Mouth Guards

Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh and Fresh Meadows Dental Care take pride in serving the families from our community.  We want adults and children who are active in sports this season to know they may be overlooking an important safety precaution.  Athletes participating in any contact sport are advised to wear some kind of mouth protection. A mouth guard helps prevent damage to the teeth and jaw, and also helps prevent injuries to the cheeks, tongue, and lips.

You can find generic mouth guards in most sporting goods stores, but not in many sizes. These mouth guards often end up feeling uncomfortable, which leads to child and teenage athletes in particular not wearing the protection at all.  An ill-fitting or bulky mouth guard can even interrupt breathing and speaking. Have a dentist perform a custom mouth guard fitting and get a mouth guard made of thin, hard plastic that protects your teeth and still fits comfortably.  This is an easy precaution to take for athletes, and you can go right back to playing your best.

To learn more about mouth guards and all the services we provide, 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.

Snap-On Smile

Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh and Fresh Meadows Dental Care know patients are always looking for new cosmetic solutions, and Snap-On Smile is just one way we can help you obtain a total smile makeover. If you want to change the look of your teeth without a single dental procedure, Snap-On Smile is what you’ve been looking for.  A Snap-On Smile is made of dental resin that is thin but very strong. The result is a smile that fits right over your own teeth and looks like natural teeth. They can be made for both upper and lower teeth, and you can eat and drink with it on.  

Snap-On Smile is a great option for anyone with gaps between teeth, and stains or chips on teeth. Patients who currently use a removable partial denture are also good candidates for a Snap-On Smile makeover. You are able to get a Snap-On Smile in only two painless visits.  Once you choose a shade and style for your new smile the dentist takes an impression of your teeth. In about three weeks you have a second visit for a final fitting and can leave the office wearing your new Snap-On Smile!

To learn more about Snap-On Smile and all 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.

Night Guards

Most people are affected by bruxism, a fancy word for teeth grinding, and although people may do this consciously do this during the day, it is a larger problem at night when you are asleep. Many people clench their teeth to the point of destructiveness and Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh of Fresh Meadows Dental Care can suggest a night guard to prevent this from happening.

Night guards aren’t the most attractive devices, but they will keep you from sleeping on the couch. The night guard which is very similar to a mouth guard worn by athletes provides a barrier between your top and bottom teeth while you sleep. Grinding your teeth can damage enamel, wear down teeth, cause jaw pain, or irritate your gums. The noise from teeth grinding can also disturb your spouse's sleep if loud enough. Here at the office, all night guards are custom-fitted for comfort and to allow for proper breathing.

If your spouse is pestering you to stop snoring during the night, give us a call to discuss your options. 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.

Extraction Site Preservation

When removing a tooth, it is important to consider what will be done with the empty space after that tooth is removed. Wisdom teeth are in the back of the mouth, so that site has the ability to heal on its own with no complications. However, if it is necessary for Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh of Fresh Meadows Dental Care to remove a tooth in a different part of the mouth, this is where extraction site preservation comes into play.

If a tooth is removed and nothing is done with the extraction site, the jaw bone will degenerate and change shape during healing. This can cause teeth to shift and can create problems in your bite that can affect the ability to speak and chew. Just imagine chewing food with no teeth and how uncomfortable that would feel. Options for filling the space include dental implants and bridges. What you choose to do with your extraction site is your choice, and our doctors are always open to a conversation on what to do with your extraction site before removing a tooth.

If you’ve recently had teeth extracted and have questions about the site preservation process, 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.

Flossing Teeth with Traditional Braces

As Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh of Fresh Meadows Dental Care will tell you, flossing can be difficult when you have traditional metal braces, but it’s more important than ever to keep the gaps in your teeth clean when you have a mouth full of metal. Many folks who have braces don’t know how to floss with them or think that they can’t floss at all if they have braces and this is not true. We already taught you how to brush with braces, so it’s only fair that we share some tips for flossing effectively and keeping those brackets and wires clean.

• Use waxed floss because unwaxed floss is more likely to get caught and shred in your braces.


• Use about 18 inches of floss and thread it carefully.


• Take the floss and gently thread it under the main wire of the braces before passing it between two teeth. Then remove the floss and re-thread it under the main wire to pass between the next pair of teeth.


• Be sure not to snap the floss. Simply move the floss up and down carefully against the side of each tooth.

If you have questions about your orthodontic oral care, please give us a call to discuss your treatment options. 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. 

Brushing with Traditional Braces

With braces, oral hygiene is more important than ever. That’s because they have tiny spaces where food particles and plaque get trapped, and insufficient cleaning while wearing braces can cause enamel staining and tooth decay around brackets or bands. If you’ve recently had braces applied to your teeth, Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh of Fresh Meadows Dental Care wants you know how to properly brush them with the following technique.

• Prepare to brush – take off elastics (rubber bands) and any other removable parts of your orthodontic appliance.


• Clean your braces – Use your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to clean around the wires and pins of your braces. Brush from the top of each wire and then from the bottom.


• Brush your teeth – Clean each tooth individually. First, place your brush at a 45-degree angle to the junction between the tooth and the gum, and then apply gentle pressure as you move in a circular motion. Do this for about 10 seconds. Use the same brushing action on all outer and inner tooth surfaces, tilting the brush as needed to better reach the insides of smaller front teeth.


• Floss once a day – Carefully thread the floss under or over the main wire of your braces, taking care not to get it stuck. Then thread the floss through the wire to reach in between the spaces of your teeth.

If you have questions about how to brush with braces, 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. 

ARESTIN for Gum Disease

Gum disease is the #1 cause of adult tooth loss in the United States. If you don’t practice proper oral hygiene on a daily basis, you can develop gingivitis (the earliest stage of gum disease), which if left untreated can lead to periodontitis (the final stage of gum disease). Gingivitis is reversible, however, periodontitis is not. If your gum disease moves past the stage of gingivitis, Dr. Farid Hakimzadeh of Fresh Meadows Dental Care may need to apply ARESTIN to the gums, an antibiotic that is used in adjunct to scaling and root planing. 

Scaling and root planing is an effective gum disease treatment. In this procedure, our doctors use tools to clean plaque and tartar from your teeth and roots below the gum line. During the procedure, our doctors utilize ARESTIN, an antibiotic containing microspheres that are smaller than grains of sand. ARESTIN is placed directly to your gums and has the power to kill bacteria so your gums can heal better than with scaling and root planing alone. In one single visit, our doctors can add ARESTIN to the pocket between your gum and tooth. It is a painless procedure, with effective results.

If you have questions about ARESTIN, 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.