How Real Do Dental Implants Feel?

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We’ve said it before – we’ll say it again, losing a tooth is never a welcome proposition. Fortunately, not only are there viable options to replace teeth – but you also have many opportunities to prevent the need to replace a tooth in the first place.

But sometimes, for one reason or another – you just can’t avoid it. Whether you have a history of poor oral hygiene or you had an accident, the important thing to remember is that there are solutions.

Most patients understand that there’s a pretty big difference between dental bridge, dentures, and dental implants. They are all very popular methods for replacing teeth, and they all shine in their own way. While some patients missing all of their teeth might be more apt to choose dentures – dental implants and dental bridges are often the more popular choice for replacing 1 or 2 teeth.

The big difference between dental implants and dental bridges is the fact that a dental bridge rests over the gap and attaches to the two healthy teeth on either side. With a dental implant, a titanium post is inserted into your jaw. This post eventually integrates with your jaw, which makes the finished dental implant virtually as strong and functional as your natural tooth.

What many patients wonder is – do dental implants really feel “real”? And fortunately, if you’re considering a dental implant – the answer is yes. Because of the biocompatibility of the post and your jaw, the only thing your family or your friends will notice is the dental crown. And they won’t even notice that! Because the dental crown is formed and colored to look just like your natural teeth.

Compared to any other solution, dental implants are by far the closest you can get to a natural tooth – with patient satisfaction to match.

Have a question about dental implants from our Dentists in Garden Grove? We’re here to help! Contact us today to learn more about your options for replacing teeth.

3 Reasons Your Gums Bleed

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Chances are, if you’re reading this article you’re not one of those “Die hard” daily flossers. Maybe you floss once a week. May be you floss once a month. But no matter how often you floss – there’s probably a good chance that you’ve seen a drop of blood or two sneak out of your gums last time you gave them a good cleansing with proper dental floss.

Yesterday, we covered the simple fact that this isn’t entirely uncommon. And while it’s not something you should ignore, it’s also not something you should panic or call the emergency dentist about (but by all means, if you are having a dental emergency – please don’t hesitate to call us).

The one thing you should remember when it comes to your gums is that gum disease (periodontal disease in other words) is a contagious bacterial infection that can and will cause as much damage to your gums, jaw, and teeth as you allow it to. When left unchecked, it can be a serious problem.

The worst part is – while over 80% of American Adults have some form of gum disease, only about 10% realize it. So actually getting it treated is put off far too often, for far too long. Fortunately, one of the earliest signs of gum disease is bleeding. And the good news is that with routine oral care, most patients can reverse the damage and protect their teeth for good (as long as they keep up their good oral hygiene habits)

Reason #1: Your Oral Hygiene Needs Work

More often than not, when our dentists in Garden Grove encounter bloody gums – it’s because the patient hasn’t done the best job of taking care of their teeth. This isn’t always because of negligence. Sometimes, it’s simply a matter of taking the right amount of time to do a thorough job.

Did you know, healthy gums can become diseased gums in under 48 hours if they’re not brushed or cared for?

Reason #2: Your Diet Is Lacking

The saying goes: You are what you eat. For some, that’s unfortunately true. If your body isn’t getting what it needs – including plenty of fruits and vegetables, your gums and teeth might not be getting the vitamin D, vitamin C, and calcium that it needs. It could also be missing out on valuable anti-inflammatory compounds that actively protect your teeth and gums. So if you notice a bit of blood but you also stay faithful to a great oral hygiene routine – think about what you’re putting into your body.

Reason #3: You’re Stressed Out

Did you know that stress impacts your gums as well as your mood? If you’re constantly agitated or stressed out, it could be impacting your body’s ability to create a proper immune response to fight back against gum disease. Stress actively causes inflammation in blood vessels. This can impact the breakdown of soft tissue in your mouth, which – in turn – alters its ability to heal itself. If you’re stressed out – do work towards finding a resolution, whether it’s talking to someone, taking up a new hobby, or learning to meditate.

Have a question about your gums or your mouth? Our dentists can help. If you’re looking for a nearby dentist in Garden Grove, we have the answers. Schedule an appointment today to learn how we can help you get back to a happy, confident, and comfortable smile.

Do Cavities Get Worse? (Short Answer: You bet they do)

Every day, as dentists serving the Garden Grove area – we hear all kinds of questions from patients who have concerns about their teeth. This is a good thing, because if there’s one thing our dentists can appreciate – it’s communication.

Communication is perhaps one of the most important tools in a family’s arsenal when it comes to dental health. It’s true! Whether you’re communicating with your kids about good oral hygiene or communicating with your dentist about what’s going on inside your mouth — it’s all good. So no matter how simple the question might seem, we want to answer it.

