Ada Gruita, DDS

The easiest and most affordable way to transform an imperfect grin into a gleaming Hollywood smile is to have veneers placed on the front of problem teeth. These can cover cracks, chips, and gaps or change the appearance of teeth that are too small or misshapen. No one will probably know you’ve had your smile enhanced with veneers: they’ll think you’ve just been brushing with whitening toothpaste and you feel the confidence to fully smile at everyone.

On the initial visit, you will be examined to be sure your oral health is in good enough shape for veneers (underlying issues such as periodontal disease may first need to be addressed). If you grind your teeth during sleep, disclose that to your dentist so he can create a custom mouthguard to wear at night to keep them and your veneers from being damaged.

It may be recommended that you first receive a professional whitening to bring all your teeth to the same shade and prevent any dark ones from showing through the translucent veneers. A mold will be made of the teeth after they are slightly filed to ensure the veneers will adhere and to keep them from being unnaturally bulky.

On the second visit, a temporary set of veneers will be tested to see how they feel and adjustments may be made. A final decision will be made on the shade (whether to match natural teeth or upgrade the whitening of all of them) and instructions will be sent to a top dental laboratory to craft them from biocompatible dental porcelain. On the final visit, the actual veneers will be placed.

How long they will look great depends on how well you care for them. That means foremost that you be dedicated to brushing twice a day with a soft-to-medium brush for two minutes each time, while flossing once. You also need to be sure you have a dental exam twice a year and at that time also have your teeth cleaned by the dental hygienist (put this on your calendar because it is easy to forget how long it has been between visits).

Although veneers are resistant to stains, they cannot be whitened and you want to be sure that both they and your natural teeth are brushed shortly after consuming foods and drinks that can stain if left on for too long. These include coffee, tea, red wine, highly-colored foods (such as blueberries), and colored sodas. Smoking (anything) can also cause darkening.

Even more important, you need to stop bad habits that can damage veneers, such as biting nails, pens, and pencils, chewing on ice, opening bags with your teeth or using them to put on clothing. 

With proper care, veneers can last 10-20 years.   

Read More About Cosmetic Dentistry:

• How Braces Work and the Value they Provide
• How Invisalign can Help Fix Overbites

Most people have a small overbite in the sense that their top front teeth fall in front of their lower front teeth. A minor overbite doesn’t generally require correction, however if the space of the overlap between your upper and lower teeth is greater than the ideal size of 2mm to 4mm, then it could start to interfere with normal mouth activities and result in jaw pain or other dental issues. 

The good news is that an overbite can be corrected through orthodontics, and Invisalign is a popular and effective option. Visit your Mission Viejo dentist to get the process started.

How Invisalign Can Treat an Overbite

Invisalign works by using a series of clear aligners to gently move your teeth into the desired position. When fixing an overbite, Invisalign is typically used in conjunction with other appliances, such as:

Invisalign Mandibular Advancement

Young patients whose teeth are still growing and developing (12 years of age and under, typically), will usually need the Invisalign Mandibular Advancement. They are just like regular clear Invisalign aligners but with plastic wings that move the lower jaw bit by bit while also bringing the jaws into alignment and straightening the bottom front row of teeth. 

Elastics

Older patients whose teeth are already firmly in place may need to use elastics in tandem with their aligners to guide the lower teeth forward and simultaneously push the upper front teeth backward to close a large overbite. 

Motion Device

In cases of a very deep overbite, you may be asked by your cosmetic dentist to wear what’s known as a “motion device” to correct it. It consists of a bar that is positioned on the upper teeth that reduces the bite while your aligners and elastics do their work to bring your teeth into the proper position. 

Important Information About Invisalign

One of the most important factors in assessing whether you’re a good candidate for Invisalign is how committed you are to wearing the aligners. Although the aligners can be removed for eating, drinking, brushing, flossing, sports, and other activities, they are meant to be worn for at least 22 hours per day. Not following the treatment guidelines can extend your treatment time and compromise your results.

For Invisalign in Mission Viejo, visit Pro Health Dental.

Read More About Cosmetic Dentistry:

• The Value of Fastbraces and How They Work
• Performing Maintenance on Veneers

If you have less-than-perfect teeth that have always embarrassed you, but you hated the idea of having to wear braces at any age, then FastBraces from Pro Health Dental is the right solution for you.

Everyone whose parents did not insist on having them wearing those orthodontic contraptions was relieved, since those who did always complained about the discomfort, difficulty cleaning their teeth, and food restrictions. And the process went on forever, often two or three years.

You may have been attracted recently by the idea of the Invisalign aligners, which are invisible, removable, plastic oral trays, but they require frequent visits to the dentist for adjustments and often have to be worn for a year. They also are also mostly for mild cases of misalignment.

