Have You Had A Cleaning This Year?

Dr. Suzanne Haeri, DDS encourages all patients to maintain a great oral health routine at home, but it is still important to come into the office for regular professional cleanings.  During the holidays, we want everyone looking forward to the New Year and maintaining great oral hygiene!  However much you brush and floss, some harmful bacteria grow in your mouth that cause gum disease and can only be removed by a dental professional. 

It’s important to see a professional regularly not just to clean your teeth, but also to locate and monitor areas in the mouth that may need special attention, and a dentist can tell you if you may be missing a spot or skipping an important step in your regular oral care routine.  During a teeth cleaning, a hygienist thoroughly clean the area above and below the gum line with scaling tools to rid them of plaque and tartar. After the surfaces of the teeth are cleaned, the hygienist flosses between every one of your teeth and may apply fluoride if recommended by the dentist. Come see us for a cleaning to make a great impression during the holidays, and start the year off with your best smile!

To learn more about the services we offer, visit www.suzannehaeridds.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Suzanne Haeri, DDS herself in our Los Angeles, CA office, call 310-657-2200.

Smoking and Pulp Infections

Oral cancer is far from the only dental problem related to smoking. At the South Carthay office of Dr. Suzanne Haeri, we provide general and cosmetic dentistry treatments. Frequently, we help to repair diseased gum tissue and stains that have resulted from tobacco, but now, researchers have uncovered another danger posed by smoking: reduced resilience to pulp infections.

Toothaches are often due to infections of the pulp within our teeth. Dental pulp can become inflamed (pulpitis) due to injury to the tooth or direct exposure to air, but it is most often due to bacteria and the acid they produce entering the pulp chamber. This would happen as a result of dental infections incurred through poor oral hygiene, which are exacerbated by smoking.

In addition to being painful, pulp infections potentially threaten the stability of tooth roots and can cause bad breath. In the worst instances, they can spread into the bloodstream and be fatal. Although mild infections may be treatable without a root canal, new research shows that smoking destroys the immune system defenses inside dental pulp. This makes it much likelier a patient will need root canal treatment, and may necessitate removing the tooth altogether. We hope that smokers will not ignore toothaches, since they will only get worse without intervention. We also hope that smokers will be motivated to quit by knowing there is some evidence that dental pulp’s immune defenses can revive without continued exposure to smoke.

Suzanne Haeri, DDS, is located at 1100 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, California, 90035. To set up an appointment, call 310-647-2200 or visit Suzanne Haeri DDS and fill out a request.

 

What Is An Apicoectomy?

Dr. Suzanne Haeri, DDS performs root canals to save and repair teeth that are badly damaged or infected.  A root canal procedure involves removing any inflamed or infected tissue, and thoroughly cleaning the root canal system.  In most root canal cases, the tooth heals and doesn’t require further treatment. When an infection won’t go away or the canals become re-infected, Dr. Haeri can perform an apicoectomy.

An apicoectomy removes damaged tissue and seals a tooth’s root from any further infections.  The procedure involves a small incision in the gums, followed by removal of any infected tissue and finally the end of the root tip itself.  A root-end filling is placed there to act as a seal, preventing reinfection. The gum is sutured, and most patients only feel slight discomfort or swelling during healing.  If you have a tooth infection lingering after a root canal gone wrong, please contact us to discuss your treatment options.

To learn more about the apicoectomy procedure and all the services we provide, visit www.suzannehaeridds.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Suzanne Haeri, DDS herself in our Los Angeles, CA office, call 310-657-2200.

Cirrhosis and Gum Disease

Brushing and flossing could help a lot more than just your mouth. In recent years, scientists have found evidence linking oral health conditions to other issues in the body, including diabetes and high blood pressure. Now, we at Dr. Suzanne Haeri’s West Los Angeles dental practice want to pass along information showing that treating gum disease improves symptoms of cirrhosis.

Inflammation is a part of the immune system’s response, but when the liver is inflamed chronically, it could scar over. This is cirrhosis, and it significantly reduces the liver’s effectiveness at filtering blood. With less effective filtering, inflammation becomes worse and many people experience cognitive decline. Scientists expected cirrhosis to be common in people with periodontal disease because they both can be caused by smoking and heavy use of alcohol. But unusually high rates of gum disease have also been found in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, so scientists started looking for a causative link.

In a study conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University, people with both diseases were examined for symptoms of cirrhosis after getting periodontal therapy. Patients who were treated were found to have better cognitive function and more anti-inflammatory gut bacteria than the control group. Scientists are excited by this potential new avenue to treating cirrhosis. We hope that anyone suffering from gum disease will come to us for help regardless, and that they might find unexpected benefits.

Suzanne Haeri, DDS, is located at 1100 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, California, 90035. To set up an appointment, call 310-647-2200 or visit Suzanne Haeri DDS and fill out a request.