This is a question that patients frequently ask, and the reasons why are evident. No one is exactly eager to get a dental checkup, but no one wants to lose any teeth either. For many years, the general consensus among dentists was that all adults should go in for cleanings and screenings twice a year. Now, the issue is being revisited, and the recommendations are being adjusted to suit the needs of the individual.

First, it’s important to remember that prevention reduces tooth loss, period. However, the frequency of your preventative care should be tailored to meet your needs. In short, patients with a high risk for tooth loss need more than two dental checkups per year. Adults without those risk factors are usually okay visiting their dentist just once every 12 months.

Nearly half of all adults over age 30 in the U.S. have a form of chronic inflammatory gum disease. This condition is considered a major risk factor for future tooth loss. Other factors that may place you in the high risk category include smoking, diabetes, and certain genetic factors. Studies have shown that patients in this high risk group are five percent more likely to have a tooth extracted when they get one yearly checkup versus two. For patients in this category, additional checkups throughout the year can decrease the chances of future tooth loss even more.

Low risk patients saw no difference in future tooth loss when they visited the dentist once a year or twice. This has led many dentists to recommend that patients without periodontal disease only come in for checkups once a year. If you are in this category, you can breathe a sigh of relief.

The next time you come in for a screening and tooth cleaning, make sure to ask Dr. Zabolian about the health of your gums and whether or not you are at an elevated risk of future tooth loss. Knowing what category you fall into can help you schedule your future appointments, especially if you need more frequent visits to keep your teeth healthy well into the future.

What exactly is a root canal? A surprising number of people don’t know the answer to this question. Perhaps this is because so many people loathe going to the dentist or fear going and hearing the dreaded sentence of a root canal and consequently, avoid talking about it. The sad truth is that root canals are common. The good news though is that they are easily fixed and the process doesn’t have to be like pulling teeth.

First, a bit of anatomy. Underneath your tooth enamel and the part underneath that (called the dentin) is your pulp. It’s every bit unpleasant as it sounds, but the pulp is what causes you to need a root canal to begin with. This soft tissue contains all sorts of blood vessels, connective tissues, and nerves designed to help your tooth’s roots grow during your developmental years. Typically, as the tooth ages and settles in for a lifetime of chomping, the pulp dissipates and leaves the tooth nourishing to the tissues around it. You can probably see where this is going.

Once the pulp inside of your tooth becomes inflamed, irritated, or infected bad things begin to happen. You can experience pain, discomfort, decay, cracks—just about anything you’d rather not have happen to your only chewing tools. Thus, it’s time for a root canal. During this process, all of the bad and icky pulp gets cleaned up, or disinfected. Afterwards, a rubber-like seal is placed on the tooth. Finally, a crown or filling is placed on top, like a well-fitted hardhat for your tooth. It’s really pretty simple and not nearly as scary as people seem to think.

The American Association of Endodontists says having a root canal should be no more painful, or burdensome than having a routine filling. After one or two appointments, your teeth should be back to chewing like they did in no time. To better ease your mind, be sure to work with a trusted dentist who specializes in restorative procedures, such as root canals.

Very few people actually enjoy going to the dentist. While it’s true that having a good dentist makes life easier, it’s even better still to do all you can to make your visits to the doctor sparse and painless. The most effective way to minimize your time in the dental chair is to stay on top of your basic preventative oral care measures.

Brushing

No matter how many time you’ve heard about the importance of brushing, you will hear constant reminders throughout your life. The reason brushing is talked about incessantly is because it’s incredibly important and yet somehow, Americans fail on this issue every day. Consider some sad statistics provided by Crest and the American Dental Association. One in five Americans brush their teeth less than twice a day. That’s less than the minimum recommended amount. 43% of Americans don’t know when it’s time to change their tooth brush, which means almost half of the population is using an ill-dated brush every day. Brushing is not something that should be a chore. Simply use a soft brush, clean at an angle, be sure to work the gums, and take your time. It’s not a race.

Flossing

Flossing is even worse than brushing for Americans. Only half of Americans floss their teeth once or more a day while 10% say that they never floss at all. Admittedly, flossing is a bit more time consuming and painful than brushing. However, it is crucial that you get into an oral hygiene routine and make flossing a part of it. Getting into this healthy habit removes plaque and unseen bits of food particles. It also helps keep your gums healthy. Start with 18 inches of floss tightly wound around your fingers. Next, curve the floss around your tooth and pull back and forth being sure to work the areas around the gums as well. When you’re ready to move on to the next tooth be sure to use a clean part of the floss. Also, floss comes in several varieties and is typically made of either nylon or PTFE. Nylon uses multiple threads and may shred when used. PTFE is more expensive, but its mono-thread design allows for tough resistance and strength. Either one works just fine. It’s mostly an issue of using whatever you’re comfortable with.

