Cosmetics and Dental Pulp

Patients at Fresh Meadows Dental Care in Flushing should have smiles they can be proud of. We offer a variety of cosmetic care options, including whitening. But some dental stains are on the inside of the tooth, and those could require more intensive treatment.

Intrinsic stains are unlikely to be responsive to external bleaching and could indicate an oral health problem. A benign cause of intrinsic staining is that the tooth was exposed to tetracycline antibiotics or a large amount of fluoride during its formation, which could make it look black or brown. This can be masked with a veneer. But a more serious problem is if the pulp is infected or necrotized. The swelling or rot could be visible from the outside and make the tooth look black, red, or purple.

Tactile and heat tests, as well as x-rays, can help us to determine if a tooth is infected. If so, we may be able to salvage it by performing root canal therapy. Once the infected material has been removed, the inside of the tooth can be bleached. After about a week, the bleach would be removed and the tooth would be sealed over. In worse cases, it may be necessary to provide an artificial crown for the tooth, which would be selected to have an attractive color. But if you have an unusual tooth stain, don’t delay getting it checked out. You don’t want an infection to spread.

Farid Hakimzadeh, DDS, operates Fresh Meadows Dental Care at 58-47 Francis Lewis Blvd., Suite 100, Flushing, New York, 11364. To schedule an appointment, call 718-224-7272 or visit Fresh Meadows Dental and fill out a contact form.

 

Mouthguards and Facial Safety

If you play organized sports, you’re probably required to wear a mouthguard. But even if you don’t there are still plenty of activities for which it’s a good idea to have one. We’ve treated a lot of people at Fresh Meadows Dental Care who have suffered emergencies and we’ve provided them with lasting restorations, but we’d rather our patients understand their preventive options.

If a mouthguard is fitted properly, it shouldn’t interfere with breathing or be overly cumbersome. Athletic wear stores and online retailers provide both generic mouthguards and boil-and-bite models. The latter are much preferable. They have the advantage of being easily modified as a person’s teeth shift position, which is especially important for people undergoing orthodontic therapy. (Invisalign aligners should not be used as mouthguards.) A person with braces may want their boil-and-bite mouthguard refitted under professional supervision.

A fixed mouthguard might be preferable if a person is done undergoing orthodontic therapy. Regardless, mouthguards and their containers need to be cleaned with each use. They should also be kept out of heat to avoid unwanted reshaping. Besides when playing sports, the American Dental Association also recommends that people wear mouthguards while cycling, skating, and doing gymnastics. If you need help caring for a mouthguard, we’ll be glad to give you some pointers.

Farid Hakimzadeh, DDS, operates Fresh Meadows Dental Care at 58-47 Francis Lewis Blvd., Suite 100, Flushing, New York, 11364. To schedule an appointment, call 718-224-7272 or visit Fresh Meadows Dental and fill out a contact form.

 

Tooth Decay and Sensitivity

Are you looking forward to ice cream sandwiches this summer? If not, we hope it’s not because of sensitive teeth. We at Fresh Meadows Dental Care in Flushing want all our patients to be confident in their teeth’s structure. If you suffer from sensitivity, the likeliest cause is thin enamel.

The dentin that surrounds our dental pulp is made up of miniature tubes. When it comes into contact with something very cold or hot, it easily conducts heat to or from the nerve at the tooth’s center. Below the gum line, dentin is surrounded by cementum, which helps the tooth root adhere to the walls of the gum pocket. Enamel, a tougher substance made of calcium phosphate, forms the hard shell of the crown of the tooth and normally insulates dentin.

Although enamel is extremely hard, it dissolves when subjected to acid. There are two main sources of acid; one is excretion by oral bacteria that consume food debris, and the other is acid reflux. Regular brushing and flossing is essential to removing oral bacteria, while cutting back on acidic foods such as red meat and alcohol can reduce acid reflux. Patients may also consider sealants to further shield their enamel and extra-fluoridated toothpaste to reinforce it. Once enamel has been lost, it will have to be replaced synthetically, but it may still be possible to strengthen enamel that has lost minerals. Tooth roots, which have no enamel to begin with, may need to be protected by a gum graft if gum tissue has receded from around them.