Today, we start with an answer to a pretty simple question:

“Do Cavities Get Worse?”

If you’ve been following our blog for any amount of time, you might already know the answer to this question. Yes. Cavities will continue to get worse if you don’t get them taken care of.

The thing is, tooth decay usually tends to take quite a bit longer to work its way through the extremely hard outer layer of your teeth (Enamel). However, once it gets through that – it can move with relative ease through the softer, inner layer (Dentin). Once this happens, it will move much faster and can quickly cause problems much more troublesome than pain, such as an infection. If this happens, and it gets too close to the nerve – there’s a good chance you could need a root canal.

For this reason, it’s important that you get even small cavities filled as soon as you can. While they aren’t always a dental emergency – they are a reason you need to call your dentist, tell them whats up, and schedule an appointment.

Are you experiencing pain or sensitivity? It could be a cavity. Don’t delay treatment, fix it as soon as possible to save time, money, and pain.

Question Answered: Are Bleeding Gums Normal?

Have you ever stepped up to the sink, looked at yourself and said: “I’m going to be better about flossing from now on?” You’re not alone. This is no scientific number, but there’s a great chance that hundreds of thousands of dental patients around the world do the same exact thing. Unfortunately, they then open up their bathroom drawer or vanity mirror, extract the under-used container of dental floss, and thread it through a couple teeth only to find – to their horror and dismay — a bloody mess.

Sound like a familiar scene? It might not be that bloody – but for some patients, it’s just enough to cause a stir. Fortunately, our dentists in Garden Grove are here to remind you that this sort of thing is normal. Not good. But normal. Remember, almost 80% of the population has some form of periodontal disease. What’s also to remember is this: that doesn’t mean it’s not easily fixable.

If you haven’t flossed in a while, and you’re just getting back into it – bleeding is something you should sort-of even expect. It’s common for your gums to bleed when flossing (especially after you haven’t in a while) because it’s your body’s natural immune response, demonstrating that it’s working to fight off irritation caused by food particles breaking down, bacteria clinging on for dear life in your mouth, and foreign particles that have somehow found their way into your mouth (like fingernails – gross) .

The important thing to remember is that it’s not exactly normal, and your goal should be to get your gums to the point where they are healthy and free from inflammation. Because inflammation is one of the earliest and most common signs of periodontal disease.

But tperiodontal disease isn’t just bad because it makes your gums bleed – in later stages, it can cause serious problems for the gums, connective tissue, and support structures of your teeth. Think of your gums as the “foundation” of your teeth. Unfortunately, periodontal disease is more-or-less like termites. Left unchecked for too long, gum-disease can cause a serious amount of damage.

Interested in learning more about your teeth, your gums, and how we can help? If you live in Southern California and need a nearby dentist in Garden Grove – contact us today to learn more about our friendly and experienced dental team.

Can My Filled Teeth Be Whitened? (And Other Questions)

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Today, our dentists in Garden Grove come to you with another FAQ post – to (hopefully) answer any questions you might have about your teeth and how best to take care of them.

Today, we begin with a pretty common question about in-office teeth whitening. Your teeth can lose their natural, white color for a lot of reasons. Sometimes, it’s all tied to diet. A smoker, with a love for coffee, will often have teeth that are at least a couple shades darker than someone who doesn’t smoke or doesn’t drink coffee. At the same time, there are other factors – like genetics, and even other disorders (like depression) that can ultimately have an impact on the way your teeth look.

This can often lead to questions about whitening, which introduces our first question of the day:

Can I get my teeth whitened if I have fillings?

Here’s the thing about fillings, they’re not all made the same. While metallic fillings will obviously never be white again, composite fillings are a bit different. They can stain – just like your teeth do, but they pick up stains in a different way than natural teeth. For this reason, the results you can expect from whitening for teeth that have been filled varies wildly. In fact, if a patient has fillings in their top-front teeth, it’s not uncommon for them to periodically receive some sort of cosmetic touch-up.

As a follow-up question to the one about whitening teeth with composite fillings, some patients wonder if it’s possible to whiten teeth and replace the fillings to match the surrounding teeth. This is sometimes done as a stop-gap solution instead of veneers.

I have an awful taste in my mouth, what’s going on?

fA bad taste in your mouth can be a symptom of a number of problems ranging from gum disease and tooth decay to a poorly cleaned dental bridge or halitosis. If you’re experiencing a bad taste in your mouth – remember this: tooth pain and cavities don’t always come with pain. In some cases, a problem with your teeth could be signaled by the smell of your breath. If it’s causing a problem and you’re concerned enough to search the web about it. Give your dentist a call.

My gums bleed when I floss, do I have gingivitis?

