During your dental implant consultation with dental implant dentist Dr. Kevin Sands at his Los Angeles office, Dr. Sands will examine your smile and explain your options for tooth restoration. He may suggest that you have a dental implant-supported bridge instead of having individual dental crowns attached to multiple implants. A dental implant-supported bridge can handle more pressure from tooth grinding or clenching in some cases. With his extensive cosmetic dentistry training, Dr. Sands will make you’re your tooth replacement, bridge or implant, blends naturally with your smile and is aesthetically pleasing.

Advantages of a Dental Implant Supported Dental Bridge

Replacing missing teeth is a crucial choice to protect the health and appearance of your smile. A missing tooth leaves a large space between your teeth as well as a space in your gums and jawbone. The teeth on either side of the missing tooth have a tendency to shift and try to fill the space. Shifting teeth can cause damage to other teeth and roots. Your jawbone and gums can also shrink and deteriorate without the support of a tooth’s root.

Dental implants are surgically placed in your jawbone to fill the space left by the missing tooth’s root. The dental implant gives your jawbone and gums the support it needs to maintain a healthy bone structure. The replacement tooth or dental bridge is attached to the dental implant and fills the space left by the missing tooth. The replacement tooth prevents your other teeth from shifting and causing damage to your smile.

To schedule a Los Angeles dental implant consultation with Dr. Kevin Sands, please contact the dental implant team of Kevin Sands, D.D.S. Cosmetic Dentistry today.

The wisdom teeth are usually removed before they begin to surface. This is to avoid any problems that may cause you pain, irritation, and discomfort. There are many ways the wisdom teeth can cause problems such as:

• Crowding of the teeth
• Infection under the gum line
• Impacted teeth
• Gum disease
• Tooth decay

If your wisdom teeth come in and there is not enough room in your jaws to accommodate them, they will push your other teeth forward causing your teeth to crowd. You may wish to have your teeth straightened after your wisdom teeth are removed to reverse the effects your wisdom teeth caused.

The wisdom teeth may only come in partway and cause a pocket in the gumline that may house an infection. The infection will cause your gums to swell near the wisdom teeth. You will need to have the infection treated and your wisdom teeth removed if this happens.

Symptoms of Wisdom Teeth Problems

• Shifting of your teeth
• Crowding of your teeth
• Pain or stiffness in your jaw or gums
• Irritation in the back of your mouth
• Swelling of your gums
• Tooth decay
• Gingivitis

Please contact Dr. Sands at his cosmetic dentistry office serving Los Angeles and Beverly Hills if you believe you are having problems with your wisdom teeth. He will answer all of your wisdom teeth questions at your appointment about your wisdom teeth.

There are many benefits to replacing missing teeth with dental implants over dental bridges. These benefits include:

• Dental implants replace the tooth and the tooth’s root
• Dental implants look and function like natural teeth
• You do not have to remove dental implants for cleaning
• You can take care of your dental implants as you would your natural teeth
• The adjacent teeth to the missing tooth do not have to be shaved down to hold a dental crown

Dental bridges do not replace the missing tooth’s root. A dental implant will replace the missing tooth and its root. Replacing the tooth’s root will ensure that your jawbone will not deteriorate and that your natural teeth will not shift. Without a root to fill the space, your natural teeth will want to shift and fill that space. The shifting will cause your smile to become crooked and can lead to tooth decay.

Dental bridges require that the adjacent teeth to the missing tooth be shaved down and have dental crowns permanently attached to them. These two dental crowns are attached to the replacement tooth and hold it in place. With dental implants, only the missing tooth is replaced and your other teeth do not have to be shaved down.

For more information about dental implants, please contact Dr. Sands’ cosmetic dentistry office serving Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, California.

Invisalign uses a series of clear, plastic aligners to gently and gradually move your teeth into their proper positions. Each aligner is custom-made specifically for you and will fit comfortably in your mouth. You will wear the first aligner for two weeks and then replace it for the next aligner and wear that one for two weeks. This process will continue until you have worn each aligner.

