Dental Care Archives - Page 3 of 6 - General & Cosmetic Dentist in Newport Beach, CA

How to Determine if Your Crown (or) Veneer Will Fit Right

Hello, everyone. I’m going to let you in on a little secret today. One of the best ways to determine whether your crown or veneer restoration fits before the dentist cements, is have them take an x-ray. You can tell pretty quickly if there is a big gap between the crown or the restoration. At this point you can assess if the fitting needs to be closed more before he cements it. Hopefully that helps some people out and keeps you from getting your crown that doesn’t fit quite right and will lead to problems in the future.

~ Dr Andrew Spath, Newport Beach CA Dentist.

Great Oral Hygiene Habits to Establish Between Dental Visits

Everyone loves the fresh feeling they get after visiting the dentist for a regular cleaning. However, the current circumstances may have you feeling a little overdue. How can you maintain that feeling between cleanings and until you’re able to visit your dental office again? Our top tips for establishing healthy oral habits between visits are listed below!

Commit To A Dental Routine

The best way to maintain good oral health between visits to your dental office is by committing to a dental routine. Keeping your teeth as healthy as possible is something that you have to work on every single day!

The foundation to every dental routine should start with your brushing habits. Make sure that you’re brushing your teeth twice a day, every day, for two minutes at a time. Prone to forgetting? Bring a travel toothbrush with you to work as you try to incorporate regular brushing into your morning and nightly routine!

Flossing is also a vital part of a good dental routine. Take the time to floss once a day and use mouthwash as needed.

Cut Back On Unhealthy Habits

Unhealthy habits have a huge effect on your oral health! Make it a priority to stop smoking and cut back on sugary foods and beverages to keep your teeth looking healthy.

Our diet plays a big role in our dental health. Make sure that you’re incorporating plenty of fruits, vegetables, protein, and calcium into your diet to support healthy teeth.

Be Familiar With The Signs Of A Healthy (Or Unhealthy) Mouth

A healthy mouth has certain characteristics that you can look for. Ensure that your teeth are clean and free of food particles after brushing. Your gums should be pink in color and shouldn’t bleed when flossing. Bad breath can also be an indicator of underlying health concerns.

If you see signs that your oral health is declining, call your dental office and make an appointment for as soon as possible.

Schedule Regular Dental Appointments

It’s important to note that these habits do not serve as a total replacement for visiting your dentist. Once you’re able to do so, make an appointment with your dentist for a regular check-up and cleaning. You should strive to visit your dentist every six months!

Starting these habits early on will give your mouth the best chance to be healthy for a while. Besides, developing great oral hygiene habits is essential, after all!

COVID-19 Update

We hope you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety. Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice as you may have seen during your previous visits to our office. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you a about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe. Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. We do this to make sure that our infection control procedures are current and adhere to each agencies’ recommendations. You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example for your safety when returning to our office the following protocols will be in effect.

All staff will be wearing appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that is disposed of after each patient.
We have installed new state of the art HEPA air filters in each operatory. Each filter is designed for a space of 700 sq. ft. and each operatory is approximately 100 sq. ft.
We are lengthening the procedure times and the times between appointments to allow for double sterilization of each operatory after each procedure. You may notice a slight changing in your appointment time due to this.
Your temperature will be taken and documented upon arrival.
A quick health questionnaire will be requested from you upon arrival
Only one patient will be allowed in the reception area at a time to ensure social distancing.
We will be requesting patients wear a face mask when able to during their visit.
Each morning our staff will undergo a series of questions that would indicate any risk for COVID-19 in addition to having their temperature taken.
We will be working the landlord on cleaning all common areas in the building including the elevator, door handles, and bathrooms.
Patients over the age of 65 are advised to consider postponing any non-emergency or elective dental care.
As added safety measures we recommend that patients with known pre-existing medical conditions including obesity, diabetes, COPD, hypertension, cardio-vascular, or immune-suppressed individuals consider postponing any non-emergency or elective dental care.

