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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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Diabetes and Its Effects on Your Smile | Huntington Beach Dentist

Diabetes is a condition that affects more and more Americans every day. And while we know that there are lots of health issues that may arise because of this condition, many do not assimilate diabetes with dental health. Unfortunately, there are lots dental issues that can arise if you don’t take care of yourself. If you are diagnosed with diabetes, there are a few things you need to look out for…

Because your diabetes effect so many areas – from eyes to kidneys, it is necessary to know to that you are at risk for a lot of unwanted dental health issues. If you do find that dental issues are arising, make an appointment with your dentist as soon as possible to ensure your smile is doing okay. After all, high glucose levels will inevitably make the perfect environment for all of those cavity-causing bacteria. If you find that you are a victim of one of these symptoms, make sure you let your dental professional know to find out how you can keep your smile as healthy as possible:

  • Dry mouth
  • Gum disease
  • Bad breath
  • Tooth decay
  • Salivary gland dysfunction
  • Burning mouth syndrome
  • Thrush
  • Taste impairment

Just so you know, all hope is not lost – there are ways for you to control the effects of diabetes on your mouth. It’s just going to take a few subtle changes to your lifestyle. The most important rule of thumb? Keep up with your dental health. Brush your teeth twice a day, make sure you don’t forget to floss, and keep those dental appointments – visit the dentist twice a year.

If you would like to find out more about diabetes, 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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Smile. It’s Halloween! | Huntington Beach Dentist

Happy Halloween to you! The one day a year where your little one can pretend they’re anything and eat their weight in free candy, simply be saying ‘trick or treat’. Between trick-or-treating, parties, and festivals, Halloween can one big cavity-creating sugar rush. If your child has diabetes, things need to change a bit, but nothing you can’t monitor without them feeling left out. Here are some tips:

Sit down with your child and discuss your Halloween plans in advance so they know what to expect. Because of the pandemic, things have changed a bit during this spooky time of year. Create some boundaries and general rules and involve them in the decision making throughout the festivities. They’ll be more likely to be on board with a plan they helped create. Find out what’s most important to them about the day and try to work together to meet in the middle so diabetes management can remain a priority.

Make sure they don’t think they are losing out at all by take the focus off of candy. Encourage making arts and crafts projects, entering pumpkin carving/painting contests, watching a Halloween movie, etc. Planning to go trick-or-treating? Many are trying different techniques to make trick or teating as safe as possible

Lots of candy will create havoc in your mouth, so teaching moderation is important. You can have too much of a good thing. Set a rule as to how many pieces of candy your child can eat a day, have your child pick their favorite pieces of candy, and get rid of the rest. Your child can enjoy a few pieces of candy throughout the week without creating issues with insulin or cavities.

If you would like to find out more about floss, 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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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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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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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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Keeping Your Smile During the Pandemic | Huntington Beach Dentist

We all know our daily lives have been flipped upside down, but we need to remember that there are some things that we can actually control and having even this minor sense of control is important. One of these things you can control is your daily dental routine. It may seem simple, but just making sure you brush your teeth for two minutes, flossing thoroughly and rinsing with an ADA-approved mouthwash can not only make you feel like you have a sense of normalcy, but also helps to keep your mouth clean and germ-free. When we are told to keep ourselves extra clean, your mouth is included.

Unfortunately, accidents will happen, and we will need to seek professional help. Because they won’t be readily available to the public, it is important to know how to identify and soothe yourself until it can be professionally looked at.

When a toothache arises, try some simple at-home tips. Gargling with warm saltwater will help relieve pain and clear out any bacteria. If it’s swelling, apply a cold compress and take some over-the-counter pain relievers, like ibuprofen.

When you’ve chipped or cracked your tooth, it is likely that it will need to be looked at. If it gets jammed or loosened, gently try to straighten it. Wrap it with some gauze or tissue to stabilize it until you can get it looked at. If it is knocked out, don’t touch the root and give it a quick rinse with cold water or milk. All of these are considered dental emergencies and your dentist will be the best advice as to what actions need to take place immediately.

If you would like to find out more about dental hygiene, 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.