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6 New Year’s Resolutions to Improve Dental Health

Improve Dental Health

Improving your dental health is one of the simplest and most beneficial resolutions you could make in the new year. To improve your smile, you don’t need to go on a drastic diet or go to the gym — all you have to do is keep a few easy New Year’s resolutions and keep up with regular checkups at Fifth Avenue Dental Arts.

Your smile’s health impacts your overall wellness (it’s true; gum disease can statistically increase your chances of serious medical disorders.) So, why not make 2023 the year you do something that makes you smile more attractive and improves your health?

Why Your Dental Health Matters

We often look at lifestyle changes that will improve the quality of our lives and the way we look. While you might be looking to improve your smile for cosmetic reasons, a smile with active periodontal infections will raise your risk of…

  • Stroke
  • Heart attack
  • Infertility
  • Premature Labor
  • Diabetes
  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Pneumonia

You can reduce your chances of tooth decay, gum disease, and tooth loss by making simple changes and following these resolutions in 2023:

  1. Brush After Every Meal. Do you brush your teeth at least twice a day? Why not after each meal? Keep a to-go oral hygiene kit in your purse or desk drawer.
  2. Remember to Floss. It’s important that you realize food particles can build up between your teeth, eventually leading to decay, gum disease, and bad breath. Toothbrushes won’t be able to remove anything in those spaces, which is why flossing matters so much. A water or air flosser might be an option if flossing is difficult for you. Or you can use floss picks!
  3. Increase Your Water Intake. Water is good for your health and your smile. It’s a natural cleanser and contains zero calories! Drinking water between meals can help prevent tooth decay by removing acids and food debris. Fluoridated tap water is not only more effective in preventing tooth decay than bottled water, but it’s also less expensive!
  4. Alter Your Diet. It doesn’t have to be major. Sugar and acidic liquid intake should be reduced to lower the risk of tooth decay. Sugary foods such as soda, sports drinks, and fruit juices have high sugar levels. Processed carbs also raise your risk of dental plaque, which secretes acid on your teeth.
  5. Get a Whitening Treatment. It doesn’t matter how healthy your teeth are; stained or yellowed teeth make it challenging to smile confidently. Fifth Avenue Dental Arts offers professional teeth whitening in San Diego that will give you exceptional results. A simple whitening procedure can make you feel more confident when you’re laughing or talking around other people.
  6. Replace Missing Teeth. A missing tooth can lead to permanent changes in your smile’s function and alignment. Too much space between teeth can lead to alignment problems throughout your smile. Some teeth tilt over. Other teeth “super-erupt” from the socket. To prevent shifting, it is important to replace those teeth as soon as you can.

Get Regular Check-ups at a Dental Clinic Near You

Typically, you need to visit our San Diego dentist’s office once every six months to have your teeth professionally cleaned and examined. Our hygienists will use special tools that allow them to reach the most difficult areas of your mouth and remove tartar and plaque that your toothbrush left behind. This reduces the likelihood of you developing decay in these areas.

We will also take digital x-rays of your teeth as needed to check for any early signs of decay or gum disease. Our dentist does more than simply examine your teeth. We’ll also examine your jaw to determine if there is a TMJ disorder and screen for signs of oral cancer.

Visit Us Today

Give us a call to schedule your next checkup or consultation! We’re happy to help you keep your New Year’s resolutions on track.

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What are Porcelain Veneers?

What are Porcelain Veneers?

 

Porcelain veneers are thin, custom-made pieces of tooth-shaped porcelain that are bonded to your teeth to help you achieve the ultimate smile makeover. Porcelain dental veneers in Downtown San Diego are especially popular because they can completely transform even the most worn teeth and help you gain self-confidence. The treatment is also a life-saver for patients who rely on having a friendly, bright smile to succeed in their careers.

What to Expect When Getting Porcelain Veneers

Our traditional porcelain veneers are made from a highly durable porcelain material used to restore strength and dramatically enhance your teeth’ appearance. Veneers present little risk to your oral health and are completely biocompatible. However, it is important to keep in mind that traditional veneers are a permanent dental solution that requires alterations to your natural tooth structure.

The first step in the veneer process involves removing a thin layer of enamel from your teeth. This process is irreversible, so you should be confident that you are ready to proceed with treatment. Next, we will take molds of your teeth to create your custom veneers. Once the mold has been taken, your dentist will fit you with temporary veneers while your permanent ones are being created. Our team is equipped with an in-office lab, so your veneers will be constructed onsite in just a few days. The final step is to schedule an appointment to bond your permanent veneers to your teeth and make any final alterations to the fit.

Porcelain dental veneers in Downtown San Diego are typically as strong and durable as natural teeth. This feature allows them to make your smile not only more cosmetically beautiful but also functionally stronger as well.

Benefits of Porcelain Dental Veneers

Porcelain veneers look like natural teeth and blend in to create the perfect “Hollywood Smile” we all know and love. They can cover severely discolored or malformed teeth and provide results that would be impossible with other treatments, such as traditional whitening or teeth bonding. Although they do need to be replaced eventually, you can expect porcelain veneers to last 10-20 years before they begin showing signs of wear and tear. Porcelain veneers are also less likely to chip or fracture over time and may be beneficial for patients whose natural teeth are prone to breaking.

Because veneers require virtually no recovery time, you’ll see results immediately. Unlike other treatments, which may not be suitable for more severe or persistent cosmetic concerns, veneers can address a variety of dental issues, including:

  • Severe stains and discoloration
  • Chipped teeth
  • Worn teeth
  • Misshapen/Malformed teeth
  • Misalignment (crooked teeth)
  • Gaps between teeth

What Are Same-Day Veneers?

