Gum Line Corrections

A gum line correction, which you may have heard called crown lengthening, is a fancy way of saying sculpting the gum line.  During this procedure, a dentist removes excess gum tissue to expose more tooth.  Drs. Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk perform this procedure for patients looking for a cosmetic solution and patients needing dental restorations. 

We see many patients who are unhappy with the overall appearance of their smile, and patients with a gummy smile often ask what can be done to achieve the look they want.  We are happy to offer gum line correction so that any patient can have their perfect smile.  Gum line corrections are also performed when patients receiving dental restorations need a better surface for the crown or other restoration to attach to.  Eliminating excess gum tissue allows the restoration to be fit over the tooth

Dr. Allen Ressler, Dr. Andrew Hirschl, and Dr. Ira Lelchuk trat patients at two locations. To schedule an appointment at the location at Mount Sinai Medical Center, 4300 Alton Road, Suite 1190, Miami Beach, Florida, 33140, call 305-532-1444. To schedule an appointment at Intracoastal Mall, 3909 NE 163^rd St, Suite 310, North Miami Beach, Florida, 33160, call 305-949-2630. You can also visit Miami-Dental.com and fill out a contact form.

Mouth Protection for Sports

Are you and your family getting active in sports this season?  We want adults and children to know they may be overlooking an important safety precaution.  Athletes participating in any contact sport are advised to wear some kind of mouth protection. A mouth guard helps prevent damage to the teeth and jaw, and also helps prevent injuries to the cheeks, tongue, and lips.  The best way to protect your mouth during sports activities is with a custom-fit mouth guard. 

You can find generic mouth guards in most sporting goods stores but these often end up feeling uncomfortable, leading to child and teenage athletes in particular not wearing the protection at all. A bulky or cushioned mouth guard can even interrupt breathing and speaking. Custom mouth guards can be fit over braces and won’t interrupt normal activity.  Have a dentist perform a custom mouth guard fitting and get a mouth guard made of thin, hard plastic that protects your teeth and still fits comfortably.  This is an easy precaution to take for athletes, and you can go right back to playing your best.

Dr. Allen Ressler, Dr. Andrew Hirschl, and Dr. Ira Lelchuk operate from two locations. To schedule an appointment at the location at Mount Sinai Medical Center, 4300 Alton Road, Suite 1190, Miami Beach, Florida, 33140, call 305-532-1444. To schedule an appointment at Intracoastal Mall, 3909 NE 163rd St, Suite 310, North Miami Beach, Florida, 33160, call 305-949-2630. You can also visit Miami-Dental.com and fill out a contact form.

Scaling and Root Planing

In its most advanced stages, gum disease can lead to gum recession and even tooth loss.  We want to help you make sure it never gets to that stage.  When sticky bacteria called plaque builds up on a tooth, the gum starts to pull away from the tooth and form a pocket around the buildup.  This only leads to more gum recession.  Scaling and root planing are used to treat this buildup and prevent the later stages of gum disease.

Scaling and root planing are two parts of a deep cleaning procedure we can perform to repair gums. The procedure begins with scaling, the process of removing plaque from the surface of your teeth all the way down to your gums. This is followed by root planing, which involves minor contouring to smooth the surface of a tooth near the root.  Once the plaque has been removed and the tooth root has been smoothed, the gums that have pulled away have a clean, smooth surface to reattach to.
  
Dr. Allen Ressler, Dr. Andrew Hirschl, and Dr. Ira Lelchuk operate from two locations. To schedule an appointment at the location at Mount Sinai Medical Center, 4300 Alton Road, Suite 1190, Miami Beach, Florida, 33140, call 305-532-1444. To schedule an appointment at Intracoastal Mall, 3909 NE 163rd St, Suite 310, North Miami Beach, Florida, 33160, call 305-949-2630. You can also visit Miami-Dental.com and fill out a contact form.

Flossing with a Waterpik

Traditional flossing removes food particles between your teeth and under the gumline, so how does water flossing compare? Though water flossing is another way to clean teeth, this method involves using a hand-held device. Water flossing can be ideal for people who have trouble flossing by hand and Drs. Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk want patients to know that if they are going to invest in a water flosser it should have the ADA Seal of Acceptance.