In addition to the protocols above we will be implementing precautions to limit production of aerosols including utilization of rubber dam, Isolite suction, and temporarily eliminating the use of the dental hygiene air polisher and ultrasonic instrument.

We appreciate your cooperation and understanding while these safety protocols are in place. We feel confident that by following these protocols we can safely practice dentistry and provide you the best possible care. Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends to the office.

When to Consider Dentures & Today’s Technology

Transitioning to prosthetic teeth or dentures can be a cumbersome time that many don’t want to accept.. However, with breakthroughs in dental & denture technology, today’s denture offers a very realistic and very function option for teeth. Listen to Newport Beach Dentist Dr. Andrew Spath go over dentures options for his patients.

To learn more, ask a question, or anything else oabout the adavances in dentures, call our office and one our friendly staff will be there to greet you, (949) 612-2356 or reach us via our email!

5 Tips for Choosing a New Dentist

Finding a new dentist is an important step in your dental health care routine. Considering that you’ll be visiting them twice a year, it’s important to find a dental practice that meets your needs. Having a specific place dental office to visit for routine check-ups or in the case of a dental emergency will keep you feeling confident in your oral health. With that in mind, follow these 5 tips when looking for a new dentist:

1. Know Your Dental Health Benefits

It’s important to begin your search with knowing which dentists are within your dental health plan. Refining your choices to those that are within your plan can make a difference in your copayment levels. While it can seem limiting at first, the financial benefits of staying within your dental health plan only grow over time, especially when you’re visiting your dental office on a regular basis.

2. Determine Accessibility

Where is their office located? Would you prefer a location that’s closer to work or closer to home? What are their office hours and how flexible are they when it comes to scheduling appointments? Finding a dental office that works with your current scheduling needs will ensure that regular check-ups and cleanings are easy to incorporate into your current routine.

3. Ask Others for Recommendations

Your friends, family, and neighbors are a valuable resource when it comes to finding a new dentist. They’ll be able to offer recommendations on trusted dental practices and provide insight on their experiences. Once you’ve found a few good candidates, visit their website to find additional information and patient reviews.

4. Schedule a Consultation

Don’t be shy about calling or visiting before making your first official appointment. Scheduling a consultation time with a dentist allows you to ask questions about their practice and for them to learn more about your dental history. It’s important for your potential dentist to understand any of your concerns and be able to answer all of your questions. A consultation is also a great opportunity to find out which dental procedures are performed in the office and how far in advance cleanings and regular check-ups need to be scheduled.

5. Post Appointment Decisions

Everyone has unique criteria that they look for when finding a new dentist. You want to choose someone that can be a part of your healthcare team. Find a dentist that can serve as a trusted advisor to make dental care decisions with. It’s not always easy to choose a dentist for you and your family but taking the time to research will ensure that you make the right choice.

Gum Disease: Causes, Detection, and Treatment of Periodontal Disease

Have you noticed blood in your sink after brushing your teeth lately? Bleeding while brushing can be one of the first warning signs of Periodontal Disease. In its earliest stages, it manifests as gingivitis and only infects your gums. However, if left untreated, the disease can travel below your gum line, infecting your bones, and evolving into Periodontal Disease.

The Prevalence of Periodontal Disease

Periodontal Disease, or more commonly known as gum disease, is a common infection that involves inflammation around the tooth. This inflammation damages the soft tissue and bone supporting the tooth. Without treatment, the alveolar bone around the teeth can be lost over time. The disease can also cause tooth loss and can increase the risk of stroke, heart attack, and other health complications.

According to the recent findings of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately half of Americans aged 30 and up have periodontal disease. These findings indicate that the disease affects upwards of 64.7 million Americans. A variety of risk factors can be an indicator if someone will experience the disease. Some can be attributed to inherited or genetic susceptibility, but others are caused by smoking, lack of adequate hygiene practices, age, diet, health history, and certain medications.

