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

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.

Front Teeth Restoration to the Proper Length with eMax Veneers

Full Mouth Reconstruction Case Study

Bite Correction & eMax Restoration

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

4 Reasons You Should Have Straight Teeth

Are your teeth not quite positioned where you’d like them? A Stunning and, more importantly, a healthy smile can make a huge difference on your quality of life. Having a beautiful smile of straight teeth will give you more confidence as well as improve upon your overall oral health! Don’t believe us? Here are the top 4 reasons of why you should have straight teeth.

1) Improved Oral Health

Not commonly known, straight teeth are, in fact, healthier. Having straight teeth results in fewer cavities, less discoloration, and less uneven wear or fractures. Furthermore, the gum tissue around straight teeth are less likely to develop periodontal disease. Straight teeth and healthy gums means you can chew anything you please because your teeth are less likely to be sensitive to heat and cold. Straight teeth not only look great, but they lower your risk of painful and costly dental problems.

2) More Self Confidence

Another reason to consider straight teeth is very simple… Self confidence. Unfortunately in our visually-based society appearance does matter. Studies have show again and again the benefits of an attractive appearance and smile as it relates to job opportunities, the amount of money you make, and even the people you attract into your life. Like it or not, your smile is a reflection of you.

3) Cheaper Dental Costs

Generally saving money doesn’t come to mind when thinking about having a beautiful smile, but straight are less inclined to accidents. Teeth that protrude are easily broken from falling, hitting the rim of your drink, sports collisions, car accidents and much more. In addition, mentioned in item 1, a straight smile is easier to care for and often, more cared for. Ultimately reducing your dental procedures and costly surgery. So if your teeth aren’t where you’d like to be, think about ‘paying it forward’. Not only for your wallet, but for your self confidence too!

4) Longer Life Span

Shocking, but did you know having straight teeth could help you live longer. Studies show that people who manage their oral hygiene effectively on average live an extra 7 years. This meaning daily flossing and brushing. However, studies also prove those with crooked or crowded teeth are less likely to maintain this regiment. Falling behind on this could result in gum disease and individuals with gum disease are over 30 percent more likely to suffer coronary artery disease. Straight teeth not only are easier to keep clean, but those with straight teeth are more likely to take care of them.

Our passion is oral health and seeing the individuals of Orange County happy and healthy! We appreciate you taking the time to read our latest post on straight teeth. Call us today with any questions you might have and don’t forget about our Invisalign special sure to get you on the right path of happiness and health.

New Years Dental Resolutions

Happy holidays from the team here at Spath Dentistry! It’s time for some good ol’ gift giving, sweet lovin’ family time and we couldn’t be more excited. We’ve even begun to discuss our New Year’s Resolutions at the office.

Here are five resolutions for the new year we think will keep your mouth happy.

Limit Sugar Intake

What! Limit sugar? But the delicious holiday treats! Don’t worry. We’re not saying oust all sugar from your diet. Just cut back and be conscious about it. BMC Public Health believes there’s a clear connection between sugar and tooth decay. And unfortunately, tooth decay is the leading cause of tooth loss, especially amongst the younger demographic. Reducing your sugar intake is a gradual process. Substitute kombucha or sparkling water for soda. Only eat dessert after dinner. Chew sugarless gum. Rationing desserts can be tough, but it definitely beats a future of missing teeth and a lifetime of voluminous dental care.

Floss the Before Bed

My grandparents reminded me of this all the time as a kid. Although brushing twice daily is an excellent start, toothbrushes do not completely remove all plaque from between your teeth. Making it a habit to floss once daily will not only improve your smile and overall health, but you will greatly decrease extensive dental care in your future. Why, might you ask? Simple. Plaque is not a friend to your mouth. It contains a bacteria that feeds on leftover food and sugars stuck between teeth. Over time, the bacteria begin to release an acid that slowly eat away the outer shell of your teeth. This is the cause of cavities. If plaque remains for a long period of time, it turns into a hard substance called tartar and can eventually be the root of gum disease. Once plaque has reached this stage, it can only be removed by a dentist.

Consider Fixing Bite Irregularities

Many of us have grown up with an irregular bite. Misalignments in our teeth lower self-esteem and can lead to a lifetime of oral discomfort. Colgate estimates nearly fifty percent of new orthodontic patients are adults these days. That’s because modern methods for straightening teeth have become easy and discreet. While braces are a traditional procedure with a proven track record, a new and exciting technique is becoming a popular choice: Invisalign. They’re made of a clear plastic that can be easily removed to eat or brush teeth. Although orthodontics are an extensive endeavor, they will lead to a healthy smile and vastly reduce future dental bills.

Nicotine No More

Your mouth is constantly shedding layers and heals extremely fast when injured. However, smoking debilitates your immune system and makes it difficult for your mouth to actually heal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study stating constant use of tobacco products doubles your risk of gum disease. Gum disease weakens the bone structures holding your teeth in place, eventually causing gums to pull away and teeth to fall out. Like reducing your sugar intake, quitting smoking is a slow, moderate process. It is important to find support from friends and family and healthy alternatives when the cravings begin. In addition to the numerous online sources to help and spark ideas, your general practitioner will happily assist in any way possible.

Visit Your Dentist

Don’t think of this one as just another advertisement from our office. Although we love cleaning your teeth, we cannot stress the importance of your dental visits. The American Dental Association estimates roughly a third of Americans do not visit a dentist every six months. So challenge number one: give us a call and schedule a check up.

We are not naive, it’s a busy time of year! But if you wait until after the first of the year to call, you may have to wait a few months before an available time. There is a good chance your health plan’s deductible will reset the first of the year, making it a prime time to clean your teeth. When you do make it in, schedule the next appointment before you leave our office. We’ll send you a reminder so you don’t have to think about it.

Call us today or schedule your next visit online.