All Coast Dental

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Oral Cancer Detection


Do you know the potential  signs of oral cancer? If not, now’s the time to find out. April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, and as providers of general dental treatment, we at All Coast Dental in Pacific Beach may be a patient’s first doctors who alert them to a potential problem. But since patients can also monitor themselves for suspicious growths and ultimate confirmation of the diagnosis will have to come from other practitioners, we wanted to say a bit about the overall diagnostic process.


Early signs of oral cancer include red or white patches on the lips or inside of the mouth, bleeding, numbness, and soreness. Cancer in the oropharyngeal region may feel like an unswallowable lump. It is important to note that these symptoms may be related to a noncancerous growth, but they are always worth checking out. During an oral cancer examination, a dentist will lift the tongue to check it from all angles and use their handheld mirrors to check the insides of the cheeks. They will also feel for lumps in the patient’s neck and may use an ultraviolet light to look for signs of unusual tissue growth patterns.


We may refer a patient to an oral surgeon for a biopsy. This means a small portion of a tumor would be cut away to be tested for cancer. Oral cancer is easier to treat when it’s detected early, but a patient will be at higher risk for dry mouth during treatment. They will also need to maintain regular examinations in the future to catch recurrences.


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.




 

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay


Good oral hygiene is crucial to overall health no matter how old you are. All Coast Dental in Pacific Beach welcomes patients of all ages, and we’re aware that people in different age brackets have different needs. Among infants and toddlers, one of the biggest challenges is what dentists call Baby Bottle Tooth Decay, so we wanted to inform parents of how to avoid it.


The point of brushing our teeth is to remove sugary residue that is consumed by oral bacteria. Those bacteria excrete acid, which gets caught in the biofilm of the teeth and causes tooth decay and gum recession, so we want to deprive them of their food source. But not only are babies unable to brush their own teeth, they’re also dependent on whatever they’re given to drink and often are allowed to keep their bottles for a long time. This means that their teeth are being coated in milk instead of water and the residue may remain in place for several hours. Tellingly, decay tends to appear on the fronts of the top incisors, exactly where milk is contacting the teeth after leaving the bottle.


The keys to preventing Baby Bottle Tooth Decay are brushing and water. Parents should start brushing their babies’ teeth as soon as the first one emerges. In between brushing, babies should be given mostly water to drink, and they should be given water after drinking milk to provide their teeth with a rinse. Toddlers also should not be given juice, which is high in sugar, until they are old enough to drink from cups.


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.




 

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Lip Swelling following Extractions


When necessary for a patient’s oral health, we at All Coast Dental in Pacific Beach extract teeth quickly and as non invasively as possible. We’re proud to say that complications are rare, but the post-op instructions we give patients are intended to protect their own comfort, and following them is important. A minor but common problem that develops when people don’t follow instructions is a swollen lip.


Sensation to the lower lip and chin is supplied by the alveolar nerve. We typically deliver numbing medication to it via a syringe prior to extracting teeth from a patient’s lower jaw. Children, in particular, tend to bite down on their numbed lower lips out of curiosity. Unfortunately, it is easy to misjudge how much force the lip is being subjected to when it’s numb, so the bite often causes it to become extremely swollen and to develop a lesion.


The swelling can last for a few weeks. If the lesion is white, it is probably not infected, and the patient can get by with over-the-counter painkillers. In the first two days following an extraction, they should hold cold packs against their jaw for fifteen minutes at a time, and switch to hot packs after the first two days. But if the lesion turns red, smells bad, or is accompanied by a fever, it may be infected and need to be professionally drained and treated with antibiotics. We often do follow-ups after extractions anyway can assess damage to the lip.


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, April 11, 2020

The Importance of Replacing Teeth


Usually, people don’t need much persuading to get missing front teeth replaced. The improvements in appearance, speaking, and bite function are obvious, and the implant is easy to place. However, people may struggle to understand why it is also critical to their oral health to replace missing molars. At All Coast Dental in Pacific Beach, we’re experienced providers of dental implants and general dental care, and we want to make sure our patients understand the relation between teeth and head shape.


Molars are held in place by ligaments and, depending on whether they are in the lower or upper jaw, two or three roots. They are well-secured, but the jaw depends on the teeth to stimulate its growth of new tissue. When a tooth is missing, the nearby jaw bone will recede, often losing as much as twenty-five percent of its width within just the first year. As the jaw continues to lose tissue, the patient’s face will lose height. This could put excessive force on the temporomandibular joints, which connect the lower jaw to the skull, and can result in bite collapse. If a person attempts to use their front teeth for chewing, they risk pushing their front teeth outwards and causing further jaw pain.


The good news is that an implant can prevent further bone loss. The implant post stimulates the growth of new bone tissue through a process called osseointegration, and it can last for over ten years. Patients who have already lost a large amount of bone tissue may require a bone graft before they can receive an implant, but the completed prosthetic will allow them to chew normally.


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.