orthodontist 90057 Archives - Alpan Orthodontics

LA Orthodontist Discusses Braces and Gum Disease

July 15, 2026November 29, 2013 by seo

Person posing outdoors with blurred face

A Close Eye on Mouth Germs Everybody’s smile relies on proper daily attention to remain clean and healthy. Your toothbrush and floss are essential to controlling the buildup of sticky dental plaque, which consists of over 600 different kinds of oral bacteria. Some of these germs pose serious, specific threats to your oral health, such … Read more

Do Braces Increase the Risk of Cavities?

July 15, 2026November 21, 2013 by seo

Person adjusting braces with rubber bands

Straightening crooked teeth can have a profoundly positive impact on your oral health, as well as your confidence. Unfortunately, while highly effective, wearing orthodontic braces also affects your daily routines, like eating and brushing your teeth. By making dental hygiene slightly more difficult, braces can increase a patient’s risk of developing dental issues that result from excessive dental plaque, including tooth decay (the disease that causes cavities). Luckily, however, cavities are still highly preventable even with metal brackets and wires attached to your teeth. To help keep our patients’ mouths and braces clean and clear of cavities, Los Angeles orthodontist, Dr. David Alpan, takes the time to educate each patient about proper oral hygiene, and provides special instruments designed to effectively clean around braces.

Understanding Good Hygiene with Braces

July 15, 2026November 8, 2013 by seo

With today’s impressive array of technological and dental advancements, there are few oral health issues that cannot be effectively corrected with the appropriate treatment. Nevertheless, given the extent of damage that unchecked dental diseases can cause, prevention remains the most effective method for preserving your smile, especially since teeth can’t repair themselves when compromised. Practicing good hygiene at home is the cornerstone of excellent dental health, but without regular professional care and maintenance, your toothbrush and floss may fall short of protecting your smile from dental diseases. Patients with misaligned teeth, or who wear braces to correct malocclusion, are especially at risk for dental issues, which stem from plaque that can hide between braces and the odd crevices created by crooked teeth. As Century City orthodontist, Dr. David Alpan, warns his patients, good hygiene while wearing braces is a vital part of successful orthodontic treatment.

Los Angeles Orthodontist Answers Questions About TMJs

July 15, 2026October 30, 2013 by seo

What to Know About TMJ Disorder

Most crooked teeth are inherently visible when patients smile, their unevenness disturbing what should be a perfectly balanced arrangement of teeth. However, not all of the effects of malocclusion (crooked teeth) involve visual appearance. When left untreated, a disproportionate bite can prove devastating by forcing the components of a patient’s mouth to absorb more pressure than they were designed to withstand. Often, it can lead to debilitating discomfort in the form of TMJ disorder, which describes damaged, inflamed, and/or misaligned jaw joints. As a dedicated orthodontist in Los Angeles, Dr. David Alpan has helped many patients find TMJ relief by correcting malocclusion, and by educating patients about the jaw dysfunction.

What does TMJ stand for?

TMJs are the temporomandibular joints that connect the lower jaw, or mandible, to the temporal bones in the skull. Located in front of each ear, TMJs move in tandem as the jaw opens and closes, and rely on proper balance to repeatedly absorb bite pressure without sustaining damage.

L.A. Orthodontist Explains How Metal Metal Braces Work

July 15, 2026October 2, 2013 by seo

Simply put, orthodontics is the art of straightening crooked teeth, often through the use of braces. Many people are familiar with the concept of orthodontic treatment and the dramatic results that braces can provide. However, fewer people understand how the orthodontic appliances successfully move teeth, which are rooted in the jawbone, without damaging surrounding oral structures. Your Los Angeles orthodontist, Dr. David Alpan, explores the components of metal braces, and the slow process that allows them to create beautiful, straight smiles out of crooked and misaligned teeth.

What are Metal Braces Made Of?

Typical metal braces consist of three basic components;

Brackets—bonded to each tooth’s surface

Arch wires—placed over the brackets; provide the necessary force for moving teeth

Ligature ties—also known as “O-rings” for their circular shape; hold arch wires in place and are changed when braces are tightened

Los Angeles Orthodontist on Teeth Alignment & TMJ Disorder

July 15, 2026September 30, 2013 by seo

As a dedicated orthodontist in Los Angeles, Dr. David Alpan has helped patients of all ages improve their confidence by straightening crooked teeth. He also warns that straight teeth are about more than mere vanity; proper occlusion, or teeth alignment, is vital to a mouth’s comfort, health, and function, and when teeth are crooked (a condition called malocclusion), the rest of your mouth’s components can suffer. Today, we explore how crooked teeth can influence your jaw’s joints and muscles, leading to the debilitating dysfunction known as TMJ disorder.

The Effects of Improper Pressure Displacement

A healthy human mouth can exert up to 200 pounds of pressure on the back molars when biting and chewing, and is designed to preserve the integrity of its components as they absorb this pressure. Teeth alignment plays a significant role in pressure displacement, and if teeth are uneven, then the mouth is off balance and certain teeth may be subjected to excessive pressure. The jaw’s joints (TMJs) and muscles will try to keep the mouth straight while biting and chewing, but the strain can eventually lead to TMJ damage and misalignment.