Why Oral Hygiene is Important

You might think that perhaps the most you have on the line in regards to oral hygiene is bad breath, or food in your teeth. The sad reality is that poor dental care can lead to a host of series issues. Gum disease, for example, can escalate into oral cancer, diabetes, or leukemia. In fact, it’s been shown that almost 90% of all systemic diseases have signs in your mouth.

Taking your kids to the dentist can be, and should be, a very routine thing. What most kids are really afraid of is a particular paring of words that can equally send a shiver down the spine of adolescents and even adults: “you need braces.”

Regardless of the benefits of braces in correcting tooth alignment and enhancing the aesthetics of smiles, society has tended to depict braces as an article of the outcast. Teenagers are especially susceptible to terms like “brace-face” or “metal-mouth,” which is enough to discourage anyone—or even some adults—from correcting their teeth.

Fortunately, dental professionals have found alternative solutions to the stigma of wearing metal bracers: the product is called Invisalign.
The name alone says a lot about what Invisalign is meant to do; these are teeth aligners that are nearly imperceptible. The option should never be about whether or not you should align your teeth, but this new option of invisible braces of sorts is much more appealing to young patients as well as old.

Of course, the first thing to note about Invisalign is that it the more expensive option to traditional braces. However, the benefits of Invisalign go well beyond the aesthetic of aligning teeth without being called names. Invisalign creates tooth movement in a way that is smooth, comfortable, and is not irritating to the gums or cheeks. When you choose Invisalign, a series of custom aligners are made for you that you are supposed to switch out gradually—every two weeks or so—until your teeth are properly aligned.

One of the most appealing aspects of Invisalign is that even though you are required to wear your aligners about 22 hours a day, you can remove them when you eat, brush your teeth, or floss. This also means that you are not restricted from performing certain physical activities, like playing sports, due to fear of breaking a bracket or hurting your mouth with the metal from the aligners.

Of course, whether you’re considering Invisalign or traditional braces, it is always best to consult with your dental care specialist in order to go over the benefits of either procedure. The appeal of invisible aligners is appealing to most, especially when pictures and smiling are taken into consideration. With traditional braces you may experience the discomfort of wanting to smile but being too embarrassed to do so. With Invisalign that discomfort quickly disappears as you can smile with or without the aligners since they are nearly imperceptible.

Have you ever experienced sudden, excruciating pain in between the angle of the jaw and the upper part of the neck? Though taking pain medication can somehow provide relief, the pain goes back again and this time, it grows in intensity.

Normally, the wisdom tooth or the third molar is the last tooth to erupt within the mouth. Often happening in the late adolescent and early adulthood years, its name-wisdom tooth is  attributed to the fact that late adolescents and young adults are a lot wiser.

Supposedly, the wisdom tooth will occupy the last space of your oral cavity, almost near the hard palate. Sometimes, the tooth fails to erupt due to lack of space. This is where the problem begins as the tooth grows along the gum line that is already occupied by another tooth. This phenomenon can give you the worst kind of pain you’ve ever encountered in your life, which is also known as trigeminal neuralgia.

Causes of Impacted Wisdom Tooth

Impacted Wisdom Tooth is brought about by the tooth’s failure to erupt in a normal fashion. Here, the tooth can grow sideways or erupt from the gum or it can get trapped between the gum and the bone which causes a great amount of pain and discomfort.

Treatment of Impacted Wisdom Tooth

Dental extraction and dental surgeries are the recommended treatment for an impacted wisdom tooth. In this procedure, the dentist will remove the impacted tooth. The aim of the procedure is to remove the tooth causing pain and also to prevent the onset of infection that can be caused by the obstructed growth of the wisdom tooth.

No Ordinary Dental Extraction

Unlike the traditional dental extraction that can be done under an hour, extraction and surgery of the wisdom tooth is one challenging procedure. With the location of the impacted third molar, vital structures such as the pharynx, esophagus, trachea and heart can be damaged once the infection sets in. Therefore, the operation requires highly skilled dentists who underwent further studies in the field of oral surgery.

At Samaritan Dental Arts, we have an experienced cosmetic and general dentists and dental hygienists who can provide you the best management for your impacted wisdom tooth.

Should you have concerns if the procedure will be painful, yes there will be pain but we at Samaritan Dental Arts can keep the pain at a minimum. Depending on the severity of your case, you may undergo local or general anesthesia. In addition, post-operation medications and advice will be given to you to ensure a fast recovery.

