Pregnancy and Oral Health

Pregnancy and oral health are two things that go hand in hand when you are expecting a baby. We encourage all of our patients to take good care of their dental hygiene and oral health when they become pregnant.

 

Most women know how vital it is that they take good care of their physical health, but often don’t consider the impact oral health has on their overall health. A surge in hormones can exasperate the way a pregnant woman’s gums react to plaque. As a result, there is an increased risk of tooth decay, loose teeth, and gum disease if proper oral hygiene isn’t maintained.

 

The following steps are important to follow while you are pregnant.

 

1. Brush your teeth twice a day for at least two minutes each session.

2. Floss your teeth regularly, preferably once a day.

3. Visit dentist Shital Kazi for a check-up and cleaning.

4. Inform Dr. Kazi that you are pregnant and avoid getting x-rays.

5. Avoid eating sugary snacks as it increases the risk of tooth decay.

 

By following these steps, pregnant women have a better chance at maintaining their good oral health during pregnancy. Contact our dentist, Dr. Shital Kazi in San Lorenzo, CA to discuss pregnancy and oral health in more detail.

Crowns

If the structure of your tooth has been compromised due to a severe decay, a chip or fracture, it harms the esthetics of your smile and puts your mouth at risk for bacterial infection, further decay and even bit misalignment.  Here at Lewelling Dental Care, we help our patients avoid such complications and restore the beauty and function of their smiles with reliable dental crowns. 

 

Crowns work to protect the structure of your tooth like a small suit of armor, while appearing as natural as normal, healthy tooth enamel.  The crowns we provide are custom crafted and securely bonded to your tooth’s structure, ensuring long lasting and reliable functionality. When you restore your smile with a crown, you will not need to make any long term dietary modifications or perform any additional oral health maintenance beyond daily hygiene measures, regular dental exams and cleanings, and crown replacement approximately every fifteen years.

 

We have a full explanation of the crown placement process and other details right on our website, but we are happy to answer all of your questions directly - simply schedule a full consultation with Dr. Shital Kazi by calling (510) 276-6040.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a disorder that causes breaks in the person’s breathing, as well as shallow breathing. These pauses typically last a few seconds, but can be minutes. Not only does it interrupt the patient’s sleep, but it can be dangerous when the patient does not breathe multiple times at night. Dr. Shital Kazi offers a variety of sleep apnea corrections through surgery.

 

Lewelling Dental Care offers procedures to help with sleep apnea, because of the dangerous side effects it can cause. When sleep apnea is left untreated, it can lead to an increased risk of heart failure, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, heart attack and stroke, in addition to possible arrhythmias. It can also lead to an increase in the risk of work-related accidents and car accidents because of poor sleep. That's why it is important to get treatment if you've been diagnosed with sleep apnea.

 

There are three procedures offered in our San Lorenzo, CA office: uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), maxillomandibular advancement, and tracheostomy.

 

The UPPP procedure removes excess tissue from the throat and mouth, and is performed in a local hospital. The maxillomandibular advancement also helps with sleep apnea by moving the jaw forward from the facial bones, helping to create an open airway. Lastly, there is the tracheostomy, which puts a tube in the patient’s throat to be covered during the day and open while sleeping.

 

Visit www.lewellingdental.com for more information about treatment for sleep apnea or call 510-276-6040 to set up an appointment with Dr. Shital Kazi. 

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. 

Bad Breath

The topic of bad breath can be tough to confront, whether it’s yours or someone else’s. And, whether or not you know you have it, it’s always a good idea to take steps against bad breath—as they are often one in the same with good dental hygiene.

 

Most bad breath can be traced to a source in the oral cavity, whether it’s trapped food particles or potent beverage residue, bacterial and plaque buildup, unclean dental prosthetics, gum disease, or even cavities. Many of our patients here at Lewelling Dental Care regularly ask us what they can do to prevent bad breath.  Besides completing all necessary dental work and consistently undergoing regular exams, there are a number of steps you can take to reduce bad breath on your own.

• Drink plenty of water: Drinking water helps flush away food and beverage residue. It also keeps your teeth and gums hydrated, which inhibits bacteria growth.
• Reduce intake of coffee and alcohol: Both substances can contribute to stubborn breath and dehydration.
• Abstain from all tobacco products: Cigarettes, pipes and chewing tobacco all contribute to fouls breath and other periodontal issues that feed into the problem.
• Brush, floss and use alcohol-free mouthwash every day: Good oral hygiene controls bacteria and prevents a number of dental problems. Your at-home hygiene efforts are extremely important in keeping your smile beautiful and fresh.  

Take-Home Tray Whitening

Even with consistent brushing and good oral care, teeth can lose their color. Today, patients have many options when it comes to teeth whitening that include over-the-counter options and professional options that include either in-office or take-home systems. At our San Lorenzo, CA practice, Lewelling Dental Care, we offer our patients custom tray whitening to help improve the cosmetic appearance of their teeth. Having teeth professionally whitened is an excellent way to restore the natural color of teeth quickly and effectively.

 

When it comes to whitening your smile, we will first need to determine whether your teeth are intrinsically or extrinsically stained. Intrinsic stains are on the surface, having barely penetrated the enamel. They are caused by staining agents like coffee or smoking; they can also be caused by old-age. These stains are reversible through take-home tray whitening.  Extrinsic stains develop from the inside of the teeth and are often caused by more permanent staining agents like antibiotics. With an extrinsic stain, the teeth are darkened as a result of bacteria buildup and cannot be reversed by whitening alone.

 

Traditional tray systems include a custom-fitted mouth tray that the patient wears for a period of 40-45 minutes for a few days. We will take a mold of your mouth in order to create a custom-fit mouth tray. You will apply the gel treatment to the mouth trays and wear it for approximately 45 minutes a day. The amount of days the mouth tray is worn depends on how white you want your teeth to be. This often results in a whiter smile of 4-8 shades in just a few days. 

Crowns

Crowns are a great way to restore a damaged tooth.  They save the natural tooth structure and avoid the need for extractions.  Crowns are useful in a wide range of situations and are a great way to:

• ·         Restore broken teeth


• ·         Support other prosthetics, like bridges


• ·         Protect a weakened tooth


• ·         Cover and support large fillings


• ·         Cover a dental implant

Porcelain crowns are even cosmetically pleasing, blending in with the rest of your smile.  This makes the crown an excellent restorative choice for visible areas of the mouth.  This aesthetic restorative is highly favorable and provides patients with a beautiful, discreet and reliable restoration.  If you are in need of a crown, please contact the office and learn more about how we can help you restore your smile.

Sources: http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/dental-crowns