Dental care in Los Angeles.

Dentists, hygienists and assistants work together at 360 Dental to keep and improve your oral health. Checkups and cleanings are the foundation: the dentist examines teeth and gums for cavities, gum disease and other problems, screens for oral cancer, and takes X-rays for what the eye can't reach. The hygienist then clears the tartar and plaque that built up since your last visit.

Beyond the checkup, we fix what needs fixing. Fillings, crowns, bridges, implants and dentures restore how broken or missing teeth work and look, so you can eat, talk and smile with confidence. Cosmetic services, from whitening to veneers to braces and clear aligners, brighten the smile itself.

After 35, gum disease takes more teeth than cavities do, and most adults will deal with some form of it. What prevents it is ordinary: brushing and flossing done properly every day, plus cleanings on schedule.

Care here is planned one patient at a time, because a smile reflects the rest of a person's health, physical and emotional.

Dr. Danoukh recommends a soft toothbrush. Position the brush at a 45 degree angle where your gums and teeth meet, and move it in small, gentle circular strokes across the outside surfaces of your teeth. Use light pressure between the teeth, never enough to feel discomfort.

Follow the same motion on the inside of the back teeth. For the inside of the upper and lower front teeth, hold the brush vertically and make several gentle back-and-forth strokes over each tooth, brushing the surrounding gum tissue as you go.

Finish with the biting surfaces, using short gentle strokes and repositioning the brush as often as you need to reach every surface. Watch yourself in the mirror to check you have cleaned each one, then rinse vigorously to clear any plaque you loosened.

Gum disease usually starts between the teeth, where a toothbrush can't reach. Flossing removes plaque from exactly those surfaces, and the technique takes practice.

Start with about 18 inches of floss (waxed is easier), most of it wrapped around one middle finger and the rest around the other. For the upper teeth, hold the floss tightly between thumb and forefinger and ease it between the teeth with a gentle back-and-forth motion. Never force it or snap it into place.

At the gum line, curve the floss into a C-shape against one tooth and slide it into the space between gum and tooth until you feel light resistance. Move it up and down along the side of the tooth, then repeat on the neighboring surface: every gap has two. Turn soiled floss from one finger to the other for a fresh section as you work, and use your forefingers to guide it along the bottom teeth. Don't skip the back of the last tooth on each side.

Rinse vigorously when you finish. Gums that bleed or feel sore in the first week are normal; if they hurt while you floss, you may be pressing too hard or pinching the gum. As daily flossing removes the plaque, the gums heal and the bleeding stops.

The shelf is confusing, so here is what works for most patients. Electric toothbrushes are safe, effective and worth it. Oral irrigators rinse the mouth thoroughly but do not remove plaque, so brush and floss alongside them. Rubber-tip handles massage the gums after brushing, and tiny interproximal brushes clean between teeth, though used improperly they can injure the gums, so ask us first.

Fluoride toothpaste and rinses, used with brushing and flossing, can cut tooth decay by as much as 40%, though rinses are not recommended for children under six. Tartar-control pastes work above the gum line only, and gum disease starts below it. Anti-plaque rinses approved by the American Dental Association can help bring early gum disease under control, again alongside brushing and flossing, never instead of them.

We accept all PPO insurances and handle the paperwork with them. For everything insurance doesn't cover, the practice works with CareCredit, Sunbit and Cherry: financing you can learn about, apply for or pay through online.

Regular care is the cheapest care. Daily brushing and flossing keep tartar to a minimum, and a professional cleaning removes what your toothbrush and floss missed. Call us at (818) 787-6400 for the best dental care near you, and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.