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People do many things to take care of their teeth and gums. Regular brushing, frequent flossing, and dental checkups help keep your smile at its best. Sometimes, we forget that the foods and beverages we consume also impact our dental health. The following choices recommended by dentists can help by getting rid of plaque, strengthening enamel, and freshening breath.

Celery

Biting down on abrasive foods like celery stimulates gums and removes debris from your teeth. The extra chewing required to eat celery also keeps saliva flowing in your mouth, which neutralizes acids and washes away bacteria.

Cheese

Low in carbohydrates and high in calcium and phosphates, cheese has several benefits, including balancing the pH in your mouth, strengthening enamel, and encouraging saliva production. This is Dr. Tajik’s personal favorite snack item in between meals. (more…)

A new systemic clinical review from the American Dental Association and American Academy of of Pediatric Dentistry have reaffirmed that Sealants are a very effective treatment in prevention of decay in children or adults. Dental sealants are a thin and tooth colored resin material that fill in and adhere to naturally occurring deep grooves that are hard to reach  with a brush and protect them from developing decay. This simple procedure requires  no drilling or anesthesia and is very comfortable and easy to perform.

“Sealants are a proven and effective therapy for preventing cavities in children and teens. Oral disease can greatly impact one’s concentration and self-esteem” was said by lead author of the study, Dr. Wright DDS. Some of the other significant findings of the study concluded that sealants should be routine part of the cavity prevention and that children with sealants are 80% less prone to cavities compared to those without them.

Our professional dentists at Modern Smiles in North Hollywood incorporate a variety of preventive strategies, such as Sealants and Laser Decontamination, for reducing dental disease in children and teens. If you are concerned about your oral health or your family’s make an appointment for a comprehensive dental exam at our state of the art dental office in North Hollywood. Our completely digital workflow together with our compassionate dentist will ensure an efficient and comfortable process from start to finish. At Modern Smiles we strive to provide your family with a lifetime of healthy and beautiful smiles.

If you have recently done a smile makeover using porcelain veneers, you are likely enjoying  your dazzling brand new smile. While dental veneers are an excellent way to change the shape and shade of your teeth and boost your self-confidence, they are not invincible. Knowing how to protect your cosmetic dentistry investment will help make it last.

Porcelain veneers are thin, like contact lenses,  tooth-colored porcelain shells that are bonded directly to your existing teeth. Veneers crafted by our dentist in North Hollywood, Dr. Tajik,  are durable, stain-resistant and customized to create a beautiful smile.  As strong as veneers are, just like your natural teeth, they need proper care and protection. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Grinding or Clenching
Teeth grinding, clenching or Bruxism are habits that places excessive pressures on your teeth. Many patients grind their teeth during their sleep as a way for body to de-stress itself. To ensure you’re not damaging your veneers while you’re catching some sleep, talk to your dentist about getting a night guard. This simple appliance can protect your teeth and your jaw joints from working too hard!

Periodontal Disease and Plaque
While the veneer itself can’t get a cavity, the underlying tooth certainly can.  Bacteria borne is dental plaque that accumulates in the mouth can still damage your gums and the underlying bone structure of your teeth. It is important to maintain diligent oral hygiene especially after receiving your new veneers. You are still at risk of tooth decay and gum disease, which can affect the longevity of your veneers.

Bad Habits
If you want to retain your beautiful veneers, go ahead and kick bad habits such as chewing ice, smoking, opening bottles with your front teeth and biting fingernails. These are surefire ways to ruin your custom smile.

Dental Trauma
If you play sports we applaud and encourage you to continue to do so, however, make sure you wear proper protective gear to keep your new smile safe while you are on the field. A custom athletic mouth guard is an essential piece of equipment that will help protect your dental veneers against accidental damages.

At Modern Smiles Dental Spa in North Hollywood, we make every effort to maintain and extend the life of your veneers and make sure you understand how to protect your new smile for many years to come! Contact us or book an appointment online to receive a modern smile evaluation.

Whitening is one of the highest sought after treatments at our Dental Office in North Hollywood and with advances in whitening technologies we can achieve dramatic results in a short period of time and painlessly. Both take home and in office whitening procedures utilize a similar key ingredient, either Hydrogen Peroxide or Carbamide Peroxide, to remove surface stains and color from tooth.  Carbimide is a more complex and bigger molecule that breaks down to form Hydrogen Peroxide and therein lies its advantage of causing less sensitivity and irritation to the surrounding tissue. However, Carbimide Peroxide requires a longer treatment time to achieve similar results, but both agents have been proven to deliver similar long lasting results if used properly.

What does make a significant difference in effectiveness of these agents is how they are applied. For take home kits, a custom designed and shaped bleaching tray with proper reservoir space for the bleaching material is critical in obtaining effective results and protecting the gum tissue from a chemical burn. At a study done in the Indiana University School of Dentistry confirmed this finding as a critical factor in achieving significant and long term results. Furthermore, properly cleaning the teeth to remove the oils, bio-film and smear layer that forms on teeth from our saliva, bacteria and food can impact how well the bleaching agents work.

In office professional bleaching techniques such as Zoom or Biolase Laser address the shortcomings of the take home methods and achieve proper contact between agent and teeth while protecting the soft tissue. The pre-bleaching prophylactic cleaning removes all surface contaminants to allow for uniform penetration and contact area between the bleaching agent and tooth surface. In addition, the gum are covered by a layer of protective dressing which prevents any damage to the sensitive gingival tissue. The occasional sensitivity experienced after an intensive whitening session by some patients is also addressed at Modern Smiles dental office in North Hollywood by our experienced Dentist, Dr. Tajik.  Dr. Tajik utilizes a dual action desensitizing agent that is applied to the teeth before the treatment to maximize patient comfort during and after whitening. This is a crucial step in the process that is often skipped by novice or inexperienced providers.