Even if you’ve been water flossing for years, nothing beats good old dental floss. Water flossers have been tested to be safe and effective for removing plaque, and are helpful if you’ve had dental work done, such as bridges or braces. Depending on which flossing technique you decide to use, keep in mind that cleaning between your teeth should never be painful. Talk to our doctors and discuss which dental cleaner is best for you. 


If you have questions about oral hygiene, please give us a call. To learn about services we provide at the practice, visit www.miami-dental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors or hygienists, give us a call at our Miami Beach office: 305-532-1444 or our North Miami Beach office: 305-949-2630.

Oral Cancer Awareness Month

Combating oral cancer is one of our top priorities at the offices of Drs. Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk. April is oral cancer awareness month, and although our advanced Velscope technology helps us to screen patients at every exam, it is more important than ever for patients to be aware of warning signs of oral pathology and share them with us.

Last year, oral cancers associated with the human papilloma virus (HPV) outpaced the number of new oral cancer diagnoses associated with tobacco and alcohol. While this demonstrates the success of anti-smoking campaigns, it also presents new challenges because HPV oral cancers usually occur in the back of the mouth and top of the throat, a region called the oropharynx. This region is harder to examine visually. Furthermore, there is no way of testing for oral HPV itself. There are hundreds of HPV strains, only one of which causes oral cancer, and the epithelial layer of the throat is so creviced that random scrapings are unlikely to catch any infected cells.

Keeping in mind that abstinence from smoking and alcohol does not guarantee a lack of oral cancer, people should learn to recognize pain, swelling, and numbness in their throats, jaws, and ears as reasons to get an examination. The good news is that throat cancer screenings can still be done through tactile screenings, and HPV-associated cancers are much more responsive than tobacco-associated cancers to treatment.


Dr. Allen Ressler, Dr. Andrew Hirschl, and Dr. Ira Lelchuk operate from two locations. To schedule an appointment at the location at Mount Sinai Medical Center, 4300 Alton Road, Suite 1190, Miami Beach, Florida, 33140, call 305-532-1444. To schedule an appointment at Intracoastal Mall, 3909 NE 163^rd St, Suite 310, North Miami Beach, Florida, 33160, call 305-949-2630. They can also be reached on their website, Miami-Dental.com, through a contact form.

Veneers

Drs. Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk are always being asked about the latest cosmetic solutions for their teeth. Some fixes are recommended just to repair damage or just to whiten, but porcelain veneers remain one of the best ways to give your mouth a total makeover. Veneers are custom-made porcelain shells that bond directly to the surface of your teeth.  This gives you the opportunity to completely change the appearance of your smile and still look natural.

Patients with cosmetic issues like staining, cracked or chipped teeth, and even crooked teeth and small gaps can achieve a dazzling smile with veneers. You can have a new smile using veneers in as little as two visits. First, your dentist will discuss the shape and look you want for your new smile.  Then an impression of your teeth is taken in order to custom-fit the final product to the surfaces of your teeth. Quite often, to achieve the most ideal result, some shaping or modification of your teeth prior to the impression is necessary. On your final visit, the veneers are bonded to your teeth for you to wear and enjoy!

Dr. Allen Ressler, Dr. Andrew Hirschl, and Dr. Ira Lelchuk operate from two locations. To schedule an appointment at the location at Mount Sinai Medical Center, 4300 Alton Road, Suite 1190, Miami Beach, Florida, 33140, call 305-532-1444. To schedule an appointment at Intracoastal Mall, 3909 NE 163rd St, Suite 310, North Miami Beach, Florida, 33160, call 305-949-2630. They can also be reached on their website, www.Miami-Dental.com, through a contact form.

What Is A Sealant?

Dental sealants are a preventative measure used to preserve the teeth and tooth enamel. Drs. Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk take pride in helping families and children care for their oral health and know that almost half of all children and adolescents in the United States have had cavities in their permanent teeth. Dental sealants are thin plastic coatings that are applied to the chewing surfaces of the back teeth to prevent decay. Most tooth decay in children and teenagers occurs on the chewing surfaces where pits and grooves tend to trap food and bacteria.

