760.642.0711
345 Saxony Rd. Suite 203
Encinitas, CA 92024
In order to provide the highest quality dental care, your Encinitas periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, believes in offering the latest in dental technology. Across America, more and more dental practices are realizing the benefits of laser dentistry. With dental lasers, Dr. Kania can provide unrivaled precision when treating a variety of serious dental issues.
Carefully brushing and flossing your teeth at least twice a day is essential to keeping your smile clean and healthy. If your toothbrush and floss are all that you rely on, however, then your smile may not remain clean and healthy for long. Aside from diligent personal care, good oral hygiene also entails professional dental care and routine maintenance. At any given time, your mouth hosts over 600 different kinds of bacteria. While most of these germs are harmless even beneficial, others are directly responsible for dental health issues like tooth decay, gum disease, and chronic bad breath. When they accumulate, oral bacteria form dental plaque—the sticky film that sometimes coats your teeth, gums, and tongue. Once plaque calcifies (hardens) into tartar, your toothbrush and floss can no longer remove it. With various degrees of professional dental cleanings, your Encinitas periodontist, Dr. Kania, can help remove tough tartar and protect your smile from destructive dental diseases.
A routine dental cleaning, or prophylaxis, is the most common form of professional dental care, and should be conducted at least once every six months on healthy patients. Patients who are especially at risk for dental disease, may require more frequent visits to improve the state of their oral health. If no disease is present, a prophylaxis can help maintain a smile’s good health by removing all traces of bacteria, plaque, and tartar from teeth’s surfaces. (more…)
Our teeth have two forms of protection: tooth enamel and gums. Tooth enamel protects the portion of the tooth above the gum line, protecting the sensitive inner tooth structure from bacteria. The roots of the tooth have no enamel coating; instead your gums protect them. However, a number of factors may cause the gums to recede, exposing the roots to harmful bacteria. In order to protect your smile, you may require a gum graft. In today’s blog, your San Diego periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, answers questions about gum grafts.
Do you struggle with foul breath? As a common dental condition, bad breath affects nearly everyone at some point in their lives (like in the mornings), but when it lingers, the condition can become more than just a nuisance. Chronic bad breath, or halitosis, can have a serious effect on your personal and professional life as you hesitate to interact with others for fear of offending them. Luckily, halitosis isn’t an insurmountable issue. Below, your San Diego periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, offers a few effective tips for defeating persistent bad breath, and explains what to do if it remains anyway.
Brush and floss often
The inconvenient truth is that most cases of bad breath are due to poor dental hygiene. Dental plaque, the colorless substance that sometimes sticks to your teeth, gums, and tongue, contain hundreds of different kinds of oral bacteria. When some of them metabolize certain nutrients, they release foul-smelling sulfur compounds that can overwhelm a patient’s mouth. Brushing and flossing at least twice every day, and after meals whenever possible, can help control oral bacteria and their foul presence. (more…)
Did you know that some of the biggest threats to your teeth and health are microscopic? The bacteria responsible for gum disease can spread devastation throughout the mouth and even other parts of the body. To find out how to recognize the work of these tiny enemies, read the following information from your San Diego dentist, Dr. Ann Kania. (more…)
Gum disease is a common dental health problem that affects approximately 70% of adults under the age of 60. Usually, gum disease can be controlled with advanced periodontal treatment to prevent extensive dental damage. However, in its most severe form (periodontitis), gum disease is the leading cause of adult tooth loss, and studies suggest it can significantly increase the risk of certain systemic health issues like heart disease. To protect your oral and overall wellbeing, your San Diego periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, explains how to prevent gum disease, or treat it early enough to avoid irreversible damage.
The importance of daily dental hygiene can never be stressed enough. Over 600 different kinds of bacteria inhabit a healthy oral cavity, and form sticky dental plaque to protect themselves from the mouth’s natural defenses (like saliva). (more…)
Dental implants provide the most security as far as tooth replacements go. Implants won’t come loose or fall out during mealtimes, they color-match teeth, and implants don’t require special care. This is because implants function as natural teeth and help maintain your jaw healthy and strong.
Unfortunately, though, not every patient qualifies for implants due to insufficient bone mass. Dental implants only prove successful if the patient has enough bone tissue to support the implant, which serves as a surrogate tooth root. However, with a bone graft procedure, the patient may have the opportunity to receive the implant they desire.