It is common for your gums to bleed when you floss, and for many patients – all it really says is that your body’s immune system is working as it should. What it’s doing is trying to fight off inflammation caused by food particles breaking down and bacteria trying to set up shop.

Do you have questions about your teeth? If you’re a family or individual in the Garden Grove area – our dentists are here to help! Contact us today to learn more.

Healthier Teeth for Your Kids Don’t Have to Be Hard: Follow These 3 Tips

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You never want to be frantically searching the web for your “nearest dentist” when it comes to a concern about your child’s teeth. But when it comes to your kids’ teeth – you want to be sure that you take every single precaution you can.

That always begins with proper prevention. The easiest way to make sure that your kids have great teeth for life is by instilling in them a proper respect for oral hygiene.

Today, our Garden Grove dentists are here with:

3 helpful tips to improve your kids’ teeth.

Start Them Young: By setting a good example for your kids, you help put them on a path to great oral health for years to come. If you have an infant, start early – brush gently on their gums just so they can get used to simply having their teeth and gums cleaned. If your kids are still young – brush with them. And if they’re a little older – try another trick, like maybe taping a comic strip or news article to the bathroom mirror, to encourage them to brush for the right amount of time.

Develop Good Food Habits: If you grow up eating ice-cream for breakfast, you wouldn’t think anything of continuing to eat ice-cream for breakfast every morning. With that sort of habit, you’re very likely to develop some pretty serious dental issues. With this in mind, it’s incredibly important to steer your kids away from too many sugary sweets but also, towards a balanced diet. This isn’t to say you need to cut out everything, but it means your children need to understand how food affects teeth and how brushing and flossing keep them in your mouth.

On top of this, you can even substitute a wide variety of sugary products with safer alternatives. Consider lollipops for instance, did you know that in addition to lollipops that are just safe for your teeth, there are even lollipops that will actually help clean them? Modern technology never ceases to amaze us.

Watch For Hidden Surprises: When we say hidden surprises we mean many of the hidden dental dangers your kids can encounter from all kinds of sources. From the chlorine in the pool to the acids in fruit juice – there’s a whole lot in food and drink you’d otherwise label as “healthy” that can actually cause a problem for teeth. For situations like that – just remember this: acid stays on your teeth after you eat. When you eat, acid gets a second chance. To minimize the amount of acid that can attack your kids’ teeth, make sure they drink water between meals and eat healthy snacks. It’s all about minimizing the amount of damage teeth face over time.

How a Fixed bridge Can FIX Your Smile

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Nobody wants to feel self-conscious about the way their teeth look. Whether you’re missing one tooth or a couple, a fixed porcelain dental bridge can often set you on a sure-fire path to perfect looking teeth.

But first, you might be wondering what all of that means.

What is A Fixed Bridge?

There is actually a big difference between what our dentists in Garden Grove call a fixed bridge and what we call an “overdenture” (which many people refer to as a removable bridge). While an overdenture is an actual denture that fits over a set of implants and can be removed – a fixed bridge is much different. With a fixed bridge, the solution to your missing teeth is cemented or screwed to dental implants or existing healthy teeth.

A fixed dental bridge would be suitable for a couple different reasons, including:

To fill space from missing teeth.
To prevent healthy teeth from shifting out of place.
To restore your ability to chew and speak properly.
To maintain the shape of your face.

There’s also another reason you might want a fixed bridge – that is, to upgrade a partial denture you already have into a more convenient and long-term solution. With this in mind, it’s also important to remember that overdentures aren’t always inferior to fixed dentures. More often than not, when a patient gets a “removable” denture, they get it because they’ve already had dentures for years and they’re looking for a bit of extra hold and functionality. While modern dentures are incredibly effective for many patients – a fixed denture can often solve problems some patients have with looseness or difficulty chewing.

Which solution will work best for you? A fixed bridge or something else? Our dentists in Garden Grove can most definitely help. If you’re a patient in the area, call us today to learn more.

Think You Need an Emergency Dentist After Hours? Here’s When to Call

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If you’re experiencing a toothache near Garden Grove, and it’s late enough for the dental office to be long-since closed, you may be wondering when you should call a nearby emergency dentist. Fortunately, our dentists in Garden Grove are also emergency dentists with dedicated same-day emergency dental care.

When it comes to understanding when you should call your dentist’s emergency line – there are generally a few signs that you should look out for.

Swelling: There are a few different causes that could be at the root of dental swelling. These range from problems with your wisdom teeth and gingivitis, to severely infected teeth that need to be treated immediately.

Throbbing pain: Throbbing pain is generally associated with problems in your teeth that are occurring near your tooth’s center (the pulp). If you’re experiencing throbbing pain, combined with other hard to ignore symptoms -there could be the presence of a dental problem that needs immediate treatment.