FastBraces live up to their name because the process usually takes just four months, depending on the complexity of the patient’s situation, and do not require lots of visits to the office. They can also be used for challenging cases because they do use orthodontic wires and brackets that are often required, but they are designed differently so they don’t cut the gums and are smaller, so less visible and much easier to clean over the shorter time they are worn.

Most revolutionary is that they immediately begin to reposition the teeth and in a different way than traditional braces, which slowly move the crown (the top) of each tooth in the first year, then its root. FastBraces straightens both at the same time, in large part because when you come into the office, we will use a subsonic wave and phototherapy method to accelerate the movement. These stimulate cells known as osteoclasts and osteoblasts in the treatment area, which are involved in making changes to the bones. This is especially effective for pre-teens and teenagers, whose jawbones are still developing, but it also works for adults. 

Very few practices offer FastBraces and have our experience in managing the process. If you have always wanted straighter teeth, but were afraid of the difficulties, come in for an examination to see what orthodontic solution would work best for you.

Read More About Cosmetic Dentistry:

• How Invisalign can Help Fix Overbites
• How You Can Provide Maintenance on Your Veneers

Studies have repeatedly shown that people tend to get impressions of others they meet for the first time largely based on appearance, whether at a job interview or socializing. You can argue that this is superficial and unfair and you aren’t inclined to make such superficial judgments, but we can’t change human nature. Fortunately, one of the easiest ways to make a good first impression is to be able to flash a beautiful and self-confident smile.

Unfortunately, there are many beverages that darken anyone’s teeth. The big ones are coffee, tea, red wine, and colored sodas. They all are acidic, wearing away the white surface enamel of teeth to reveal the yellowish layer of dentin underneath, while tannins and other discoloring ingredients can deeply stain teeth. There are three things you can do to prevent or mitigate this: use a straw and swallow the liquid immediately, cut back on all of them and drink alternatives, and brush right afterwards.

There are other discoloring culprits, including curries, tomato sauce, blueberries, and smoking of any kind. But few of us can adhere to a perfect diet or regimen, so what to do to restore your gleaming smile?

You’ve no doubt tried over-the-counter whitening strips, gels, and toothpastes, which usually have disappointing results no matter how much effort you put in. What you need is a professional-grade whitening process, which Mission Viejo dentist Dr. Ada Gruita can provide.

The best is surprisingly quick and easy. In three sessions of 15 minutes each in a single visit, we will apply a special peroxide-based gel while you watch a video, listen to music, or nap. It’s teeth whitening effects are activated with a special dental light. In less than an hour, you can have up to eight shades removed. Most patients have this redone once a year to keep their teeth gleaming. 

Alternatively or to help maintain the in-office whitening, we can provide you with customized retainers which you fill with a gel and either wear overnight  or for 15 minutes twice a day. In two weeks, this will take off about six shades of darkening.

The long-term benefits of a dental office whitening process include:

• More self-confidence when you smile.
• Your smile makes you seem especially friendly, which leads to new relationships of all kinds.
• An instant and enduring impression that you take care of your health and appearance, attracting others who share those priorities.
• A greater opportunity for career advancement.
• As you follow up with your whitening and oral care program, you become more diligent about brushing and flossing, which prevents periodontal disease.

Visit Pro Health Dental for teeth whitening in Mission Viejo.

Read More About Cosmetic Dentistry:

• How Calcium Benefits Teeth
• Why You Should Not Disregard Flossing
• Whitening Systems that Can Really Help Make Teeth Shine
• Foods that Contribute to Chipped Teeth

It is wise to remove wisdom teeth, the last four molars at both ends of your upper and lower arches, if they become “impacted.” That happens if they try to break through the gums when your mouth is overcrowded and are prevented from fully growing out by neighboring teeth, often causing pain. These wisdom teeth can make the area hard to clean or cause misalignment of other teeth, leading to infections in 12% of cases, so manydentists remove them when patients are young if they anticipate problems.

Their name derives from the fact that they are the last teeth to come in, typically emerging between ages 16 and 21 (but as late as 25), when someone is supposedly wiser than when they were a child. They are relics of evolution, the final flat teeth with cusps to grind food when humans were hunter-gatherers eating mostly rough and tough food such as leaves, nuts, seeds, bones, and raw meat. Since the advent of agriculture 10,000 years ago, softer foods like cooked grains have become predominant, making these molars (the third on each side) less important, so our jaws adapted to grow less forward, causing the crowding. Starting with the Industrial Revolution, impacted molars became common.

Any infection related to wisdom teeth can raise the risk for cardiovascular disease, pneumonia, and endocarditis (an infection of the heart valves).

