Clear Braces

Braces aren’t just for teenagers anymore; people of all ages are turning to braces in order to improve their smiles. These days, adults make up nearly half of orthodontic patients hoping to finally get the perfect smile they've always dreamed about. That’s why Dr. Shital Kazi offers a clear braces option for her San Lorenzo, CA patients.

While traditional braces are the most commonly used to correct alignment and structure, there are other treatment options available. Dr. Kazi offers clear braces for those who are more concerned about aesthetic appearances. These braces are made from ceramic and provide a certain degree of transparency to mimic the color of your natural teeth, this makes them less visible. They are as effective as traditional braces and function the same way.

Braces are typically worn one to three years, but it really depends on each individual case. Patients who have greater pride in their smile will go further to keep up their oral hygiene. Poor oral health, particularly gum disease, has been linked to heart disease, strokes and other heart conditions, so keeping good care of your oral hygiene could improve your overall health.

If you are interested in improving your smile with braces in San Lorenzo, CA, schedule an appointment with Dr. Shital Kazi by calling (510) 276-6040. For more information on other services offered by Dr. Kazi, visit www.lewellingdental.com.

Sport Mouthguards

When it comes to protecting your mouth during physical activity, especially during contact sports, a mouthguard is an essential piece of equipment everyone should own. While collision and contact sports, such as boxing and football are higher-risk sports for the mouth, patients can suffer a dental injury during non-contact activities too. The best, most protective mouthguard is one that has been custom-made for your mouth. That’s why our dentist, Dr. Shital Kazi offers custom sports mouthguards to patients of all ages at Lewelling Dental Care in San Lorenzo, CA.

You might be asking yourself what the benefits of custom-mouthguards are compared to a stock mouthguard or a “boil and bite” option. Mouthguards created by a dental professional such as Dr. Kazi are based on a mold taken of your mouth, which means they only fit your mouth. Custom mouthguards are made of resilient and tear resistant materials, ensuring a proper fit for ultimate comfort. A properly fitting mouthguard must be comfortable, odorless, tasteless and most importantly, protective.

Dr. Kazi encourages patients to let her know if they participate in contact-oriented sports. She is able to layout the risks of injury to the teeth, jaw and oral soft tissues (mouth, lip, tongue, and cheeks) to help educate patients. From there, Dr. Kazi will discuss your protective options and create a plan of care to keep your teeth safe.

To learn more about custom sports mouth guards, visit our website, www.lewellingdental.com. If you are interested in scheduling a consultation with Dr. Shital Kazi here at Lewelling Dental Care in San Lorenzo, CA please call (510) 276-6040. 

Benefits of Digital X-rays

Dental technology has improved greatly over the years, enhancing every step of dental care, from diagnosis to treatment. New technology has even made dental X-rays safer and more convenient, and many dentists have adopted digital radiography to view their patients’ teeth.  At our office, we have many state-of-the-art technologies, including digital X-rays, to provide our patients in San Lorenzo, CA with the best dental care available.

Digital X-rays are taken in a similar manner to traditional X-rays that use film, but rather than placing film in the patient’s mouth, a digital sensor is used. This sensor is connected to an imaging program on a computer that projects the image, allowing Dr. Shital Kazi to view your teeth more closely and with better accuracy than traditional dental X-rays. Better images mean that there is a greater chance that the dentist will spot potential problems and be able to fix them before they become more serious or possibly more painful. In addition to better accuracy, digital radiography produces 80 percent less radiation than regular film X-rays, granting peace of mind to those who take X-rays frequently.

Whichever treatment you’re receiving at our practice, from a regular check-up to dental implants, we will strive to provide you with the best service with the most up-to-date technology.

To schedule an appointment at Lewelling Dental Care, call (510) 276-6040. For more information on our practice, visit www.lewellingdental.com.

Deep Cleaning

If your teeth are sensitive or your gums bleed when you floss or brush, you might be suffering from gum disease. Patients who come in for regular cleanings are much less likely to suffer from periodontal disease.  If you’re not taking care of your oral hygiene, the bacteria and plaque can advance to gum disease and it becomes more difficult to treat. While gum disease sounds like a scary thing, the good news is that there are treatment options available. At Lewelling Dental Care, our dentist, Dr. Shital Kazi treats San Lorenzo, CA area patients with a procedure known as “deep cleaning.”

Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in the United States. There are many different forms of periodontal disease but all of them can cause serious damage to the mouth. The mildest form of periodontal disease is gingivitis. Gingivitis causes the gums to become red, swollen and bleed easily. The biggest cause of gingivitis is lack of a regular oral hygiene regimen. Preventative measures, such as regular brushing and flossing, go a long way when it comes to preventing periodontal disease. Gingivitis is reversible with professional treatment and good oral health practices at home.

We offer a non-surgical, non-invasive option known as deep cleaning for our patients who have chronic gum disease. This procedure is a great alternative to surgical options. Deep cleaning involves removing built-up plaque below the gum line using either manual scraping instruments or an ultrasonic tool. Then, Dr. Kazi will essentially gently sand your teeth, removing rough spots on the tooth surfaces and roots, which tend to harbor bacteria.

If you fear that you might be suffering from gingivitis or gum disease, set up an appointment at our San Lorenzo, CA practice so we can go over treatment options. 

Periodontics

While taking care of your teeth is an essential part of your oral hygiene routine, your gums are also an important aspect of your health and require periodontal cleaning and treatment to stay at peak health. With Dr. Shital Kazi of Lewelling Dental Care, our patients in San Lorenzo, CA can be sure their gums are well cared for.

 

Periodontal disease is responsible for 75 percent of all adult tooth loss cases in the United States. This means it is critical to check for and treat periodontal issues when they first arise. Periodontal disease is an infection of the gums that starts as plaque and hardens into tartar. As the tartar accumulates, bacteria collects and attacks the soft tissue in the surrounding gums. This early stage is called gingivitis, and if it is left untreated, gingivitis will become periodontitis. Periodontitis can destroy tissue around the teeth and even lead to loss of bone mass in the jaw bone. Tooth loss can result, and heart disease, stroke and diabetes have also been linked to poor periodontal health.

 

It is important to prevent periodontal disease or catch it in its early stages, and Dr. Kazi is extremely knowledgeable and experienced with periodontal therapy. She will work hard to ensure that you maintain optimal oral health. If you notice that your gums are red, swollen or tender or they bleed during normal brushing and flossing, schedule an appointment with our practice by calling (510) 276-6040. For more information, visit www.lewellingdental.com.

Dental Veneers

If you’re ready for a total smile makeover, or your teeth have multiple issues with chipping, cracking, stubborn staining or moderate misalignment, veneers may be your answer.  Here at Lewelling Dental Care, we provide veneers as part of our comprehensive cosmetic dental services.

 

Veneers work by covering your existing tooth structure with a custom crafted porcelain shell that is designed to cover discoloration, restore enamel and reshape the tooth to create a more idealized smile. They are permanent and require no special maintenance beyond brushing, flossing and regular dental checkups.

 

The veneer planning and placement process requires just two or three visits and provides beautifying results that has the potential to last a lifetime. To find out if this cosmetic solution is right for you, please call us and schedule your consultation for dental veneers.    

Full/Partial Dentures

If you have missing teeth, you know how it can interfere with your speech and chewing. Having missing teeth can also cause the structure of your face to change. In addition to physical issues caused by missing teeth, it can lead to decreased self-esteem or self-consciousness.

 

At Lewelling Dental Care, we offer solutions for replacing missing teeth including dentures. Conventional dentures involve having the teeth extracted and giving the gums time to heal. After healing takes place, dentures are placed.

 

In addition to conventional dentures, we also offer immediate dentures. This option involves placing the dentures immediately after the teeth are extracted. One benefit of immediate dentures is you don’t have to wait for your dentures to be placed. Dr. Shital Kazi will evaluate your situation and determine if immediate dentures are right for you. If you still have some remaining teeth, which don’t need to be extracted, partial dentures may also be a good option.

 

Dentures may take a little time to get used to. In most cases, dentures are a comfortable option for replacing missing teeth. It’s also important patients take proper care of their dentures. Maintaining good oral hygiene is still essential if you have dentures.

 

Our team here at Lewelling Dental Care is experienced in various areas of dentistry including cosmetic, preventative and restorative services. For more information on dentures or any of our services, please call Lewelling Dental Care at (510) 276-6040. 

Partial and Full Dentures

Dentures are an option that many of our patients choose at Lewelling Dental Care. Available in both full and partial, dentures serve as a removable replacement for missing teeth. In providing patients with conventional full dentures, Dr. Shital Kazi will remove all the teeth from their mouth. Afterwards, the gums are given time to heal before dentures are placed. The patient would be without teeth during this healing process, which can take a couple months.