A sealant is applied to those chewing surfaces like paint. The plastic resin fills any pits and grooves on the surface and hardens. The sealant keeps food out of these pits and grooves so that bacteria cannot multiply and cause decay.  Sealants also protect tooth enamel from plaques and acids, and can effectively prevent cavities for up to ten years. If you think you or your family would benefit from a dental sealant, our dentists can determine if you are eligible candidates and start preserving your teeth!

Dr. Allen Ressler, Dr. Andrew Hirschl, and Dr. Ira Lelchuk operate from two locations. To schedule an appointment at the location at Mount Sinai Medical Center, 4300 Alton Road, Suite 1190, Miami Beach, Florida, 33140, call 305-532-1444. To schedule an appointment at Intracoastal Mall, 3909 NE 163rd St, Suite 310, North Miami Beach, Florida, 33160, call 305-949-2630. They can also be reached on their website, www.Miami-Dental.com, through a contact form.

Thumb Sucking

We serve families and patients of all ages at the Miami Beach and North Miami Beach offices of Drs. Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk, and are proud to offer new parents guidance on their children’s oral health. Thumb-sucking is a common behavior in young children, and first-time parents are often unsure of whether this is a bad thing or not. The answer depends on at what point the child stops.

Toddlers often feel soothed by sucking on their thumbs or a pacifier, and provided they don’t do it too hard, their mouths will grow into the right shape if they cease before the age of five. However, if the behavior continues as they lose their first baby teeth and their adult teeth come in, they may experience malocclusions, jaw misalignment, and warped upper palates. Sometimes they substitute thumb sucking with pushing against their front teeth with their tongues, which causes the same problems.

By the time a child is old enough for thumb-sucking to be a problem, it may be possible to reason with them and include them in strategies to get them to stop. If the child is suffering from deep-seated feelings of anxiety, help from a psychologist may be necessary. There are orthodontic devices which can discourage thumb sucking and tongue thrusting, but these are usually for the most serious cases.

Dr. Allen Ressler, Dr. Andrew Hirschl, and Dr. Ira Lelchuk operate from two locations. To schedule an appointment at the location at Mount Sinai Medical Center, 4300 Alton Road, Suite 1190, Miami Beach, Florida, 33140, call 305-532-1444. To schedule an appointment at Intracoastal Mall, 3909 NE 163rd St, Suite 310, North Miami Beach, Florida, 33160, call 305-949-2630. They can also be reached on their website, www.Miami-Dental.com, through a contact form.

Warning Signs of Implant Failure

Drs. Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk have restored endosteal implants to many Miami residents and are proud of the improvements patients experience after receiving these tooth restorations. However, implants don’t always last forever, and sometimes our doctors have to treat people whose implants have failed. Patients should be aware of the warning signs something’s wrong with an implant both immediately following surgery and later on.

Surgical procedures always result in soreness and patients are taught how to manage bleeding after receiving implants. However, bleeding should not last for longer than three days, and pain should have noticeably improved after this time. If there is no change or things are getting worse, there may have been something wrong with the procedure. It may be that the patient is allergic to the titanium screw or the implant was placed on a nerve, in which cases it must be removed.
It is also possible for an implant to be placed successfully but fail later on. Implants help reinforce the jaw bone, but if the jaw bone continues to lose mass, the implant will have to be removed before it becomes loose. An implant should never be able to move, and if it does, patients will have incontrovertible proof of implant failure. However, it may be possible to salvage a formerly successful implant in certain situations.

Dr. Allen Ressler, Dr. Andrew Hirschl, and Dr. Ira Lelchuk operate from two locations. To schedule an appointment at the location at Mount Sinai Medical Center, 4300 Alton Road, Suite 1190, Miami Beach, Florida, 33140, call 305-532-1444. To schedule an appointment at Intracoastal Mall, 3909 NE 163rd St, Suite 110, North Miami Beach, Florida, 33160, call 305-949-2630. They can also be reached on their website, Miami-Dental.com, through a contact form.

Caring for Dentures

The doctors and staff of Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk’s Miami dental offices strive to help maintain the dental health of our patients who wear dentures. To that end, we provide our patients with instructions on how to care for their replacement sets of teeth to keep them working in good condition.

Partial, full-mouth, and implant supported dentures all need to be removed on a nightly basis. To prevent them from drying out, they should be placed in cool or room-temperature water or cleaning solution—not hot water. Dentures are usually made of plastic and can easily warp in high temperatures. If they do or stop fitting as the patient’s mouth changes naturally over time, they’ll need to be refitted by a professional.