If your wisdom teeth were never removed, whatever your age now, you should have your oral health assessed by your dentist to be sure they are not contributing to causing periodontal disease (infections of the gums, teeth, and jawbone). This can only be fully determined with a digital x-ray, which has very low radiation. Symptoms of wisdom teeth that may need extraction include:

• Pain around any wisdom tooth or that area of the jaw.
• Swelling or bleeding of the gums around the tooth.
• Frequent cavities on these teeth.
• Red, white, or dark spots on any wisdom teeth.
• Discomfort when you bite on a wisdom tooth.
• Frequent sinus congestion.
• Bad breath or an unpleasant taste when you chew, which might indicate an infection.

Fortunately, if a wisdom tooth needs to be removed, it is a pain-free process.  You will first be given a CT scan to provide a detailed view of the tooth and the nerves around it, to determine the exact course of the procedure. A local anesthetic is injected and a prescription of pain medication is prescribed afterwards. You should expect to bite on gauze for a while to stop any bleeding and apply an ice pack (or bag of frozen vegetables) on and off to reduce swelling for a couple of hours. Plan to only eat soft foods and drink lots of fluids for a few days (but avoid drinking through a straw, spitting, or smoking).

Be wise and call for an examination of your overall oral health as soon as possible.

If your gums bleed easily when you brush or floss, you may not feel it’s a big deal. But this is a sign that you have periodontal or gum disease, which can lead to other very serious health issues. This first stage is called Acute Necrotizing Ulcerative Gingivitis, a mouthful that means a bacterial infection is killing the cells in your gums in the area where there is bleeding. ANUG is usually just called gingivitis and other symptoms might be red, puffy, or sore gums, tooth sensitivity, or persistent bad breath.

This usually occurs because of inadequate brushing and flossing. It could be due to not spending a full two minutes brushing after breakfast and brushing and flossing before bedtime. Often it is just because of a need to get better at both techniques and your dental hygienist can show you the right ways. About a third of us have this early form of gum disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control, while half who are 30 or older have periodontitis, the more advanced stage.

It begins with gingivitis, when bacteria forms around any specks of food or drink that haven’t been scraped off. This turns into plaque, a sticky film that produces toxins which inflame the gums and can remove the protective surface of a tooth, the enamel (making it sensitive to touch). Without timely treatment from a dentist, the infection causes the gums to pull away from the tooth they are supporting and, untreated, eventually it will fall out or become so weak it needs to be extracted.

And that is just beginning: when a tooth is missing, the neighboring teeth begin to lean in to fill the gap and in the process become loose themselves. You need to replace the tooth with a dental implant or bridge before that happens to keep the others from moving or you will soon find multiple teeth that need replacement. In that event, you find yourself wearing a partial or full denture. As anyone can tell you who has them, they can make speech hard to understand, hinder chewing, have to be cleaned carefully, and need to be readjusted every few years because of the gradual loss of jawbone.

If all that isn’t enough, studies show that not dealing with gingivitis right away allows the oral bacterial to get into the blood stream and these significantly raise the risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, pneumonia, Alzheimer’s disease, and a variety of types of cancer.

If you have bleeding gums, call Pro Health Dental today to set an appointment for an immediate examination before it progresses.
Read More:
Preventing Cavities

Studies have shown that people make snap judgments of those they encounter for the first time, whether at a job interview or introduced by mutual friends casually on the street. Not surprisingly, a lot of the first impression relies on an attractive, friendly smile.

Of course, no one has a naturally perfect set of teeth. As our adult teeth grow in, many of us find they are too crowded for our mouths, so they become misaligned. As teens, we may have refused to wear ugly orthodontic braces out of embarrassment or our parents may not have been able to afford them. Some teeth may appear too small or too large compared with others. While playing sports we might have cracked a tooth or more. These problems might even interfere with our ability to chew well or be understood when we speak.

And by early adulthood we probably have stained teeth with lots of coffee, tea, red wine, and other beverages and foods, failed to brush right after consuming them, then found the discoloration very hard to remove.

In addition, stress can cause us to unconsciously grind our teeth when we sleep, wearing them down gradually.

All of these issues can be improved with dental crowns. A crown is a cap that fits on the top of the natural tooth (or whatever of it remains). It can raise the surface for a healthier and more functional bite and ability to speak clearly. It can cover teeth that are misshapen, the wrong size, chipped, fractured, discolored, have had the enamel damaged, have visible fillings for cavities, or are in a position that leaves gaps on either side.

Dental ceramics like porcelain are the best materials for crowns because they are strong, and can be crafted to look like your natural teeth. In collaboration with a top dental laboratory, our cosmetic dentist can exactly match them to the shade of the adjacent teeth. No one will even know that you have one or more crowns, they look so natural.

