General Dentistry

Sep 18 2020

Having a Healthy Bite is Invaluable

Dr. Daniel Nasayan and his team of dentists and dental professionals at the Bedford Dental Group are the choice of everyone who wants a Beverly Hills smile at an affordable price (even for our celebrity patients).

But underlying every gleaming smile that gives you confidence in your personal and professional lives should be a healthy bite. Dentistry has only recently become recognized as one of the underappreciated medical specialties. Unless you have gone to dental school, you probably were not told just how important it was to be rigorous in the way you care for your teeth, brushing correctly twice a day for two minutes each and flossing in the proper way once. Please ask us to show you exactly the proper way to do this on your next visit.

Unless the sticky plaque on the teeth that remains from food and beverages is removed each day, it will harden into tartar, which causes cavities and periodontal disease (infection of the gums and jawbone). It is vital to have your teeth professionally cleaned by your dental hygienist with special tools and techniques at least twice a year. Without daily care, a tooth can loosen and if it falls out or needs to be extracted, it will have to be replaced with a dental implant, to avoid misalignment of the other teeth (which lean towards it to fill the empty space). Untreated, that will lead to the loss of more teeth.

Good dental care, the combination of your personal work in collaboration with our help, can actually save your life. Periodontal disease can also spread bacterial throughout the body, raising the risk for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, as WebMD explains: https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/gingivitis-periodontal-disease#1

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (a mouthful usually called TMJD, TMJ, or TMD) results from tension in the jaw that harms dental health. It can result in pain or discomfort in the entire jaw and face, as well as neck and shoulders, difficulty in opening your mouth wide and closing it, and trouble chewing. We can provide an orthotic split that will help.

As we age, we are prone to more periodontal challenges, due to the cumulative results of small shortfalls in our personal care, as well as family history, the impact of illnesses, side-effects of medications, smoking, and other factors. It becomes increasingly important to come in for checkups for everything from dry mouth (commonly caused by medications and which worsens oral health) to signs of oral cancer.

As we get older, we often find that our teeth have been ground down by tension in our jaws, often while we sleep, known as bruxism. This can be stopped by our creation of a customized night guard, similar to a the mouth guard athletes wear for protection when they play.

Teeth that have been worn down result in a compromised bite and facial features become compressed, leading to sagging jowls, more lines, and wrinkles. Restoring a healthy bite can include crowns on top of teeth, veneers attached to their front, or dental implants.

Call us today to set an appointment for an assessment of your unique oral health needs today.

Jul 14 2020

How Porcelain Veneers Can Beautify Your Smile for the Summer

You’ve been cooped up for a long time and are eager to be outdoors more, as well as enjoy safely-distanced socializing, dining outside, and shopping.

As you emerge from your healthy hibernation, you realize your teeth have been a bit discolored for a while, a natural process over time, aggravated by foods and beverages, like red wine, coffee, and tea. Or you may feel that it’s past time to repair some cracks, chips, or wear-and-tear, close gaps, and improve the alignment, shape, and size of your natural teeth.

It’s not too late to get a gleaming Beverly Hills smile for summer. And you can have customized and affordable porcelain veneers attached to the front of your teeth by the area’s best cosmetic dentists (even our celebrity patients appreciate the price for such quality).

Dental porcelain veneers are thin wafers whose shade can be exactly matched to the color of your natural teeth if you only want to have them applied to one or a few. No one will know you weren’t born with them–friends may realize you have an even more beautiful smile without knowing why. Or you could opt for a whiter or brighter smile by selecting among a full range of options. We can show you exactly how your new smile will look before we move forward.

Once you decide what you want, we will take a physical impression of your teeth and send it to one of the very best dental laboratories to craft (if you are in a rush, we may even be able to use a sophisticated in-office machine to produce veneers the same day).

In many cases, the professional whitening of your teeth in advance of applying veneers is important, since they are translucent. A minimal amount of preparation of the front of the teeth is also necessary to be sure they don’t look bulky and artificial, as well as to help adhere the veneers.

A beautiful smile is one of the first things people notice about someone and everyone who gets veneers gets a very positive response, both in their personal lives and careers.

And an often-overlooked additional benefit is that they can give you a better bite, so you could be chewing more comfortably than ever before.

With normal brushing and flossing, veneers should last 5-10 years. It will also protect them if you avoid using teeth to tear open packages, chew on your nails or pens, or pull on clothing. If you grind your teeth while you sleep, we can create a custom mouthguard to prevent damage.

Are you ready to debut a new smile for summer? Give us a call today to set up a free consultation.

Feb 26 2020

This Study Says that Wine May Help Fight Dental Plaque

Do you enjoy having a glass of wine with your dinner every now and then? Well, it turns out your supposed vice might actually endear several health benefits as well.

You’re probably already aware of the fact that wine helps in preventing breakouts, reduces the risk of liver disease, dwindles cancer risks, lowers your cholesterol, regulates blood sugar level, lowers the risk of developing diabetes, and also aids in improving the functions of your brain, heart, and bones. In addition to all these benefits, a new study has revealed that wine also helps in fighting against dental plaque, tooth decay, and gum disease.