Farid Hakimzadeh, DDS, operates Fresh Meadows Dental Care at 58-47 Francis Lewis Blvd., Suite 100, Flushing, New York, 11364. To schedule an appointment, call 718-224-7272 or visit Fresh Meadows Dental and fill out a contact form.

 

Dental Veneers

Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh of Fresh Meadows Dental Care, located in Flushing, NY., wants you to have a smile that you can be proud of. Your smile will be with you for the rest of your life. If you are self-conscious of your smile, porcelain veneers are the answer. Veneers are thin ceramic shells that go over your natural teeth. They can fix issues such as stained, cracked, gapped, misaligned, and chipped teeth.

 

The complete veneer process takes between 2-3 appointments. The first appointment with Dr. Hakimzadeh will be more of a consultation. There are a lot of different choices that come with choosing your veneers. It is recommended that you do some individual research beforehand. This will help you get a better idea of how you want your new smile to look. The two major choices are shape and color. For shape, there are two options, square and round. Many people believe that rounded veneers are more feminine, while square veneers are more masculine. This is not true. Both shapes are available regardless of gender. Color is the next step. Veneers come in shades of brightness starting at natural all the way to Hollywood levels of brightness. Once these decisions have been made the next part can begin.

 

Dr. Hakimzadeh and our staff will begin to prepare your teeth for placement. Your teeth will be cleaned and an impression or mold of your teeth will be taken. This impression is what will be used to create your veneers. In doing so, this guarantees that your veneers will fit perfectly. The impression is then sent to a dental laboratory to be made. It takes between 10-14 days to be completed. In the meantime, you will be given temporary veneers.

 

Once your permanent veneers arrive at the office, you will come in for your final appointment. Dr. Hakimzadeh will bond the permanent veneers to your teeth.

 

Fresh Meadows Dental Care is located in Flushing, NY. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh, visit our website or call 718-224-7272.

Proper Flossing Technique

Flossing is an important part of your dental routine. Many people overlook flossing, but its as important as brushing. Flossing cleans areas that your toothbrush simply cannot reach. At your bi-annual appointments with Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh, you might find yourself fibbing about how much you floss. Yet flossing at least once a day can help you prevent major gum disease and dental issues. Our staff here at Fresh Meadows Dental Care, located in Flushing, NY., have a flossing technique that is recommended for you.

 

First, hold around 18 inches of floss between your two middle fingers. This allows you to switch out the floss as it becomes dirty. Gently guide the floss between your two teeth. Do not snap the floss. Once the floss has reached the gum line, curve it around one tooth in a “C” shape. Hold the floss tightly and move it up and down in a rubbing motion. Do this for all of your teeth.

 

There are many excuses that people use for why they don’t floss regularly. Many complain that it is a time-consuming activity. This is not true. Flossing can be done anywhere. Anytime you find yourself sitting down to watch TV, read, or go on your phone, you can be flossing at the same time. Another common excuse is that it can be difficult to reach your back teeth. Most grocery stores and supermarket sell flossing handheld applicators that can fit easily into smaller areas. Floss also comes in different thicknesses, with thinner floss easily fitting between tighter gaps.

 

If you worry that you are not flossing enough or that you might be flossing wrong, let your concerns be known at your bi-annual appointments with Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh. Fresh Meadows Dental Care is located in Flushing, NY. To schedule your appointment with Dr. Hakimzadeh, visit our website or call 718-224-7272.

Inlays/Onlays

Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh of Fresh Meadows Dental Care, located in Flushing NY., offers a wide array of cosmetic services to our clients. If you are self-conscious or unhappy with your smile, let us help. Inlays/Onlays are partial crowns. These crowns attach to the base of your individual teeth to change their appearances.

 

Though technically inlays/onlays are considered a cosmetic procedure, this couldn't be farther from the truth. Not only do these crowns change the appearance but they also restore functionality to the teeth. It also helps prevent further damage or decay to a tooth.

