Suzanne Haeri DDS

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Bone Graft Procedure

Suzanne Haeri DDS offers bone grafting services to her patients in the Los Angeles, CA area. Bone grafts are needed when the jaw bone is not strong enough to house a restorative device like a dental implant. When a tooth is missing and never replaced, the bone will disintegrate. A bone graft will fix this by replacing it with healthy tissue.


 


At your first appointment with Dr. Haeri, she will examine the jaw and mouth. X-rays will determine the full condition of the bone. If you are eligible for a bone graft, the x-ray will also show us how much tissue will be needed. Tissue for the graft can be collected in various ways. It can be taken from another area of your mouth in certain cases, or areas like your hip or tibia. Tissue labs also provide materials. Once the sample has been collected and determined to be of sound quality, the next step in the procedure can start.


 


You will first be placed under general anesthesia. Dr. Haeri will start by making an incision along your jaw in the selected area. The healthy tissue will be inserted and held in place using screws, wires, etc. Afterward, Dr. Haeri will close up the area with either stitches or a suture.


 


After the procedure, follow any and all post-operative instructions given. Avoid vigorous activity while healing. The speed of your recovery is entirely dependent on your body and the size of the graft. The larger the graft the longer it will take to heal. Recovery can stem from two weeks all the way up to a full year.


 


Dr. Suzanne Haeri DDS is located in Los Angeles, CA. To schedule an appointment, visit our website or call 310-657-2200.


 

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

DentalVibe

Are you worried about your or your loved one’s dental health, but reluctant to face needles? We at the South Carthay dental office of Dr. Suzanne Haeri understand your needs. When we need to administer a localized anesthetic, one of the tools we use is the DentalVibe. This wand allows injections to be delivered without causing a patient pain, and often without them even feeling it.


One of dentists’ traditional means of soothing patients’ anxiety was to flap a patient’s lip or cheek. The vibrations overwhelm the patient’s nervous system, distracting it from its pain response to the needle. The DentalVibe is a more sophisticated way of applying this concept. Its massaging, rubbery prongs vibrate one hundred and sixty times per second, creating a pleasurable sensation. The dentist can administer the injection with their other hand, often while positioned so the patient won’t even see the syringe.


While heavier sedation may be necessary for extensive oral surgeries, the DentalVibe is perfectly suited to numbing the patient in preparation for routine care such as scaling, planing, and simple extractions. We can still provide oral sedation to nervous patients, but the DentalVibe does not cause any side effects and will not impede the patient’s cognition.


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.


 

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Asthma and Oral Health

At Dr. Suzanne Haeri’s South Carthay dental practice, we want our patients to know how to care for their general and cosmetic dental needs no matter what other health issues they may have. People with asthma can be at particular risk for developing caries, but there are steps they can take to minimize damage.


Asthma is inflammation in the upper respiratory tract. It often causes people to breathe through their mouths, putting them at risk for developing dry mouth (xerostomia). Saliva plays an important part in fighting oral infections; it washes away food that bacteria might otherwise eat and it neutralizes the acid bacteria produce. Some strategies for maintaining saliva are to drink lots of fluids, use artificial throat moisturizers, and to chew sugarfree gum. Patients may also want to talk to their asthma specialists about changing medications that cause dry mouth.


A potential issue with inhaler medications is that they may contain sugar. In that case, patients need to remember to brush their teeth in between using them and going to bed. Some asthma patients take muscle relaxants to loosen their throats, but this could also loosen the sphincter that keeps stomach acid out of the esophagus. Patients suffering from acid reflux may need topical fluoride treatments and to avoid consuming alcohol, citric acid, red meat, garlic, or chocolate before lying down.


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.


 

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

National Facial Protection Month

The beginning of April marks National Facial Protection Month. As a general and cosmetic dental office, we at Dr. Suzanne Haeri’s South Carthay practice have fixed a lot of chipped and broken teeth. Although we provide naturally-colored, long-lasting restorations, we prefer that our patients maintain good oral health. Wearing mouth guards during sports is one of the most important aspects of that.


Sports leagues generally require youth participants to wear a mouthguard. (That includes wrestlers if they have braces.) Any type of mouthguard is better than none, but the best are custom-fitted. Other options include boil-and-bite models that are softened at home before being fitted to a wearer’s teeth. Keep in mind, however, that children’s teeth are changing rapidly, and a mouthguard from the beginning of the academic year may need to be refitted. This is particularly true of patients undergoing orthodontic therapy, whose teeth change positions significantly each month.


Mouthguard manufacturers will provide information on how to clean their products, but in general, they should be kept dry and out of the sun. Wearing a mouthguard is not only important during contact sports, but also during activities when a person is likely to fall, such as skating, cycling, or gymnastics. When properly fitted, a mouthguard should be comfortable and easy to breathe with. Feel free to ask us for guidance if you’ve been having trouble with yours.


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.