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Root Canals: Our Friend, Not Our Foe | Huntington Beach Dentist

Are you afraid of getting root canal therapy? You really shouldn’t be. Instead of dealing with that toothache, it may be time to face the facts and schedule a dental visit. Because root canal therapy actually relieves pain, it does not cause pain. The pain comes from the infection in the root canal. The endodontic treatment removes the infection and leaves you feeling better after the procedure. The best part is you get to keep your natural tooth.

But what exactly is a root canal? It is a procedure that treats the inside of your tooth. If you have an untreated chip or cracked (or other trauma), it can expose the pulp which then can become inflamed and infected. Thus, the pulp inside of your tooth becomes damaged. Left untreated leads to the pain you’d feel with a toothache. This left further untreated can result in an abscess.

When your dentist performs a root canal, the damaged pulp is removed entirely from the inside of the tooth. After it is removed, your tooth will be cleaned and disinfected and sealed. Afterwards, the tooth is restored with a crown or a filling for protection.

But don’t be scared – modern root canal treatment is similar to having a routine filling and may be completed in one or two appointments depending on the condition of the tooth. Contrary to popular belief, root canals relieve the pain that an infected tooth is causing. The procedure isn’t as grim as it is made out to be. With proper care, most teeth that have had root canal treatment can last as long as other natural teeth and often for a lifetime.

If you would like to find out more about root canal therapy, contact Dr. Rudy 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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Repair Your Smile with Pinhole® Surgical Technique | Yorba Linda Dentist

If you have severe gum recession, your dental professional may suggest the Chao Pinhole® Surgical Technique. But what exactly is it? And how will it repair gums that have already begun to recede? The Chao Pinhole® Surgical Technique is a way to repair gum shrinkage through a pinhole in the gum without having to cut. To make you more familiar with the procedure, here are some common questions patients have asked:

Is gum recession common? A lot of patients need gum rejuvenation, but don’t realize it. If it isn’t causing pain, patients don’t address the issue. Before the PST, patients needed to decide whether they should fix it with a very painful gum grafting procedure, try to ignore it, or try a temporary fix by placing a filling on the exposed root.

How long does the standard gum grafting procedure take? The standard procedure requires cutting out a graft of the gum from the palate and grafting it to where it’s needed. Generally, it’ll take at least an hour for just one or two teeth with recovery time of two or three weeks.

What’s the key to the procedure? With Pinhole Surgical Technique we don’t have to perform the gum grafting anymore. A pinhole is made by a needle, so there’s no scalpel or cutting at all. Then we shift the tissue down with very little trauma to the tissue and no open wounds to deal with. The tiny pinhole shrinks away by the next day.

Will I have to do this often? This is expected to be permanent and lasts long as any other procedure. Nothing is forever as the normal aging process goes on but it can last years.

If you would like to find out more about Chao Pinhole® Surgical Technique, 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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Dissecting the Myths Surrounding Root Canals | Huntington Beach Dentist

When we get a toothache, we think of the worst. After all, toothaches are painful and difficult to ignore. Then again, going to the dentist frightens some of us, so we will try our best to ignore tooth pain for as long as we can take it. Because the last thing we want to hear is ‘you need a root canal’.

Root canals have received such a bad reputation over the years, but with all of the technological advances in dentistry, root canal therapy can now be comfortable and quick. So, why don’t we clear the air on any myths you’ve heard about root canals:

Root canals are painful. Root canals are done to relieve the pain you already have. Sure, a local anesthetic is used to numb the tooth and surround area, but the procedure itself is virtually painless.

Prepare for tooth pain. In some cases, teeth that have already died may need root canals to prevent it from becoming infected. Your dentist will run tests to confirm that a tooth is dead and needs root canal therapy.

My tooth, or parts, will be removed. Root canal therapy is meant to save a tooth, so inner parts are cleaned, scraped and/or removed to ensure that the bacteria has been removed.

They cause illness. This common myth indicates that root canals can lead to negative health risks but has since been debunked. Root canal therapy is safe and effective, improving your oral and overall health.

Removing the tooth is better than root canal therapy. Having a tooth pulled is traumatic procedure that allows harmful bacteria to enter the blood stream; a root canal allows you to keep your natural tooth.