 

Immediate full dentures forgo this healing process with no teeth. Prior to having their teeth removed, the dentist takes measurements of the patient’s mouth, so that dentures are ready after teeth have been removed. This type of full denture requires a follow-up visit to refit the dentures once the jaw bone will slightly change shape as the mouth heals.

 

Partial dentures are another option for those who do not need all their teeth to be removed. This makes them similar to bridges, but partial dentures are not permanent fixtures. Whichever dentures our patients choose, they take time getting used to, and even though they are not real teeth, they should still be cared for as if they were. They should be brushed before removal and should be placed in room temperature water or cleaning solution overnight.

Dental Bonding

Of all the cosmetic and restorative procedures, dental bonding is one of the easiest and most affordable. Called bonding because tooth-colored resin is bonded to your teeth, the procedure is used to repair teeth that are discolored, unevenly shaped or chipped. At our office, we can even use bonding as an alternative to amalgam fillings if only a small filling is required.

 

Bonding is achieved by applying incredibly strong resin to the tooth in need of restoration. The procedure can usually be accomplished in one visit and allows you to keep most of your tooth’s original enamel, which makes bonding preferable to veneers or crowns in many cases. Once the right color resin has been chosen for your smile, Dr. Shital Kazi will slightly abrade your teeth to roughen the surface. Then a conditioning liquid is applied to help the resin adhere. The putty-like resin is then applied to your tooth and molded and smoothed until it is in the proper shape. It is hardened with an ultraviolet light or laser. After the bonding material has hardened, Dr. Kazi will trim and shape it even more and then polish it until it shines like a tooth. Altogether, the procedure usually takes between 30 minutes to an hour for one tooth.

 

If you’re unhappy with your teeth but unwilling to go as far as veneers, bonding can be used to improve your smile quickly and effectively. 

Dental Implants

Dental Implants

If you’re missing teeth or are in need of an extraction due to disease decay or injury, dental implants provide an attractive and long-lasting solution for filling the gaps in your smile. While there are other options for replacing missing teeth, bridges require alteration to adjacent teeth and dentures are not permanent. Dental implants, on the other hand, can not only last you a lifetime but also look and feel natural. At Lewelling Dental Care, we can use dental implants to help you achieve a complete smile that you can be proud of.

 

The implant process can take between three to six months to complete, and the first step in the process is to implant a titanium screw, which will serve as the replacement tooth root, in your jaw bone through an incision in your gums. The gums are then sutured, and the jaw bone is left to heal around the implant. This process is called osseointegration, and while it takes place, you may receive a temporary crown for easier speaking and eating.

 

Once the jaw has healed, an abutment will be placed on top of the implant to serve as the foundation on which your permanent crown will be fixed. The tooth restoration is then custom made for your mouth and is either fixed or cemented in place so that you may enjoy a complete smile that looks and feels natural.

 

To learn more, call us at (510) 276-6040 or visit www.LewellingDental.com. 

Dental Phobia and Sedation Dentistry

If just the thought of going to the dentist for a procedure brings on fear and anxiety, sedation dentistry is probably the right choice for you. Between 5 and 8 percent of Americans avoid going to the dentist due to dental phobia, but you don’t need to let your oral health suffer because of fear. At our office in San Lorenzo, CA, we offer a safe environment where we can comfort anxious patients through both oral sedation and nitrous oxide.

Sedation is mainly used when a patient has a high level of anxiety or dental phobia, not because of pain. At Lewelling Dental Care, we can sedate our patients through oral sedation or nitrous oxide. These methods will make sure you can tend to your oral health while avoiding the anxiety that accompanies visiting the dentist.

A common sedation method utilized in the dental industry is nitrous oxide (N20). Nitrous oxide works very rapidly, reaching the brain within 20 seconds. With this method, Dr. Shital Kazi will place a small mask over your nose and ask you to breathe normally. Within a few short minutes, you will begin to feel the effects. Nitrous oxide wears off quickly, and there is no “hangover” effect.

The other method utilized by our office is known as oral conscious sedation. It is as simple as taking an aspirin. It is utilized for patients with mild to moderate anxiety as it is not as powerful as other sedation methods. With oral sedation, Dr. Kazi will provide you with an oral sedative, such as valium. You will not be “knocked out,” but you will feel more relaxed.