The latest advancement in bleaching is the use of Diode lasers as an accelerator to achieve even more dramatic results in about half the time. The shorter duration is further beneficial by reducing the amount of time teeth are exposed to the bleaching agent hence less drying of teeth outer enamel layer.

To learn more about whitening and how to properly achieve your desired smile, contact us at 818.763.9353 or book your appointment online.

There are many exciting innovations in dental materials and technologies these days, such as digital impressions , lasers, or same day crowns, but none are as compelling as a nasal spray anesthetic that can replace the dreaded needle! And finally after 100 years of needle injectios, St. Renatus, LLC, a privately held company based in Fort Collins, Colorado has obtained FDA approval for manufacturing of a nasal cavity spray that can anesthetize 10 of your upper front teeth without any needles. Although the remaining 22 teeth will still need the traditional method of anesthesia, this is a great step forward in making dental treatment as comfortable as possible. We are excited about incorporating this technique into our dental office in North Hollywood and available to our patients as soon as possible.

You can learn more about this innovation here.

In the past decade we have seen an explosion of research into the clinical applications of lasers in dentistry. Once regarded as a complex technology with limited uses, there is a growing awareness of the usefulness of lasers in modern dental practices. Here at Modern Smile of North Hollywood Dr. Tajik incorporates lasers as adjunct or alternative treatment options to traditional approaches. The particular laser technology used by Dr. Tajik , the diode laser, has become the most commonly utilized laser in dentistry. Diode lasers have numerous advantages over traditional surgical techniques including faster healing, less pain, and new applications such as TMJ treatment and teeth whitening.

Furthermore, for our patients, the use of lasers means less post-operative pain and therefore less need for medication. Not only that, but our dental office benefits too, because satisfied patients are the best way to ensure success.

Some Commonly Performed Procedures

Pocket Disinfection:
Scaling and root planing, also knows as a deep cleaning, is a commonly performed procedure to treat periodontitis and gum disease.  Although this disease has a bacterial etiology, little of the conventional technique is directed toward the causative microorganism colonies, many of which are trapped within the granulation tissue and diseased epithelial cell layer. High doses of powerful adjunctive antibiotics such as Arestin can be used to address the causative bacteria in conventional therapy, However, pigmented anaerobic microorganisms including Prevotella intermedia and Porphyromonas gingivalis can be difficult to eradicate with this method. The wavelengths of diode lasers are well absorbed by these bacterial types. Photonic energy penetrates into granulation tissue and diseased epithelium and causes these microorganisms to warm to coagulative temperatures and dramatically reduce their number and ability to form colonies for up to 90 days

Gum Contouring:
Dental aesthetics involve much more than just teeth. The gums are a major factor in complementing the height, width, coronal form and to an extent, color of the teeth and how your smiles appears. Hyperplasia  or overgrowth of the gums occurs from a variety of events and conditions such as prior episodes of periodontal disease, food impaction, pathological lesions, and orthodontic appliances, among others. A diode laser is a very useful instrument in gum reshaping or contouring gingival tissues back to normal size and shape. Restorations of any type are enhanced when placed in a  properly shaped and treated gum line. Not only the quality of the restoration is enhanced but also the physical properties of the restoration and their longevity is optimized. Ideal impressions can also be achieved consistently when the gums are healthy and properly contoured.

Oral Lesions and TMJ Pain:
Many ulcerative and inflammatory lesions are easily managed with the diode laser. Due to the lasers ability to penetrate and target pigmented viral or bacterial agents originating under the skin  it is now possible to treat conditions such as aphthous ulcers, herpetic lesions both of the lip and intraoral tissues, angular cheilitis, denture sores, inflammation of the mucosa, and TMJ pain. Most of these lesions can be rendered pain-free in a matter of minutes with diode wavelengths without contacting the lesion and without the need for any local or topical anesthesia. TMJ disorders cause tenderness and pain in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) — the joint on each side of your head in front of your ears, where your lower jawbone meets your skull. This joint allows you to talk, chew and yawn. Between 5 and 15 percent of people in the United States experience pain associated with TMJ disorders, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, part of the National Institutes of Health. Women are more likely than men to develop TMJ disorders. In most cases, pain and discomfort associated with TMJ disorders can be alleviated with self-managed care or nonsurgical treatments such as laser therapy.

Patients who visit our North Hollywood dental office with painful lesions or TMJ are overwhelmed by the simplicity and relief provided by diode lasers without the need for prescription medications which are of little immediate benefit.

Lasers have enabled clinicians to provide a new level of modern dentistry that was not possible in the past. To learn more about how we utilize lasers to provide the best possible dentistry here at Modern Smiles in North Hollywood call our office or book an appointment online. We look forward to seeing you.

Even though cavities are most commonly associated with children and teenagers, people are vulnerable to cavities regardless of their age. Some adults, due to a combination of good oral hygiene and genetics, may have gone through the first part of adulthood without a cavity—and these people are fortunate. However, as we grow older, our teeth wear down, the enamel becomes thinner, and the teeth are more prone to cavity formation. Molars pose the greatest risk for cavities because the back teeth are more difficult to brush and keep clean.

For our adult patients who have deep grooves and crevices on the surface of their teeth, we offer preventative restorations that function similar to fillings by sealing the spaces where cavities typically begin. The material we use for these adult sealants is tooth-colored, very discreet, and patients rarely need an anesthetic during the application process. In the same way that fluoride treatments can help prevent cavities, adult sealants serve as cavity prevention for the molars as our teeth weaken with age.

To learn more about Dr. Michael Kosdon and Modern Smiles, please contact our office today.