Preventive Dentistry

When it comes to keeping your teeth and smile healthy, some things are obvious. For instance, you have to brush your teeth at least twice and floss at least once every day to keep plaque off of them. You also have to visit your dentist regularly for routine checkups and cleanings to prevent most dental health issues. However, many patients in North Hollywood don’t realize that eating a healthy, well-balanced, and highly nutritious diet is just as important.

Healthy Smile Nutrition

Like every other part of your body, your teeth and gums rely on an adequate supply of nutrition to function properly and fight off disease. These are some of the most important of those nutrients:

• Calcium – Your body uses calcium for a wide variety of things, including facilitating a number of vital biological processes. It’s also vital to maintaining your jawbone’s strength and integrity, as well as the structures and enamel of your teeth. In fact, calcium is the main building block of your tooth enamel, which is your teeth’s first line of defense against harmful oral bacteria.
• Magnesium – Like calcium, magnesium is essential for several hundred different biological and biochemical reactions throughout your body. For example, it’s needed for your nerves and muscles to function properly, including those in your teeth and oral cavity. Because magnesium also helps your body control inflammation better, it’s especially important for protecting your smile against destructive gum disease.
• CoQ10 – Coenzyme Q10, or CoQ10, is one of the most important enzymes to your body’s functions. It allows your body’s cells to pull energy from your food to facilitate processes such as tissue healing. It’s also an antioxidant that helps your body more effectively fight off harmful bacteria that could lead to tooth decay, gum disease, and more.

Learn More About Keeping Your Smile Healthy

There are many aspects to keeping your smile healthy and beautiful for life, and healthy nutrition is just one of them. For more information, schedule a consultation by calling Modern Smile in North Hollywood, CA, today at 818-763-9353. We also proudly serve patients who live in Burbank, Toluca Lake, and all surrounding communities.

Your dentist plays an important role in keeping your smile healthy for life, but the basics of a healthy smile involve what you do at home every day. A consistently good hygiene routine, which means brushing your teeth twice and flossing at least once every day, is the only way to keep harmful plaque from overwhelming your teeth and gums. As such, a good hygiene routine is also one of the most important ways for patients in North Hollywood to prevent serious dental issues that could lead to the need for more extensive treatment options.

The need for fillings or root canal treatment

Cavities, which are caused by tooth decay, are the most common condition to result from excessive plaque and tartar buildup. The harmful oral bacteria found in plaque produce harmful acids that erode tooth enamel, allowing the bacteria to infect the tooth. If this happens, then you’ll need to fix the tooth by filling the cavity or by undergoing root canal treatment, depending on the extent of your tooth decay.

The need for periodontal cleaning and maintenance

Next to tooth decay, gum disease is another common problem resulting from inadequate hygiene practices. While some bacteria attack your teeth, others attack your gums, leading to gingivitis and the progression of gum disease. If you slack in your hygiene routine and gum disease develops, then you’ll need complex periodontal cleaning and maintenance to stop the disease from destroying your gums and jawbone structure.

The need for a custom tooth replacement

The dental conditions that can result from poor hygiene, especially gum disease, can dramatically increase your risks of experiencing tooth loss. If you do lose one or more teeth, then you’ll need a custom-designed replacement to restore your bite’s function and your smile’s appearance.

Improve Your Hygiene to Protect Your Smile Better

Good hygiene is the basis for keeping your smile healthy and beautiful for life. For more information on how to improve your daily hygiene routine schedule a consultation by calling Modern Smile in North Hollywood, CA, today at 818-763-9353. We also proudly serve patients who live in Burbank, Toluca Lake, and all surrounding communities.

At some point, nearly 60% of adults will lose one or more teeth for a number of different reasons. Because it’s so common, many people believe that they’re destined to lose teeth eventually. However, it doesn’t have to. Tooth loss may be a frequent problem, but in most cases, it can be prevented with proper care and maintenance from the dentist. Today, we show patients in North Hollywood, CA, how to boost their chances of preventing tooth loss by improving certain aspects of their dental health and hygiene routines.

Take everyday hygiene seriously

Most people know that they should take their hygiene routine seriously, but not everyone sticks to that routine. Missing a beat can lead to over accumulation of harmful oracteria, which lead to issues such as gum disease (the lead cause of adult tooth loss). Consistently good hygiene helps control this bacteria buildup, and therefore, your risks of losing teeth due to gum disease.

Know what your risks are

Besides oral bacteria and the dental diseases they can cause, other risk factors for tooth loss include improper bite alignment, a tendency to grind your teeth consistently (bruxism), and other conditions that could threaten the integrity of your teeth. Keeping up with regular preventive dental visits will give your dentist the chance to thoroughly assess your specific risks of tooth loss and address them to preserve your smile.

Team up with your dentist

Once you know your risks, you and your dentist can team up to keep them under control and mitigate the threat of tooth loss. For example, if you develop gum disease, then a consistent schedule of periodontal cleaning and maintenance can help you control it before it causes enough damage to lead to tooth loss.