 

The main difference between Inlays and Onlays are the severity of tooth decay. An inlay is used when there is no damage to the cusps of the teeth. These can just be placed directly onto the tooth. Onlays are needed when damage is extensive. The onlay extends onto the chewing surface on the back of the tooth, replacing one or more of the cusps.

 

The complete procedure will take 2-3 appointments with Dr. Hakimzadeh. First, all decayed or infected areas of the tooth are removed. Then a mold or impression of the tooth is taken. This impression is sent to a dental laboratory. They will use your impression to create your customized restorative devices. It will take between 2-3 weeks for the devices to be created and returned. In the meantime, you will receive temporary inlay/onlays. At your final appointment, Dr. Hakimzadeh will attach your permanent device.

 

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh, visit our website or call 718-224-7272. Fresh Meadows Dental Care is located in Flushing, NY.

April 2019: Oral Cancer Awareness Month

This April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month. At Fresh Meadows Dental Care, Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh offers oral cancer screenings to our patients. We want our patients to be healthy and happy. Prevention is the key to living a long life. That's why if you have or experience any strange anomalies in your mouth you should make an appointment ASAP.

 

You should make an appointment with Dr. Hakimzadeh if your experience anything new or strange in your mouth that doesn’t heal after 2-3 weeks. This is the first and biggest indicator of something more serious. This is especially true if it is reoccurring. Be on the lookout for these symptoms:

 

Sores that take longer or over 14 days to heal, weird coloring of the soft tissue, abnormalities that bleed easily, bumps or hard spots in the mouth, and/or a lump on the outside of the neck that has been there for at least two weeks.

 

The symptoms for HPV-caused oropharyngeal cancer can vary from these other symptoms. In this case, a patient might experience a hoarse or sore throat, a constant cough, a lump on the neck, difficulties swallowing, or an ache in one or both ears.

 

The biggest risk factors or oral cancer is heavy drinking and smoking. Chewing tobacco is also extremely detrimental to your health. The other big risk factor is contracting the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus 16.

 

If you or a loved one are experiencing any of these symptoms, schedule your appointment with Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh immediately. Fresh Meadows Dental Care is located in Flushing, NY. Visit our website or call 718-224-7272 to schedule your appointment.

Zoom! Whitening System

At Fresh Meadow Dental Care, located in Flushing, NY., our office does not just offer teeth whitening, but Zoom! Teeth Whitening services. Dr. Farid Hakimzedah, D.D.S. offers both Zoom! In-Office Whitening System and the Zoom! Take-Home Whitening System. Both types of whitening guarantee a minimum of six shades brighter.

 

There is a multitude of reasons why you're teeth might become discolored. Over time, teeth naturally begin to lose brightness. Foods that are high in tannic acid, like grapes and tea, can stain your teeth. Coffee and cigarettes are infamous for teeth staining too. For some people, cutting back on these things energizes their smile. In other cases, whitening techniques like Zoom! are the answer.

 

The Zoom! In-Office System takes a little over an hour to perform. It uses a light-activated whitening gel made of hydrogen peroxide. When light is applied, the hydrogen peroxide breaks down. This lets oxygen enter the teeth and whiten them. This procedure is completely painless. Most people read, watch tv, or relax while the procedure occurs.

 

The Zoom! Take-Home Whitening System consists of whitening trays and gel for you to use at home. Over the course of three days, you will wear the whitening gel for 4-8 hours each day. Dr. Hakimzedah will let you know long you should be wearing them for.

 

There is not much of a difference between the two systems. The In-Office System brightens your smile by about eight shades, while the Take-Home Whitening System whitens your smile about six shades. The only other big difference is that one is performed in office while the other can be done at your home.

 

If you are interested in our Zoom! Whitening System or other dental services, contact Fresh Meadow Dental Care today. Our office is located in Flushing, NY. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Farid Hakimzedah, D.D.S., visit our website or call 718-224-7272.

