Serving San Diego, La Jolla, and Coronado
May 16th, 2012
Sleep apnea is an all-too-common sleep disorder that occurs when you stop breathing multiple times throughout the night. These moments of non-breathing can last up to a minute in severe cases, depriving your body of necessary oxygen and forcing your brain to wake you up into a semi-conscious state. Some sleep apnea victims suffer from hundreds of breathing interruptions a night without even realizing it.
The combination of sleep deprivation and reduced oxygen levels can lead to serious health problems. If sleep apnea is left untreated, patients are at risk for:
- Stroke
- Heart attack
- High blood pressure
- Irregular heart rhythms
- Diabetes
- Depression
One of the most telling symptoms of sleep apnea is loud, frequent snoring. If your bed partner has complained about your snoring, or if they have heard you choking or gasping for breath in your sleep, you should see a sleep apnea specialist as soon as possible to be tested for the presence of this dangerous disorder. If you do have sleep apnea, Dr. Strober can help by providing you with an oral appliance that will open your airways while you sleep, enabling you to breathe freely and easily again.
Contact our San Diego sleep apnea treatment team today if you have further questions about diagnosing and treating this disorder. We can help you get a good night’s sleep again.
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May 9th, 2012
Even a single missing tooth can create serious problems for the health and stability of your other teeth. If missing teeth are never replaced, you can potentially experience:
- Shifting of your remaining teeth
- Impacted food in the tooth’s empty socket, causing infection
- An unbalanced bite
- Increased vulnerability to gum disease
- Future bone loss, leading to further tooth loss
For all of these reasons, your best course of action after losing a tooth is to replace it with a dental implant as soon as possible. With a 98% success rate, dental implants are one of the most reliable dental procedures available. Implants look and function just like your natural teeth, allowing you to eat, chew, and speak normally again. Best of all, implants require no special care. As long as you brush and floss daily – and schedule regular bi-annual check-ups with Dr. Strober – your dental implants can last for a lifetime.
If you are missing a tooth (or several teeth), please contact us today to schedule an initial consultation with experienced San Diego implant dentist Dr. Rod Strober. We can determine whether or not you are a candidate for this valuable procedure.
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May 3rd, 2012
Dental implants are the most durable tooth replacement method available. If an implant is properly fused to your jawbone, it can last 30 years or more. However, the dental crown on top of your implant may need to be replaced after about a decade, depending on the quality of your bite and how well you have cared for your replacement tooth.
Remember, it is possible to lose your dental implants if you let your oral health decline too much. Periodontal (gum) disease can cause bone loss in your mouth, which eventually leads to tooth loss if it is not checked and controlled.
Because of this, it’s important to care for your dental implants in the same way you care for your natural teeth. To prevent gum disease, be sure you brush twice a day and floss on a daily basis. You should also schedule regular dental check-ups with Dr. Strober to ensure any problems are identified and addressed as soon as possible.
If you have further questions about dental implants, please contact our experienced San Diego implant dentistry team today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Strober. We serve patients in the San Diego, La Jolla, and Coronado areas of California.
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April 24th, 2012
Dental lasers let you enjoy a more comfortable, less invasive dental experience. Lasers have been used in dentistry since the 1990s to treat gums and other soft tissues of the mouth. Tissues can be reshaped and removed painlessly and quickly with laser energy.
Dental lasers can be used for many procedures and treatments, including:
Laser dentistry requires less anesthetic than other techniques, and typically less pain and discomfort is felt after the treatment. When used by an experienced dentist, these lasers are safe and effective. A laser vaporizes or cuts tissue with a narrow, focused beam of light. A topical anesthetic is often the only numbing agent needed for a laser treatment. Lasers can often be used instead of a dental drill, which cause some patients to feel anxious and uncomfortable.
At Dr. Rod Strober’s dental practice, we use the EZlase laser and other dental technology to provide our patients with gentler dental care.
To find out if laser dentistry is right for you, please contact experienced San Diego laser dentist Dr. Rod Strober to schedule a consultation at Strober Dental.
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April 17th, 2012
If you think you may benefit from gum disease therapy, a periodontist – a dentist who specializes in the treatment of gum disease – will look for the following signs and symptoms:
- Red, or reddish-purple gums
- Swollen, tender gums
- Gums that bleed easily
- Chronic bad breath
- Gum recession
- Loose teeth
Your symptoms may vary depending on the stage of gum disease you are experiencing. Gingivitis is a mild form of gum disease, in which you may begin to notice that your gums are red and inflamed, but you most likely won’t feel any pain. Your gums may bleed when you brush and floss if you have gingivitis. This stage of gum disease can often be reversed easily, by adopting proper brushing and flossing habits and having your teeth cleaned at periodontist Dr. Rod Strober‘s office.
Unmanaged gingivitis can progress into periodontitis. The gums recede, forming infected pockets around the tooth. Left untreated, infection beneath the gums will destroy the gums, ligaments, and bone that support the teeth, which can eventually lead to loose teeth and the potential for teeth to fall out.
A periodontist can treat gum disease at any stage, whether you simply need a cleaning and guidance for your at-home care, or if your gums and teeth require a deep cleaning or possible antibiotic treatment.
If you live in San Diego and are searching for a periodontist, please contact experienced dentist Dr. Rod Strober to schedule a consultation at Strober Dental.
