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What Causes Sore or Swollen Gums?

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When you engage in regular dental hygiene, it can be normal to see a little pink in the sink every so often. This means that sometimes when you brush and floss, there’s a little bit of blood. There are many reasons why you may be bleeding and some of them are health reasons. But when it comes to your gums, it’s important to listen to the signs your mouth is telling you.

A little blood is no big deal. But if that blood also comes with sensitive, sore, or painful gums, it might be time to assess the issue. Our friendly professionals at Samaritan Dental want you to know about the warning signs your gums might be giving you. If you’re dealing with irritated or swollen gums, here are some reasons why that may be happening. Be sure to contact our office for a consultation ASAP!

It’s All About Bacteria

If you don’t practice daily dental hygiene as adamantly as you should, you may experience a variety of dental problems down the line. One such problem is the formation of bad bacteria on your teeth and gums. When this bacterium doesn’t get brushed or flossed away every day, it causes a buildup of plaque and tartar on the teeth. This is a dangerous substance which makes the gums infected, creating those sore and swollen symptoms you may be used to. This is a gateway to gum disease, and it’s important to make a dentist appointment right away.

Look at the Way You Brush

Sometimes, the reasons for the soreness and swelling in your gums aren’t as serious as something like gum disease. Often, the way we brush or floss maybe just a little too harsh for our mouths to handle. It’s important to invest in healthy brushing and flossing techniques so that we can be the right amount of gentle yet firm. Your teeth and gums shouldn’t be bleeding every time you brush; that is a sure sign that something is going wrong. Instead, be gentler with your floss, letting it slide itself between your teeth on its own, rather than forcing it.

Gingivitis

Gingivitis is a diagnosis that is typically given to someone who is experiencing swollen, irritated, and receding gums. This is a condition that often leads to gum disease; in fact, it is simply a milder version of it. Gingivitis is a serious issue that can be treated but requires a lot of dental attention and your best care.

Some of the symptoms of gingivitis include:

  • Tender or painful gums
  • Constant bad breath despite brushing
  • Pockets forming between the teeth and gums
  • Changes in your bite
  • Loose teeth
  • Bleeding gums every time you brush

Even if you don’t necessarily feel any discomfort, you still may be suffering from gingivitis. In order to prevent yourself from developing periodontitis, a more serious condition that wears away at your bone and gums, be sure to contact your friendly professionals at Samaritan Dental right away.

Get Your Gums in Good Health ASAP!

When it comes to the health of your gums, you can’t afford to wait until it’s too late. Each day you show the symptoms of gum disease, gingivitis, or periodontitis, your condition might be progressing. Ultimately, having your gums in bad shape can also affect the integrity of your entire mouth. You will be more prone to cavities, tooth loss, biting difficulties, and even bone loss.

These problems can be corrected once they’re caught, but it takes effort on both parts; the patient must invest in good dental hygiene in order to stay consistent with a treatment plan. Our dentists at Samaritan Dental can come up with a treatment solution that works best for you. If you are interested in making an appointment with us, please contact us online or give us a call at (213) 986-2933 to start your consultation.

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Getting Rid of a Toothache

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We all have gotten a toothache and can attest to how annoying that dull pain can be. We use our mouths for a lot: to communicate, to eat, to enjoy treats, and so much more, so it’s also inconvenient when something is hindering our ability to do these things. Here are some great ideas from Samaritan Dental on how to get rid of your tooth pain, and if the pain persists, be sure to use the best dental clinic in Los Angeles by contacting us today!

What Causes Toothache?