 

Root Canal Therapy

Endodontics is a specialty dentistry that centers around the nerves of the teeth. Root canals are the most common endodontic procedure. When a tooth becomes infected, it is often the nerves that are causing the problem. Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh, D.D.S. of Fresh Meadow Dental Care, located in Flushing, NY., offers root canal for our patients.

 

Modern-day root canals are nothing like the horror stories you’ve heard in the past. They are almost completely painless and safe procedures. At your appointment, Dr. Hakimzadeh will numb the tooth and the surrounding area with a local anesthetic. He will then drill a hole into the tooth, opening up the canal. The canal is where the nerves are located. The infected tissue will be removed and the entire area will be cleaned. When Dr. Hakimzadeh is finished, he’ll seal the tooth up and place a dental crown on top.

 

Following the procedure, you will experience soreness in your jaw and teeth. This is to be expected. Over-the-counter painkillers should be able to manage any of your pain symptoms. In certain cases, Dr. Hakimzadeh will prescribe stronger pain relievers.

 

If you are experiencing any kind of tooth pain, do not hesitate to call. An infected tooth, when left untreated, can cause bone loss. In certain cases, the tooth will have to be extracted because has become too decayed. Other times it’s removed to prevent the infection from spreading.

 

Fresh Meadow Dental Care is located in Flushing, NY. To schedule a root canal or appointment with Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh, D.D.S., visit our website or call 718-224-7272.

 

Invisalign

Traditional metal braces are no longer the only option when it comes to braces. Clear or invisible braces are leading the way with their comfortable and unnoticeable appearance. At Fresh Meadow Dental Care, located in Flushing, NY., Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh, D.D.S., offers Invisalign to eligible patients.

 

Invisalign are clear braces that are worn 24/7. The only time you should remove them is when you are brushing, flossing, and eating. Most of the time you won’t even notice that you are wearing them.

 

At your appointment with Dr. Hakimzadeh, you will be able to see for yourself what Invisalign is and how it works. Dr. Hakimzadeh will also be able to answer any and all concerns you may have. Invisalign works best on patients who experience moderate spacing and crowding issues that need to be corrected. Invisalign is also used to treat unaligned teeth, called malocclusion.

 

Dr. Hakimzadeh will start by using imaging technology to record pictures of your mouth and bite. This lets us know how your teeth fit and work together. More importantly, it shows us what needs to be shifted and how. All of this information is placed into a computer program that creates your personal set of Invisalign. They are designed for your teeth and your teeth only, based off of the images taken of your mouth.

 

This process requires multiple appointments with our office. As your teeth shift into place with the Invisalign, you will need to come into the office and receive a new retainer after each selected amount of time.

 

To learn more about Invisalign, or our orthodontic services, contact Fresh Meadow Dental Care, located in Flushing, NY. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh, D.D.S., visit our website or call 718-224-7272.

 

Mouthwash

Mouthwash is a liquid that is used to fight tooth decay and to prevent acid from damaging your teeth. At Fresh Meadows Dental, we encourage you to incorporate mouthwash into your daily oral health care routine. Fluoride is a mineral used in mouthwash to make your teeth stronger and is resist tooth decay that is caused by acid and bacteria.

To maximize the effectiveness of mouthwash, we recommend that you use mouthwash consistently and at the same time every day. We want all of our patients to have a proper and well-balanced diet for healthy teeth. Don’t forget to avoid eating or drinking for at least 30 minutes after using mouthwash.

 Regardless if you use mouthwash or not, it shouldn’t be a substitute for brushing and flossing. When you brush twice a day and use fluoride you are setting yourself up for healthy teeth! 

 

Farid Hakimzadeh, DDS, operates Fresh Meadows Dental Care at 58-47 Francis Lewis Blvd., Suite 100, Flushing, New York, 11364. To schedule an appointment, call 718-224-7272 or visit Fresh Meadows Dental and fill out a contact form.

Children's Oral Health Month

At Fresh Meadows Dental, we want all of our younger patients to practice good oral health care. Every February the American Dental Association (ADA) raises awareness of children’s oral health with National Children’s Dental Health Month.  We encourage you to help your kids learn more about the importance of taking care of teeth so they have a healthy smile for years to come.

Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease among children which is preventable with good health oral care. We advise our patients to floss and brush twice a day to prevent tooth decay. Flossing removes 40%of the bacteria on your teeth and brushing with fluoride toothpaste removes the rest.

When possible, we encourage our patients to avoid eating foods that have a lot of sugar and are acidic that increase your chances of developing tooth decay. The healthier your child eats, the greater chance their teeth will be decay free.

Don’t forget to schedule a cleaning with us twice a year so your children have their best smile!

Farid Hakimzadeh, DDS, operates Fresh Meadows Dental Care at 58-47 Francis Lewis Blvd., Suite 100, Flushing, New York, 11364. To schedule an appointment, call 718-224-7272 or visit Fresh Meadows Dental and fill out a contact form.

Pericoronitis - Infections around Crowns

Gingivitis, or gum inflammation, could develop into a serious health concern if it’s not dealt with. We regularly treat patients struggling with gum infections at Fresh Meadows Dental Care in Flushing, but when inflammation is recurrent around an impacted tooth, an extraction might be necessary.

Pericoronitis is the name dentists give to infections surrounding a natural crown. Teeth are said to be “impacted” when they are unable to push through the gum line. This most often happens to the wisdom teeth, which are the largest and usually the last to erupt. By the time they emerge in late adolescence, the patient’s jawbones have fused together and they have usually finished orthodontic therapy. As a result, the wisdom teeth are overcrowded and get stuck partway through erupting, leaving them partially covered by a flap of gum tissue called an operculum. The operculum often becomes inflamed when bacteria build up beneath it.

Patients can combat pericoronitis by taking oral antibacterial medication and rinsing their mouths with saltwater. But if the operculum does not recede, it will keep on getting infected until it or the wisdom tooth is removed. As part of our care for teenage patients, we’ll investigate for warning signs that a tooth is likely to be impacted before overcrowding or infections develop.

Farid Hakimzadeh, DDS, operates Fresh Meadows Dental Care at 58-47 Francis Lewis Blvd., Suite 100, Flushing, New York, 11364. To schedule an appointment, call 718-224-7272 or visit Fresh Meadows Dental and fill out a contact form.

Causes of Bad Breath

Halitosis, or bad breath, is a common oral health problem. Preventing it is one of the many reasons why we at Fresh Meadows Dental Care in Flushing want our patients to know how to maintain their oral hygiene. But halitosis has a few causes that may be less intuitive than gum disease or smoking that people should know to look out for.

As oral bacteria on teeth metabolize sugar, they produce acid and build up sticky layers of plaque. The build-up produces a bad smell which abates when plaque is removed by brushing and flossing. But oral bacteria can also build up on the tongue. Not only can food particles be trapped there, so can nasal drip when a patient has a cold. This is why brushing the tongue and using a tongue scraper every day is important.

Halitosis could also indicate a more serious health concern. Bacteria will multiply faster when the mouth is dried out. Both halitosis and gum disease tend to be worse in people suffering dry mouth as a side effect of medication or an illness. Diabetes suppresses the oral immune system and raises the sugar content of saliva, while acid reflux causes odorous stomach acid to enter the oral cavity. Foods in the onion and garlic family also include chemicals that travel from the bloodstream and into the lungs, where they cause bad breath. Most of these can be mitigated by drinking lots of water in addition to keeping good oral hygiene. A patient’s physician may be able to substitute medications that are causing dry mouth.

Farid Hakimzadeh, DDS, operates Fresh Meadows Dental Care at 58-47 Francis Lewis Blvd., Suite 100, Flushing, New York, 11364. To schedule an appointment, call 718-224-7272 or visit Fresh Meadows Dental and fill out a contact form.

 

Lip Care in Cold Weather

The health of the inside of our mouths depends a lot on the health of the outside. When people’s lips are chapped, they may also develop dry mouth or do more damage by biting down on irritated tissue. We don’t want our patients at Fresh Meadows Dental Care to be in that kind of distress this winter, so we wanted to provide some tips on lip care in cold weather.