If you would like to find out more about root canals, 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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Relax During Your Dental Visits | Huntington Beach Dentist

In order to keep our smiles healthy and bright, we need to visit the dentist a couple times a year. Not only can they improve its appearance, but they can also detect if we are at risk for future issues. But what if sitting in the dentist’s chair is frightening to you? It can not only impair your mouth’s health, but it can also lead to future health risks. Unfortunately, this is an issue for many. Dental anxiety, or DA, is an actual diagnosis for this fear. But there is good news – the dental industry has been listening and have been busy making huge strides in order to calm those fears. It is what they call sedation dentistry.

To break it down simply, sedation dentistry your dentist’s way to relax you enough to handle the dental procedure and it’s done through the use of medication. There are various levels that you can be sedated, from minimal sedation to the completely unconscious general anesthesia to make you as comfortable as possible as they do their job and to make recovery time minimal.

If you aren’t in need of a lot to relax you, chances are you will be receiving nitrous oxide, or laughing gas through a mask, so zero pain is involved. If you need to be calmed with a bit more than a mask full of laughing gas, the next option would be an oral sedative. It is also possible to be sedated via an IV.

It is important to discuss all of your options with your dental professional before any procedure. Find out the risks and exactly how much experience your dental professional has had with your procedure.

If you would like to find out more about sedation dentistry, 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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Pinhole Surgical Technique FAQs | Huntington Beach Dentist

Pioneered by Dr. Chao, the Pinhole® Surgical Technique is a new way to repair gum recession through a pinhole-sized incision, rather than having to cut. This new technique will not only reduce discomfort grafting surgery can do, but also cut down recovery time. In fact, you can eat dinner that night! Now we understand that you may have some questions about this miracle procedure, so here is a quick rundown of some of the more popular ones:

Is gum recession something that you see often? Before the Pinhole Surgical Technique, a lot of people are put in a dilemma of whether they should fix it with a very painful, drawn out gum grafting procedure, try to ignore it, or try a temporary fix by placing a filling on the exposed root.

How long does the standard gum grafting procedure take? The standard procedure requires cutting out a graft of the gum from the palate and grafting it to where it’s needed. To delicately cut and remove the graft tissue and attach it with sutures takes about an hour to an hour and a half for just one or two teeth, but recovery time is two or three weeks.

What’s the key to the procedure? The key to The Pinhole Surgical Technique is that we don’t have to perform the gum grafting anymore. A pinhole is made by a needle, so there’s no scalpel or cutting at all. Then we shift the tissue down with very little trauma to the tissue. The tiny pinhole shrinks away by the next day.

Will I have to do this often? If everything is healthy and there is no over-brushing, it can last years.

If you would like to find out more about Pinhole Surgical Technique, 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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Is a Root Canal Scary? | Huntington Beach Dentist

We all try to do our best to keep our smiles healthy. We brush, floss, visit the dentist regularly and try to stay away from habits that can cause dental issues. One of the reasons we are so adamant about doing these things is because of the dreaded root canal. Yes, finding out you need a root canal seems to be one of the biggest fears a patient has when visiting the dentist. But is it as scary as we think it is?

Since knowledge is power, let’s talk about what exactly is causing your teeth to decay. If we know how what is going to cause us to need a root canal, we can avoid those circumstances:

  1. Large cavities
  2. Cracked or chipped teeth
  3. Facial trauma
  4. A habit of clenching or grinding your teeth
  5. Repeatedly damaged teeth

Now for the results. If left untreated, a tooth can become infected and won’t be able to heal properly, eventually leading to an abscess or even tooth loss. Abscesses aren’t just bad for our smiles, but the content in an abscess can spread to other areas in the body, causing further damage.

Don’t worry – with today’s technology, root canals aren’t as scary as they are made out to be. In fact, their pain level could even be compared to getting a filling. Your dentist needs to remove all of the pulp and nerve causing the issue, then replacing it with a dental crown to make your tooth look good as new. If you are nervous, ask your dentist about sedation options. In the end, you are the first line of defense, so take care of your smile.

If you would like to find out more about root canals, 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.