Dental porcelain has other advantages beyond its cosmetic crown benefits, compared with other materials. It needs less of the tooth removed to be placed. It is a better fit, sealing the tooth and gum around it so that food is less likely to be trapped, preventing bacteria from flourishing, which would otherwise lead to periodontal disease (infection of the gums and jawbone). Porcelain is also more resistant to chipping and wear and can last over 10 years with proper care.

Talk to Dr. Gruita about your cosmetic dentistry options for an enhanced smile and the better life it will bring.

Additional Resources to Read About Cosmetic Dentistry:

• Foods You Might Not Know are Ruining Your Smile
• Why You Should Not Disregard Flossing
• Veneers: A Real Path Towards a Perfect Smile

You may have had experiences where you struggled with your own dental health. These challenges can inspire you to make decisions that help your child take care of their own teeth early and often. With the help of a professional dentist in Mission Viejo, there are a few standards you can establish to give your kids a shining example and role model for a lifetime of happy, healthy smiles.

Put Your Dental Habits on Display

Instead of making verbal comments about how well you care for your teeth or how many times to brush per day, change up your routine to brush alongside your child. When they see the right example in front of them, it can help them make adjustments to improve their own brushing and cleaning routine. In addition, this improves bonding time with your kids and turn teeth cleaning into a fun family activity.

Set Up Scheduled Dental Visits

Even if you are anxious of making visits to the dentist yourself, think about how your kids will perceive dental offices if they see your hesitation. Set a good example early by scheduling regular dental cleanings and visits each year. Your kids can then see how important dental care is and associated visits to the dentist as a positive, valuable experience.

For additional information about dental care and to set up your next scheduled visit, contact the team and Mission Viejo dentist at Pro Health Dental today.

Whether you have been formally diagnosed with sleep bruxism (the scientific term for grinding or clenching your teeth while you sleep) or you believe you may have it, experts agree that wearing a protective night guard is one of the best things you can do. Of course, knowing that you should invest in a nightguard and actually doing so can be very different things. This article will explore every step of the process, from defining the symptoms associated with sleep bruxism to how to select a guard that suits your needs.

Sleep Bruxism Explained

Doctors aren’t sure why some people grind their teeth at night, but there are several potential risk factors. If you deal with stress or anxiety, you are more likely to clench your teeth at night than others. Individuals with abnormal bites caused by missing or crooked teeth also seem to grind more often than the general public. Similarly, certain sleep disorders are associated with sleep bruxism. A 2016 study in the Journal of the American Dental Association also revealed that consumers of alcohol and tobacco products are up to twice as likely to grind their teeth.

You could have sleep bruxism even if you don’t fit any of these high-risk criteria, so the best thing to do is consider your symptoms. If you regularly wake up with jaw discomfort, experience frequent morning headaches, or struggle with insomnia, you should consider the possibility that sleep bruxism is to blame. Likewise, you may have sleep bruxism if you wake up with unexplained dental or orthodontic damage. If your partner complains that you make loud grinding noises as you sleep, that can also be an indication that you need to do something.

What to Do About It

Unfortunately, there are no known cures for sleep bruxism. If you were hoping for a pill or surgical solution for your problems, you will be disappointed. Thankfully, many people find that simply wearing a retentive nightguard every night significantly mitigates or even eliminates their symptoms.

If you are familiar with why athletes wear mouthguards to protect themselves from oral injury, you already understand the basics of how night guards work. A night guard is really just a cushion that prevents your upper and lower jaws from physically touching each other, reducing the damage caused by nighttime teeth grinding.

Selecting the Right Night Guard

The most important thing to consider when selecting a nightguard is comfort. If your guard makes it difficult for you to breathe or compromises your ability to communicate with your significant other, you may not wear it when you’re supposed to. Obviously, even the best guard will do nothing if you’re not wearing it at night.

If you wear braces or other special dental equipment, it is best to look for a guard made specifically to accommodate them. For example, some boil-and-bites can be molded to your specific bite after every orthodontic adjustment, providing much more value to people with braces than guards that can only be molded once before their retentive properties diminish.

Price is also a vital consideration. Night guards are available at a variety of price points, ranging from a few backs for OTC (or over the counter) options to thousands of dollars to have a dentist custom-fit a guard to your mouth. Some OTC options are just as effective as their professional counterparts, so don’t assume that spending more money will automatically yield better results. That said, you should watch out for guards made out of inferior materials that you can grind straight through.

Dental insurance will generally pick up at least some of the tab for nightguards, especially if your smile has been visibly damaged by teeth clenching. Every policy differs though, so you should ask your provider what they would be willing to pay for.

Parting Thoughts

Sleep bruxism sounds scary, but you may find relief through the simple act of wearing a night guard when you go to bed. If you frequently wake up with a sore mouth, damaged braces, or unexplained headaches, adding a nightguard to your bedtime routine could help reduce the impact your symptoms have on your everyday life. You may be surprised by the difference it can make!