All Posts in Category: Dental Blog

Not many may know this little-known holiday, but March 1 is Share A Smile Day. This is a wonderful holiday we would love to see more people celebrate. It is a time to spread joy through the simple act of showing off your pearly whites. It is the perfect day and reason to spread the joy and make others happy.

Before you strut the town grinning to all, make sure you have a healthy smile. Here are 5 optimal dental care tips to ensure you smile is healthy and beautifully share-worthy.

1. Prevention is Key

When it comes to good oral care, prevention is a key component to keeping your smile in optimal health. It is very important to keep up with regular dental check-ups as well as dental cleanings. It is recommended you get your teeth cleaned at least twice a year. Regularly getting your teeth cleaned is not only beneficial to your teeth, but to your overall health as well. The teeth cleaning process removes tartar and plaque from the surface of each tooth which help prevent various dental issues that begin with tooth decay which consequently can progress into cavities or worse – gum disease.

2. Floss. Floss. Floss!

One thing is for sure – If you don’t brush everyday, make it a habit to at least floss at least once a day! Many dentist have debated that flossing once a day can be more beneficial than brushing twice a day. Most will agree that good oral hygiene includes a combination of both brushing and flossing. When flossing, make sure you are flossing correctly. To much surprise, there is a wrong and right way to floss. When flossing, you want to make sure you wrap the floss in a “c-shape” while covering as much tooth surface area as possible. Ideally, you want to cover half a diameter of each tooth at each angle. Be sure to floss in an up and down motion along the outer surface of each tooth and under gum tissue. Avoid flossing to roughly, which can cause gums to bleed.

3. Brush Regularly

Brushing should be done after every meal, but not everyone is able to do that with the busy schedules most have these days. The next best thing is to at least make sure you are brushing your teeth every morning and every night. Brushing teeth regularly can help prevent bad breath, tooth decay, tooth loss, and even gum disease. Avoid brushing too hard, as this will cause gums to bleed. Most people report to brush their teeth for a minimum of two minutes, but the truth is – teeth should be brush for however long it takes for them to get cleaned.

4. Clean Your Tongue

Ever noticed a white or slightly yellow residue on your tongue? This is known as white tongue. IF you suffer from white tongue, you more than likely have inflammed papillae. This is the result of dead bacteria, debris and dead cells that get stuck to them. White tongue is a temporary problem that can be easily fixed.  Most dentist would agree that it is very wise invest in a tongue scraper. Regularly brushing and /or scraping your tongue will help rid your tongue of the white residue and immediately freshen breath.

5. Change Your Diet

Diet can have a huge affect on your oral health. Teeth naturally are consistently remineralizing due to the saliva in your mouth. The saliva produced provides minerals to your teeth. The cells in teeth use these minerals to fortify themselves. A diet that promotes a healthy share-worthy smile has a lot of soluble vitamins, low levels of phytic acid (such as grains, beans and some nuts), and enough minerals to support healthy teeth. You will want to avoid foods high in starch and in sugars. The best foods have a lot of healthy fats (such as avocado, or cooking with coconut oil) and consuming healthy broths for added minerals in your diet.

Why Wait?

There is no need to wait for the perfect moment to start optimizing your smile! The time is now..and no better day than on Share A Smile Day! But you don’t need to wait for March 1st to share your smile. Spread some joy and happiness and smile at everyone you see throughout your day. Every day is a great day to show off your great smile. Have a delightful Share A Smile Day and visit our office to keep those pearly whites in tip-top shape!

Book your dental appointment with the best Dentist in Los Angeles today! Call (323) 461-9353

Your smile is important! It’s one of the first things you notice when you meet someone. Dr.Louie has remarkable skills. He has the ability to transform smiles such as this one showed here. Dr.Louie enhanced this patient’s smile with veneers and a teeth bleaching treatment. Veneers are used to help improve the look for teeth that are discolored, worn down, chipped, broken, misaligned, uneven, irregularly shaped, and teeth with small gaps. This veneer procedure helped cover any small gaps that showed, and the teeth bleaching left our patient with a beautiful pearly-white smile.

Dr. Louie will make your experience a delightful and an affordable one. He has been able to transform the smiles of many patients leaving them with more self-esteem and confidence. Dr. Louie’s patients leave his office happy and satisfied with the results of their dental procedures. The difference in his before and afters is dramatic and designed to last.

Contact our office to schedule an appointment with Dr. Louie and see how He can improve your smile like he did with the patient shown here. Our staff is happy to take your call and answer any questions you may have. We are happy to evaluate your smile and guide you through the treatment options  available that best suit your specific situation.

Good oral hygiene is a vital component to overall health. It is wise to keep up with good dental care habits. Things such as flossing and brushing should be done on a daily basis, while dental cleanings can be done months apart.

It is encouraged that oral hygiene habits are introduced to children as soon as teeth begin to show. The best way to encourage a child to keep up with healthy oral care is to lead by example. Take time to floss and brush together. Here are ten top-notch tips to get you on the right track towards good oral hygiene.

• Best Time to Brush: The best time to brush your teeth would be right before you go to bed and when early in the morning after you awake. Some dentist go as far as to recommend brushing after every meal. If consuming a meal with foods of high acidity, it would be best to wait a minimum of 30 minutes to avoid brushing acidity into your teeth which can cause tooth damage.

• How Long to Brush: It is recommended you brush for a minimum of three minutes. Most dentist will agree that teeth should be brushed for as long as it takes to get clean.