Giving your kids an early start in dental care is an important step in teaching them healthy lifetime habits. The sooner they begin getting regular dental check-ups, the healthier their teeth will be as they grow up. Early check-ups can prevent dental problems, such as tooth decay and cavities. These dental problems can cause children so much pain, and maybe other medical issues. Children with healthy teeth have no problem chewing their food easily, speaking clearly, and smiling confidently.

It is advisable that every child should visit a dentist as soon as the first tooth appears so dentists can tell parents how to care for their children’s teeth and make them cavity-free.

There are dentists who specialize in children’s dental care and they are called pediatric dentists. Pediatric dentistry is for children and adolescents. One of the most important factors in pediatric dentistry is the establishment of an environment where the child feels comfortable. At Samaritan Dental Arts, the friendly staff is committed to make every child’s visit a positive experience.

Every pediatric dentist gives importance to the maintenance of the primary teeth and  preventing tooth decay. A child in pain due to poor oral health may have impaired school performance and may lead to poor social interaction.

The pediatric dentists at Samaritan Dental Arts are highly skilled dentists with a strong commitment to patients. They believe that by visiting the dentist early, you can head off potential problems before they happen. Early detection of oral disease can make treatment easier and avoids more invasive procedures later in life.

Pediatric dentistry includes preventive oral health by emphasizing the right way to brush and to floss, and instilling healthy dietary habits, such as proper nursing practices. Babies should never be allowed to fall asleep on the breast or bottle. If the primary or milk teeth are well maintained, it follows that good nutrition, speech development, and space for the eventual eruption of the permanent teeth proceeds smoothly.

It is important for parents to realize that the formative years of the children’s smile may be affected by his earlier visits to dentists. Finding a pediatric dentist does not only stop on his ability to do check-ups, cleaning, and other dental services. A good pediatric dentist has to have the skills to work with both nervous kids and their parents. It is very easy for an inexperienced dentist to make a child’s first visit traumatic.

A visit to Samaritan Dental Arts is going to be a positive and pleasant one for any child because the dentist and the staff go out of their way to make the child feel at home and cared for. To calm the kid on the dentist chair, toys and fun activities may do the trick. 

For teenagers, pediatric dentists shift their focus to recognize the importance of appearance and self-image on top of dealing with other dental issues, such as wisdom teeth, oral piercing, and aesthetic restorations. Samaritan Dental Arts addresses all dental questions that parents have for the dental health and care of their young and adolescent children. They are just a phone call away. You can even request an appointment online.

To get a pearly white smile, people need to think twice before being fooled to purchase over the counter teeth whitening products. There are hundreds of products on the market that claim to give you naturally whiter teeth in very little time. Though they may be inexpensive, they are not always effective and can result in extensive use and sore gums. To achieve a brighter smile, make the smart choice and visit a dental professional for the most effective and safe teeth whitening treatment.

Instead of making multiple trips to the convenience store for teeth whitening strips and gel products, patients with discolored teeth can visit Dr. Alan Zabolian in Los Angeles for the most effective one-time teeth whitening procedure.

How Does Professional Teeth Whitening Differ from Teeth Whitening Strips?

Commercial products are one-size fits all broad treatments that are ineffective for many people, and when effective the results are only short-lived. Patients with sensitive teeth and gums or gum disease may expose the teeth to harmful chemicals which do more harm than good. Teeth whitening products can irritate a person’s mouth and can even cause infection if they are allergic. Immediate treatment is needed for those who are affected by this. A dentist should always be notified before resorting to over the counter teeth whitening products. This will avoid irritation and damaging enamel.

Teeth whitening is a cosmetic procedure that is safely administered with the proper solution to remove discoloration. Dr. Zabolian is experienced in proper and thorough application of whitening products that will ensure that they are not damaging or discomforting his patients.

The procedure is one-stop visit, instead of committing weeks to wearing whitening trays or strips. Dr. Zabolian can treat discolored teeth over the patient’s lunch hour and they can return to work immediately after with whiter, brighter teeth.

Get Results NOW!

Patients no longer have to wait weeks or months to achieve whiter teeth with toothpastes and other over the counter teeth whitening methods. The immediate effectiveness of whitening treatment with Dr. Zabolian offers whiter teeth in an hour following procedure.

According to WebMD, teeth whitening is ideal for people with healthy, unrestored teeth and gums. Only a dentist can appropriately match the tone of a patient’s teeth during teeth whitening. Dramatic results can be seen immediately following professional whitening treatment. Over the counter products may leave teeth unmatched for color and may not remove stains thoroughly. Those who avoid food and beverages that stain may experience long lasting results following whitening treatment.

Teeth whitening is a great opportunity for patients in search of correcting stained teeth and wanting a brighter, whiter smile. Achieving a whiter and naturally brighter smile is possible at Samaritan Dental. Visit Dr. Zabolian and determine if teeth whitening can effectively remove dental stains.