The study found that wine has compounds known as polyphenols, which help in fighting dangerous bacteria in our mouth. Studies in the past have revealed that since these compounds are antioxidants, they help in protecting the body against harmful free radicals. Recent research suggests that they also improve your health by working with the good bacteria in your gut.

In the study, a comparison was made between the effects of two polyphenols, along with grape seed and red wine extracts, and their impact was studied on bacteria that stick to your teeth and gums and cause dental plaque, cavities, and periodontal disease. It was then found that while the wine polyphenols and extracts helped in reducing the ability of the bacteria to stick to the cells, the polyphenols, on the other hand, which were the caffeic and p-coumaric acids, proved to be more effective.

When the polyphenols are combined with an oral probiotic known as the Streptococcus dentist, they work even better in fighting the pathogenic bacteria. Researchers said that there are some metabolites that are formed when the digestion of the polyphenols begins, and it’s what could be responsible for the antibacterial properties of wine.

Jan 26 2020

Conditions that can lead to Tooth Pain

Did you know that chronic tooth pain can alter the way one talks? And not only that, it can change one’s demeanor and personality with time. For example, an individual with an exuberant nature can become withdrawn and cranky if they are dealing with consistent tooth pain.

But tooth pain doesn’t just happen. It’s a culmination of a number of things. Some causes of toothaches are common like a dental cavity or trauma to the jaw. Here are the four main conditions that lead to tooth pain.

An abscess

An abscessed tooth can be excruciatingly painful. This is an infection within the tooth that has found its way to the roots of the tooth. The infection causes the roots of the tooth to be inflamed resulting in swelling and pain. This condition is characterized by a lesion in the gum that is filled with pus. The bacteria causing the infection to enter the dental pulp through a crack or chip in the tooth. An abscessed tooth can be remedied through a root canal.

Drug abuse

Drug addicts tend to have bad teeth because of their drug use. Methamphetamine, cocaine, ecstasy and even marijuana that is now legal in some states contribute to dry mouth which leads to tooth decay and dental cavities. Ultimately, drug addicts have toothaches as a result of their addiction.

Also, these drugs cause one to clench their teeth or grind their teeth against each other making the jaw and teeth susceptible to pain and weak with time. Unfortunately, some prescription medication for conditions like medication for blood pressure can also cause dry mouth contributing to dental cavities. Also, chemotherapy can have the same effect.
Trauma

Injury or trauma to the mouth or jaw can result in the loosening of teeth. Loose teeth are painful to touch and because the mouth is constantly active they can be constantly brushed against causing the pain to be continuous.

Damaged filling

If the filing in a tooth comes off or cracks exposing the dental pulp one becomes prone to toothaches as cold and hot substances enter the cavity and irritate the pulp. The solution is to refill the cavity and hide the exposed nerve endings in the tooth and this can be done by the dentist in a series of visit depending on the scale of damage to the filling. In most cases, the dentist needs to do the refilling all over again including cleaning the tooth to ensure that food particles do not get trapped inside.

Nov 26 2019

How Coffee Creates Stains on Your Teeth

Most people would find it extremely hard to start their day on the right foot without a strong cup of coffee. And while there’s no harm in enjoying a daily cup of morning coffee, it’s imperative to know the effects of the beverage on teeth.

Coffee is one of the world’s leading beverages with a whopping 400 million cups of coffee consumed by Americans annually. It’s also one of the leading causes of tooth discoloration.

How does coffee stain teeth?

Although coffee does provide much-needed stimulus in the morning to get the body’s senses going, it does contain tannins. Tannins are a group of bitter and astringent compounds found in plants such as coffee, teas, and wine, all of which cause staining on teeth in varying degrees. Of all these, coffee is the leading culprit of teeth staining owing to its popularity.

The coffee stains on teeth occur over time for coffee enthusiasts as the tannin builds up on the enamel. In time the teeth become visibly discolored. Discolored or yellowing teeth can cause one to smile self consciously. Fortunately, no one should have to endure discolored teeth as a result of coffee because a visit to the local dentist should be able to restore coffee teeth to glistening white.

The enamel of the teeth is indeed the hardest substance in the human body. However, contrary to what most people think, it’s not as smooth and flat as it appears. Upon close inspection with a microscope, the tooth enamel reveals microscopic pits and ridges. These minute crooks and crannies on the enamel can accumulate particles of food and drink. Tannins from coffee accumulate over time and embed themselves into these enamel spaces to cause discoloration.

Can discoloration of teeth from coffee be prevented?

Well, the answer is yes, coffee teeth are preventable. Giving up coffee is not exactly an option for a majority of coffee drinkers. However, one of the solutions is having scheduled coffee breaks that allow one to rinse their mouth or better yet brush their teeth to get rid of any tannins embedded in the teeth enamel.

If one already has coffee teeth, fret not! That’s because a competent dentist can restore the bright white smile in place once again through teeth whitening. They do that by cleaning the teeth thoroughly using specialized solutions as well as equipment.

Conclusion

Rinsing the mouth or brushing teeth after enjoying a cup of coffee is an excellent way of preventing coffee teeth. Coffee lovers can stay ahead of coffee teeth and maintain a brilliant smile by regular visits to the dentist for a thorough session of teeth cleaning.