HAPPY THANKSGIVING

From all of our staff here in Adult and Kid's Dental Care... we would like to wish you a happy Thanksgiving!!!

May you gather with loved ones and celebrate all the wonderful things that you have and appreciate how special you are to one another and of course to us.

We would like to remind you that the year is coming to an end and for those with dental insurances, your yearly benefits will be cleared as the year ends. Therefore, take advantage of this special opportunity to receive dental care treatments at Adult and Kid's Dental Care.

For all our patients.. and for their friends and family... please check out our SPECIALS (click on the Special on the right side of this page) and see what gifts and prizes await you.

To make an appointment or to ask any questions regarding our services or specials...

Please call (818)881-6761

If My Child Has Cavities, Can't I Just Wait Until They Fall Out... After All They Are Baby Teeth?

Most parents wonder if their child needs to be seen by the dentist when they haven't yet gotten their permanent teeth yet. After all, they think, those teeth are only there temporarily and will fall out as soon as their child gets their adult teeth.
This is a major No No. You have to realize that cavities involved, weather it is on primary (baby) teeth or permanent (adult) teeth, are still composed of bacteria. And bacteria has a way of eating away the tooth and jumping from one tooth to another. So just to simplify this even more, lets look at what are the possible problems that can accur from cavities growing on baby teeth.


Cavities can eat their way all the way to the pulp of the baby tooth and cause a lot of pain. After all, baby teeth are no different than permanent teeth as far as their composition. They still have enamel, dentin, pulp and roots. So if the cavity is big enough, they will cause pain

1. When a cavity is formed, it has a way of deforming the tooth. The teeth may seem darker with visible holes and odor.


2. Cavities are bacteria that can jump from one tooth to another. This means that if a baby tooth with cavities are not restored, the bacteria from the baby tooth has a way of infecting the teeth around it, which may even involve permanent teeth if the child has a mixed dentition. This meanse, at around age 6, kids start erupting their first permanent teeth while still having their baby teeth. All the way until age 11-12, the kids still have a mixed dentition. So from age 6 to 12, the cavities from baby teeth have a way of infecting the adult teeth as well.


3. Cavities that have involved the pulp of the tooth may cause pulpal infection and abcess. This means that the baby tooth is no longer fixable and it needs to be taken out. This may cause two problems. One, the infection under the baby tooth may deform the newly forming adult teeth right underneath it. And two, if a space is now open where the tooth was removed due to infection, the teeth might shift and cause problems when the adult tooth is about to erupt. So if there is no space left, the tooth may erupt sideways or even get impacted and never come out.
   

Therefore, it is a big NO NO to wait for baby teeth to come out on their own. They still will fall out on their own, there's no question about that, but the damage will be all done by than.

So make an appointment for your child for an intial check up and reutine recalls at Adult and Kid's Dental Care. Call (818)881-6761 for an appointment.

If I don't have pain... Why should I visit the dentist?

Here's why... if you already have pain, than in most cases, it's too late!

Just imagine your gums, teeth and the rest of your oral cavity were actually your heart, kidneys or liver. If they started hurting or started bleeding with a touch, would you panic?

You have to realize your oral cavity is a vital part of your body. It is not normal for your gums to bleed when you brush or floss. And no... it shouldn't be common to have a visible cavity in a tooth where it already created a hole.

Our body is a whole. Everything functions as one. This is the mentality you should adapt to in order to live a healthier lifestyle. If one organ in our body is not maintained, every other organ in that body is therefore under stress.

Normal dental visits should be mainly for maintenance. Regular dental maintenance are done in 6 months recall such that for example a car that should receive regular service to avoid further problems that are more costly in the future.

Regular dental recalls include few X-rays to detect cavities that are between the back teeth, a cleaning and examination. If everything seems to be good, next visit is in 6 months for the next recall.

So, if it hurts... most likely the cavity is too big and the tooth will most likely need a larger restoration. Teeth requiring large fillings are prone to breakage and possibility of ending up with a root canal. In most cases where a patient comes in with pain, the tooth will require a root canal, meaning the cavity has infected the pulp area where the nerve lies. After a root canal, the tooth most likely will require a post and a

crown as a restoration since to access the roots to do the root canal, too much tooth structure will be lost for a simple filling restoration.

