South Bay Dentist Advises: Get The Most Out Of Your Dental Visit

South Bay dentist, Dr. Bryan Baker, sees a lot of clients in his Manhattan Beach-based dental office. Many of his clients have been seeing him for years, and yet still aren't fully prepared for their office visit when they arrive. As such, Dr. Baker is posting this article from Web MD that details what you should be prepared for at your next dental check-up:

Dental visits aren't just for cavities and teeth cleaning anymore. During a check-up, your dental hygienist and dentist assess the overall health of your mouth and gums. "A dentist check-up is an essential part of preventive care," says Leslie Seldin, DDS, a spokesperson for the American Dental Association. Here are five ways to get more out of your next visit to the dentist. 

1. Make a Checklist of Questions or ConcernsBe prepared with questions you'd like to ask your dentist or hygienist. Be sure to mention any of the following problems:

• Bleeding when you brush. Bleeding is a common symptom of gum disease. The earlier the disease is caught, the easier it is to treat.

• Pain or sensitivity. Tooth pain or unusual sensitivity when biting down or eating hot or cold foods can be a sign of a cracked teeth, broken fillings, or cavities.

• Sores inside your mouth that don't heal normally. Sores that don't heal may be an early warning sign of oral cancer. Early detection is crucial to find oral cancer when it’s more easily treated.

• Problems with flossing or brushing. A jagged tooth or broken filling can make it difficult to floss. Arthritis or other medical conditions may make it hard to brush. Your dental team can help find the source of the problem and offer solutions.

• Clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth. Many people clench their jaws or grind their teeth, especially at night. Over time, grinding and clenching can wear teeth down, damaging the enamel and making teeth more susceptible to decay. Talk to your dentist if you think you grind your teeth.  

To continue reading this article, Dr. Baker recommends heading over to Web MD: http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/healthy-teeth-2/dental-visit

If you are looking for a dentist in the South Bay, please do no hesitate to contact

South Bay Dental Solutions. We are located in Manhattan Beach, CA and provide all general and cosmetic dental services.

South Bay Dental Solutions

1213 Manhattan Avenue  

Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 545-5910

Follow us on Twitter: @mbteeth 

www.southbaydentalsolutions.com

Manhattan Beach Dentist Says: The Ugly Truth About Your Toothbrush

Dr. Bryan Baker, a Manhattan Beach dentist, recently found this interesting article from Web MD about the health of your important tool for keeping your mouth clean: your toothbrush. You'd be surprised to know that the one instrument you have to better oral health may inadvertently be making your mouth a haven for more bacteria: 

Do you know what's lurking on your toothbrush? 

Your toothbrush is loaded with germs, say researchers at England's University of Manchester. They've found that one uncovered toothbrush can harbor more than 100 million bacteria, including E. coli bacteria, which can cause diarrhea, and staphylococci ("staph") bacteria that cause skin infections. 

But don't panic. Your mouth wasn't exactly sterile to begin with. 

Mouthful of Bacteria"The bottom line is, there [are] hundreds of microorganisms in our mouths every day," says Gayle McCombs, RDH, MS, associate professor and director of the Dental Hygiene Research Center at Old Dominion University. 

That's no big deal. Problems only start when there is an unhealthy balance of bacteria in the mouth. McCombs says. 

"It's important to remember that plaque -- the stuff you're removing from your teeth -- is bacteria," says dentist Kimberly Harms, DDS, consumer advisor for the American Dental Association. "So you're putting bacteria on your toothbrush every time you brush your teeth." 

Could Your Toothbrush Be Making You Sick?Probably not. Regardless of how many bacteria live in your mouth, or have gotten in there via your toothbrush, your body's natural defenses make it highly unlikely that you're going to catch an infection simply from brushing your teeth. 

"Fortunately, the human body is usually able to defend itself from bacteria," Harms says. "So we aren't aware of any real evidence that sitting the toothbrush in your bathroom in the toothbrush holder is causing any real damage or harm. We don't know that the bacteria on there are translating into infections." 

Still, you should exercise some common sense about storing your toothbrush, including how close it is to the toilet.

To continue reading this article, Dr. Baker, your Manhattan Beach dentist recommends going to Web MD, here. 

If you are looking for a dentist in the South Bay, please do no hesitate to contact

South Bay Dental Solutions. We are located in Manhattan Beach, CA and provide all general and cosmetic dental services.