Our lips get chapped because cold air cannot hold very much moisture. Nonetheless, efforts to wet our lips will be counterproductive because the moisture will evaporate, leaving them dryer than before. Unfortunately, people often temporarily soothe their skin by liking their lips or taking long showers. Children often fold their lips under their teeth, which could contribute to an open bite or cause their lips to become further bruised or cut.

Lip balm can seal in moisture, providing better protection. But some people are sensitive to fragrances and menthol, so when trying a new product, people have to be wary of whether their inflammation gets worse. If so, they should immediately stop using it. Another good strategy is to use humidifiers in the bed room and anywhere else one spends a lot of time in, such as an office. This will prevent the mouth from drying out, ensuring it remains at a pH level that is inhospitable to bacteria and can easily dispose of food debris.

Farid Hakimzadeh, DDS, operates Fresh Meadows Dental Care at 58-47 Francis Lewis Blvd., Suite 100, Flushing, New York, 11364. To schedule an appointment, call 718-224-7272 or visit Fresh Meadows Dental and fill out a contact form.

 

Retained Baby Teeth

Fresh Meadows Dental Care’s Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh is experienced dealing with all kinds of dental issues, including extractions and collaboration with orthodontists. For most people, this describes their childhood dental experience, but adults may need preparation for orthodontics, too, particularly if some of their baby teeth never fell out.

“Retained deciduous teeth” is the scientific way of describing stubborn baby teeth. In ordinary development, the incoming permanent tooth dissolves the baby tooth’s root, causing it to fall out shortly before the permanent tooth comes in. But in a small percentage of the population, some permanent teeth never develop. Most often, these are the lateral incisors in the upper jaw. There are also cases in which the permanent tooth comes in at the wrong angle and doesn’t cause its juvenile equivalent to fall out. This would result in a person having two sets of the same teeth, often jumbled together. The central incisors in the lower jaw are the ones this most often happens to.

Besides being aesthetically unpleasing, retained baby teeth can be difficult to clean if they’re jumbled and can cause bite problems. If the baby tooth roots aren’t fused to the jaw bone, we should be able to easily extract them. After that, we might refer a patient for orthodontic care to correct overcrowding or provide them with a partial denture to fill in the missing teeth.

Farid Hakimzadeh, DDS, operates Fresh Meadows Dental Care at 58-47 Francis Lewis Blvd., Suite 100, Flushing, New York, 11364. To schedule an appointment, call 718-224-7272 or visit Fresh Meadows Dental and fill out a contact form.

 

Post-Operative Swelling

We have lots of experience extracting wisdom teeth at Fresh Meadows Dental Care in Flushing. While we don’t recommend removing teeth lightly, the procedure is usually simple. But some swelling is expected, and to prevent complications, we want patients to know what they should look out for.

Inflammation is the immune system’s response to an infection or injury. Tissue swelling prevents pathogens from traveling to other parts of the body and makes cellular walls more permeable to resources white blood cells need to fight disease. Extractions trigger the immune response, with inflammation usually being proportionate to the complexity of the extraction. During the first twenty-four hours after an extraction, patients should try to control it by applying cold packs. They should be careful to limit cold pack usage to fifteen-minute increments, with fifteen minutes between each use. The swelling should peak after thirty-six hours, at which point patients can reduce it by using hot packs.

Complications following simple extractions are unlikely, but patients should keep a look-out for gum discoloration. If their oral tissues turn black or white, they should seek emergency care. During extractions, we anesthetize patients’ lips, and some people bite down on them afterward. This could cause extensive swelling, which is uncomfortable, but usually not dangerous. However, patients should inform us if swelling is still increasing after forty-eight hours.

Farid Hakimzadeh, DDS, operates Fresh Meadows Dental Care at 58-47 Francis Lewis Blvd., Suite 100, Flushing, New York, 11364. To schedule an appointment, call 718-224-7272 or visit Fresh Meadows Dental and fill out a contact form.

