As the warm weather continues to consume our every day lives, it is important to take extra precautions in protecting your mouth and teeth from injury. While swimming, playing baseball, basketball, or football, skateboarding, riding your bike, or any other activity this summer could result in an unexpected injury or accident.  These injuries can result in knocked out teeth, damaged teeth, a broken jaw, soft-tissue injuries, and others. 

It is possible to prevent dental accidents, but when you are prepared to take control if one does occur can mean the difference between saving and losing a tooth.  If a dental injury does occur to your teeth or oral tissues, call your  Los Angeles dentist      immediately. Dr. Shervin Louie allots time in his daily schedule for emergencies and are qualified to treat an array of dental injuries.

When a Tooth is Knocked Out or Damaged

Falling down or suffering a hard hit to the face while participating in a sport or other recreational activity can result in the loss of one or multiple teeth. If a tooth is knocked out it is important to first retrieve the dislodged tooth and gently rinse it in water.  When you rinse your tooth, be very careful not to remove any attached tissue. Gently attempt to place the tooth back into its socket. If that doesn’t work, place the tooth in a small cup of milk or salt water solution and get to your dentist as soon as you can. The faster you get to your  Los Angeles dentist , the better chance you will have of saving your tooth.

Treating Soft-Tissue Injuries

Injuries to the tongue, lips, gums and cheeks can cause pain, swelling and bleeding. Rinse your mouth with warm water and apply direct pressure to the affected area with moistened gauze or a tea bag.  You can also reduce swelling and slow the bleeding by applying a cold compress to the outside of your cheek or mouth. If the bleeding doesn’t stop after 20-30 minutes of ice and pressure, the injury may require professional medical attention and you’ll need to get to your dentist or emergency room right away.

As a general rule, if it hurts, it’s a dental emergency. Don’t delay.  Visit your Los Angeles emergency dentist immediately if you are experiencing pain caused by an injury to your mouth or teeth. A speedy treatment significantly improves your odds of saving a damaged or injured tooth. 

Sports drinks and energy drinks might provide an easier boost for consumers, but at the cost of their teeth. A new study finds people who drink these types of beverages are "essentially bathing their teeth with acid," the authors said.

The study, published in the May/June 2012 issue of General Dentistry, examined the acidity levels in 13 sports drinks and nine energy drinks to see how the drinks would impact a tooth's enamel. Researchers determined acidity levels can vary between brands, as well as certain flavors of the same brand. To determine what those acid levels did to teeth, researchers immersed human tooth enamel samples into each beverage for 15 minutes, followed by immersing the samples in artificial saliva for two hours, four times per day over a five-day period.

They found out that as few as five days after exposure to both types of drinks, enamel damage presented. The researchers saw energy drinks in particular caused double the amount of damage to teeth that sports drinks caused.

Study author Dr. Poonam Jain, director of the community and preventive dentistry program at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, said in a news release that lots of patients she sees are surprised to learn how bad these drinks are for teeth. That's especially true for teens - between 30 and 50 percent of teens have reported consuming energy drinks and up to 62 percent of teens saying they drink at least one sports drink per day, she said.

The American Beverage Association came to the defense of the drinks, slamming the research behind the study.

"This study was not conducted on humans and in no way mirrors reality," the ABA's statement read. "People do not keep any kind of liquid in their mouths for 15 minute intervals over five day periods. Thus, the findings of this paper simply cannot be applied to real life situations."

Dr. Shervin Louie, your  Los Angeles dentist , recommends that if you are going to drink sports or energy drinks, you should rinse your mouth with water after drinking the beverage or you could use sugar-free gum. 

While several theories currently exist to explain the link between periodontal disease and heart disease, one thing is clear – the health of your mouth directly relates to the health of your body.  Like a window to the rest of your body, the health of your mouth can significantly affect your overall health.  So when it comes time for your dental appointment don’t skip out.  Help protect your heart by taking proper care of your dental health to further prevent the development of gum disease.

Dr. Shervin Louie, dentist Los Angeles, places a strong emphasis on the importance of proper oral health care to protect you from heart attack and even stroke. It has been stated that the oral bacteria can affect the heart when entering the blood stream, attaching to fatty plaques in the coronary arteries and contributing to clot formation, which can obstruct normal blood flow.  This obstruction can restrict the amount of nutrients and oxygen required for the heart to function properly, resulting in a heart attack. 