L.A. Orthodontist: Two of Oral Health’s Biggest Enemies

July 15, 2026September 4, 2013 by seo

Protecting your oral health requires a good general understanding of what could trouble it, and how to prevent or defeat these issues before they significantly damage your oral tissues. As an orthodontist in Los Angeles, Dr. David Alpan takes time to properly educate patients about specific oral health issues, as well as discussing their viable treatment options to determine the best course of action. Today, we examine two of the most notorious threats to your smile’s wellbeing, which can be found among the plethora of oral bacteria that consistently inhabit your mouth.

The Cavity Germ

One of the most infamous mouth microbes is the bacterium Streptococcus mutans, which significantly contributes to dental plaque formation. Though sticky dental plaque can feel annoying, S. mutans real danger to your oral health lies in its ability to convert sugar and other carbs into acid, which weakens your enamel and depletes your teeth of minerals. After a while, this acid can irreversibly damage your enamel and allow bacteria to infect your tooth, causing tooth decay and small holes (cavities) to form.

Los Angeles Orthodontist Providing Accelerated Orthodontics

October 15, 2026August 30, 2013 by seo

Person holding clear orthodontic aligner

In our efforts to provide patients with comfortable, world class orthodontic treatment, Dr. David Alpan offers accelerated orthodontic options designed to shorten treatment time and reduce soreness. Alpan Orthodontics began offering accelerated treatment in 2014, and our patients love finishing sooner with less discomfort along the way. With OrthoPulse or Propel, we are seeing about … Read more

L.A. Orthodontist—What You Probably Don’t Know About Your Teeth

July 15, 2026August 23, 2013 by seo

As a dedicated orthodontist in Los Angeles, Dr. David Alpan specializes in an interesting aspect of your teeth—their orientation, position, and contribution to your bite’s balance. Aside from remaining clean and disease-free, healthy teeth also have to be aligned properly to displace your bite’s pressure. However, maintaining your smile’s harmony is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to your teeth’s abilities. Today, we explore a few interesting facts that you may not know about your teeth and what makes them such a formidable part of your anatomy.

Did You Know?

Your tooth is comprised of three layers: enamel (on the outside), dentin (the main structure), and pulp (inner chamber that houses the nerves and blood vessels). The enamel that protects your teeth is the strongest substance that your body produces.
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When Tooth Extraction Can Save Your Smile, with Your L.A. Orthodontist

November 13, 2024August 21, 2013 by seo

While losing a healthy tooth is typically a disastrous experience for your oral health, sometimes a tooth must go for the greater good of your smile. As Dr. David Alpan explains, most preferable dental treatments should focus on preserving as much healthy tooth tissue as possible; however, if a crooked, damaged, or severely diseased tooth interferes with your good dental health, then extraction may be the only solution. Today, your Los Angeles orthodontist describes when tooth extraction is the only viable option, and how it can serve your smile’s best interests.

Only When it’s Necessary

Wisdom teeth—the last four molars to erupt in a healthy adult mouth—are usually the only teeth that can be extracted without negatively affecting your oral health and function. In fact, impacted wisdom teeth often cause crowding, push existing teeth out of alignment, and disturb your smile’s delicate symmetry. Similarly, a severely crooked, diseased, or damaged tooth may interfere with your orthodontic treatment and require removal to make room for other teeth.

L.A. Orthodontist—Healthy School Lunches for Children with Braces

November 13, 2024August 19, 2013 by seo

Planning your children’s school lunches can be challenging alone, but if one or more of your children wear braces, then the challenge can be a bit more demanding. Aside from feeding your kids the minerals and nutrients they need, you also have to take into consideration the challenges they face when eating with braces. Your dedicated Los Angeles orthodontist, Dr. David Alpan, helps take the stress out of school-lunch planning by offering a few tips on what to pack.

What to Steer Clear Of…

Foods that can stick to or damage your child’s braces should be avoided, such as;

Soft, chewy, and sticky candy that can adhere to brackets and wires
Cakes, cookies, brownies, or other sugar-loaded treats (sugar facilitates bacterial acid production and tooth decay)
Nuts, hard candy, and popcorn
Sodas, fruit juices, and similarly high-acid beverages
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Los Angeles Orthodontist Explains TMJ Disorder

July 15, 2026August 12, 2013 by seo

There are a host of issues that can arise from crooked teeth, including the diminished confidence of a less-than-appealing smile, but your teeth’s alignment is about more than looks; it’s about balance, which is a necessary component of a well-functioning mouth. Your Los Angeles orthodontist, Dr. David Alpan, believes it’s important to know the intricacies of your oral health, and enjoys helping patients find their smiles’ perfect balance through customized orthodontic treatment. Today, we explore a vital dysfunction that can result from unattended crooked teeth called TMJ disorder, which can negatively affect your smile’s integrity and the components that make it move.

Why Balance is Important

Your jaw is hinged to your skull at the temporal bones in front of each ear, and the temporomandibular joints (TMJs) move in tandem as your mouth opens and closes. When healthy and perfectly aligned, your jaw displaces the pressure of your bite evenly among the joints and muscles that move it and the teeth that absorb the impact.