There are many reasons you would be feeling pain in your tooth, and the pain can become unbearable if left untreated. Trauma to your teeth can cause tooth pain, but many toothaches are the result of tooth decay. Whether this is superficial tooth decay or the beginning of gum disease, if the toothache persists, you should see a dentist. Some of the most common causes of tooth pain are an infection, teeth grinding, and gum disease. The pain isn’t the only thing that can be accompanied by these problems, and you may experience other symptoms as well. If your toothache is accompanied with a fever, foul taste, discharge, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or swelling, you should contact Samaritan Dental right away to get help from the best dental clinic in Los Angeles. For minor toothaches, or for one that is not accompanied by other symptoms, try some of these home remedies to relieve the pain.

How to Get Rid of Toothaches

Everyone has his or her own remedies for tooth pain and depending on how bad it is, one of these may be able to help you.

  • The application method – just like any other injury we sustain, our first thought is to use a hot or cold pack to help it. This is the same thing that can be done for tooth pain. Depending on what is most comfortable, and which one relieves the pain, try applying something hot or cold to the area. There are many different household items you can use instead of a hot or cold pack if you do not have one readily available. Try frozen bags of vegetables, ice cubes in a Ziploc bag, or microwaving rice. The cold application is helpful when there is swelling near the painful area to reduce the inflammation.
  • Anti-inflammatory medication – another useful way to reduce inflammation is to take over the counter pain relievers. Ibuprofen is effective and will help you manage the pain, as well as reduce swelling. It is always recommended to try natural remedies before resorting to medication unless instructed by your dentist.
  • Saltwater – using hot water with salt added not only feels good but also will help mitigate the risk of infection. By swishing salt water near the affected area for 30 seconds, you can provide temporary relief as well as clean out any infectious areas that may be forming.
  • Natural oils and remedies – both peppermint and clove have numbing properties and have been used for generations to help manage pain. A good at home remedy would be to place a peppermint tea bag on the affected tooth or use clove oil. Although these are great natural alternatives, the effects can be short-lived, and may not fully relieve the pain. Some people also claim that garlic and vanilla extract is helpful in this manner, so go ahead and give these a shot.

Toothache Remedies from Your Dental Clinic in Los Angeles

If these remedies do not help, or the pain worsens or persists, be sure to get professional help right away. Toothaches that are left unattended can become much more problematic, and cause irreparable or long-term damage. Samaritan Dental is a premier dental clinic in Los Angeles that will be able to diagnose and treat any tooth disease or trauma that you have. Get relief today by contacting us here!

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Common Misconceptions About Going to the Dentist

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While taking a trip to the dentist isn’t the most fun thing to do during your week, dental hygiene is an important aspect to your health that shouldn’t be skipped. Many people spend years not going to the dentist, even if they are in pain, just because of some basic fears surrounding the experience. As a result, their oral hygiene suffers, their condition worsens, or they wait until it’s too late. It’s important to have regularly scheduled visits to your dental clinic in Los Angeles — even twice a year is way better than going years without the proper care. Here are some common misconceptions about going to the dentist that might encourage you to schedule an appointment today.

Too Painful

A lot of people avoid going to the dentist because they think the experience will be physically painful. However, this is hardly ever the case. Cleaning your teeth or filling in cavities may be mildly discomforting, but it is hardly painful at all. Any serious procedures, such as a root canal, crowns, or pulling a tooth are done after admitting anesthesia to the area, causing it to be numb so that you don’t feel a thing. Of course, there may be some mild discomfort after the anesthesia wears off following an intense procedure, but your dentist will likely prescribe you pain killers while your tooth heals.

 

The most important thing to keep in mind is that you are allowed to speak! If you are feeling any pain, it is encouraged that you tell your dentist — you, in no way, have to sit there and suffer. At Samaritan Dental, a dental clinic in Los Angeles, we want you to communicate your needs and feelings during a procedure so that we can proceed in making you as comfortable as possible.

Lack of Pain

Another misconception about going to the dentist is that you don’t need to go if you’re not in pain. Our mouths are interesting and mystical features on our body, and they don’t always exhibit signs of trouble. While you may not be experiencing any pain, it’s crucial that you visit the dentist to get a proper cleaning and check-up. Brushing and flossing can only do so much, but the dentist has the proper equipment to get into all your nooks and crannies, freeing up any plaque build-up. These hard to reach areas that build up with plaque can over time cause more serious problems to your overall oral hygiene, causing you to undergo a procedure you’d rather not.

