Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

Formula, milk, and fruit juices all contain sugars. Baby bottle decay is caused by frequent exposure to these sugars over time. The sugary liquids pool around the teeth for long periods as your baby sleeps, leading to cavities that first develop in the upper and lower front teeth. Drs. Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk don’t want adults to develop tooth decay, let alone pediatric patients, if your child hasn’t visited the dentist before his or first birthday, it’s time!

It’s critical to take care of an infant’s gums right away. But at first, you will not be using a toothbrush or toothpaste. Instead, you should grab a soft, moistened washcloth or piece of gauze and gently wipe down your baby’s gums at least twice a day. Especially wipe your baby’s gums after feedings and before bedtime to avoid baby bottle decay.

If you have questions or concerns regarding a pediatric dental care, 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.

Tips for the Holidays

We wish all of our patients at the dental offices of Drs. Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk a Happy Thanksgiving! During the holidays, sugary treats abound, and we want to make sure that everybody is keeping their teeth safe from decay. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the season; it just means following a few tips in this guide.

The longer sugar is in contact with teeth, the more time there is for bacteria to consume it and produce acid. For this reason, it’s not just the sugary, sticky candies that get stuck in dental crevices you have to worry about. Hard candies can pose the same risk since they are in contact with teeth for a long time, as can starches from sources such as squash and crackers. People should also remember that seasonal drinks such as pumpkin spice lattes, apple cider, and eggnog leave sugary residue behind. Additionally, saliva helps to wash away residue, so you’ll want to drink a lot of fluoridated water to compensate for anything that could dry your mouth out.

You produce more saliva when you’re eating large meals, so limiting eating to those time will help you to avoid tooth decay. If that’s not feasible, you can chew sugar-free gum after snacking to dislodge some food debris. If you’re hosting, you can also opt to serve xylitol-flavored hard candies in place of sugary ones.

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.

 

National Diabetes Awareness Month

Since November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, this seems like a good time to remind our patients of the relationship between diabetes and gum disease. We understand that people face different oral health challenges, and at the Miami Beach dental offices of Drs. Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk, we strive to treat people struggling with gum disease with respect. If a patient frequently struggles with gingival bleeding, uncontrolled blood sugar could be the culprit.

Inflammation is the body’s attempt to isolate diseased tissues. Inflamed gums are often caused by infections in the gum pockets. If the infections become bad enough, the structures holding teeth in place will erode, leaving them vulnerable to falling out. People with diabetes have higher than average rates of periodontal disease. One of the effects of high blood sugar is decreased effectiveness of the immune system, making it more difficult for the body to defeat gum pocket infections. But the effect also goes in the other direction; infections make it more difficult for the body to regulate blood sugar, putting the patient at greater risk for other diabetes complications.

People with diabetes need to be especially vigilant about their oral hygiene to prevent gum pocket infections from developing. But even people who brush and floss regularly need to maintain regular oral hygiene appointments so that we can clean away calculus. There is also good news for diabetic patients. When people receive treatment for gum inflammation, their other diabetes symptoms show improvement.

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.

 

Dry Mouth

If you’ve ever been parched and in desperate need of wetting your whistle, you know how uncomfortable dry mouth can be. Dry mouth is the feeling that there is not enough saliva in the mouth. Everyone has a dry mouth once in a while, but excessive dry mouth can be due to medication, or an underlying condition such as diabetes. If dry mouth is causing you discomfort, Drs. Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk can treat the problem.

Symptoms of dry mouth include a sticky, dry feeling in the mouth that may be accompanied by a dry feeling in the throat, a dry rough tongue, mouth sores, and/or trouble chewing, swallowing, or speaking. Causes for dry mouth include certain medications that you can discuss with one of our doctors, salivary glands diseases, and smoking. Treatment for dry mouth will depend on the cause.

If you have questions or concerns regarding dry mouth, 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.

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.