South Bay Dental Solutions

1213 Manhattan Avenue  

Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 545-5910

Follow us on Twitter: @mbteeth 

www.southbaydentalsolutions.com

South Bay Dentist Recommends: 7 Secrets To A Healthier Smiles

A lot of people come to Dr. Baker, a South Bay dentist,  looking for ways to get a better looking smile. Fortunately, Dr. Baker provides the cosmetic services people are looking for, but for those looking for other options that don't include extensive dental work -- he recommends the following steps to getting a healthier smile:

When it comes to lighting up some of Hollywood's brightest smiles as well as tending to the pearly whites of the average Joe, New York City dentist Steven Roth, DMD, does it all. With more than 25 years of cosmetic and restorative dentistry experience, he created a technique that allows patients to "test drive" cosmetic dental procedures (such as temporary veneers) before taking the plunge. We chatted with Roth from his Manhattan office, SmilesNY, and asked him to share the seven things he always tells every patient. 

1. You probably aren't seeing the dentist enough.The standard twice-a-year visit (covered by most dental plans) is only half enough. Adults should see the dentist every 90 days. I know it sounds like a lot (and believe me, I get some resistance from reluctant patients), but, after just three months, the bacteria we clean out of your mouth during a check-up -- it's all recolonized! I know it can seem expensive, especially if you have to pay for the additional visits out of pocket, but it's well worth it from a health perspective. If you think about what you might spend on regularly cutting or coloring your hair, it's really not far off from that. 

2. If you're scared of the dentist because you think it's going to hurt, you're not seeing the right dentist.Today we can manage every single aspect of discomfort with the right medications to handle the annoyance of keeping your mouth open for a long period of time, or anesthesia for more extensive, invasive procedures like root canals. You name the issue, we can address it. 

3. If you wait until you feel pain, it's way too late.Know this: Most dental issues don't cause pain at first. Cavities, before they become deep, are painless. Gum disease -- also silent. But once you're wincing in pain, that means there's probably already an infection or the pockets of your gums have become riddled with bacteria. Bottom line: Make frequent check-up appointments to nip invisible-to-you problems in the bud, and put your dentist on speed-dial should you notice any problems. 

4. Nothing can replace good, old-fashioned dental floss.Sure, you can buy sharp little instruments at the drugstore for picking at your teeth or follow every meal with a toothpick, but until you get in between the teeth, where the surfaces abut one another, you're not attacking the location where some of the worst bacteria hide. The truth is, brushing only gets about 50% of the nasty stuff off of your teeth. Floss is the only thing that can attack the other half. No matter how fantastically high-tech your brush is or how thoroughly you go over each tooth, you still need to floss.

To continue reading the full article, Dr. Baker, your South Bay dentist, recommends visiting Web MD's website here: http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/features/7-secrets-healthier-smile

If you are looking for a dentist in the South Bay, please do no hesitate to contact

South Bay Dental Solutions. We are located in Manhattan Beach, CA and provide all general and cosmetic dental services.

South Bay Dental Solutions

1213 Manhattan Avenue  

Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 545-5910

Follow us on Twitter: @mbteeth 

www.southbaydentalsolutions.com

Manhattan Beach Dentist Advises: 8 Ways To Keep Your Mouth Healthy

Dr. Bryan Baker, a Manhattan Beach dentist, found this article to share on his blog about the importance of oral health. This article talk abouts 8 different ways you can maintain your oral health in effective ways:

Brushing, flossing, and rinsing are the ABCs of oral health, but they're only the beginning. A marvelous mouth takes more than squeezing paste out of a tube -- think improving your toothbrushing technique, ditching the daily soda habit, and saying good-bye to cigarettes.
David Leader, DMD, an assistant clinical professor at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, outlines eight oral care musts for a healthy mouth. 

1. Pay a visit. If you're prone to ditching the dentist, you're among the roughly 50% of adults in the United States who don't see a dentist yearly because of dental phobia, finances, or just plain neglect. But spend some quality time with your dentist (twice a year, the American Dental Association advises), and you'll catch problems such as decay, gum disease, trauma, or cancer at an early stage when they're treatable, not to mention more affordable to take care of.  

Count the years. Toddlers and older adults tend to fly under the dental health radar, but they need mouth maintenance just like the rest of us. Children should see a dentist by the time they're 1, and until they are coordinated enough to tie their own shoes they'll need help cleaning their teeth. Older folks have their own oral issues. Arthritis can make brushing and flossing challenging, and as people age, the amount of saliva they produce decreases, which means more tooth decay and also discomfort for those who wear dentures.

To continue reading the full article, Dr. Baker, your Manhattan Beach dentist recommends visiting Web MD's website: http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/features/eight-ways-to-keep-your-mouth-healthy

If you are looking for a dentist in the South Bay, please do no hesitate to contact

South Bay Dental Solutions. We are located in Manhattan Beach, CA and provide all general and cosmetic dental services.

South Bay Dental Solutions

1213 Manhattan Avenue  

Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 545-5910

Follow us on Twitter: @mbteeth 

www.southbaydentalsolutions.com