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Keeping Your Smile Bright During the Holidays | Huntington Beach

Now that we are smack dab in the midst of the holidays, it is important that we don’t let holiday festivities to come in between you and a healthy smile. It’s a crazy time of year – and with loads of things to do, it’s easy for things to slip through the cracks. While enjoying all of the delightful food and beverages the holidays have to offer, keep in mind these simple steps to maintain a healthy mouth this holiday season:

Keep stress to a minimum. Holidays can be a stressful time of year. From trying to choose the perfect gifts to the cooking the perfect holiday meal, your mouth can take a hit from the excess anxiety and stress, like jaw clenching and teeth grinding.

Celebrate mindfully. Candy canes and gingerbread men will create more bacteria from the excess sugar, which leads to cavities. Make sure to brush and floss twice as day, drink lots of water and chew sugar free gum to increase your saliva flow to wash away excess bacteria.

Raising a toast. White and red wines are extremely high in acidity, which are no good for your teeth. Acid can eat away at your tooth enamel, leaving your teeth more prone to tooth decay and cavities. If you’re enjoying wine this holiday, make sure to drink water in between glasses to rinse your teeth of any excess acid. 

Munch your way to a clean smile. There are some vegetables and fruits that can naturally clean our teeth and mouths by stimulating saliva flow, which is a natural defense against cavities. So, make sure to mix it up this holiday season.

If you would like to find out more about holiday dental health , contact Dr. Gamarnik at 714-842-5626 to schedule a consultation or visit www.hbadvanceddentalspecialists.com for additional information.

Dr. Rudy Gamarnik proudly serves Huntington Beach and all surrounding areas.

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Everything You Need to Know About Flossing | Huntington Beach

A survey conducted by the American Dental Association revealed that adults would rather do something they find awful than floss. But why? Whether we’re too busy or too lazy, flossing has become the one daily task we drag our feet about. Unfortunately, flossing is much more important than we think.

Flossing is merely the act of wrapping a piece of string around your teeth, one by one, in order to remove any bacteria and excess material stuck between each tooth. In its conception, floss was made in China from strands of silk, but nowadays it comes from thin filament cord. Some are waxed, some are electric, or water based. There are also handy tools available on the market that help facilitate you in flossing properly, whether you need help reaching all of your teeth or working your way around complicated dental work. So, you really have no excuse.

As for the process, cut yourself a piece of floss about 18 inches long. Wrap both sides around your fingers until you have a good two inches separating either side. Pull it taut and with a downward zigzag motion, slide the floss around each tooth in a curved motion. No particular order necessary to do it right. Work from top to bottom or vice versa. Floss before you brush your teeth or after. Floss is used to fine tune your dental habits for the cleanest mouth possible. Preventative measures lead to fewer emergency dental visits, so make sure you keep flossing in your daily dental routine.

If you would like to find out more about floss, contact Dr. Gamarnik at 714-842-5626 to schedule a consultation or visit www.hbadvanceddentalspecialists.com for additional information.

Dr. Gamarnik proudly serves Huntington Beach and all surrounding areas.

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Why You Need to Brush Your Teeth this Halloween | Huntington Beach Dentist

As we embark on another Halloween night, it is important to understand that dental hygiene is particularly necessary during this time of year in order to prevent dental issues from arising later on down the line. Because if you eat loads of sugary sweets, but don’t keep up with dental hygiene, it could lead to cavities and even worse, gingivitis. The cause of gingivitis may vary slightly but is typically due to poor oral hygiene.

Gingivitis typically progresses due to plaque, an invisible sticky film composed of bacteria that builds on the surface of teeth over time. Brushing and flossing removes plaque, but failure to brush and floss allows the plaque to harden into tartar, which is calcified and nearly impossible to remove with simple brushing.

Treatments for gingivitis tend to be less invasive than those for periodontal disease, because gingivitis is a milder case of the disease. Primary treatment for gingivitis is going to be an in-office dental cleaning, where tartar can be removed, plaque will be cleaned, and the dentist may use physical instruments to remove buildup below the gum line.

Left untreated, gingivitis will eventually lead to periodontal disease, where the bacteria work their way into the deeper gum pockets and, eventually, the bone beneath the teeth. Treatment for periodontal disease will be far more involved.

There are a number of treatment options for both gingivitis and periodontal disease, but the easiest way to deal with periodontal disease is to avoid allowing plaque and tartar buildup in order to develop gingivitis in the first place. Regular professional cleanings and thorough home hygiene are necessary. Happy Halloween!

If you would like to find out more about gingivitis, Dr. Gamarnik at 714-842-5626 to schedule a consultation or visit www.hbadvanceddentalspecialists.com for additional information.

Dr. Gamarnik proudly serves Huntington Beach and all surrounding areas.