What You Should Not Do with Dental Implants

Dental implants are typically placed in an outpatient procedure. They heal and fuse to the jaw bone over a period of several weeks or months. Our dentist will provide you with aftercare instructions to help you take care of both your implants and your teeth during the healing period. You may need to avoid certain foods and activities to reduce the risk of disrupting the healing implants and increasing the risk of complications.

Some things to avoid include:

1. Hard or crunchy foods
A softer diet is recommended to avoid injuring the implant site. Do not use a straw for about a week.

2. Delaying or skipping doses of medicine
If you are prescribed antibiotics or pain medication, take these exactly as prescribed. The entire course of antibiotics should be completed.

3. Overdoing it
Your daily activities can be enjoyed as tolerated, but avoid strenuous exercise immediately after surgery.

4. Skimping on dental hygiene
A clean mouth is critical to healing. Use the recommended mouthwash as prescribed. Brush your teeth as directed, but avoid the surgical site until cleared to clean that area.

Once you have healed, your implants will function just like your other teeth. However, you do still need to care for them with good dental habits. Call us today to schedule an appointment with our expert in dental implants in North Hollywood.

Different Restorative Dentistry Options

Damaged and decayed teeth have lost critical tooth structure, making them weaker and prone to more damage. They must be restored to protect them from further damage and help them remain strong so that they can continue to function as they should. Our dentist in North Hollywood can help you decide on the best restorations for your dental health.

1. Fillings
Fillings are the most conservative restoration and are used when teeth have small cavities, chips, or similar types of damage. The decayed tissue is cleaned, and the filling is used to build the tooth back up to its original size and shape.

2. Crowns
A tooth may require a crown if it has a large filling, several fillings, a break, or a fracture. A porcelain crown is made to look just like a natural tooth and covers from the gum line to the cusp. It requires more extensive preparation, but once in place, can protect your tooth for many years.

3. Dental implants and dental bridges
If a tooth is lost or needs to be extracted it will need to be completely restored. Dental bridges and dental implants are two common options. They can not only restore the look of your smile, but enable you to eat comfortably and easily.

Call us to learn more about restorative dentistry and to schedule your appointment.

What are Veneers Made of?

Veneers have become extremely popular in cosmetic dentistry in recent years. Applied to the front surface of teeth, they improve appearance by covering up defects such as chips, cracks and stains. They can also be used to change the size or shape of a tooth.

Veneers can be made of two different materials. The simplest to apply are those made of composite resin material. Veneers made of composite effectively hide defects at a relatively inexpensive price point. The downside is that they can absorb stains over time from things you consume such as coffee, tea and red wine. They are also relatively fragile and are prone to damage. Their lack of durability means that they do not last nearly as long as veneers made of porcelain.

The more common material for veneers is porcelain. Porcelain veneers are extremely durable, able to last for 10 to 15 years or longer. Porcelain is also stain resistant, so veneers made of this material will not absorb stains from the things you eat and drink. In addition, certain properties inherent in porcelain make it able to reflect light similar to natural teeth. As a result, porcelain veneers look very natural in appearance.

If you are interested in improving your smile with veneers, contact our cosmetic dentist in North Hollywood to discuss which kind is right for you.