To schedule an appointment with Lewelling Dental Care, call (510) 276-6040. For more information, visit www.lewellingdentalcare.com.

Why Invisalign?

At our office in San Lorenzo, CA, we offer Invisalign aligners so that you can straighten your teeth without committing to a mouth full of metal. Using a series of clear plastic aligners Dr. Shital Kazi will guide your teeth into a smile you can be proud of.

While regular braces are still best for more serious cases, Invisalign is great for cases of mild to moderate spacing or crowding. For these cases, Invisalign provides teeth correction that bypasses the discomfort,  and restrictive diet that those who have traditional braces must face.

With a computer program that generates a series of aligners with small changes in each, Invisalign will allow you to straighten your teeth without anyone even knowing. Virtually invisible, the aligners are made of thin, comfortable plastic, and unlike traditional braces, they are removable. Therefore, your teeth will not experience the same discoloration and plaque build-up that can normally occur with metal brackets and wire. In addition, you will be able to eat all the foods you like, such as popcorn, chips, pretzels, nuts, apples, carrots and corn.

If you think Invisalign might be the best option for you to achieve the smile you’ve been dreaming of, call us at (510) 276-6040 to schedule an appointment. For more information, visit www.lewellingdental.com.

What to Do About Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a serious disorder that affects the way you breathe while sleeping, causing your breath to become interrupted for 10 to 20 seconds at a time and jolting you out of your natural sleep rhythm multiple times a night. As a result, your energy, mental acuity and productivity can suffer. Over time, sleep apnea can even lead to serious health problems, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and weight gain.

At Lewelling Dental Care, we use oral surgery to treat sleep apnea and increase the quality of sleep and life for patients.  Oral surgery relieves sleep apnea symptoms by removing the blockage caused by excess tissue, which vibrates and blocking the upper air passages. One way this is done is through UPPP, or uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, which involves removing excess tissue from the upper mouth and throat while under general anesthesia. Maxillomandibular advancement is another procedure used to treat sleep apnea. This procedure moves the lower jaw forward, away from the rest of facial bones, which allows more room behind the soft palate and reduces any obstruction.

If these treatments fail to relieve your sleep apnea, a tracheostomy can be performed. A tracheostomy is when a tube is inserted into your throat to allow breathing. The tube is covered during the day while you are awake and then opened at night while you sleep.

If you believe you have sleep apnea, call (510) 276-6040 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Shital Kazi. For more information, visit www.lewellingdental.com. 

Wisdom Teeth

Your wisdom teeth are your last set of molars to emerge, and they usually come in when you are between 17 and 21 years old. Because these teeth often become impacted, which means they come at an angle rather than straight through the gums, it is often necessary for them to be removed before they cause pain or crowd your other teeth. At our office in San Lorenzo, CA, Dr. Shital Kazi can determine if your wisdom teeth need to be removed and extract them if they do.

If a wisdom tooth is impacted and can only emerge partially, it is possible for an operculum to form over the tooth. This flap of skin makes the molar extremely hard to clean, which means you are susceptible to an infection called periocoronitis.

When a wisdom tooth is in danger of causing such problems, Dr. Kazi extracts the tooth. Many times all four are removed at once. This is done either by using a local anesthetic to numb the area or a general anesthetic to sedate the patient. It depends on the preference of the doctor and patient, as well as how far the wisdom tooth has emerged. After an anesthetic is applied, the gum tissue over the wisdom tooth is cut and the tooth is loosened and pulled out. If necessary, the gums will be sutured.

After surgery, rest is required. You will also need to change the gauze applied to the incision every couple hours.

To see if your wisdom teeth may need to be removed, schedule an appointment with Lewelling Dental Care by calling (510) 276-6040. For more information, visit www.lewellingdental.com.

Dental Implants

If you’re missing teeth or are in need of an extraction due to disease decay or injury, dental implants provide an attractive and long-lasting solution for filling the gaps in your smile. While there are other options for replacing missing teeth, bridges require alteration to adjacent teeth and dentures are not permanent. Dental implants, on the other hand, can not only last you a lifetime but also look and feel natural. At Lewelling Dental Care, we can use dental implants to help you achieve a complete smile that you can be proud of.

 

The implant process can take between three to six months to complete, and the first step in the process is to implant a titanium screw, which will serve as the replacement tooth root, in your jaw bone through an incision in your gums. The gums are then sutured, and the jaw bone is left to heal around the implant. This process is called osseointegration, and while it takes place, you may receive a temporary crown for easier speaking and eating.