Sometimes, the tooth will have too much decay where saving it would be impossible. In this case the tooth will need to be extracted. Since the tooth is gone, you will require a bridge or an implant to fill up the space. That could be expensive!

And periodontal disease is so much like high blood pressure... the silent killer! What I mean by this is that it may do so much damage to the bone and gums without the patient even detecting it. In most cases with sever periodontal disease, even the teeth that are strong and have no cavities will be lost because the bone that holds their roots are slowly wearing away. Yes.. this will lead to tooth loss, forcing the patient to wear dentures.

So... there you have it... when we ask you to visit us at Adult and Kid's Dental Care on a regular basis... it is for your best interest.. both economically and healt

h wise.

If it has been more than 6 months from your last dental visit.. call (818)881-6761 to make an appointment.

Can Gum Disease cause health problems?

The answer is YES!










Studies from American Academy of Periodontology have shown the following:

Gingivitis may increase the risk of Heart Disease and Stroke.

The risk of Cardiovascular disease may increase as the level of Periodontal
Disease increases.

So what may cause this?

The answer is BACTERIA!

Gingivitis and Periodontal Disease are caused by the bacteria found in plaque and calculus (tartar). Some other factors may increase the likelyhood of Gingivitis and Periodontitis such as:

• Tobacco
  
• Certain Medication
• Gentics
• Clenching/Grinding Teeth

However, the underlying cause of Gum Disease is Bacteria.

So what can you do to prevent Gum Disease?

The answer is call (818)881-6761 to schedule an appointment.

Dr. Ohanian will propertly identify and treat your gums. An important rule of thumb is proper home care. Take a look at the video at the bottom of the page for proper brushing and flossing to minimize Gingivitis and Periodontitis after you have had professional gum treatment.

What's the difference between Veneers, Crowns and Bridges?

Please note the following pictures of celebrities and/or individual before/after pictures are taken from the internet for educational and illustration purposes, they are not done in our office.

So what is the difference between crown, veneers and bridges?

Dental Veneers, Crowns and Bridges are made in the lab because the material used to form them requires high heat and must be done in the laboratory oven.

The above images are of Celebrity smiles with before and after Veneers placement. Wow.. what a difference?

Lets start with Crowns! A crown is a strong cap that looks and feels like the patient's real tooth which is cemented onto the tooth that is crowned. A crown provides stability and protection to the tooth from strong chewing forces. Most of the time when a tooth needs to be crowned is due to the following reasons:
Root Canal Treatment - Too much tooth structure is lost either due to the cavity or large restoration that caused the root canal and/or the hole made on the tooth to perform the root canal.
Large Restorations - If the restoration is too large and the tooth already has some craze lines due to strong forces, the tooth should get a crown to avoid breakage.

A Bridge on the other hand might be required not because the tooth requires protection, but to close a space created by tooth loss. When a tooth is lost, the rest of the teeth tend to move towards each other and cause a lot of problems such as more tooth loss and gum irritation. Since there is space, the teeth right next to the space tend to get more force from chewing. Therefore those teeth tend to start moving and shifting, causing the patient to loose more teeth.

A bridge usually the two teeth next to the space for anchorage. The teeth need to be prepared (cut smaller) in order for the bridge to be cemented onto the teeth. This is the main reason why a single implant is a better choice than a 3 unit bridge. However some patients may be bad candidates for implants and the best option would be getting the bridge.

Veneers are a little more different than Crowns and Bridges mainly beause Veneers are done for esthetic reasons. Meaning, Veneers are done to make the patient look better because it tends to change the color, shape and size of the teeth. Veneers are mainly done on the anteriors since they tend to show when a person smiles. Veneers are also done to close a diastema which is space between two teeth. Also, some patients with discolored teeth mainly from tetracycline tend to get Veneers to mask the color since regular bleaching doesn't remove internal pigmentation of teeth.

Normally it takes two visits to get a crown, bridge or veneers done. The first day is the preparation of the tooth along with an impression taking. Which is getting a duplicate of your teeth and sent to the lab. This is the longest appointment of the two since most of the work is done the first visit. Second visit is cementation.

