Alta Loma Dental Care Helps Patients Achieve Healthy and Beautiful Smiles

Regular checkups and dental cleanings are a part of any good oral hygiene routine, and at Alta Loma Dental Care, we provide dental care services of the highest quality to ensure that our patients’ smiles stay healthy year after year.

A soft and sticky film of bacteria called plaque can build up on your teeth despite regular brushing and flossing. Because teeth are constantly bathed in saliva, which contains calcium and other substances to strengthen and protect teeth, tartar or calcium deposits can also build up over time. Dental cleanings work to remove both plaque and tartar from the teeth. If these substances are not removed and are allowed to accumulate, bacteria will be provided a perfect environment for thriving on the gums and teeth, which can cause cavities, infection and gum disease.

While good for maintaining oral health between dentist visits, at-home brushing and cleaning are not enough to make sure teeth stay clean; regular dental cleanings are required. Dr. Michael Kim will check your teeth for cavities and other issues, and then you will have your teeth cleaned and polished. This leaves the surface clean and smooth. The smoother the teeth, the more difficult it is for bacteria to stick to them and the more effective at-home brushing will be.

We recommend checkups and dental cleanings every six months for optimum oral health. To schedule an appointment in Alta Loma, CA, call (909) 987-6268. For more information, visit www.altalomadentalcare.com.

Alta Loma Dental Care Restores Patients’ Smiles with Dental Implants

If you have had teeth extracted due to extensive decay, infection or trauma, dental implants offer an attractive and long-lasting solution for filling the gaps in your smile. While bridges and dentures can also solve the problem of missing teeth, these alternatives either require alteration to the teeth adjacent to the gap or are not permanent fixtures in the mouth. Dental Implants, however, both feel and act like your natural teeth, and at our office in Alta Loma, CA, Dr. Michael Kim can use them to help patients achieve a healthy and beautiful smile.

The implant process can take between three to six months to complete, and the first step is to implant a titanium screw in the jawbone. This screw serves as the replacement tooth root and keeps your jaw from deteriorating or changing shape. Once the screw is in place, the bone is left to heal around the implant. This healing process is called osseointegration, and while it takes place over the next several months, you may receive a temporary crown for easier speaking and eating.

Once the jaw has healed, an abutment will be placed on top of the implant to serve as the foundation upon which your permanent crown will be fixed. The tooth restoration is then custom made for your mouth and is either screwed or cemented in place so that you may enjoy a complete smile that both looks and feels natural.

To learn more about dental implants at Alta Loma Dental Care, call (909) 987-6268. For more information, visit www.altalomadentalcare.com. 

Alta Loma Dental Care Offers Patients Full and Partial Dentures

Many of our patients in Alta Loma, CA choose dentures as a convenient and cost-effective way to replace their missing teeth. Available as both full and partial devices, dentures can effectively give patients their smile back when decay, infection or trauma has led to multiple teeth being extracted.

There are two types of full dentures: conventional and immediate. Conventional full dentures are used after all of a patient’s teeth are removed, but only once the gum tissue has healed for a few months. During that healing time, the patient would have no teeth in place. Immediate full dentures are more popular since patients do not have to be toothless for any period of time. For this type, Dr. Michael Kim takes measurements of your mouth prior to removing the teeth. Then when the teeth are removed at the next appointment, the dentures are immediately placed in your mouth. With this method, a follow-up visit is required so that the dentures can be refitted and tightened since the jawbone changes shape slightly as it heals with no teeth.

Partial dentures are an option for those who do not need all their teeth removed. This type is very similar to bridges, except they are removable instead of permanent.

Whichever dentures our patients choose, the device takes some time getting used to, but as you practice, eating and speaking will get easier. Even though they are not real teeth, dentures should still be cared for as if they were. To ensure your dentures last, be sure to brush them before removal and place them in room temperature water or cleaning solution overnight.

To find out if dentures are the right choice for you, schedule an appointment Alta Loma Dental Care by calling (909) 987-6268. For more information, visit www.altalomadentalcare.com.

Alta Loma Dental Care Performs Teeth Extractions

If decay has reached too deeply into one of your teeth or if an infection has damaged too much of the supporting bone or tissue, you will be in need of a tooth extraction. You may also need one if one of your teeth does not enough room in the mouth. When teeth are impacted, it can cause damage to the roots of nearby teeth, so they must be removed before damage is done. At Alta Loma Dental Care, Dr. Michael Kim can help you restore your oral health by performing tooth extractions.

Before the procedure is performed, a local anesthetic is used to numb the area around the extraction site. During a simple extraction, the tooth is loosened with an elevator and then extracted with forceps. Once removed, Dr. Kim may choose to smooth and contour the underlying bone. Then the gums are sutured.

After the extraction, it is critical to keep the area clean to prevent infection. A dry, sterile gauze will be placed over the gums to limit bleeding. You must make sure to keep it in place for 30 to 45 minutes while the blood clots. During the 24 hours after the procedure, you should not smoke, rinse your mouth vigorously or clean the teeth immediately adjacent to the extraction site. Strenuous activity, hot liquids and straw drinking should also be avoided. A certain amount of pain and discomfort accompanies an extraction, so a painkiller may be prescribed.

If you are suffering pain from decay, infection or impaction, Dr. Kim can determine if a tooth extraction is required to save your smile. Schedule an appointment at our practice in Alta Loma, CA by calling (909) 987-6268. For more information, visit www.altalomadentalcare.com.

Alta Loma Dental Care Transforms Smiles with Dental Veneers

If you’re unhappy with the way your teeth look, veneers are an effective method for reshaping and redesigning your smile. Whether your teeth have gaps, stain, cracks, chips or other issues, these thin, ceramic shells can cover the existing tooth structure in your mouth to give you a smile you will be proud to show off.

Having veneers placed usually only takes two to three visits to our office in Alta Loma, CA. During the first visit, you will discuss the shape and look of the smile you want to accomplish with Dr. Michael Kim. Then the dentist will prepare your teeth for the upcoming veneers. Dr. Kim will do this by removing a small amount of enamel to ensure a secure and natural-feeling bond.

Once the enamel has been removed, an impression is taken of your mouth so that the veneers can be fabricated to fit your existing teeth. After the veneers have been created, they are bonded to your existing teeth to create an attractive smile that looks and feels natural. With proper home care and the help of Dr. Kim, you can enjoy your new smile for 5 to 10 years the veneers should be replaced.

To schedule an appointment at Alta Loma Dental Care, call (909) 987-6268. For more information, visit www.altalomadentalcare.com.