In today’s blog post, Dr. Ann Kania, your San Diego dentist explains the bone graft procedure and how it aids in the placement of dental implants.
A bone grafting procedure is one that helps replace missing bone in an area of the body. This replacement bone could stem from the patient, bovine, synthetic glass material, or even a cadaver. Doctors prefer to use the patient’s own bone material, if possible, otherwise an alternative material is utilized.
Bone grafting is used for a number of medical procedures, including: orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, or even otolaryngology (head and neck) surgery. Yet, bone grafting also aides in oral surgery when a patient with insufficient bone mass wishes to receive a dental implant.
The bone graft allows the area with insufficient bone mass to regenerate and provide a steadier base for the implant.
Bone grafting in the mouth is a relatively simple procedure. First, your San Diego dentist places you under local anesthesia to make you feel more comfortable. Once you’re numb, the doctor creates a minor incision in the gum line where the bone graft is needed. After the bone is exposed, the dentist places the bone graft and covers it with a protective membrane. This membrane could come from the patient, bovine, or synthetically made material.
When the dentist has finished placing both the bone graft and the protective membrane, the opened gum tissue is sutured and is left to heal. If the bone graft proves successful, the patient should have the opportunity to receive their dental implant.
For more information about bone grafts or dental implants, talk to Dr. Kania. She can discuss the benefits of dental implants and answer any questions you may have. To schedule an appointment with our San Diego dental practice, call us at (760) 642 – 0711. Also, visit our website for services, patient forms, and to read more about our team. We forward to treating new and existing patients from Leucadia, Olivenhain, Cardiff by the Sea, and the neighboring areas.
Patients who’ve lost one or more teeth and have opted to replace them with dental implants often rejoice at the stability and improved function they provide. As prosthetic teeth roots, dental implants mimic the natural function and form of healthy teeth and the roots that support them. They’re continued success, however, depends on diligent care, including an adequate home hygiene routine and regular professional maintenance. Your San Diego periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, explains proper dental implant maintenance immediately following the surgery, as well as in the long run.
Dental implant placement involves surgically inserting one or more titanium implants into the jawbone. Like all surgery, some swelling and discomfort is expected immediately after the procedure. You may also experience bruising and minor bleeding at the implant site. Pain medications and antibiotics will help relieve discomfort and reduce the risk of infection, but if swelling and pain worsen during the days following surgery, then contact Dr. Kania immediately. Your jawbone and gums should heal within 3-6 months, after which your custom-designed dental crown, bridge, or denture will be attached to the implants through abutments. Avoid eating hard foods during the healing period, which can irritate the soft tissue and possibly force the implant out of its proper position before the jawbone can fully fuse to it. (more…)
In our last blog, we discussed the benefits of smile restoration with dental implants. Across the country, more and more people are choosing implants to restore smiles suffering from tooth loss. Many of our patients have asked questions about the implant process: How are dental implants placed? How long does the process take? In today’s blog, your San Diego dentist, Dr. Ann Kania, explains more about the process of placing innovative dental implants.
Since their first clinical use in the 1950s, dental implants have revolutionized the concept of dental prostheses by finally providing a viable replacement for your lost teeth’s roots. Crafted from biocompatible titanium, dental implants are designed to facilitate osseointegration—the process of your jawbone fusing to the implant’s surface—to create a lifelike restoration that functions very much like a natural tooth root. Today, your Encinitas periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, outlines the benefits of supporting your dental prosthetic on one or more dental implants.
If you already wear a restorative dental appliance, such as a dental bridge or denture, then you may be familiar with conventional mechanisms of securing replacement teeth, such as hidden clasps and professional-strength dental adhesives. However, your healthy natural teeth owe much of their strength and durability to the sturdiness of their roots, which are embedded in your jawbone. Mimicking your teeth’s natural root-and-crown structure is the only way to emulate their strength, and can only be accomplished through the use of dental implants. (more…)
Laser-assisted periodontal maintenance with the LANAP protocol for more comfortable and precise treatment.
A holistic, oxygen-based therapy that neutralizes the harmful oral bacteria responsible for periodontal disease.