You Heard Something Break: While not every chipped tooth is an emergency, if you heard something crack or crunch while eating hard foods (like ice – or popcorn) you should consider giving the emergency dentist a call. The first reason this is important is that you could have exposed the root of your tooth to bacteria, and when bacteria gets deep it can cause some serious problems.
You Knocked a Tooth Completely Out: This is one of those dental situations you probably don’t need to read an article to figure out. If you’ve experienced an accident where your tooth has been completely knocked out of its place. Don’t panic. Make sure the area is clear of blood. Rinse it carefully, and apply a cold compress. If you can find the tooth, rinse it off – but don’t remove any tissue still connected to it. The faster you can contact your emergency dentist, the easier it will be to sav the tooth.

Experiencing a dental emergency near Garden Grove, California? Our emergency dentists in Garden Grove have dealt with even the trickiest dental problems. Call us today to get the help you need.

Dental Implant or Root Canal? Which is Right for You?

Learn how a dental bridge OR a dental implant can save your smile

Learn how a dental bridge, root canal, or dental implant can save your smile. Contact our dentists in Garden Grove today.

If a compromised tooth has you searching for “dental implant dentists near me” you might just be able to broaden your list of available options. Many times, patients can become torn between the best choice when it comes to either a root canal or a dental implant.

What you might not realize is that studies have shown that dental implants and root canals tend to have nearly equal success rates. With a catch.

The most important factor there is when it comes to fixing a compromised tooth is to preserve the original tooth. This is because – even beside a modern dental implant – there’s nothing better than your natural tooth (don’t get us wrong, dental implants are still nearly as strong as your natural teeth.) What this means is that a root canal procedure could be the first and safest option to choose, especially if the tooth in question can still be saved.

Another important thing to remember is that root canals are much much different than they used to be. While they have a reputation for being gruesome, bloody, and painful – modern technology and anesthesia make them little different than a simple cavity filling.

But when is an implant the best available option?

When you get a dental impact, it requires removing the original tooth (which can take a few surgeries), inserting a metal post in your jaw, and attaching a porcelain crown to the post to replace your original tooth. Compared to this, a root canal treatment can be completed in as few as 1 or 2 visits.

But there are a few situations where the tooth can’t be saved. If the underlying jaw isn’t healthy enough to sustain the titanium post or if the tooth is simply too far gone, an alternative treatment might be necessary. If the tooth is too far gone and a root canal wouldn’t save it – a dental implant might be your best bet.

If your jaw isn’t healthy and the tooth is too damaged for a root canal – something like a dental bridge might be required instead.

The bottom line remains this: see your dentist and communicate with him or her. And if you have questions in Garden Grove, get in touch with our dental implant experts nearby.

Orthodontist or Dentist – Which One Do You Need?

Most times, when it comes to your teeth you generally assume that you need to call a dentist. Of course – in many cases, you’ll probably be right. But sometimes, patients don’t know when it might be best to contact an orthodontist instead.

Today, we’ll be talking about the major differences between dentists and orthodontists – and when you might need to call one over the other. But don’t worry – if you need to see one or the other, your dentist (and our dentists in Garden Grove) will surely point you in the right direction.

Becoming a Dentist Or an Orthodontist

At our dental practice in Garden Grove – we also include the expertise of some of Garden Grove’s best orthodontists. But first: a little background on the difference between dentists and orthodontists.

First, you should understand that both dentists and orthodontists often have the same educational background as a foundation. Both get a bachelors degree and attend dental school for four years. After a dentist earns their D.D.M (doctor of dental medicine) or D.D.S (doctor of dental surgery). Once this is complete, they can elect to continue their education by completing additional years of school to become an orthodontist.

What an orthodontist specializes in, specifically, is correcting misalignment when it occurs in your teeth or jaw. This specialty is necessary to prevent a number of problems that can arise from an improper bite – such as difficulty chewing, problems brushing and/or flossing, speech defects, and – of course – cosmetic problems.

The Most Common Issue Our Orthodontists Resolve

Aesthetic Issues: Sometimes, your face can be completely altered by underlying misalignment and other orthodontic issues. In these cases, an orthodontist can carefully realign or restructure the teeth and jaw to re-align your smile and improve overall aesthetics.

Underbite / Overbite: Otherwise known (scientifically) as deviations, these are some of the most common problems orthodontists help their patients contend with.

Crowding: Overcrowding is another common and potentially problematic issue. With over-crowding, there’s no space for your teeth to properly align. Using specialized treatments and devices, your orthodontist can carefully treat these sorts of issues.

Have questions about your teeth? Our dentists and orthodontists in Garden Grove can help!

Garden Grove Dental Arts : Marianna Ibrahim DDS

714-537-5700

Monthly Archives: August 2017