Bite Checks

You may be familiar with twice-annual dental check-ups as a way to get your teeth cleaned and your fillings inspected. But that’s not all that happens at a check-up, and even if you think your mouth is free of decay, there are good reasons to keep your appointments. One of the most important aspects of a dental examination is the bite check. At Dr. Suzanne Haeri’s South Carthay dental office, we provide for our patients’ general and cosmetic dental needs, and both of those depend on their teeth closing comfortably and completely together.

 

Bite checks are an opportunity for the dentist to check for malocclusions and damage from temporomandibular joint disorders (tmd). Malocclusions, which are misalignments in the teeth, may also be evident through x-rays, but a bite check would alert us if the patient’s jaws are coming together at an angle. TMD both results from and contributes to swelling in the joints where the lower jaw connects to the rest of the skull. Damage to those joints can result in difficulty opening the mouth, pain radiating from the head to the shoulders, and increased pressure on the teeth, causing them to move out of place, lose enamel, or crack.

 

During a bite check, we would ask a patient to demonstrate closing their teeth together. They should be able to close with the back teeth on both sides fitting into each other, and without the front teeth tilting outward. We can provide veneers to fix minor malocclusions on the front teeth, but teeth grinding induced by tmd will leave distinctive wear patterns, and a patient may need to wear a night guard during sleep to protect themselves from it. Correcting more serious malocclusions may require referral to an orthodontist, but we can still teach patients jaw stretching exercises to reduce the strain in their joints in the meantime.

 

The dental office of Suzanne Haeri, DDS, is located at 1100 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, California, 90035. To schedule an appointment, call 310-657-2200 or visit our website at Suzanne Haeri DDS.

Night Guards

Night guards are placed in the mouth to act as a “cushion” during sleep to prevent someone from grinding or gnashing their teeth together. Some people actually do this during the day as well. Grinding your teeth, also known as bruxism, damages enamel, wears down teeth, causes jaw pain, and irritates gums. If you think you are grinding your teeth, Suzanne Haeri DDS in Los Angeles, CA, can help you.

Severe teeth grinding can lead to tension-type headaches and disorders in the temporomandibular joints (TMJ), where a clicking noise is heard when you open and close your mouth. Teeth grinding has also been seen in quite a few children. According to WebMD, “approximately 15% to 33% of children grind their teeth.” The first step to preventing teeth grinding is to determine what is causing it. Sometimes a night guard or change in lifestyle is all you need to prevent it.

There are several factors that increase the chances of grinding your teeth:

-Stress and anxiety

-Age (though common in children, bruxism goes away by adulthood)

-Aggressive or competitive personality type

-Psychiatric medications

-Smoking tobacco

-Consuming caffeine or alcohol

-Family history of teeth grinding

-Other disorders such as Parkinson's, dementia, gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), epilepsy, night terrors, sleep apnea, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Do you think you’re experiencing bruxism and want to try a night guard? We are happy to address any questions or concerns you might have. Suzanne Haeri DDS practices at 1100 S La Cienega Blvd. in Los Angeles, CA 90035. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please visit suzannehaeridds.com or call 310-657-2200.

Bite Checks

Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) is a grave threat to a patient’s tooth structure as well as their comfort. At the South Carthay dental office of Dr. Suzanne Haeri, we inspect patients for signs of this condition during each biannual check-up. A bite check is also an opportunity to detect other chewing problems and is particularly beneficial to children.

TMD can occur when people clench their jaws or grind their teeth in their sleep. (The latter behavior is known as bruxism.) The force of their bite can cause pain that radiates to the tops of their heads and down through their necks. Particularly severe TMD can cause teeth to crack or tilt out of place. More commonly, they become eroded, resulting in a loss of vertical mouth dimension. The sensitivity from TMD makes chewing more difficult and some patients have difficulty opening their mouths.

Our hygienists are trained to look for the distinctive pattern bruxism leaves in enamel. They will also ask patients to demonstrate closing their teeth together and will ask patients about any discomfort they’ve experienced recently. Patients may not be aware they have bruxism, but they may know if they are at risk for obstructive sleep apnea or are under a lot of mental stress, both of which are contributing factors. In adults, bruxism can be countered with a custom-fitted night guard, which will protect the enamel from further erosion and relieve pressure on the jaws. Patients may also be recommended for orthodontic therapy if bruxism has pushed their teeth out of place or misalignment is contributing to their jaws’ mechanical stress.

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.

How to Clean a Night Guard

A night guard or snore guard can be a great boon to a person’s dental health. When people suffer from bruxism (nighttime teeth grinding) or obstructive sleep apnea, these removable oral appliances prevent their teeth from rubbing together and keep their airways open. But they can become traps for bacteria if not cleaned properly, and we at Dr. Suzanne Haeri’s South Carthay dental office want to ensure our patients are maintaining their oral hygiene.

When a patient wakes up in the morning, they should remove their oral appliance and brush it. Night guard manufacturers often have instructions on their websites telling patients to clean their appliances with dissolvable tablets or soaking solutions. Those products may work well and can prevent a night guard from acquiring a bad smell, but brushing the appliance is still necessary to remove build-up and some people use retainers that double as night guards. Patients should clean with a soft-bristled toothbrush, but not toothpaste or the minerals may scratch the soft plastic.

Depending on their model, night guards vary in whether they should be kept wet or dry. But the case they are kept in should also be cleaned with antibacterial soap every day. Patients will also need to avoid using hot water or leaving the case in the sun or anywhere else it could get hot enough to distort the night guard’s shape. People should always brush and floss their teeth before using a night guard and should periodically have it professionally refitted.

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.