Author: ignyous

Davis Dentist | Managing Exposed Roots as a Result of Gum Recession

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Teeth roots are not covered and protected by enamel. When exposed due to gum recession, they are at high risk for sensitivity especially to cold and during professional dental cleaning, erosion leaving defects at the gum line, cavities, and even nerve exposure.

Exposed roots with large defects can be protected by tooth colored composite resin bonding:

Exposed roots with large defects - before Exposed roots with large defects - after

Exposed roots that develop cavities are treated by conventional tooth colored composite fillings:

Exposed roots that develop cavities - before Exposed roots that develop cavities - after

Exposed roots with minimal defects and no cavities can be covered by gum grafts:

Exposed roots with gum grafts - before Exposed roots with gum grafts - after

(Gum graft photos are courtesy of gum specialist Dr. David Jolkovsky, Davis, CA)

Gum recession generally has multiple contributing factors occurring at the same time, such as genetics, aggressive brushing, gum infection, history of braces, clenching and grinding, and local trauma. Taking measures to control some of these factors reduces the chance of having gum recession.

Samer S. Alassaad, DDS, FAGD

Davis Dentist | Dr. Samer Alassaad Receives the AGD Fellowship Award

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Dr. Alassaad and his family at the AGD Convocation Ceremony in San Francisco

The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) is pleased to announce that Samer Alassaad, DDS, FAGD received the association’s Fellowship Award during the AGD 2015 annual meeting, which took place June 18 to 21 in San Francisco.

The AGD Fellowship Award is presented to dentists who seek to provide the highest quality dental care by remaining current in their profession. To earn this prestigious honor, Dr. Alassaad completed 500 hours of dental continuing education, passed a comprehensive written exam, and fulfilled three years of continuous membership in the AGD.

As a Fellowship Award recipient, Dr. Alassaad joins more than 6,600 active AGD Fellows who have gone above and beyond the basic requirements to care for their patients’ oral health.

“We are proud to honor Dr. Alassaad for his commitment in reaching this lofty goal,” says AGD Immediate Past President W. Carter Brown, DMD, FAGD. “He has distinguished himself professionally among his peers and is a role model for both his fellow dentists and his community.”

About the Academy of General Dentistry
The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) is a professional association of 39,000 general dentists dedicated to providing quality dental care and oral health education to the public. AGD members stay up-to-date in their profession through a commitment to continuing education. Founded in 1952, the AGD is the second largest dental association in the United States, and it is the only association that exclusively serves the needs and represents the interests of general dentists. A general dentist is the primary care provider for patients of all ages and is responsible for the diagnosis, treatment, management, and overall coordination of services related to patients’ oral health needs. For more information about the AGD, visit www.agd.org.

Davis Dentist | Increasing Oral Cancer Awareness

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Dr. Alassaad interviews Eric Statler, a Stage IV Oral Cancer Survivor, who is committed to increasing awareness of this deadly disease.

Learn about some of the challenges of battling oral cancer and how this survivor managed to turn his challenging experience into positive action in this article published in the California Academy of General Dentistry’s Newsletter “Eric Statler, a Stage IV Oral Cancer Survivor, Increases Awareness of this Deadly Disease”

To learn more about managing your risk of oral cancer, read Dr. Alassaad’s column in the local newspaper the Davis Enterprise “Managing your risk of oral cancer”

Davis Dentist | Personalized Approach to Revamping Smiles

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“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” and dentistry recognizes that. The approach to revamping smiles is personalized and starts with exploring what you do not like about your smile. Sometimes the solution is as simple as teeth whitening and fillings in this case where the patient’s only concerns are the space between the 2 front teeth and the dark color of her teeth:

While at other times the solution may involve replacing multiple old crowns even though the desire is only a brighter smile

Read more about the options to revamp your smile in this column by Dr. Alassaad in the local newspaper the Davis Enterprise:http://www.davisenterprise.com/forum/opinion-columns/plenty-of-options-to-revamp-your-smile/

You can also view images of multiple cosmetic options in our smile gallery

Davis Dentist | The Great Pumpkin Saves Teeth on Halloween

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By Samer Alassaad DDS | Special to The Enterprise | October 6th, 2013
Published in the local newspaper “The Davis Enterprise”

www.davisenterprise.com/forum/opinion-columns/the-great-pumpkin-saves-teeth-on-halloween/

In this  column, Dr Alassaad shares his experience with his  children about some rules as well as appealing ways to reduce the amount and the frequency of sugar that kids are exposed to after the high-sugar spree on Halloween, such as:
1.    No eating candy at night.
2.    The best time to have candy is during the day and immediately after a regular meal as a dessert.
3.    Trading in some, most, or all of the candy for something else that kids like.

Dentist in Davis | Matching Wear Patterns in Teeth Tell the Story of Grinding

Posted on by ignyous

Matching wear patterns in teeth show that grinding has occurred and also show the extent of jaw movement during grinding. It is very surprising to patients when they see how far a person moves the jaw into such a non-functional position while grinding teeth.

– Right View: A perfectly matching wear pattern at the right canine tooth which used to have a sharp pointed tip, as the bottom jaw moves far to the right.

– Frontal View: Grinding wears and cracks enamel shortening this front tooth.

– Right-frontal View: Perfectly matching wear pattern at the shortened front tooth, as the bottom jaw moves far to the right.

– Left View: A perfectly matching wear pattern at the left canine tooth which used to have a sharp pointed tip, as the bottom jaw moves far to the left.

For more information about grinding teeth – such as the causes, the resulting damages, and solutions for grinding – see this column in the Davis Enterprise newspaper by Samer S. Alassaad DDS:

http://www.davisenterprise.com/forum/opinion-columns/focus-on-health-a-creeping-sleep-disorder-destroys-teeth/

Samer S. Alassaad, DDS

Dentist in Davis | Is the Discolored Groove of My Tooth a Stain or a Cavity?

Posted on by ignyous

All back teeth come in with grooves that are either shallow, deep, wide or narrow. These grooves can be almost impossible to reach with tooth brush bristles and thus can not be kept totally clean. They can then become discolored as they trap stains or as they trap plaque that causes underlying cavities. If the discoloration is caused only by stains, no intervention is necessary. However, if the discoloration is caused by an underlying cavity then intervention is recommended to stop the progression of tooth decay and preserve the rest of the tooth structure. When the discolored groove is not clinically sticky (soft), it becomes more challenging to distinguish between a stain and a cavity. A Diagnodent –a new laser technology that scans your teeth with harmless pulses of light – can then be used to distinguish between stains and cavities with more precision.

In the above example, intervention was recommended after the groove was tested by a Diagnodent and confirmed to have an underlying cavity.

Samer S. Alassaad, DDS