proper hygiene, crown lengthening to expose healthy crowns and bridges, jaw repositioning, placement of temporary restorations to become accustomed to new teeth and the feel of new bite alignment, braces in order to move teeth into an optimal position for reconstruction, implant placement and restoration to replace missing teeth and/or anchor bridge restoration, and grafting to enhance the stability of the proposed implants and restorations. These can be performed by a Beverly Hills full mouth reconstruction dentist.