DentalVibe Injection Comfort System

Dr. Suzanne Haeri knows some patients find local anesthetic shots painful and can even cause them anxiety. Fear of the pain or discomfort shouldn’t keep anyone from leaving a dental issue untreated. The exciting new technology of the DentalVibe Injection Comfort system has eliminated the discomfort associated with anesthetic injections.  The DentalVibe is a device that uses vibration on your gums to block the sensation of pain.  This means you won’t feel a pinch or pain at the injection site.  

Depending on the procedure, some appointments can require several shots of anesthetic. Using DentalVibe eliminates pain at the time of injection and soreness at the injection sites afterward. An added benefit to using the DentalVibe device is vibration on your gums helps the anesthetic dissipate quickly and evenly throughout the mouth.  Even if you never found local anesthetic shots very painful, the DentalVibe technology can help any procedure go quicker and easier.  

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

Consequences of Thumb Sucking

At Dr. Suzanne Haeri’s western Los Angeles office, we strive to help everyone’s smile look great, including those of our youngest patients. Many new parents have questions about their children’s oral health, and we want to help them determine whether a child’s thumb sucking is becoming a problem.

Provided that they’re not sucking too hard, toddlers have little to worry about from thumb or pacifier sucking. However, as their baby teeth start falling out around the age of five and adult teeth come in, the pressure could become a problem. Overbites and other malocclusions, misaligned jaws, and warped upper palettes are all known to result from persistent thumb sucking.

Thumb sucking could be the result of anxiety which requires help from a child psychologist, and in severe cases, doctors may provide orthotic devices to discourage it. However, by the time a child is old enough for thumb sucking to be a problem it may be possible to include them in discussions about why it is harmful and how to stop. This is generally preferable to start with. It is also necessary that the child not push their tongue against their teeth as a substitute, as this will cause all the same problems.

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

 

Oral Cancer Awareness Month

Oral cancer screenings are one of the most important services we provide at Dr. Suzanne Haeri’s office for Cosmetic and General Dentistry in west Los Angeles. As part of Oral Cancer Awareness month, we want to ensure that our patients recognize warning signs of throat cancer so they can help us help them.

Anti-smoking campaigns have been critical to reducing oral cancer fatalities, but in recent years, cancers associated with the human papilloma virus (HPV) have increased. Out of nearly two hundred known strains of HPV, only one has been proven to cause oral cancer. However, it is so far unproven that HPV vaccines are effective against it, and there is no test for it. HPV-associated oral cancer usually occurs in the back of the mouth and top of the throat, which is known as the oropharynx, making it difficult to screen for visually or through biopsies.

Pain, numbness, and swelling are warning signs of developing throat cancer, but these sensations may occur in the jaw or ear as well as the throat. If patients notice these problems, they should not assume they know the cause or that abstaining from smoking or alcohol eliminates oral cancer as a possibility. Tactile testing is still useful for detecting cancer in the oropharynx, and if caught early, HPV-associated cancers are more responsive to treatments than those caused by drugs.

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

 

Electric Toothbrush Apps

It’s the time of year when dental suppliers are releasing new product lines, and for the past few years, manufacturers have been interested in integrating home oral hygiene with smart devices. At Dr. Suzanne Haeri’s office, we’re always glad to help patients understand oral hygiene better, so we thought we’d describe how toothbrushes are getting smarter.

There are a number of apps aimed at children or adults, but one thing they have in common is the ability to provide feedback about the user’s brushing habits. Electrical toothbrushes don’t have much of an advantage over manual toothbrushes when used properly, but proper use of a manual toothbrush requires that the user brush for at least two full minutes during each session and thoroughly cover every tooth surface. Electrical toothbrushes obviously cut down on the time commitment, but patients previously may have still skipped over several teeth. New apps point out where patients need to brush more, whether they need to adjust the toothbrush’s settings, and whether the patient is improving.

For children, motivation is often more of a problem than knowledge or physical ability. Several manufacturers now include mobile games with their toothbrushes in which children are rewarded for improving their technique with story progression, bonuses, and so forth. Electric toothbrushes are still expensive and probably unnecessary for people who properly brush the old-fashioned way, but the new features may make them useful to patients who are struggling with home oral hygiene.

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

 

Caring for Dentures

Dr. Suzanne Haeri has provided high-quality restorations to many patients over the years, allowing them to regain their self-confidence and massively boosting their quality of life. But dentures, like most prosthodontic solutions, require life-long maintenance and may eventually have to be replaced. This guide will keep them working as long as possible.

Like natural teeth, dentures need to be brushed twice daily with a soft-bristled brush. However, dentures are much more fragile than bone and lack the ability to self-repair like living tissue. Minerals in ordinary toothpaste can scratch them, which is why it is better to brush them only with toothpaste specifically approved by the American Dental Association for use on dentures. Patients should also brush their tongues, gums, and if they have mini-implants, their exposed abutments.

Lots of useful cleaning solutions are available for dentures to soak in overnight. These can further boost cleanliness, but the most important thing is that dentures not be allowed to dry out. It is also important that the tap water or cleaning solution be room temperature or cooler, as hot water can warp their shape. Dentures may have to be refitted eventually, as the mouth naturally changes shape, but patients should never attempt to reshape dentures without a professional.

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

Oral Pathology

Pathology can be defined as the scientific study of the nature of a disease and its causes, processes, development, and consequences. Oral pathology is the specialty that identifies and treats diseases of the mouth and maxillofacial region. Some of the diseases that Dr. Suzanne Haeri, DDS diagnose include mouth and throat cancer, mumps, salivary gland disorders, ulcers, and more. 

When an abnormality is discovered either by the patient or the dentist, a referral is often made to an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Diagnosis is completed through radiographic, microscopic, biochemical and other in-office examinations. Because the mouth is readily accessible, changes indicative of oral cancer or a pathological process can easily be detected in the early stages. Pain is not always necessary to define pathology and is not often associated with oral cancer. However, any patient with facial and/or oral pain without an obvious cause or reason may also be at risk for oral cancer.

If you are concerned about oral cancer, give us a call to discuss your options. To learn about the services we provide at our practice, 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.

Tooth Stains

It's easy to stain our teeth. Lifestyle habits play a huge role in tooth discoloration, especially for those who drink coffee, chew hard candy, drink tea, or smoke cigarettes on a daily basis. But that doesn’t mean your teeth need to stay that way. Fortunately, brightening your smile is as easy as visiting Dr. Suzanne Haeri, DDS for a professional cleaning or a teeth whitening session. 

There are two primary classes of tooth stains: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic tooth stains are stains on the surfaces of teeth. Intrinsic tooth stains are found on the inside of the tooth, within its inner layers, in the dentin or in the pulp area. Extrinsic tooth stains are caused by practicing poor oral hygiene and lifestyle habits that we mentioned above, while intrinsic stains are caused by tooth traumas (a broken or chipped tooth), and dental conditions. Avoiding stained teeth altogether requires brushing, flossing and seeing your dentist regularly.

If you desire a brighter smile, please give us a call to discuss your treatment options. To learn about the services we provide at our practice, 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.