Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Yes! We are happy to accept new patients of all ages at our Los Alamitos dental office. Our patients are what make working in the dental field worth it, and we love getting to know new patients and making them a part of our dental care family.

We understand that choosing the right dentist for you and your family is an important decision. You want someone you feel comfortable with, who you can trust with your dental care and that of your family's, someone who will provide you with excellent service and compassionate care. That's why these are the core values of our dental office.

We work hard to offer the best and most up-to-date dental treatments to all of our patients, and all of our staff are continually learning new techniques and technologies to better serve you. We strive to create a calming and welcoming environment in our office and our team is friendly and professional with a gentle touch that you and your family will appreciate.

If you are looking for a new dentist in the Los Alamitos area or are considering changing dentists, call our office today to schedule an appointment and find out why we feel we are the best choice for your family's dental care, now and for years to come.

It's important to feel confident about your choices when it comes to your dental care, especially if you are considering major dental work. We understand this, and that's why we are happy to offer a consultation before beginning any major treatment plan. If you have already been told you need a dental treatment but you have doubts, Los Alamitos dentist Dr. Edward Luong will be happy to provide a second opinion. We do charge a fee for consultations and second opinions, but if you choose to begin treatment with our office, we will happily apply this fee towards treatment.

We take your dental care seriously, and we want you to know you're making the best choice for you and your smile. We don't want you to go through a lengthy and perhaps costly procedure only to find it was unnecessary or that there was a better alternative available. 

During your consultation or second opinion, Dr. Luong will perform an examination and discuss your treatment options. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and find out if there are alternative treatments available that may work for you. If x-rays are needed, we can take digital x-rays and explain what treatment we would recommend and why.

At our Los Alamitos dental office, we consider our patients a part of our family, and we will never recommend an unnecessary treatment. If we wouldn't perform a procedure on our own family members, we won't perform it on you. We want you to feel good about the dental care you choose, and if there is ever anything we can do to help, let us know. Dr. Luong and our team will help you make sure you're making the right choice about your treatment.

If you are interested in a consultation or a second opinion for any of the services we offer, contact our office today to schedule an appointment.

Dr. Luong recommends a professional cleaning and examination at least every six months to ensure good oral health. Some patients with greater dental conditions or other health problems that can affect the health of your teeth may be advised to see our hygienist even more frequently, every four months, three months, or even every other month depending on your personal situation and oral care needs.

Regular professional teeth cleanings by a trained dental hygienist are crucial to your oral health. Even the most conscientious brushers can't reach every tooth surface with a toothbrush and floss. Our trained hygienist will make sure that whatever you missed while brushing your teeth every day is thoroughly debrided and cleaned.

Professional cleanings also help to keep tartar under control, something that can't be achieved with regular brushing. Tartar forms a hard, yellow crust on your teeth that no amount of brushing can remove. Our experienced hygienists can remove tartar to help prevent gum disease and keep your teeth both looking and feeling healthy. Cleanings also allow us to monitor for other issues that can develop, such as gum disease and oral cancer. Catching these issues early makes treatment much easier for you and offers a better potential outcome. 

If you are overdue for a professional teeth cleaning, call today to schedule an appointment at our Los Alamitos dental office.

Dr. Luong is a minimalist dentist, so we will not take x-rays if they are unnecessary. Each patient is different, so the frequency of x-rays depends on the patient's needs and dental condition. Bite-wings may be needed as often as every six months in cases such as a teenager with high caries risk, or as seldom as every 18 months for an adult who has had some fillings before but no cavities in a while.

Our Los Alamitos dental office uses digital x-ray technology, which offers many benefits to both the patient and the dentist. The digital x-ray process uses up to 90% less radiation than traditional x-rays, and most patients find the digital sensor more comfortable than the older bite-wing films that were inserted directly into the mouth.

Digital x-rays also offer faster and better diagnostics. The x-ray can be pulled up on a monitor almost immediately and can be enlarged to see details that may be missed in a traditional x-ray. We can also use the monitor display of your x-rays to help you better understand what is happening inside your mouth, so you can make more informed and better choices about your dental care and feel confident in your decisions.

If you would like to learn more about the digital x-ray technology we offer or you need to schedule an appointment, call us today!

Dental anxiety is actually very common, so you're not alone! Dr. Luong and our dental team are experienced in helping anxious patients relax and putting you at ease. Don't let dental anxiety keep you from getting the care you need! Let us help!

We offer pillows and blankets to make you comfortable, music by Pandora, and television and movies through Netflix while you're in the dentist's chair. Many patients find that having music to listen to or their favorite movie to watch helps them relax and makes the appointment seem to go by quickly!

For more extreme cases of dental anxiety, we offer anxiety-free dentistry. We prescribe a mild sedative to be taken approximately an hour before your appointment. This allows you to be relaxed and calm during your dental treatment, but you are still completely conscious and able to respond to the dentist. If you are using this treatment to relieve your dental anxiety, make sure you arrange to have someone drive you to and from your appointment, as the sedative will take a few hours to wear off.

