Dental Emergencies

Any dental emergency like an injury to the teeth or gums can be potentially serious and should not be ignored. If you are in need of emergency dental work, Drs. Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk can help you any time, any day, and when your dental health is at risk, each member of our dental team will do everything they can to make sure that you’re treated as soon as possible.

One of the most common dental emergencies is a knocked-out tooth. When you hit your mouth on something hard and it knocks a tooth out, it can be a particularly scary experience. In this situation, the first thing you need to do is locate the tooth and contact the dentist immediately. If at all possible, the tooth needs to be re-implanted almost immediately.  Any injury to teeth or gums should not be ignored. Nerves or blood vessels could be damaged and there is also a risk of getting an infection. If an infection is not treated, it can spread to other parts of the head and neck and cause serious health problems. Other types of dental emergencies include objects caught between teeth, a lost filling or crown, broken braces and wires, loose brackets and bands and soft tissue injuries.

If you have questions or concerns regarding a dental emergency, please give us a call. To learn more about dental hygiene as well as the 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.

Thank You for Your Positive Reviews!

Here at Ressler, Hirschl & Lelchuk, DDS, PA, of Miami Beach, FL and North Miami Beach, FL, our staff appreciates feedback from our patients because it teaches us how to improve as a team. Our staff would not only like to thank John V. for this five-star review, but we would like to thank him for being an excellent patient. If you recently experienced exceptional service from our office, please let us know!  

“My dental  hygienist was awesome. Thorough job. Marianela is her name. I've been going for 20 years even though I live in Miami Lakes. The dentists themselves are professional, they work with my insurance issues, they occasionally suggest some optional treatments which is fine, and they do not push too hard. The crowns, cavities, etc. are done in one sitting, quickly and with minimal pain. I usually see Dr. Hirschl, but I've seen them all. Receptionists are friendly. I trust them.” – John V.

If you would like to leave a testimonial or are interested in learning more about the 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.

What is TMD?

The temporomandibular joint is a hinge that connects your jaw bone (mandible) to the temporal bones in your skull, in front of each ear.  A general term for any problem or issue with this joint is temporomandibular disorder, or TMD.  Drs. Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk can help his patients prevent and recover from the negative effects of TMD.
Patients that grind or clench their teeth often end up with a sore jaw.  Other patients experience injuries with facial trauma that cause jaw pain, or result in the patient feeling their jaw gets stuck or ‘locks’ in either an open or closed position.  A custom night guard keeps the jaw in a neutral position during sleep, and this helps many patients find relief from TMD symptoms.  For any pain, your dentist may recommend an over-the-counter painkiller or warm and cold compresses.  To prevent further discomfort, you may be assigned stretches for your jaw. 

Whatever your symptoms, you don’t have to suffer from discomfort in your jaw.  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.

Dental Crowns

If you have a tooth that has been weakened due to decay, a desire to restore a broken tooth that has been severely worn down or simply wish to enhance the aesthetics of your smile, then you may be a candidate for a dental crown. Dental crowns are fixed prosthetic devices that Drs. Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk cement onto existing teeth or implants. There are several types of materials that can be used for dental crowns and one of our doctors will discuss them during your consultation.

On the first visit, your tooth will be reshaped by filing down the enamel so that there is room for the crown to be placed over it. Once the tooth has been reshaped, a mold will be taken of that tooth and the surrounding teeth. This mold will be sent to a dental lab so that the permanent crown can be made. Before you leave the office, you will be fitted with a temporary crown so that you have some protection on the tooth. In about two weeks you will come back for the final result.

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

Dental Instruments

Regular dental cleanings are crucial to maintaining patients’ health, but we understand that many people suffer from dental anxiety. At the Miami Beach and North Miami Beach practices of Ressler, Lelchuk, and Hirschl, we want our patients to feel at home in the dental office, which is why we thought it would be a good idea to explain what some of our instruments are for.

Patients are familiar with the hose that sucks away saliva and debris, but they may not have known that it’s called an evacuator. The three instruments we use the most frequently are the evacuator, handheld mirror, and an explorer or probe. Explorers are the hooked metal instruments we use to test the hardness of enamel and the cleanliness of gum pockets. They are also used to pry away calculus that has built up on teeth.

We have more specialized tools for each procedure, including repairing tooth decay. For most procedures, we inject the patient with a local anesthetic using a syringe. Modern dental drills are designed to minimize heat by running water over the drill site. Once the drill debris has been evacuated, we’ll mix the white resin filling material on a small spatula and apply it using a blunt-tipped instrument called a burnisher. These instruments come in many shapes and are also used by orthodontists to contour molar brackets.

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^rdSt, Suite 310, North Miami Beach, Florida, 33160, call 305-949-2630. They can also be reached on their website, Miami Dental through a contact form.

Using a Floss Threader

If you have traditional braces or a fixed retainer, flossing threaders will make this task easier and improve the health of your teeth and gums. You should never avoid flossing with these orthodontic appliances because plaque left on the teeth will turn into tartar (calculus) which only our team at the office of Drs. Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk are able to remove. Tartar buildup will cause the gums to be inflamed and this may lead to a more aggressive form of periodontal disease. If you don’t know what a floss threader is, we are here to tell you what it is and how to use one.

A floss threader is a flexible, yet rigid plastic tool used for passing floss between fixed bridgework, orthodontic wires, and beneath fixed retainers. They resemble large plastic “needles” as far as shape goes and are effective in getting floss between teeth that are close together. To use one, simply thread 18” of floss into the eye of the floss threader and use the end to push through the teeth. Once the floss has been inserted, the ends can be easily manipulated to floss around the tooth. If you need assistance, our doctors are happy to help.

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

Sleeptember

If your jaw hurts or your teeth are misaligned, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be to blame. Although OSA is believed to be one of the most common health conditions in the United States, it is underdiagnosed. Consequently, nighttime tooth grinding (bruxism) being caused by OSA often is not treated properly. At the Miami Beach and North Miami Beach dental offices of Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk, we want our patients to know how to address the source of the problem, which is why we’re pleased the American Sleep Apnea Association’s “Sleeptember campaign” is raising awareness of this issue.

In people with OSA, there is something, usually the tongue, blocking the airway. This prevents enough oxygen from getting to the patients’ blood and causes them to be pulled out of deep sleep throughout the night, leaving them fatigued. Bruxism results from the body unconsciously attempting to open an airway. The pressure put on teeth could cause them to tilt outward or, in the worst cases, crack.

Besides fatigue, other signs might include snoring and floppy eyelids. Overweight men are especially at risk. People who suspect they have OSA can get assessed at a sleep clinic, where their airways will be examined. They may be provided with a CPAP machine. We can also assist by fabricating custom-fitted oral appliances called night guards that will keep the jaws apart at night, protecting the teeth from further damage.

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^rdSt, Suite 310, North Miami Beach, Florida, 33160, call 305-949-2630. They can also be reached on their website, Miami Dental through a contact form.