Maria is one of our patients at United Dental Care who lost several teeth in a car accident last year. She had to stay in the hospital for 6 weeks for her other injuries and had to go through several surgeries. She was not much eager to get out of the hospital even after a full recovery and was pretty depressed and had completely lost her self-esteem when she came to us. Losing her teeth was a bad experience; she felt embarrassed in front of the others, she had lost her eating ability and other people find it hard to understand what she said, due to difficulty of correct pronunciation of words.

Dentures are the best solution when you have lost several of your teeth. They are made of either porcelain or plastic and look just like natural teeth. They resemble teeth and gum and give you a natural look by supporting lips and cheeks. Unfortunately they don't last forever; jaws gradually change and body reabsorbs the bones. Therefore, the fit of the dentures change in time, so they have to be adjusted every once in a while and you need to get them replaced every 5 to 7 years. Also, you could prevent the bone lost from using dentures by over denture implants. Over dentures are secured into the implants and prevent bone lost, loss of dentures and accidental removal of dentures.
In several sessions, we prepared Maria's mouth for placing the denture. We extracted the few remaining teeth and waited for the tissue to heal. Meanwhile we made a set of dentures that would match the structure of her jaw and fit perfectly in her mouth. The day finally arrived and the dentures were placed in her mouth. She was a little dismayed to find out that keeping the dentures in your mouth and using them needs some getting used to, but now, after a couple of weeks, she is appreciating the regained eating and talking ability and had gained her self-confidence back. 

It's amazing how such a small tooth can cause you the worst possible pain! If you feel a dull ache in your tooth, consult with your dentist as soon as you can. If you need a root canal treatment you'd better do it now than later. The dull ache, which can go away by a couple of pain-killers in the beginning, can later turn into the worst pain you have ever experienced. If you don't get a root canal treatment in time, your dentist might have to extract the infected tooth. Last Friday, Richard, a walk-in patient, came in complaining about severe toothache. He had visited his own dentist before and was referred to a periodontist for a root canal treatment. He had called the periodontist and to his dismay had found out that the first availability was for another 2 weeks. He had decided to put up with the pain for the time being and wait for his appointment, but the pain had increased in severity and made him frustrated. He had used several pain-killers for 3 days and finally decided to get a root canal treatment as soon as possible. He had no luck in getting an appointment until he was referred to our clinic. Our periodontist is always present at the office and we managed to squeeze him in as an emergency patient in our busy schedule. Richard practically drifted off after the needle-free dental anesthesia (he also had needle anxiety and had put off the root canal treatment for quite a long time because of it). Anesthesia, along with the several pain-killers he had taken before, and a couple of sleep-less nights put him to sleep. We managed to save his tooth with a root canal treatment despite the infection and he was certainly relieved to find the pain gone when he came around.

I had such a great experience at Culver City Dentist office. Both staff and doctor were grate. From the first phone call to the appointment day and even after I left the office they were all there for me all the way.

I wanted to do a check up so I searched for a dentist online and I called few offices until finally I talked to the receptionist at the United Dental Care. She was so nice and understanding. She did any thing she could to accommodate me the time and the day that I wanted to go in. The day before she called and confirmed my appointment and thank God she did so because I had totally forgotten about it.

 

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I remember the braces kids used to wear back then when I was in school. Those days braces were metal bands that had to be worn around the mouth and face. Most kids despised braces and would not be caught dead wearing them. During each visit to the dentists, I used to constantly hope my orthodontist would not tell me I needed braces.

I later learned how effective braces are in regulating the alignment of the jaw and controlling the way teeth grow. Most of tooth decays, gum diseases and other problems can be solved by early orthodontic treatments in childhood. The best time to start orthodontic treatments is around age seven, when permanent teeth are starting to grow.
Thanks to the developments in orthodontic treatments in recent years, braces have dramatically changed. There is no sign of metal bands or those brackets that covered each tooth anymore. Treatment duration is shorter and the patients experience much less discomfort. Now you can choose the color of the brackets and even the ties holding the wires in them. This makes a lot of our young patients less reluctant toward braces, and they can have beautiful smiles and healthier teeth.

A couple of weeks ago Andrew, a regular young patient of ours, came in with his mother for an appointment with the orthodontist. It was decided in the previous sessions that he needed braces. He had decided he didn't like braces and didn't want to wear them. He had come to our office quite reluctantly and would not let us start preparing his teeth. We talked to him about the necessity of braces and explained how they work. We showed him the new braces and he was happy to see that they were not that noticeable. He was really excited about choosing the colors and constantly talked about it during the preparation. He looked happy when he finally left the office with shiny blue-colored braces. Watching kids leave a dental clinic happily and comfortably reminds me why I established United Dental Care in the first place. 

I think it was almost a month ago. A nine year old girl came in with her mother, crying hysterically. Apparently she had been at the playground with some of her friends when a swing had hit her and knocked one of her teeth out of her mouth. Fortunately her mother had the presence of mind to find the tooth and put it in some milk. That is the best way to keep the tooth until you get to a dentist; in a container full of milk or saline, and make sure you hold it by the crown, not the root, when you pick it up. If you manage to get to a dentist within half an hour, there is a good chance the tooth can be put back in its place.

Anyways, they had come straight to us and we gave them top priority. The girl, Alicia, wouldn't calm down. She was scared of losing her tooth, and on top of it, she was scared of going to dentists.  It was a tough situation, as we were running out of time to save the tooth. It took our experienced dental assistants some time to calm her down. When she was ready, I did an emergency exam and when I was satisfied that the root was intact and no root canal was needed, I used local anesthetic to make sure she didn't feel any pain and was comfortable while watching her favorite movie on the screen. We managed to save Alicia's tooth and smile. She was excited and happy to have her tooth back and her mother was satisfied that her young girl didn't have to wear dentures for the rest of her life.  

They came back last week for a general check up. The previous good experience at United Dental Care had convinced Alicia to come back. She told me she wasn't scared of going to dentists anymore, and that made my day.

Dr. Eftekhari has practiced and trained to build a dental practice that exceeds your expectations of trusted, personalized dental care. He focuses on bringing his patients only the best that dentistry has to offer by keeping himself and his staff informed on the latest advances and techniques in dentistry. Dr. Eftekhari is a graduate of Marquette University School of Dentistry, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He stays up-to-date on the newest developments in his field by taking numerous continuing education courses. These have included communication in esthetic dentistry, infection control, computerized modern dental technology, oral pathology, and pediatric oral conscious sedation. In addition, he is an affiliate member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

Dr. Eftekhari's top priorities are patient satisfaction and comfort. He looks forward to your visit to United Dental Care and to showing you the positive effects that quality dental care can have on your life.