Researchers continue to find that those who have periodontal (gum) disease are almost twice as likely to suffer from a heart attack as those without gum disease.  What does this mean for you?  Dr. Louie, Los Angeles family dentist, urges you to maintain your regular appointments with his office in order to further prevent the development of gum disease.  With routine dental checkups, you can ensure that your mouth is healthy, and, if it isn’t, Dr. Louie can help get you on the right track to further prevent systemic complications such as heart attack or stroke.

If you are at risk for heart disease, Dr. Shervin Louie, Beverly Hills dentist, offers helpful tips to help save your life:

• Lose weight if you are overweight
• Eat healthy foods
• Exercise regularly
• Control any conditions that increase risk
• Brush twice a day
• Floss daily
• Maintain regular visits with his office

If you keep your mouth clean, it is very hard for bacteria that cause periodontal disease to get started.  You will even experience fewer fillings, healthier gums, and a brighter smile.  So begin now and take the next step towards a healthy smile and body.

For further information on how to properly care for your teeth to prevent gum disease and protect your body from systemic complications, contact Dr. Shervin Louie, your dentist in Beverly Hills.

For those of you wishing to avoid antibiotics for gum disease, natural remedies may offer relief, depending on the severity of the infection. According to Dr. Shervin Louie, your Los Angeles dentist  infections in the gums can form from various reasons ranging from injury to the tissue, and more commonly, to the presence of periodontal gum disease. Because natural remedies may not fully remove a gum infection, a dentist should be consulted if pain, swelling, bleeding or redness persists.

Warm Salt Water

For the early stages of gum infections or irritation, rinsing the mouth with warm salt water may be helpful in preventing the infection from fully forming. According to Dr. Louie, your Los Angeles dentist ,,, a graduate and past faculty member of USC, you should dissolve one teaspoon of salt into a 8oz cup of warm water. The water should be as warm as you can stand it. Allow the salt to fully dissolve and rinse the mouth for 2 minutes, twice a day, after breakfast and before bedtime.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is necessary for overall health of the body, and especially for the gums and teeth. Vitamin C has antioxidant properties that fight infection and help to build strong, healthy gums. Vitamin C powder can be topically applied to gums that are irritated or infected. This should be done several times a day and repeated until the infection is gone, according to Dr. Louie.

In addition, grapefruit seed extract, which is high in vitamin C, can be used to treat a gum infection. This product is high in antioxidants and possesses antibiotic properties as well, helping to fight oral disease. A drop or two can be added to the toothbrush when brushing once or twice a day. Alternatively, make a swish with a few drops of grapefruit seed extract in a cup of water and rinse the mouth until the infection is gone. 

A study recently published in the journal Cancer shows that people who have had dental X-rays are more likely to develop a type of brain tumor called meningioma than those who have not.

This does not prove that dental X-rays cause tumors. But it supports previous research about the connection. But there's still significant doubt about the existence of any direct relationship between meningioma and dental X-rays, and dental professionals were quick to call for more research, saying the study was less than perfect.

Dr. Louie, your Los Angeles dentist    feels that media has hyped up this issue in regards to dental x-rays and brain tumors. Looking at the facts, there is no concrete evidence connecting the two according to him.

Further morethe American Dental Association recommends that dentists be judicious in their use of X-rays. For patients whose teeth are healthy and who are not at increased risk of developing cavities, the ADA suggests children have X-rays about every one to two years; adolescents, every year and a half to three years; and adults, every two to three years.

In a statement, the ADA noted the study’s potential flaws and encouraged further research: “[T]he results rely on the individuals’ memories of having dental x-rays taken years earlier. Studies have shown that the ability to recall information is often imperfect. . . . Also, the study acknowledges that some of the subjects received dental x-rays decades ago when radiation exposure was greater. Radiation rates were higher in the past due to the use of old x-ray technology and slower speed film.”

Our Los Angeles Cosmetic Dentist, Dr. Shervin Louie offers one of the latest technological advances in digital x-rays. A sensor is placed in the mouth and a computer generates an image in 5 seconds, as opposed to the general 4- to 6-minute wait time for images taken on dental film. These x-rays may also be enhanced and/or enlarged on the computer.

Not only are these x-rays friendly to the environment, they are much safer than traditional x-rays. Digital x-rays reduce radiation exposure by more than 90 percent. 

The office of Dr. Shervin Louie, your Los Angeles Larchmont Village Dentist is equipt with digital x-ray units.