What Causes Periodontal Disease

Microorganisms, such as bacteria, can stick to both the surface of the tooth and in the pockets surrounding it. Once this bacteria has the opportunity to multiply, the immune system reacts, releasing toxins, and inflammation occurs. Bacterial plaque, which takes the form of a sticky, colorless membrane, can develop over the surface of the teeth and is often the most common cause of Periodontal Disease. If the plaque is not removed, it can eventually harden to form tartar.

Luckily, most cases of gum disease are completely preventable through good dental hygiene!

Treating Periodontal Disease

Maintaining good oral hygiene practices is one of the easiest and most effective ways to treat gum disease. Proper dental care involves brushing twice daily and flossing once daily.

A more in-depth treatment can include scaling, which involves a dental professional cleaning below the gumline. This can be done using hand tools or an ultrasonic device that breaks up plaque and tartar. This method of cleaning is recommended to be completed twice a year.

While these tips can be useful in preventing and treating the disease, it’s important to note that there is no replacement for 6-month check-ups with a dental professional.

Finally, A Self-Assessment App For Your Oral Health

Don’t waste your time searching resources for your oral health care through search engines anymore! The Healthy Mouth App the Kois Center recently released has everything you need. From smile reports to the contact info of dentists near you. Check out what this app is all about:

Key Features

Take the assessment and check out what the app has to say about the 4 different categories it reports for you:
1) Smile Characteristics.
2) Gum Health.
3) Bite and Jaw Health.
4) Tooth Health.
See the forecast on your heart disease risk score.
Bring your tracked brushing and flossing habits into your dental appointments.
Have access to over 75 articles in the Patient Education Section.
Locate dentists that are uniquely trained to review the reports with you and schedule directly through the app.

Process

5 Minutes. That’s all you need from start to finish to get through the initial setup! This app can get you registered, the algorithm and analysis reports, and local dentist’s contact info in the time it takes you to listen to your favorite song!

Download, then create your account within the app.
The apps algorithm that will analyze your responses and provide you with risk estimates for all aspects of your mouth.
You will then be directed, within the app, to local dental offices that can interpret your results.
Once you pick the dental office of your choice, you can schedule an appointment for any concerns you may have that may have come up in your assessment results.

Benefit

Just a tap away and you have all the resources that the internet could provide you with, but in about half the time and almost no effort. This app will centralize your oral care and make your dental care easier to maintain in the long run.

Contact us and we can answer any questions you have about the app process and reports produced! Give a call (949) 612-2356 or reach us via our email!

Download The Healthy Mouth App

Sleep Apnea and Your Oral Health

Have you been waking up feeling lethargic and exhausted, even after 8 hours of sleep? Sleep apnea could be the reason! What is sleep apnea? What causes it? And who can help me? These are some of the very first questions that come to mind when experiencing symptoms of sleep apnea. After asking said questions, it’s important to know exactly what these answers are before moving on to the next possible causes of your sleep issues.

Let’s go over these questions and if you need to follow up with more concerns… you know where to find us!

What is sleep apnea?

The straight forward definition for sleep apnea is: A chronic condition that causes people to stop breathing at different times throughout their sleep cycles. Now, there are 2 different kinds of sleep apneas: Obstructive and central. If you have any of the below symptoms it could mean you have one of these:

Potential Symptoms

Long pauses in your breathing while asleep.
Gasping for air while sleeping.
Restless sleep.
Dry mouth or sore throat when waking up.
Being exhausted every morning, even after 8 hours of sleep.

What causes sleep apnea?

As discussed above, there are 2 forms of it- Obstructive and central sleep apnea.
Let’s start with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This is the most common form and is when your upper airway gets blocked when you’re asleep, making it hard on your diaphragm to draw in air. You can reduce your risk of having this form of sleep apnea by losing weight, avoiding drinking alcohol 4-6 hours before bed, and sleeping on your side.

Central sleep apnea (CSA) is when your brain isn’t sending your muscles the right signals to breathe correctly. This is sometimes caused by medications that you may be taking, or it could be related to an illness from which your lower brain stem is affected.