The Benefits of Invisalign

Invisalign has many benefits over traditional braces. These benefits include:

• You can remove the aligners when you eat, drink, and clean your teeth
• The aligners are clear and do not negatively call attention to your mouth
• The aligners will not cut or irritate your mouth, gums, or lips
• You can clean your teeth normally without hassle
• You can eat your normal diet

Invisalign and other Cosmetic Dentistry Procedures

You can further enhance your smile by combining other cosmetic dentistry procedures with your Invisalign treatment to create a custom smile makeover. Depending on your smile, you may have other dental problems that you would like to have corrected such as chips or cracks in your teeth or dull or discolored teeth. Dr. Sands will create a smile makeover that will correct these issues to further enhance your smile.

Invisalign may be a great option for you to enhance your smile and straighten your teeth. If you would like to schedule a consultation with Dr. Sands about Invisalign, please contact his cosmetic dentistry office serving patients in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, California.

You should not eat or drink after midnight the night before your wisdom teeth removal procedure. Your stomach may become upset due to the anesthesia given during the procedure. Los Angeles Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Sands will give you anesthesia prior to the procedure so you will not feel any pain while he removes your wisdom teeth.

Once the anesthesia begins to work, Dr. Sands will open up the area of your gums that is covering your wisdom teeth, remove any bone over your teeth, and will separate the tissue that is connecting the gums to the teeth. He may need to cut the teeth into smaller pieces to help him easily remove the teeth.

Once the teeth are removed, Dr. Sands will stitch the gums together and place gauze between your jaws to shop the bleeding. He will prescribe painkillers to help you manage any pain and discomfort you may feel following the procedure. He will also give you instructions on how to help with your recovery and help with your comfort level.

If you would like more information about wisdom teeth removal or would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Sands, please contact our cosmetic dentistry office serving Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, California.

Impacted wisdom teeth should be removed before they cause problems. Beverly Hills cosmetic dentist Dr. Sands catches impacted wisdom before they cause dental problems and recommends that they be removed.

Symptoms of Impacted Wisdom Teeth

Impacted wisdom teeth may or may not cause symptoms. If you have impacted wisdom teeth, you may notice these symptoms:

• Pain or stiffness in the jaw
• Red, irritated, or swollen gums around the wisdom teeth
• Headaches
• Bad breath
• Tender or bleeding gums
• An unpleasant taste in the mouth

Reasons Wisdom Teeth Become Impacted

There are many reasons wisdom teeth become impacted. The wisdom teeth may not have enough room to surface or they may try to surface at an incorrect angle. Wisdom teeth that grow in up and down like normal teeth may not have enough room to surface. When this happens, the wisdom teeth become impacted and cannot move further.

The wisdom teeth may try to surface at incorrect angles and get stuck. The wisdom teeth may try to surface:

• Sideways so they are perpendicular to your other teeth
• At an angle facing your second molar
• At an angle facing the back of your mouth

For more information about impacted wisdom teeth and to schedule an appointment about your wisdom teeth, please contact our cosmetic dentistry office today. We serve patients in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, California.

• You can gargle with salt water to flush away the bacteria that may cause an infection and to help soothe your inflamed gums.
• You can ice the outside of your cheeks or hold ice cubes on your gumline to reduce swelling and help with the pain.
• You can rub over the counter analgesics like Anbesol on your gums to numb the area and help give you relief.
• You can use over the counter painkillers like Tylenol, Motrin, or Ibuprofen to help with the pain. Ibuprofen helps reduce pain and reduces the inflammation of the gums.
• You may be prescribed painkillers by Dr. Sands to help you manage the pain after your wisdom teeth are extracted.

You will not want to wait to get your wisdom teeth removed. It is best to get them removed at a young age. Wisdom teeth in most people will begin to surface between the ages of 17 to 25. You may encounter complications if you wait to have your wisdom teeth removed. Some of the complications are:

• Overcrowding of your teeth
• Swelling of the gums
• Infections around the wisdom teeth
• Pain or stiffness in the jaw around the wisdom teeth

If you are in need of having your wisdom teeth extracted or would like more information about wisdom teeth pain relief, please contact our cosmetic dentistry office serving the Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, CA areas.