 

Once the jaw has healed, an abutment will be placed on top of the implant to serve as the foundation on which your permanent crown will be fixed. The tooth restoration is then custom made for your mouth and is either fixed or cemented in place so that you may enjoy a complete smile that looks and feels natural.

 

To learn more, call us at (510) 276-6040 or visit www.LewellingDental.com. 

Sports Mouth Guards

With baseball and softball season starting up again, we thought it would be a good idea to talk about protecting yours or your children’s teeth with sports mouth guards. Mouth guards are made to protect teeth, but not many people know that they are also used to protect the head against a blow to the jaw that could result in a concussion and loss of consciousness. At Lewelling Dental Care, we provide custom fitted mouth guards for athletes to protect their mouth and head.

 

While most people think that mouthguards are only used in “contact” sports, many athletes across all sports are utilizing mouth guards. Mouth guards can be worn by athletes of all ages who participate in sports such as:

• Football
• Hockey
• Lacrosse
• Wrestling
• Basketball
• Baseball/Softball
• Soccer

Traditionally, mouth guards cover your upper teeth only. If you have braces or any other fixed dental appliances on your lower jaw, Dr. Kazi will make a mouth guard for your lower teeth as well. Dr. Kazi will evaluate each patient to determine what kind of mouth guard is best for you.

 

A custom-made mouth guard will be comfortable, durable and easy to clean. Over the counter mouth guards often restrict breathing and speech. Custom mouth guards are made of thin plastic that is hardened to protect your teeth. The thinness of a custom-made mouth guard allows for easy breathing and does not hinder speech skills whatsoever. If you are interested in a sports mouth guard for either yourself or your child-athlete, make sure to give us a call!

Bridges

Bridges

If you have had a tooth extracted due to damage, decay or disease, it is important to have the resulting gap filled since gaps in your smile can cause your remaining teeth to shift out of position. When this happens, your teeth become more susceptible to disease and decay. At Lewelling Dental Care, we can help keep your smile beautiful and functional after an extraction with dental bridges.

Called a bridge because it literally creates a bridge to cross the area where you tooth is missing, this prosthetic tooth replacement is usually made from gold, metal, alloys or porcelain to ensure a strong and durable smile that can last more than a decade if properly cared for.

The process of creating a bridge takes two visits to our office. In the first, we will create abutments out of the existing teeth on both sides of your missing tooth. This is where the bridge will be attached. After the abutments are in place, a mold is made of your mouth for creating the bridge, which will fit and feel as close to your natural teeth as possible. The bridge will consist of two crowns, which will be fixed to the abutments, and a pontic, which is the prosthetic that will replace your missing tooth. We provide you with a temporary bridge while your permanent one is crafted in the lab. On the second visit, the permanent bridge will then be fixed to the abutments with an adhesive.

For more information, call our office in San Lorenzo, CA by calling (510) 276-6040. You can also visit www.LewellingDental.com.

Bonding

Bonding

At Lewelling Dental Care we can transform your smile with dental bonding, which is among the easiest and most affordable cosmetic dental procedures. Called bonding because a tooth-colored resin is bonded to your teeth, this process is used as an alternative to amalgam filling and to repair decayed, chipped, unevenly shaped, fractured or discolored teeth. We achieve this by applying incredibly strong resin to the tooth you would like to restore and then shaping and polishing it until it matches your surrounding teeth.

Not only can this procedure be accomplished in only one visit, but this process also allows you to keep most of your tooth’s original enamel, making bonding preferable to veneers or crowns in many cases. Once we have chosen the right color resin for your smile, your teeth will be slightly abraded to roughen it and then coated lightly with a conditioning liquid, which will help the bonding material adhere. Then we will apply a putty-like resin that will be molded and smoothed until it is in the proper shape and then hardened with an ultraviolet light or laser.

After the bonding material has hardened, we will trim and shape it even more and then polish it until it shines like a tooth. Altogether, the procedure usually takes between 30 minutes to an hour to complete one tooth.
If you’re unhappy with your teeth but unwilling to go as far as veneers, bonding can be used to improve your smile quickly and effectively. Schedule an appointment with Lewelling Dental Care to get bonding performed in San Lorenzo. Just call (510) 276-6040. For more information, visitwww.LewellingDental.com.