If you have been putting off a visit to the dentist because of anxiety, call our Los Alamitos dental office today to find out more about how we can help.

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends your child have their first dental visit when they get their first tooth or by the age of one year, whichever comes first. During the first visit, your child will get to "ride in the chair" and learn about the sights, sounds, and smells of our office so they can create positive associations with visiting the dentist.

Dr. Luong will meet with you and discuss brushing as your child's teeth come in, how to develop good oral habits from a young age, how to brush your child's emerging teeth, bottle use, thumb sucking, and any other relevant information. If you have questions about your child's oral health, we'll be happy to answer them during this first "well patient" visit. During subsequent visits, we can teach your child proper brushing habits as they grow old enough to manage this on their own.

"Baby bottle tooth decay," or early childhood caries, is a growing concern in younger patients. It's important to take care of your child's teeth from the start, as baby teeth serve many important functions and it's vital to preserve them and keep them healthy. Missing baby teeth can cause permanent teeth to shift and grow in crooked or with gaps, as well as causing unnecessary pain for your child from infections and extractions.

If your child has recently had their first tooth come in or is over one year old and has not yet seen a dentist, call today to schedule their first appointment with Los Alamitos dentist Dr. Luong.

There are many dental diseases that are silent killers. Periodontal disease, or gum disease, may not cause any pain or give you any signs until it is too late and irreversible damage has been done to your teeth and gums. Dental cavities may not ache until it is too late and you need root canal therapy or an extraction.

With regular examinations and cleanings, we can catch these potentially large problems early and offer you a much more conservative treatment. By finding decay early, a small filling can be used to treat a cavity before it can grow and make its way deeper into your tooth. Gum disease in its early stages is very treatable with scaling and root planing, but left untreated it can lead to infections, tooth loss, and a need for surgery to repair the damage.

Keeping your teeth clean and healthy will make you feel better, too! There's nothing like the feeling of clean, shiny teeth after a professional cleaning, or a clean bill of health after your dental exam. If you are overdue for a cleaning and check-up, call our Los Alamitos dental office today to schedule an appointment.

We understand how stressful dental emergencies are, and we try to keep some same-day appointments open for emergencies only at all times. Most of the time we can get you in to see Los Alamitos dentist Dr. Luong today if you are having a dental emergency. We will always schedule emergencies for the next available appointment so you can be seen as soon as possible.

If your dental emergency happens after-hours and you are an established patient of record with our dental office, we can offer assistance in the evenings and weekends including instructions on how to deal with your emergency situation until the office opens – or a referral to the hospital emergency room if the situation warrants it.

Dental Emergency Triage Tips

If you have a toothache, rinse your mouth with warm water and use dental floss to dislodge any food or matter that may be stuck between your teeth, causing discomfort. Apply a cold compress to the outside of your mouth or your cheek if you are experiencing swelling with the pain. Contact our office to be seen as soon as possible.

For chipped or broken teeth, save the broken pieces if you can. Rinse your mouth and the broken pieces with warm water. If you are bleeding, apply pressure to the area with gauze until the bleeding stops, usually within about ten minutes. Apply a cold compress to the outside of your mouth over the site of the chipped or broken tooth to minimize swelling and reduce pain. Contact our office to be seen as soon as possible.

If your tooth is knocked out due to trauma, retrieve the dislodged tooth. Do not handle the tooth by the roots, only by the crown (top) of the tooth. If the tooth is dirty, rinse it carefully with warm water. Never scrub or use soap on a dislodged tooth, as this may make it impossible to save. If possible, replace the tooth in the socket, facing the right way. Never try to force a knocked-out tooth into the socket. If it does not reinsert easily, place the tooth in a cup of milk, or water with some salt added if milk is not available. Contact our office immediately: our best chance of saving the tooth is treatment within an hour of the tooth being knocked out.

If you are experiencing a dental emergency, please contact our office right away so we can assist you. If your emergency is life-threatening, please visit your nearest emergency room or call 911.

Many people have concerns about the safety of teeth whitening/bleaching products, and for good reason--at least some of the time. Many of the over-the-counter whitening products available, especially those containing an abrasive, can actually damage your enamel. This is why we recommend whitening your teeth under Dr. Luong's supervision to ensure the safety and health of your mouth during any teeth whitening treatment. Whether you choose in-office or in-home bleaching, we offer whitening treatments that get results without harming your teeth!

The bleaching agents we use in our Los Alamitos dental office are safe for your enamel. We would never recommend any dental treatment that would be bad for your teeth! In addition, whitening your teeth under the supervision of Dr. Luong allows us to ensure your ongoing oral health, by adjusting the strength of the bleaching gel or the recommended time periods for whitening your teeth.

While over-the-counter teeth bleaching may not always get you the results you want and could lead to problems in the future, we are happy to offer our patients a safer and more effective alternative with both in-office teeth whitening treatments and easy, custom-fitted at-home bleaching kits that will have your smile brighter faster, and give your results that last.

If you are interested in having your teeth whitened, please call today to schedule an appointment.