If you’re hoping to complete your treatment soon, Fifth Avenue Dental Arts also offers same-day veneers using our CEREC® (Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics) technology. Same-day veneers live up to their name and allow patients to enhance their smiles with porcelain veneers in just one visit.

To begin, your dentist will create a 3D digital image of the tooth or teeth being treated. Next, the CEREC software is used to shape your custom veneer digitally to match the 3D image of your tooth. Finally, we send the digital model to an in-office milling machine that constructs the veneer while you wait. Once the veneer is complete, your dentist will make final alterations to its shape and fit before permanently cementing it to your tooth. From start to finish, you can visit our office in the morning and leave late that same afternoon with a brand-new smile.

If you’ve been searching for a dentist that offers porcelain dental veneers near you, you may be overwhelmed with your options. At Fifth Avenue Dental Arts, we offer many treatments to enhance your smile, including Lumineers®, traditional veneers, and same-day veneers. Our highly qualified dentists will work with you to create a custom treatment plan and give you the smile you’ve always dreamed of.

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How to Find the Best Professional Teeth Whitening

How to Find the Best Professional Teeth Whitening

 

How often do you glance in the mirror and wish for more attractive teeth? You’re not the only one! Surveys show that up to 80% of Americans aged 18 to 49 wish they had a whiter smile. 

A lifetime of drinking coffee and munching on berries is bound to cause tooth discoloration, but that doesn’t mean you have to live with stained teeth forever. Thanks to advanced teeth whitening treatments, it’s easy to remove tooth discoloration and brighten your smile. 

Rather than wasting your time and money on store-bought whitening kits, ask your dentist about professional teeth whitening in San Diego. In-office treatments like Philips Zoom! achieve dramatic results in a fraction of time. 

Why Are Your Teeth Discolored?

Tooth discoloration develops gradually as the effects of food, beverages, age, and certain lifestyle habits take their toll on your smile. Fortunately, professional teeth whitening can reverse these stains and restore white, vibrant teeth. 

Tooth Discoloration From What You Eat

Food and drinks are the most common culprits of staining to the outer layer of your teeth called the enamel. Coffee, wine, soda, and other popular dark-colored drinks contain potent pigments that bond to and stain tooth enamel. Discoloration doesn’t appear immediately, but little by little your white enamel turns dark and full. 

Here are a few of the worst food and beverage culprits:

  • Black coffee and tea
  • Soda and dark juices
  • Dark condiments like soy sauce
  • Red wine
  • Dark berries

In addition to foods that directly stain your teeth with their pigments, unhealthy diet choices can also make discoloration worse. If most of your diet consists of processed foods loaded with sugar and acid, your teeth are more likely to suffer the effects of plaque, cavities, and decay.

Tooth Discoloration From Poor Oral Care

Poor oral care is another common cause of tooth discoloration. If you fail to brush and floss regularly, it’s all too easy for bacteria, acid, and plaque to accumulate and harden into tartar. Plaque and tartar both create an unsightly yellow coating around your teeth that leads to other issues like bad breath, decay, and tooth loss. 

Luckily, tooth discoloration from poor oral care can be reversed and prevented in the future. Simply brushing, flossing, and visiting your dentist twice a year can help prevent discoloration before it begins. 

The Best Professional Teeth Whitening Treatments with Zoom

There are many whitening products and services out there, so how do you know which is best for your smile? Do your research and ask your dentist for his recommendation. Dr. Ghassemi and Dr. Mojaver at Fifth Avenue Dental Arts recommend Philips Zoom! to their patients throughout San Diego because it’s safe, effective, and reliable. 

Zoom combines the newest advances in dental technology with evidence-based chemical bleaching formulas. This makes it possible to painlessly remove stains with much more efficiency than take-home strips, bleaching toothpastes, and at-home whitening gels. 

Professional Teeth Whitening: The Bleaching Process 

Zoom removes stains by targeting outer and inner discoloration. The unique bleaching formula lightens the dentin and enamel of each tooth in your mouth. Zoom’s formula includes a 25% hydrogen peroxide component, which is strong enough to lift away stains but gentle enough not to cause pain or discomfort. 

As soon as hydrogen peroxide is applied to the teeth, the peroxide component breaks down into tiny oxygen bubbles. These bubbles eliminate yellowing and staining by pulling out the dark molecules. 

Most whitening procedures stop here, but Zoom takes it a step further by using a mercury metal halide light. This light further activates the gel and expedites the whitening process. It contains a unique infrared filter that works to reduce the amount of heat on the surface of the teeth during your whitening procedure. This reduces any sensations of sensitivity that whitening procedures typically trigger. 

Overall, Zoom protects the internal structure of the teeth, so your smile remains completely healthy and intact during and after the treatment.

The Unique Benefits of Zoom

Zoom has many advantages over other whitening procedures. Thanks to the unique combination of its powerful formula and infrared light, Zoom delivers incredible results without the downsides of other treatments.

The benefits of Zoom include the following:

  • Treat all teeth together
  • Faster treatment times
  • Longer lasting results
  • Less sensitivity than other procedures
  • Remove stains from veneers, crowns, and other restorations
  • Safe treatment procedure

Since all Zoom treatments are performed by experienced and highly qualified dentists, you can trust that you’ll get the best results. 

How to Start Teeth Whitening with Zoom in San Diego, CA

The path to whiter teeth isn’t long or difficult at all! Fifth Avenue Dental Arts offers professional teeth whitening with Zoom and in-office follow-up treatments to help you keep your smile looking its best. To find out which teeth whitening option is best for you, call our office or book an appointment online today.