Learn How to Lower Your Risks of Losing Teeth

Tooth loss is common because there are many different factors that contribute to your risks. By understanding these factors, however, you can significantly improve your chances of preventing it. For more information, schedule a consultation by calling Modern Smile in North Hollywood, CA, today at 818-763-9353. We also proudly serve patients who live in Burbank, Toluca Lake, and all surrounding communities.

Tooth decay can impact children of all ages, from toddlers to teens. But what can you do protect their smiles? In today’s blog, we’re discussing the causes of cavities and the preventive treatments we can offer to help kids in Hollywood, CA, enjoy a cavity-free smile!

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We all want to keep our smiles beautiful and healthy, and that means focusing on more than just our teeth. Our gums are essential for maintaining optimal oral health, so keeping them free of periodontal disease is vital. In today’s blog, we’re going to take a look at a widespread and serious oral health issue that impacts the gums of our patients in Hollywood, CA. How do you recognize periodontal disease?

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The bad thing about bad breath is that you probably won’t realize you have it until after everyone else does first. Their reactions can make your condition a potentially endless source of embarrassment, and for many patients, it persists until they seek professional help from their dentists. That’s because, in most cases, chronic bad breath (officially known as halitosis) is just a symptom of something else that needs your attention. Today, we explore a few important facts about chronic bad breath and how you can mitigate its effects to stop it from affecting your daily life.

Things Your Really Should Know

• Chronic bad breath isn’t the same as common bad breath. For example, most people commonly have bad breath when they first wake up in the morning. That’s because oral bacteria that produce foul-smelling chemicals gather more frequently when you sleep and your saliva dries up. However, for some patients, chronic bad breath might just be a similar case to morning breath, but with a bacteria presence so strong that even brushing and flossing can’t eliminate them.
• The good news is that professional dental cleaning should be able to clear up your excessive oral bacteria buildup, and therefore, your chronic case of bad breath. If you stick to a regular schedule of checkups and cleanings, then this should happen naturally. However, the presence of so many oral bacteria also means your risks of things like tooth decay and gum disease are also heightened. When such issues develop, they can also cause or exacerbate your bad breath, and eliminating it will require addressing the issue with more involved treatment.
• No matter what the cause of your chronic bad breath is, your best bet for getting rid of it is to schedule an appointment with your dentist. Even if it isn’t time for your regularly scheduled checkup and cleaning, your dentist will have to diagnose the cause of your bad breath before recommending an appropriate and effective treatment plan.

Find Out How to Get Rid of Bad Breath Permanently

When bad breath persists, it can affect your daily life in several negative ways. Knowing why will help you and your dentist eliminate it so you can go back to being you again. To learn more, schedule a consultation by calling Modern Smile in North Hollywood, CA, today at 818-763-9353. We also proudly serve patients who live in Burbank, Toluca Lake, and all surrounding communities.

Most people realize that the cornerstone of their good dental health lies in how well they practice dental hygiene at home. However, consistency is just as important quality. No matter how effective your brushing and flossing routine is, it will only work if you do it at least twice every day. Because it’s the most important part of your preventive dental routine, your hygiene can also become your smile’s greatest vulnerability. To prevent this from happening, we offer some advice to our North Hollywood, CA, patients on how to improve simple daily hygiene practices.

Watch how you brush and floss

The point of brushing and flossing your teeth is to thoroughly clean them of harmful oral bacteria and food particles, which form plaque and cling to your teeth’s surfaces throughout the day. These substances are the leading causes of tooth decay, gum disease, chronic bad breath, and more. Therefore, it’s important to brush and floss in front a mirror so you can be sure that you don’t miss a spot.

Oral bacteria eat, too

The reason oral bacteria are dangerous is because they metabolize the nutrients that are found in your food and beverages. Every time you eat or drink something, oral bacteria consume it, too. As they do, some of them convert these nutrients (such as sugar) into acids that specifically target your tooth structures and gum tissues. To limit the amount of substances they produce, limit how often you snack throughout the day, and brush your teeth or rinse your mouth with water after each meal or snack.

You need your dentist’s help

Besides keeping your hygiene practices on point at home, you also need your dentist’s help to successfully keep oral bacteria from endangering your smile. For example, plaque can quickly calcify into tartar, and when it does, your toothpaste and water can’t remove it. Instead, your dentist or hygienist will have to clean it off using professional dental equipment.

Learn More About Protecting Your Smile Better

Improving your hygiene improves your chances of preserving your healthy, natural smile without needing more extensive dental treatment later. For more information, schedule a consultation by calling Modern Smile in North Hollywood, CA, today at 818-763-9353. We also proudly serve patients who live in Burbank, Toluca Lake, and all surrounding communities.

If you stick to your dentist’s recommendations, then you should attend a dental checkup and cleaning appointment at least twice a year. However, many patients don’t stick to that schedule as consistently as they should, and in many ways, that’s why common, easily preventable dental issues are so prevalent. For patients throughout the North Hollywood, CA, area, we strongly suggest maintaining your schedule of checkups and cleanings to avoid complications that can arise from such issues.