Embarrassment

A handful of people will avoid the dentist because they’re embarrassed about how long it’s been since their last visit. It’s understandable that you might be afraid the dentist will be disappointed or judge you on your lack of dental care, but that is absolutely not what a dentist is here to do! Dentists see patients all the time who haven’t been to a check-up for years! At our dental clinic in Los Angeles, we understand that hardships are a part of life and your self-care can fall to the wayside. The hardest part is getting yourself to the dentist and from there on out, it is a judgement free zone. The most important part is that we get to the cleaning, making your mouth healthy and new.

Cost

Finally, one of the biggest misconceptions that keep people from going to the dentist is that it is too expensive. In actuality, regular check-ups and cleanings are actually pretty affordable, and they should be scheduled every six months. If you have dental insurance, these cleanings are completely covered, and if you don’t, there are programs that provide more affordable cleanings, like Universities. The worst thing you can do for your wallet is to not schedule these regular check-ups — this is where costs begin to add up. When you avoid visiting the dentist, your teeth get worse, causing more serious problems that end up costing way more than a cleaning in the end. Avoiding these expensive procedures is the goal and the way to do that is to make sure you are getting in that dental clinic in Los Angeles at least twice a year.

Dental Clinic in Los Angeles

Samaritan Dental in Los Angeles is here to answer any questions you have about your dental visit. Our goal is to get your teeth feeling healthy and new, no matter how long it’s been since your last visit. If you’d like to schedule an appointment or find out more about us, please visit us here or call, 213-986-2933

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Why You Shouldn’t Use Your Teeth as Tools

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Our oral health can have a significant impact on our overall health so protecting our teeth and gums should be an important part of a healthy living plan. One way many people unintentionally damage their teeth is by using them inappropriately as a kind of Swiss army knife.

The tooth contains three layers. The center of the tooth contains blood vessels and nerves and is known as the pulp. The middle layer is known as dentin and the outer layer is called the enamel. If each layer is affected by outside forces, the more severe (and more expensive) the damage.

While your teeth are great at breaking down food, using them to open a bottle, the wrapper on anything (candy bar, bag of chips, etc.), or really anything that needs opening is not a wise choice. That plastic packaging around your new headphones is meant to be opened with scissors, not your teeth. When you use your teeth to open things you run the risk of chipping or cracking them, and you also might wear down your teeth unevenly and develop poor jaw alignment.

Just like you would warn your children not to chew on foreign objects, it’s not a great decision to do it as an adult. Yet, we all find ourselves mindlessly chewing on pens and pencils, plastic straws, toothpicks or even worse, our fingernails. We don’t think about it as we do it, but this is a bad habit that can cause our teeth to weaken and lose their structure.

Another bad dental habit many people fall into is using their teeth to crack open nuts. That’s why the nutcracker was invented! Each time you use your teeth to open a walnut, pistachio, or peanut, the shell grinds down some of the enamel on your teeth. This can cause your teeth to wear in uneven areas which can lead to cracking and chipping as well.

Our teeth serve many functions and keeping them healthy is key to our overall health. If you have some of the unhealthy habits mentioned above or if you haven’t been to a dentist in a while, it might be time to make an appointment to avoid more expensive damage later.

Keeping Your Teeth Healthy

Make sure you do the following to avoid the harmful effects of tooth decay.
• Brush and floss your teeth regularly and see your dentist every six months for cleanings and checkups.
• Avoid foods high in sugar and other carbohydrates which will feed on the bacteria in your mouth.
• Make sure you get enough fluoride which helps to prevent decay by making teeth more resistant to the acids that produce plaque. Fluoride is added to most public water.
• Avoid dry mouth which can be caused by some medications or by simply breathing through your mouth. Make sure you have enough saliva to help wash the food and harmful sugars from your mouth which helps to protect your teeth.
• Avoid smoking or using other tobacco products.