• Electric and Manual Brushing: It does not matter whether you choose to brush with an electric or a manual brush. What is vital is that the entire surface area of the tooth is thoroughly brushed and cleaned with a fluoride toothpaste. You want to make sure you are holding the brush at a slight angle and don’t forget to also brush your tongue. Many people do report that brushing with an electronic brush is easier for them. Speak to your dentist and discover what tooth works best for your specific circumstance.

• What Type of Toothpaste is Best?: The most commonly known active ingredient in most commercial toothpaste is fluoride. While fluoride has been proven to strengthen teeth to become more resilient to cavities, not everyone needs to use a fluoridated toothpaste. Some people are sensitive to fluoride while others naturally have a higher amount of fluoride produced by their teeth. Children can use regular toothpaste, but child toothpaste can be used to help get your kids excited about dental care..Your dentist should be able to help you decide which toothpaste is ideal for you.

• Flossing: Flossing is vital to good oral hygiene. It is recommended you floss before you brush your teeth. Flossing before brushing helps loosen food that may be stuck in tight spaces between your teeth (while your toothbrush will miss). When you floss, aim for approx. 18 inches of floss.Remember to be gentle and avoid snapping the floss into your gums. Floss should gentle rub between teeth and curve against each tooth once near the gumline.

• Take Advantage of Interdental Brushes: Interdental brushes are ideal for rid pieces of food and plaque from the spaces between teeth. Your dentist can advise you on what brush sizes are appropriate. Be careful when first using interdental brushes. Avoid forcing interdental brushes into any space. Gums may bleed and become tender when used for the very first time as you begin to rid yourself of plaque build-up. If bleeding persist after a few days of use, visit your dentist. Your dentist will be able to tell you if you are using the interdental brushes incorrectly.

• Mouthwash: Rinsing your mouth with mouthwash immediately after brushing your teeth will wash away any concentrated fluoride left on your teeth from your toothpaste. It is recommended you avoid eating or drinking for approximately 30 minutes after using mouthwash. To be safe, the ideal mouthwash should have an ADA symbol somewhere on the bottle.

• Avoid Acids:  Proper diet plays a huge role in proper oral hygiene. Many of the foods we enjoy have high acidity levels. Some foods to limit would be fruits (lemons, strawberries, blueberries), nuts (cashew, peanut, walnuts), pumpkin or sunflower seeds.

• Avoid Stain-Causing Dyes: Drinks such as coffee, tea, wine and sport drinks should be limited to keep teeth from yellowing. If you want to limit the amount of contact these drinks have on your teeth, use a straw. It will help to also limit the intake of stain-causing dyes found in hard candy, berries and tomato sauce which cause tooth discoloration.

• Routine Dental Cleanings: Routine dental cleanings are great to keep your gums and teeth as healthy as possible. With routine deep cleanings, you can avoid cavities, tooth decay and even tooth loss. Routine dental cleanings also brighten your smile and freshen your breath. Regular routine visits to your dentist are also potentially life saving. Your dentist can detect early signs of heart disease, diabetes, and come cancers from your routine oral exams.

With the use of these tips, excellent routine oral hygiene habits your teeth should remain healthy pearly whites. Dentist appreciate it when their patients that ask questions and vocalize their concerns. Feel secure enough to keep open communication your dentist about your oral care.

Do you know the last time you visited a dentist? Or when you even thought about your dental hygiene? The moment you find something wrong with your teeth is the time a dental visit becomes necessary. You are only considered healthy if every part of your body, including your teeth, is in good condition.

If dental problems occur, it will eventually become a detriment to your overall health.  Excellent dental visit can only be maintained with regular dental visits every six months. During the time between visits, you must take great care of your teeth and mouth. Some office tests and preventive cleanings can help maintain healthy teeth for a long period of time.

Gum disease is one of the most common causes of tooth loss for adults.  It can affect patients easily, you must visit your dentist every six months, brush your teeth twice, use effective anti-bacterial mouthwash, and floss daily.

It is important to find dental problems early.  This includes gum disease and early signs of tooth decay.  By making your regular dental visits every 6 months, you can find out if there are any dental issues and prevent harmful bacteria from negatively affecting your teeth.

Oil pulling or swishing is an alternative practice in dental hygiene and has been used in the Indian subcontinent for over 5,000 years.  It reportedly improves oral and systemic diseases such as headaches, diabetes, asthma, gum disease, and can even help improve the color of teeth.

There have been various studies performed to measure the effects of oil pulling.  The results have been varied and reveal some interesting facts about the practice. A couple of studies have shown that oil pulling provides the same effectiveness as chlorhexidine against bad breath (halitosis) and organisms caused by bad breath.

In other studies, they show that oil pulling does not extract toxins out of the blood.  This is because the oral mucosa does not allow toxins to pass through.  Research has revealed some risks with the practice as well, including observed cases of recurrent lipoid pneumonia.  This is a chemical lung disease caused by inhaling small amounts of oil.

What we can conclude about oil pulling is that it contributes to the treatment of bad breath and gum disease, but does not have the safety and effective of a prescription mouth rinse provided by your dentist.  It can take over 20 minutes to complete correctly, which can be inconvenient for your daily schedule and routine.

Maintaining proper oral health can be achieved with consistent cleanings, brushing, and flossing.  The most important thing is to schedule dental visits as well.  Oil pulling is unnecessary if you want to keep that bright, healthy, and cosmetically vibrant smile.