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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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Align Your Teeth with Invisalign | Huntington Beach Dentist

We’re all familiar with braces – metal fastened to teeth in our adolescent years to straighten our crooked permanent teeth. It was a source of ridicule that made growing up torture. But if you didn’t get braces as a kid, you now need to balance a desire for a corrected smile against the desire not to have visible metal braces. The American Association of Orthodontics indicates that approximately 25% of people wearing braces are adults, which means a lot of patients are currently being treated. But you don’t see them that often, so how? Clear braces known as Invisalign.

Invisalign is a series of treatments where customized, clear plastic aligners are worn for a specific period of time, slowly and slightly correcting the patient’s bite as the patient completes the specified time with each aligner. There are no brackets or wires, reducing all of the extra care that comes with traditional braces.

The aligners should be worn 20-22 hours each day. They can be removed while you eat and brush your teeth but are generally worn while awake and asleep. Because the aligners are removed while you eat, you’re free to eat virtually anything you’d normally eat – there are no concerns about getting food stuck in the wires of traditional braces.

Nearly all bite issues can be corrected with Invisalign, though some dentists will recommend against Invisalign in certain cases where Invisalign may be significantly more costly and difficult than traditional orthodontic treatments. To determine if you’re an Invisalign candidate, schedule an appointment soon for a full evaluation.

If you would like to find out more about Invisalign, 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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As We Begin to Get Long in the Tooth | Huntington Beach Dentist

It happens whether we like it or not – as we get older, our gums begin to recede. It’s a fact of life we all need to deal with, regardless of who we are. The good news is, we also don’t need to live with it. All we need to do is make an appointment with your dental professional to discuss treatment options. Today we are going to give you the ABCs of gum recession and treatment options available.

Gum recession usually happens when gum tissue surrounding the teeth starts to pull back, making the tooth appear longer and in worse cases, showing the root of the teeth. The problem is, if this happens, gaps or so-called “pockets” start to form in between the teeth, allowing disease-causing bacteria to build-up in the mouth, become infected, and will eventually result in the loss of teeth.

Now for the solutions – gum grafting and Pinhole Surgical Technique.

Gum grafting is considered the more traditional option. And until quite recently, it was the only option. The process involves taking a tissue sample from the roof of your mouth, transferring it to the problem area and stitching it up for healing. The process involves a lot of stitching, which can cause soreness, discomfort, and in many cases, scarring.

Pinhole Surgical Technique, a groundbreaking patented procedure, does not involve stitching. Rather, it requires only a single pinhole of entry placed at specifically chosen location and involves having the tissue under the gums moved around to slowly fill in the affected areas – all without stitches. The whole procedure consists only of a pinhole and no transfer of tissue is required, drastically cutting down on recovery time to 48 hours.

If you would like to find out more about gum recession treatment options, 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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To See or Not to See: Orthodontics Edition | Huntington Beach Dentist

We all want a perfect smile, but it doesn’t come naturally to most of us. We need the help of our dentist or orthodontist to look after our smile and make the necessary changes in order to create that smile for us. For some it’s just a good cleaning/whitening session, others need dental implants to improve their grin. But if your dental flaw is crooked teeth, you have braces to think about – but which version is best for you? While your specific case may dictate which version will work best, let’s take a minute break all of the options down:

Traditional. Stainless steel braces are the most inexpensive types of braces. The main drawback to metal braces is that they’re very visible. They’re also known to cause irritation in the gums and cheeks while you adjust.

Ceramic. Ceramic braces are made to blend in with your teeth, but at a much higher cost. They’re built to withstand stain, but the ties can easily stain, if you drink coffee or tea. Unfortunately, ceramic braces are much more sensitive and are prone to breaking or chipping.

Lingual. Even more inconspicuous than ceramic, lingual braces are tucked behind the teeth. The main problem with lingual braces is that they’re not ideal for most cases. These braces can also get in the way of the tongue, causing speech problems and/or injuries.

Invisible. Invisible braces are not like your conventional braces wherein you have brackets mounted to your teeth. Instead, you’re wear custom-fitted aligners or rubber trays for 20 hours a day, removing them only when you’re eating or brushing your teeth.

If you would like to find out more about braces, 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.