Who can help?

Now we come to the most important question of all, who can help? Dentists are valuable partners when it comes to the study and treatment of sleep apnea- they know the ins and outs of the mouth. Not to mention they are the experts on your oral health and breathing is a huge part of that! These are a few things that dentists can prescribe and help you with once you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea by your doctor:

An oral appliance is a “mouth-guard” type of appliance and the most widely preferred! It is quiet, portable, and easy to wear.
CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine. This is very effective for OSA because it provides forced air to prevent any obstruction from happening. However, you do have to wear a mask when you sleep.

There is a surgery that can help treat sleep apnea as well. This surgery is done by implanting a medical device that electrically stimulates the hypoglossal nerve to the tongue- basically a pacemaker for your tongue. This does not cause pain and all it really does is cause your tongue to be pushed forward, away from the back of your airway. This is only a treatment for OSA, not CSA, and is usually only performed when the other 2 treatments are not tolerated.

Contact us and we can set up an initial exam to give you the proper information you need to proceed with whichever treatment option works best for you! Give a call (949) 612-2356 or reach us via our email!

Non-opioid pain management for dentistry with exparel

Let’s put an END to Opioid abuse.

It’s been in the media for sometime now and the matter of fact is that the opioid epidemic is still too prevalent. That is why Dr. Andrew Spath and his talented Newport Beach staff has made a point to further their treatment education and learn about Exparel, a newer dental option that allows pain management for days after the procedure. Watch Dr. Spath give a bit of insight to this product in this quick video.

What is Exparel?

EXPAREL is a single-dose infiltration or as an interscalene brachial plexus nerve block that provides significant long-lasting pain control in effort to reduce the use of opioids during post surgical pain.
– Original Source: Exparel.com

How it Works

Exparel is revolutionary nerve blocking injection that is done soon after an operation, in this case a dental operation. It’s intended to provide ample pain management for 3-4 days after the operation which is the average recovery time for most dental procedures. While some procedures will require extra pain management, the idea behind Exparel is to reduce the number of pills a patient has to take and to deter the growth of the Opioid epidemic.

A Patient’s Experience with Exparel

A recent patient of ours was nice enough to jump in front of the spotlight for a little Q & A about his experience using this Exparel. He had a new set of dental implants just a few days prior. Not only does he look fantastic, his normalcy of life has stayed pretty consistent.

I’m always hesitant with Doctors and procedures, but you made it so easy. There was a little pain the first day, but I only took two pills.
-Edwin

To learn more about this product, a certain procedure, to ask a question, or anything else dental related, be sure to call our office and one our friendly staff members will be there to greet you, (949) 612-2356 or reach us via our email!

How to Choose a Cosmetic Dentist in Newport Beach

First Off, You’re Worth It.

Invest in yourself and live the life you desire.

Updated 10/14/19

As a premier Cosmetic Dentist in Newport Beach, I understand the commitment that goes into making that decision. Time, money, and results are all things one should consider when seeking cosmetic dentistry. Over the years and after many-many treatments as well as advanced education, here are 3 things that have made patients the happiest!

1) If You Must, Travel.

Cosmetic dentistry is a big step in anyone’s life. It involves time and money, something we all could use more of. However, this commitment will do wonders for your happiness, vitality, and appearance. If you must, travel. Check out the map below for a visual of where we are located!

2) Quality over Quantity.

If done properly, your treatment should not only look great, but endure the test of time. While there are some outliers like whitening and people’s habits, treatments like crowns, veneers, gold restoration, and a few others should be a one-time procedure. Choose a quality dentist and get the results you deserve.

Most dentist offices that I’ve gone to are nice. But Dr. Spath’s office takes it to the next level. I also love how up to date the office is making it feel like I was at home. I’ve never minded going to the dentist but I kind of look forward to visiting.

3) Education and Experience.

Do your due diligence before making your final decision. Whomever you choose, that cosmetic dentist should have years of continued cosmetic dentistry education and experience.