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.

 

Have You Had A Cleaning This Year?

Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh and the staff of Fresh Meadows Dental Care encourage all our patients to maintain a great oral health routine at home, but it is still important to come into the office for regular professional cleanings.  During the holidays, we want everyone looking forward to the New Year and maintaining great oral hygiene!  However much you brush and floss, some harmful bacteria grow in your mouth that cause gum disease and can only be removed by a dental professional. 

It’s important to see a professional regularly not just to clean your teeth, but also to locate and monitor areas in the mouth that may need special attention, and a dentist can tell you if you may be missing a spot or skipping an important step in your regular oral care routine.  During a teeth cleaning, a hygienist thoroughly clean the area above and below the gum line with scaling tools to rid them of plaque and tartar. After the surfaces of the teeth are cleaned, the hygienist flosses between every one of your teeth and may apply fluoride if recommended by the dentist. Come see us for a cleaning to make a great impression during the holidays, and start the year off with your best smile!

To learn more about dental health and all the services provided at the practice, visit www.freshmeadowsdental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh of Fresh Meadows Dental Care in Oakland Gardens, NY, call 718-224-7272. 

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.

 

A Healthy Holiday Smile

It’s difficult to keep habits healthy during the holidays, especially when it comes to nutrition. Holiday platters can be loaded with candy, cookies, and other treats that can harm your teeth. These sticky foods can cling to enamel, causing tooth decay and can even cause a filling to fall out. Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh of Fresh Meadows Dental Care is here to help you make wiser choices this holiday season.

When attending or hosting a holiday party, aim for treats that are healthy for your teeth. These include fruits and vegetables that have high water content, such as carrots, celery, and apples, because these stimulate saliva flow that fights against decay. Assorted cheeses are great for teeth because cheese contains calcium that protects and strengthen enamel. When struggling to make the right snack decision, avoid sugars at all costs and don’t forget, when you’re done eating, to brush and floss.

If you have questions or concerns regarding oral-systemic health, please give us a call. To learn more about the services we provide at our practice, visit www.freshmeadowsdental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh of Fresh Meadows Dental Care in Oakland Gardens, NY, call 718-224-7272. 

Periodontal Maintenance

In its most advanced stages, gum disease can lead to gum recession, and even tooth loss.  Fresh Meadows Dental Care wants to make sure it never gets to that point for you and your family!  When plaque builds up on a tooth, the gum starts to pull away from the tooth and form a pocket around the buildup, which only leads to more gum recession.  A scaling and root planing procedure is used to treat this buildup and prevent the later stages of gum disease.

Scaling and root planning are two parts of a deep cleaning procedure your dentist can perform to help reverse the progress of gum disease.  The procedure beings with scaling, which is the process of the dentist removing plaque from the surface of the teeth, all the way down to the gums. Root planing is the term for any minor contouring to smooth the surface of a tooth near the root.  When plaque has been removed and the tooth root has been smoothed, the gums that have pulled away will have a clean, smooth surface to reattach to as they heal.

To learn more about deep periodontal cleaning and all the other treatments provided at our practice, visit www.freshmeadowsdental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh of Fresh Meadows Dental Care in Oakland Gardens, NY, call 718-224-7272.

Smoking With Sleep Apnea

Smoking will exacerbate any respiratory condition, and it is proven to cause snoring and lead to obstructive sleep apnea.  Patients struggling with sleep apnea should visit Fresh Meadows Dental Care for evaluation. We can help patients find relief from sleep apnea, but quitting smoking is up to you!  Smoking causes upper airway inflammation, meaning the swelling causes the airway to narrow and disrupts the flow of air to the nasal passage and throat.  This causes snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.  Cigarettes are highly addictive, and some smokers seek treatment for sleep apnea but continue to smoke. Smoking with sleep apnea not only puts more stress on the heart every day, but negates any treatment a sleep apnea patient is undergoing.

Habitual smokers may feel relaxed by one last cigarette for the day, but it actually creates more complications for restful sleep. Smokers can experience nicotine withdrawal overnight, causing more waking up and restlessness.  Quitting smoking cold turkey is very difficult, but even lessening the amount of cigarettes or avoiding smoking at nighttime can help you achieve more restful sleep.  Most smokers cannot quit on their own or on their first attempt, so don’t get discouraged!

To learn more about sleep apnea and the treatments provided at the practice, visit www.freshmeadowsdental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh of Fresh Meadows Dental Care in Oakland Gardens, NY, call 718-224-7272.