Emergency Dentist in Downtown Los Angeles

If you suffer from tooth pain or any other dental issue, contact our professionals at Samaritan Dental Arts. We are open on Saturdays and offer evening appointments. You can also fill out the necessary forms, meet the team of professionals and view a complete list of services. We offer flexible payment options and a caring staff ready to help ease your fears.
Don’t take your dental health for granted and don’t ignore the toothache. It might seem like a minor inconvenience now, but if left untreated, you could develop a serious infection that could impact your overall health. If you’ve neglected your oral health and haven’t seen a dentist in years, don’t wait another day. Make your appointment with the leading emergency dentist in Downtown Los Angeles today, Samaritan Dental Arts today.

When to Get Dental X-Rays

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Dental X-rays are a key component in helping dentists see medical issues of the teeth and surrounding tissues that cannot be seen with the naked eye during your regular oral examinations. They allow the dentists to see far beyond the surface to help diagnose potentially problematic issues. X-rays help the dentists identify and treat dental issues early-on in their development, which can help save you time, money, and pain down the road!

 

But, what do you need dental X-rays for? And how frequently can you expect to get them? As you know, each medical professional has different approaches and opinions about medical procedures like X-rays, so you can expect there to be some discrepancies between dentists. But, if you are consistently going to the same dentist, you will be able to establish with your dental professional how frequently dental X-rays are required for your oral health journey to be its healthiest. If you are looking for an emergency dentist in Downtown Los Angeles, get in touch with Samaritan Dental today.

 

For adults, dental X-rays serve many purposes. They can be used for the following purposes:

 

● Show decayed areas that are not visible during an oral exam
● Show areas of decay that are small and between the teeth
● Show areas of decay beneath existing fillings
● Show bone loss as a result of or revealing gum disease
● Show changes in bones or root canals due to infection
● Show abscesses
● Reveal cysts and tumors
● Reveal developmental abnormalities, deformities, or issues

 

For children, dental X-rays are used for the following purposes:

 

● Watch out for decay
● Ensure that there is enough room in the mouth for all incoming teeth
● Ensure that primary teeth are being lost quickly enough to make room for permanent teeth to come in properly
● Track the development of wisdom teeth and whether teeth are impacted or not

 

But, when do you need dental X-rays? How often you get dental X-rays varies person-to-person and depends on your dental and medical history as well as your current dental and medical condition. Some people need X-rays as often as twice a year, while others require them every few years.

 

If you are an adult, adolescent, or child visiting a new dentist, it is very likely they will X-ray your mouth to get familiar with your current oral state and make sure there are no issues that have gone undiagnosed or misdiagnosed in the past.

 

If you are visiting the same dentist you have seen before but are at high risk for decay or presently have decaying issues, X-rays will be taken anywhere from every 6 months to every 18 months. If you do not show signs of or are experiencing decaying teeth and are not at high risk for decay, then you can expect dental X-rays somewhere between every 12 and 36 months, depending on your dentist. If you have gum disease or a history of gum disease, your dentist will likely X-ray the affected area of your mouth.

 

X-rays, though something you should be educated about, are something that are going to change from dentist to dentist, patient to patient. Your oral health is incredibly personal, and your patient care should be as well. Please consult your dental professional, and together, with your dental history, you can come up with a treatment plan and X-ray schedule that you both agree on and will help you achieve your health goals.

Emergency Dentist Downtown Los Angeles

At Samaritan Dental Arts, we are dedicated to the highest standards in medicine, quality patient care, and patient comfort and education. We want you fully educated about what your personalized medical plan entails, what your desired results are, and how we plan to get you there. If you would like to set up a consultation, please reach out to us!