Why You Need More than Brushing and Flossing

Brushing and flossing your teeth every day serves a very specific purpose – to clean away the harmful bacteria and food particles that make up dental plaque. The microbes in plaque are the main reason why things like tooth decay and gum disease form. As they metabolize nutrients in your food, these bacteria produce harmful acids and toxins that erode your teeth and gum tissues. Yet, even if you brush and floss consistently, you can miss spots of plaque, and before long, those spots will calcify into tartar.

Why Checkups and Cleanings Matter

No matter how often you brush and floss, tartar can’t be removed from your teeth with just toothpaste and water. On the contrary, it has to be professionally cleaned away with the help of your dentist or hygienist. Tartar isn’t always obvious at first, but over time, it can lead to discoloration on your teeth as well as substantially heightened risks of chronic dental health issues.

What Happens if Prevention Is Too Late?

The issues that develop from excessive oral bacteria buildup can be prevented by stopping these bacteria from growing strong enough. However, because no one is perfect in their hygiene and preventive dental care routines, such issues remain a common threat. During your routine preventive visits, we’ll also check to see if you’ve developed tooth decay, gum disease, or any other dental health concern, and recommend appropriate treatment to address it, if necessary.

Schedule Your Next Dental Checkup and Cleaning

Along with good dental hygiene at home, sticking to a regular schedule of checkups and cleanings is also vital to keeping your smile healthy for life. For more information, schedule a consultation by calling Modern Smile in North Hollywood, CA, today at 818-763-9353. We also proudly serve patients who live in Burbank, Toluca Lake, and all surrounding communities.

While everyone’s smile is unique, there are some dental issues that are common for everyone. For instance, everyone can experience teeth stains even if they keep their smiles healthy, and everyone could get a cavity if they slip even once in their dental hygiene and preventive care routines. Fortunately, everyone can also prevent cavities from forming, and therefore avoid the need for tooth decay treatment, by understanding what a cavity is and how to avoid leaving your teeth vulnerable to one.

What Is a Cavity?

A cavity is a hole, and in the context of your teeth, it’s caused by harmful oral bacteria eroding the protective enamel around them. Once this enamel is compromised, harmful oral bacteria can infect your tooth’s main structure, called dentin, and leave a hole in their wake as they continue eroding more of it.

What Makes Them Worse

Oral bacteria attack tooth enamel by producing harmful acids after metabolizing nutrients like carbohydrates. The more often they’re exposed to food and beverages, the more often they can attack your teeth, which makes you more likely that they can produce enough acid to compromise your tooth enamel. Lack of good hygiene also gives oral bacteria the chance to accumulate enough to form a cavity much quicker.

How to Prevent Them

The key to preventing a cavity is to prevent the underlying causes behind its development. For instance, if you limit snacking throughout the day, then you can inhibit the production of acid from harmful oral bacteria. If you diligently brush your teeth twice a day and floss at least once, then you can control oral bacteria’s population, and consequently, their overall strength when attacking your teeth.

Learn More About Protecting Your Teeth from Cavities

Cavities may have the ability to affect virtually everyone, but with the right care and attention, you have an excellent chance of protecting your teeth for them. For more information, schedule a consultation by calling Modern Smile in North Hollywood, CA, today at 818-763-9353.

Toothaches are a fact of life that almost everyone deals with at least once in their lives. In most cases, the ache is little more than an annoying sense of sensitivity, though in many others, it can be so severe as to prevent you from doing anything else throughout the day. The good news is that your dentist can effectively address whatever the underlying cause of your toothache is to relieve the discomfort. Although toothaches can have many different potential causes, you also have a good chance at significantly reducing your risks of developing one if you keep your teeth consistently strong and healthy.

Give Your Teeth a Better Chance

• Keep bacteria off your teeth – Oral bacteria are the building blocks of harmful dental plaque, and they’re the reason why tooth decay and gum disease develop. Because such issues are the main causes of toothaches, you can lower your risk of having one by brushing and flossing bacteria off your teeth every day.
• Don’t snack too often – By themselves, oral bacteria aren’t very dangerous. However, when they feed on nutrients, they convert them into harmful substances like acid that make your teeth and their enamel weaker, leading to sensitive. If you limit how often you snack throughout the day, then you can inhibit this process and lower your risks of tooth sensitivity.
• Fix any existing dental issues – If you have a cavity, receded gums, or other dental health concern, then you may already experience a toothache. If so, then addressing the issues as soon as possible will be necessary to not only fix your toothache, but prevent it from becoming even more severe.

Reduce Your Risks of Experiencing a Toothache

You can reduce your risk of toothaches by keeping up with good hygiene and visiting your dentist regularly. To learn more, schedule a consultation by calling Modern Smile in North Hollywood, CA, today at 818-763-9353. We also proudly serve patients who live in Burbank, Toluca Lake, and all surrounding communities.