All Coast Dental

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Pediatric Patients

All Coast Dental is proud to serve the families from our community, and we want them to know it’s just as important for children to have regular dental visits.  A child’s first dental visit should be scheduled when the first baby tooth appears, or around the child’s first birthday.  Baby teeth eventually come out, but their growth and development is important for overall oral health for the child and the development of their adult teeth.


Baby teeth should be brushed and cared for like adult teeth, and it’s important to monitor their growth and development.  Missing any tooth for too long can change the development of surrounding teeth and compromise the structure of the jaw bone, but regular checkups can keep a child’s tooth development right on track.  Our dentists are skilled and experienced in administering dental care to children.  If your child has seems nervous about seeing a dentist for the first time, we recommend going through a brushing routine with them at home, and talking about the dental visit before you arrive.  Once we get your child’s oral health off to a great start, we offer a full range of services for child patients including dental cleanings, fluoride treatments and sealants.


We love to see good oral hygiene habits formed early and make lifetime patients out of kids from our community!  To learn more about pediatric dental care and all the services provided at our practice, visit www.allcoastdental.net for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at All Coast Dental in Pacific Beach, CA, call 858-270-4904.  

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Caring For Your Retainer

Many orthodontic patients require a retainer at the end of orthodontic treatment.  Removable retainers are an easy step to take to preserve a straight smile.  All Coast Dental provides retainers for patients, and caring for your retainer properly is important so that it functions and lasts as long as possible.  A silly but common mistake people make with their retainers is trying to cut corners -- don’t try to clean or brush your retainer while it’s still in your mouth!  The retainer cannot be completely cleaned of debris this way, and toothpaste can also be abrasive to the plastic of the retainer.  Always remove your retainer before cleaning thoroughly with water and your toothbrush. Use a mild dish or hand soap to help clean off debris- never abrasive toothpaste.


You should clean your retainer daily, and also treat it weekly by soaking.  Soaking helps maintain the cleanliness of the retainer and keep it from drying out.  To soak the retainer, dissolve denture cleaning tablets in water or add a little baking soda to water to make a solution.  Storing your retainer properly is also important for its longevity.  Get in the habit of always using and carrying a case.  Many retainers have disappeared while folded up in napkins!


To learn more about caring for your retainer, visit www.allcoastdental.net for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at All Coast Dental in Pacific Beach, CA, call 858-270-4904.  

Friday, July 13, 2018

Reasons for Dental Extractions

We understand that tooth extractions are a source of anxiety for many people. But at All Coast Dental, Dr. Julie Boulos and Dr. Joseph Boulos make this procedure as safe and comfortable as possible. Dental extractions are only recommended when absolutely necessary, but there are several situations in which they might be recommended.


Many problems with misaligned bites are ultimately due to overcrowding. We offer ClearCorrect orthodontic treatment to realign patients’ teeth, but for major corrections, an orthodontist may request that a dentist remove some teeth to make room for others. This is most commonly done with wisdom teeth, which are the largest and last to erupt, but it is also sometimes done with one of the sets of premolars or with other redundant teeth that have gotten stuck.


Sometimes, teeth need to be removed because they are badly damaged. Skilled dentists can repair cracks and chips, but when a tooth is fractured all the way through the crown and root, it must be replaced. If a tooth’s pulp is infected, it can be saved by means of a root canal, but sometimes root canals fail to remove all the infected material. When teeth do need to be extracted, we can replace them with implant-supported crowns that are identical to natural teeth.


Drs. Julie and Joseph Boulos operate All Coast Dental at 2180 Garnet Ave, Suite 1-K, Pacific Beach, California, 92109. To schedule an appointment, call 858-270-4904 or visit All Coast Dental and fill out a contact sheet.


 

Saturday, July 7, 2018

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Bleeding Gums

Our compassionate, nonjudgmental care at All Coast Dental is based on recognizing the unique oral health needs of our patients. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a condition which puts patients at increased risk for gum disease, and in order to help them get the best care, we want to help them understand why they experience gingivitis so frequently.


A Johns Hopkins study recently found that 70% of people with RA have gum disease. People whose arthritis has advanced have difficulty using ordinary toothbrushes and floss, but the high rates of gingivitis among people whose disease had not reached an advanced stage suggests a bigger problem than poor hygiene. RA is the result of the body’s immune system attacking synovium, which is a tissue that lines the joints, causing it to painfully swell. Another study recently found that synovium has a similar cellular structure to gum tissue, indicating that the diseases might share a common cause.


RA is the result of genetic and environmental factors. One of the most important steps people can take to prevent it is to not smoke. If a patient is suffering from RA-related gum disease, we can instruct them on the use of electric toothbrushes and water picks that will allow them to maintain their oral hygiene more easily.


Drs. Julie and Joseph Boulos operate All Coast Dental at 2180 Garnet Ave, Suite 1-K, Pacific Beach, California, 92109. To schedule an appointment, call 858-270-4904 or visit All Coast Dental and fill out a contact sheet.