 

Do You Need an Electric Toothbrush?

Part of our prevention effort at Fresh Meadows Dental Care is directing patients toward products that better serve their oral hygiene. Many people wonder whether they should use an electric or a manual toothbrush. The answer depends on their needs.

The best thing people can do to avoid tooth decay is to brush their teeth thoroughly, two minutes at a time, twice a day. Many people with manual toothbrushes don’t do this. Studies have shown that properly used manual toothbrushes are just as good as electric toothbrushes at preventing decay, but many people have disabilities that prevent them from brushing well or for some reason simply are not good at it. An electric toothbrush can make tens of thousands of brush strokes per minute, allowing it to clean more thoroughly if used in the right places.

Recent models of electric toothbrushes are often equipped with Bluetooth technology that allows them to supply data to apps. People can monitor whether their brushing technique is improving or whether they’re brushing too hard, and children can play games that reward them for thoroughness. These features obviously increase the electric toothbrush’s price, which is often the main drawback to getting one. Our hygienists can show patients how to avoid decay by using a traditional toothbrush, but if the patient has a dexterity issue or a history of decay despite trying to prevent it, an electric toothbrush could be a good investment.

Farid Hakimzadeh, DDS, operates Fresh Meadows Dental Care at 58-47 Francis Lewis Blvd., Suite 100, Flushing, New York, 11364. To schedule an appointment, call 718-224-7272 or visit Fresh Meadows Dental and fill out a contact form.

 

National Dental Hygiene Month

Do you brush and floss every day? We sure hope so, but not everybody knows exactly how to maintain the best possible oral hygiene routine. Since October is National Dental Hygiene Month, we at Fresh Meadows Dental Care in Flushing thought it would be a good time to go over the basics.

You should only brush your teeth with soft-bristled toothbrushes and toothpaste. People should brush their teeth twice a day (and brush their gums before putting in dentures) and brush for two minutes each time. When brushing the fronts of your teeth, you can do so horizontally, but you should brush their inward-facing sides vertically. We recommend flossing daily, and you should only ever use an American Dental Association-approved product for picking your teeth. When flossing, rub the side of each tooth down to the gum line; don’t just move the floss through the gaps between your teeth. Be sure not to miss the backs of your teeth.

Brushing and flossing aren’t the only parts of good hygiene. Daily use of a tongue scraper can help keep your breath sweet and prevent you from inhaling bad bacteria. Between brushings, you can also chew sugar-free gum to get rid of food debris.

Farid Hakimzadeh, DDS, operates Fresh Meadows Dental Care at 58-47 Francis Lewis Blvd., Suite 100, Flushing, New York, 11364. To schedule an appointment, call 718-224-7272 or visit Fresh Meadows Dental and fill out a contact form.

 

Cirrhosis and Gum Disease

Improving your oral hygiene can improve your life in other areas, as well. At Fresh Meadows Dental Care, we firmly believe that dental health is a crucial component of overall health, and science backs us up. A new study found that improving gum health reduced the harm of cirrhosis.

Cirrhosis is what occurs when the liver is unable to function properly because prolonged inflammation has caused it to scar. As a result, inflammation becomes prevalent throughout the body and the brain is exposed to toxic substances that impede cognitive function. Scientists have long been aware that cirrhosis and gum disease are common in the same people, since both are caused by smoking and alcohol. But people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease also have higher than average rates of gum disease.

Researchers were interested in whether a reduction in one disease would affect the other. The recently published study found that people with cirrhosis who underwent treatment for periodontal disease had improved cognition and produced more of a bacterium that decreases inflammation compared to people who remained untreated. We don’t fully understand yet what the connection is, but we hope more people will understand that a professional tooth cleaning may be just the thing to make them feel better.

Farid Hakimzadeh, DDS, operates Fresh Meadows Dental Care at 58-47 Francis Lewis Blvd., Suite 100, Flushing, New York, 11364. To schedule an appointment, call 718-224-7272 or visit Fresh Meadows Dental and fill out a contact form.