Dentures need to be brushed, but not with the same kind of toothpaste as normal teeth. Because they do not produce a biological film, dentures are much more vulnerable to being scratched by gritty materials in toothpaste. Patients should, however, continue to brush their empty mouths prior to inserting their dentures. This will restore some feeling as well as contributing to oral hygiene. Only soft-bristled toothbrushes should ever be used for anything dental-related.

Dr. Allen Ressler, Dr. Andrew Hirschl, and Dr. Ira Lelchuk operate from two locations. To schedule an appointment at the location at Mount Sinai Medical Center, 4300 Alton Road, Suite 1190, Miami Beach, Florida, 33140, call 305-532-1444. To schedule an appointment at Intracoastal Mall, 3909 NE 163rd St, Suite 110, North Miami Beach, Florida, 33160, call 305-949-2630. They can also be reached on their website, Miami-Dental.com, through a contact form.

Why Do We Floss?

Every time you visit our doctors Ressler, Hirschl, & Lelchuk, DDS, PA, for a cleaning the hygienist or doctor probably reminds you to floss or mentions that you aren’t flossing enough. They tell you this with good reason because floss is the single most important weapon against plaque, perhaps more important than a toothbrush. A toothbrush cleans the surfaces of your teeth, but dental floss cleans between them. By flossing your teeth daily, you increase the chance of keeping them for a lifetime and decrease your chance of developing gum disease.

Flossing does more than keeping your smile pretty and healthy. It removes plaque and debris that sticks to teeth and gums in-between teeth, polishes tooth surfaces, and controls bad breath. Many people don’t spend enough time flossing or they might not have been taught to floss properly. To give your teeth a good flossing, spend at least two or three minutes on the process and be gentle to your gums.

If you need assistance maintaining your oral hygiene routine, give us a call. To learn about services we provide at the practice, visit www.miami-dental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors or hygienists, give us a call at our Miami Beach office: 305-532-1444 or our North Miami Beach office: 305-949-2630.

Why You Might Need a Root Canal

If the cause of your toothache is serious decay or infection in the tooth pulp, our doctors Ressler, Hirschl, & Lelchuk, DDS, PA, may recommend a root canal. A root canal is a multi-step dental procedure that involves removing the infected tooth pulp (and sometimes the nerve) from a tooth and sealing it to protect against future tooth pain.

Not all types of tooth decay are indications for a root canal. But signs of infection severe enough to require a root canal include: severe toothache pain upon chewing or application of pressure, prolonged sensitivity (pain) to hot or cold temperatures (after the heat or cold has been removed), discoloration (darkening) of the tooth, swelling and tenderness in nearby gums, and a persistent or recurring pimple on the gums. Root canal therapy helps you maintain your natural smile, continue eating the foods you love and limit the need for ongoing dental work. With proper care, most teeth that have had root canal treatment can last as long as other natural teeth and often for a lifetime.

If you are experiencing tooth sensitivity, give us a call to discuss your treatment options. To learn about services we provide at the practice, visit www.miami-dental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors or hygienists, give us a call at our Miami Beach office: 305-532-1444 or our North Miami Beach office: 305-949-2630.

Laser Therapy for Gum Disease

Periodontal disease is an infection of the gums that starts out as plaque – an opaque film on the teeth that hardens to form calculus or tartar. As tartar accumulates, it harbors bacteria which attack the soft tissue around the gums. This early stage of gum disease is called Gingivitis. Here at the office of Ressler, Hirschl, & Lelchuk, DDS, PA, our doctors can address the underlying infection that causes it with a procedure utilizing a laser.

With laser treatment, there are many reported benefits such as a reduced need for local anesthesia, minimal bleeding, and swelling is controlled with minimal discomfort. Laser light energy is used to vaporize the bacteria and infected tissue in the deepened gum pocket. This procedure is painless, takes less than 10 minutes and reduces the bacteria around your gums from billions to hundreds.
If you suffer from mouth pain caused by gum disease, give us a call to discuss your treatment options.

To learn about services we provide at the practice, visit www.miami-dental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors or hygienists, give us a call at our Miami Beach office: 305-532-1444 or our North Miami Beach office: 305-949-2630.