The best thing about changing your entire smile with Veneers, Crowns or Bridges is time. From start to finish it takes about 2 to 3 weeks. In comparison to Veneers, Orthodontics is also used to close gaps and straighten teeth. However, wearing Braces or Invisalign will take up to 2 years and cost about 4 to 5 thousand dollars. Even if the teeth get straight with Orthodontics, the size, shape and color of your teeth will remain the same. Veneers on the other hand will give you a totally different look - changing the size, color, shape and even closing out the gaps between the teeth in only 2 to 3 weeks.

With Veneers, Crowns or Bridges, the results are excellent because all of the restorations promote natural looking teeth that are both functional, esthetically beautiful and less time consuming.

Dr. Armine Ohanian is a perfectionist when it comes to cosmetic dentistry. Her vision and imagination when it comes to treatment planning for best results even surprise the patient's own expectations. Not every dentist is gifted in cosmetic dentistry. Don't take any chances with any other dentist because you only have one life.. and one smile!

Please call Adult and Kid's Dental Care (818)881-6761 to ask questions about a FREE consultation on Veneers, Crowns, Bridges and Full Mouth Reconstruction.

Now a days Veneers are affordable and you too can be like a Celebrity!

What are Dental Implants?

Dental Implants in simple terms is when a tooth is lost, an artifical root, which is made out of titanium screw, is surgically placed inside the bone. An abutment with its crown is what you see above the gum when an implant is restored. It is best to leave the implant inside the bone to heal for about 5-6 moths before restoring it with an abutment - crown. This is done mainly to insure the implant is going to be stable after the patient starts using the tooth to eat.

If an implant starts to move after the patient starts using it, that means the implant has failed and needs to be removed. After several months of healing the bone or even adding bone graft to the area, a new implant may be placed into that area again.

Implant surgery is not painful at all mainly because the bone has no nerve. Since an implant is screwed inside the bone, the patient shouldn't feel too uncomfortable since what we sense as pain is transmitted only through nerves.

Since implants are placed inside the bone, they tend to stay in even after the patient looses the rest of his/her natural teeth. Therefore, if you have the choice to choose between a bridge, which are prosthetic crowns fused together to close a gap, and an implant, you should always choose the implant since the bridge is cemented on your natural teeth which sooner or later will fail or will fall out because of gum disease. Since implants are placed inside the bone and not around tissue, they will never be prone to get loose because of periodontal disease. Our natural teeth have periodontal ligaments lining all around their roots whereas an implant does not have any contact with periodontal ligaments and it is only associated with bone.

Before placing implants, a CT scan is a good indicator of where nerves are located as well as estimating how much bone the dentist has to work with in order to place the implant. According to the CT scan, Dr. Ohanian is able to choose the right size, length, as well as the positioning of the implant in order to avoid any complications.

If the implants are to be place on the bottom jaw for example, the inferior alveolar nerve as well as the mental nerve are to be payed extra attention since they tend to run along the jaw from the back to the premolar areas.

On the back side of the maxilla(upper) for example, the sinuses need to be payed attention mainly to avoid the implant from penetrating inside.

Implants may also be placed on edentulous (no teeth present) areas and an overdenture or a bridge placed on top to provide better security than conventional dentures.

If you are a new patient or an existing patient, call our office for a FREE dental implant consultation. Dr. Ohanian does implant placement surgery and restoration in our office. Consultation will only take few minutes as she examines your mouth and palpates the gums to check for bone mass. In some cases, one X-Ray may be required for better diagnosis.

Call Adult and Kid's Dental Care to schedule in your free consultation (818)881-6761.

Welcome

Greetings our fellow patients.

Welcome to Adult and Kid's Dental Care. We have created this website to educate our patients a little more about oral care and all the dental procedures that we offer here in our office.

At the bottom of the page you will find videos that will demonstrate dental procedures and home care. Please take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about dental procedures and better your oral health.

If you currently are not one of our patients, we would love to have you as one of our new patients here at Adult and Kid's Dental Care. We are a family dentistry that have been caring for patients of all ages.

Please call us to ask any questions about your treatment plan or if you are a new patient, call to ask about our new patient packages.

For those patients where English is the second language, we also speak Spanish and Armenian.

Please call our office (818)881-6761 and ask us about:

Dental Implants - Veneers - Crowns - Bridges - Full Mouth Cosmetic Reconstruction - Teeth Whitening - Oral Surgery - Impacted Teeth Removal - Gum Treatment - Deep Cleaning - Complete Dentures - Partial Dentures - Valplast - Invisalign and many more...