Periodontal Maintenance

In its most advanced stages, gum disease can lead to gum recession, and even tooth loss.  Elite Dental Arts wants to make sure it never gets to that point for you and your family!  When plaque builds up on a tooth, the gum starts to pull away from the tooth and form a pocket around the buildup, which only leads to more gum recession.  A scaling and root planing procedure is used to treat this buildup and prevent the later stages of gum disease.

Scaling and root planning are two parts of a deep cleaning procedure your dentist can perform to help reverse the progress of gum disease.  The procedure beings with scaling, which is the process of the dentist removing plaque from the surface of the teeth, all the way down to the gums. Root planing is the term for any minor contouring to smooth the surface of a tooth near the root.  When plaque has been removed and the tooth root has been smoothed, the gums that have pulled away will have a clean, smooth surface to reattach to as they heal.

To learn more about deep periodontal cleaning and all the other treatments provided at our practice, visit www.elitedentalarts.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Nick Mobilia of Elite Dental Arts here in New York, NY, call our office at 212-681-0939.

Smoking with Sleep Apnea

Smoking will exacerbate any respiratory condition.  It is proven to cause snoring and lead to obstructive sleep apnea.  Patients struggling with sleep apnea should visit Elite Dental Arts for evaluation. We can help patients find relief from sleep apnea, but quitting smoking is up to you!  Smoking causes upper airway inflammation, meaning the swelling causes the airway to narrow and disrupts the nasal passage and throat.  This causes snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.  Cigarettes are highly addictive, and some smokers seek treatment for sleep apnea but continue to smoke. Smoking with sleep apnea not only puts more stress on the heart every day, but negates any treatment a sleep apnea patient is undergoing.

Habitual smokers may feel relaxed by one last cigarette for the day, but it actually creates more complications for restful sleep. Smokers can experience nicotine withdrawal overnight, causing more waking up and restlessness.  Quitting smoking cold turkey is very difficult, but even lessening the amount of cigarettes or avoiding smoking at nighttime can help you achieve more restful sleep.  Most smokers cannot quit on their own or on their first attempt, so don’t get discouraged!

If you have questions or concerns regarding sleep disorders, please give us a call. To learn more about the sleep apnea treatments we offer, visit www.elitedentalarts.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Nick Mobilia of Elite Dental Arts here in New York, NY, call our office at 212-681-0939.

 Nick M. Mobilia, DDS
ELITE DENTAL ARTS
9 East 45th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10017

Inlays and Onlays

We’re proud to have restored hundreds of patients’ teeth at Elite Dental Arts in Midtown. Although we provide everything from implants to dentures, sometimes, all that’s needed is a partial crown. Those situations usually occur when enough of a tooth is damaged to necessitate something larger than a filling, but there’s still usable crown material.

The molars and premolars have multiple pointy bits, called cusps, separated by indentations. When the indentations are not sealed, they can easily become a trap for food, leading to decay. Once the decay has been drilled away, there may be a significant area in need of restoration. If a partial crown is called for, we’ll make an impression of the mouth that the prosthesis will be designed from. The patient will wear an artificial crown in the meantime. Once the prosthesis is complete, they will return for a follow-up appointment at which time it will be cemented in.

When a partial crown can be placed into an indentation, it is called an inlay. When it also covers at least one of the cusps, it is called an onlay. Inlays and onlays need to be brushed just like normal teeth or else decay will resume, but when properly cared for they can last for over a decade. Since our office heavily emphasizes aesthetics, the partial crowns we use will match the color of the patient’s teeth.

Nick M. Mobilia, DDS
ELITE DENTAL ARTS
9 East 45th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10017

 

Post-Operative Swelling

We offer comprehensive care at Elite Dental Arts in Midtown, including restorations and cosmetic orthodontics. Particularly in these fields, there are times in a patient’s oral care when a tooth extraction or other kind of surgical procedure may be necessary. These procedures are safe and routine, but we want patients to understand issues relating to post-operative swelling so they will be less distressed and know whether they need to seek help.

When a tooth is removed, the body’s inflammatory response will be triggered. Typically, the amount of swelling a patient experiences will be proportionate to the difficulty of the procedure. A simple extraction is unlikely to cause much swelling, but an operation requiring incisions into the gums will cause a lot. In the first twenty-four hours after surgery, the patient should try to control the swelling by applying cold packs. The cold pack should be kept on for fifteen minutes at a time and then removed for fifteen-minute intervals. After thirty-six hours, the patient should switch to hot packs, with similar protections to avoid scalding. It is typical for swelling to peak three or four days after the procedure. If it continues to swell past that point or fails to go down, or the area looks black, you should inform us.

Another important point is that a patient’s lips will feel strange after being injected with anesthetic. Biting down on them could cause them to swell, which isn’t ideal but should go down after a few days. But if the lips smell bad or pus leaks from them, they may have become infected and the patient will need antibiotics.

Nick M. Mobilia, DDS
ELITE DENTAL ARTS
9 East 45th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10017

 

Pediatric Dentistry

A child’s teeth actually start forming before birth. Believe it or not, at birth, your baby has 20 primary teeth, some of which are fully developed in the jaw. Although these teeth may not be visible yet, starting your child off with good dental care can help protect their teeth for decades to come. Even babies can develop tooth decay if proper feeding habits aren’t practiced. This is why Dr. Nick Mobilia of Elite Dental Arts strives to assure that this generation and future generations of young patients grow up with the healthiest conceivable smile.

While your baby is teething, it is important to monitor the teeth for signs of baby bottle decay. Examine the teeth, especially on the inside or the tongue side, every two weeks for dull spots (whiter than the tooth surface) or lines. Even before your baby starts teething, run a clean, damp washcloth over gums to clear away harmful bacteria. Your child’s first visit to the dentist should take place before his or her first birthday. The general rule is six months after the eruption of the first tooth. The most important part of the visit is getting to know and becoming comfortable with the dental team.

If you have questions or concerns about pediatric dentistry, please give us a call. To learn about the services we provide at our practice, visit www.elitedentalarts.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Nick Mobilia of Elite Dental Arts here in New York, NY, call our office at 212-681-0939.

 

Nick M. Mobilia, DDS
ELITE  DENTAL ARTS
9 East 45th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10017

National Dental Hygiene Month

October is National Dental Hygiene Month, which means it’s time to brush up on brushing. At Elite Dental Arts in Midtown, we provide advanced restorative and cosmetic care, but any procedure is going to depend on regular maintenance to be successful.

Teeth should be brushed twice a day from the time the first one emerges. Artificial teeth are no exception. Brushing should be done with a soft-bristled brush for two minutes at a time and on every tooth surface. When brushing the outward-facing sides of the teeth, it is good to use a sideways motion as long as the gum lines are not neglected. When brushing the inward-facing sides, people should use vertical strokes. Flossing is still considered a core part of dental hygiene. When flossing, people should use long strands, slide the strand as far down the side of each tooth as they can, and make a shoe-shine motion to catch tartar. A Waterpik is an acceptable alternative.

Using a tongue scraper every day is a good way to fight bad breath and to prevent the inhalation of dangerous bacteria. Mouthwash can improve peoples’ breaths, but isn’t a substitute for brushing and flossing. Hygienists also recommend chewing sugar-free gum after meals as a way to remove food debris if a person doesn’t plan to brush again for several hours.

Call 212-681-0939.

Nick M. Mobilia, DDS
ELITE DENTAL ARTS
9 East 45th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10017