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April 10th, 2012
A dental implant procedure consists of three main phases:
- Ensuring proper bone density.
- Placing the artificial tooth root – the dental implant.
- Placing the tooth crown above the dental implant.
Implant dentistry procedures typically take place over several months, depending on the circumstances of your treatment. In a traditional dental implant procedure, you may wear a temporary crown for a few months, while the artificial root fuses to bone under your gums. If you are having dentures attached to mini dental implants, the dentures can often be attached at the same time the mini implants are placed.
Replacing missing teeth is important to the function, comfort and health of your mouth. Dental implants prevent bone deterioration and promote proper bite alignment. Unfortunately, many people with missing teeth are fearful of dental implant placement. A typical placement is painless; the treatment area is numbed with a local anesthetic, and you may be mildly sedated if you prefer.
After your dental implant and permanent tooth crown are placed, you will enjoy a long-term tooth replacement enabling you to chew, speak and smile comfortably.
If you would like to learn more about replacing missing teeth, please contact experienced San Diego implant dentist Dr. Rod Strober to schedule a consultation.
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April 3rd, 2012
An immediate crown is a treatment approach that designs, creates, and places your tooth crown in a single dental appointment. At Strober Dental, our one-visit crowns are created using CEREC technology.
CEREC is a machine that you will be able to see as you sit in the treatment chair. Using the CEREC, dentist Dr. Rod Strober will create a 3D image of your tooth. The machine uses the image to immediately create your tooth crown, which can be placed shortly after.
Without immediate crowns, impressions of your tooth would have to be made. The impressions would be sent off-site to a lab, where the tooth crown would be fabricated. This traditional approach requires several dental appointments to complete. In this scenario, you would wear a temporary crown during the creation of the permanent restoration. Temporaries sometimes have the disadvantage of being aesthetically subpar and having a tendency to fall off.
If you live in San Diego and are interested in immediate crowns, please contact experienced dentist Dr. Rod Strober to schedule a consultation at Strober Dental.
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March 29th, 2012
A toothache can be any pain you feel in your tooth or surrounding your tooth. As part of your general dentistry visits, you should inform dentist Dr. Rod Strober of your pain. After determining the cause of your toothache, Dr. Strober will inform you of your treatment options. Toothache can be caused by:
- Tooth decay
- Tooth abscess
- TMJ disorders
- Fractured, broken tooth
- Damaged tooth restoration
Because there are so many possible causes of a toothache, there are many possible treatments. For example, tooth decay may only require a general dental cleaning, while tooth pain brought about by teeth clenching and grinding may necessitate TMJ diagnosis and treatment.
The only way to determine the cause of your toothache is to visit our cosmetic and general dentistry practice. After an examination of your teeth, Dr. Strober will plan the best way to alleviate your tooth pain.
If you are experiencing a toothache in San Diego, the general dentistry services at Strober Dental can treat the causes of toothache. Please contact experienced general dentist Dr. Rod Strober to schedule a consultation.
Posted in Dentistry | Comments Off
March 26th, 2012
Pursuing good oral health habits is critical to maintaining healthy gums, and healthy gums are an important aspect of your overall health. Brushing after every meal, flossing daily, and visiting the dentist regularly are the best way to prevent gum disease, an infection that can eventually destroy your gums. Gum disease therapy may be a necessary gum treatment to halt the infection.
Research has shown a link between gum disease and other health problems, including:
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Premature birth
It’s unclear exactly how gum disease is related to each of these conditions, and cause-and-effect relationships have not been established; however, it is clear that gum health is an important part of a healthy mouth and body.
To avoid gum disease and consequent gum treatment, prevention is key. When your teeth are cleaned by a hygienist, the plaque that causes gum disease is removed from your teeth. You must also do your part to prevent plaque accumulation by brushing your teeth and flossing.
Scaling and root planing is typically the gum treatment for advanced stages. This deep cleaning removes plaque and tartar from underneath the gums.
If you are suffering from gum disease and live in or near San Diego, gum treatment can stop the progress of the infection. Please contact experienced dentist Dr. Rod Strober to schedule a gum treatment consultation.
Posted in Teeth Cleaning | Comments Off
March 23rd, 2012
Generally, the procedure to place dental implants is not painful. Each patient’s experience is unique, but steps are always taken to ensure every patient is comfortable during the procedure. Your experience of pain and discomfort both during and after the procedure may depend on:
- Your personal pain tolerance.
- Whether any special modifications are necessary, such as bone grafting or a sinus lift.
- Whether mini dental implants are used.
At Strober Dental, the main way we prevent your discomfort is with anesthetic. A local anesthetic like Novocain is used to numb the area, reducing your sensitivity to the placement of the dental implant. A sedation pill may also be administered to relax you. Oral conscious sedation lets you remain awake, but puts you in a state of consciousness in which you can forget your anxieties about the procedure.
As for recovering from the procedure, you will likely feel some degree of soreness or discomfort. For most patients, this discomfort is easily addressed with over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen. Some patients do not require any medications at all and feel well enough to resume normal activities immediately.
If you live in San Diego, dental implant procedures are made as painless as possible by experienced dentist Dr. Rod Strober. Please contact Strober Dental to schedule a consultation.
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