Building Good Flossing Habits

Flossing may be a difficult habit to develop, but it’s one that our Issaquah dentist strongly advises. Good flossing is in many ways more important even than brushing in terms of maintaining a clean mouth, as much of the surface of your teeth is out of the reach of your brush.

Flossing Tips

If you need a refresher course on how to floss, try following these simple steps:

  • First, pick a floss that works for you. Some people have narrower gaps between their teeth, for example, and need a narrower floss.
  • Floss at least once a day, preferably before your final brushing before going to sleep.
  • Use a length of floss about as long as your forearm (or around eighteen inches). You should then wind either end around your index fingers such that you’re holding about two inches between your hands. Unwind from one finger and wind up on the other as you go, giving yourself a clean piece of floss for every tooth.
  • Begin flossing, gently maneuvering the string into the space between your teeth and between your back teeth and gums. Make sure that you get both edges of all teeth, pulling the floss into a “V” shape against either surface as you go.
  • Take care with your gums! If you routinely draw blood, it might be because you’re sawing at your delicate tissues.

Which Candies are the Worst for Your Teeth?

Valentine’s Day Sweets

The holidays are a time for indulging in sweets, from candies to cakes to spiced ciders. Since many of these are rich in sugar, they can be quite hard on your teeth and gums. Of course, some sweets are worse than others, and a proper understanding of which are the least healthy from a dental standpoint can help you to assure better oral hygiene during the holiday season.

It’s not so much the sugar that harms your teeth as it is the length of time that the sugar is exposed to your teeth. It is better for your mouth to have a large amount of sugar pass quickly through your oral cavity than to have a small amount of sugar linger on your teeth for an extended period of time. Therefore, anything sticky, and anything that you suck on, like candy canes, toffee, and lollipops, is going to be worse than substances that are easy for your saliva to rinse away, like chocolates.

You can minimize the effect of sweets on your teeth by indulging only after meals, rather than snacking throughout the day. Contact our Issaquah dentist to learn more.

Avoid Dental Emergencies Over the Holidays

You never know when a dental emergency might arise. They can happen at any time, often for no apparent reason. However, there are times when the average dentist’s office sees considerably more emergency patients than usual. The winter holiday season is one of these times.

Indeed, we all tend to indulge in sugary treats throughout the holidays. However, this is not the only problem to look out for. All of the family gatherings and parties we enjoy over the holidays create an environment wherein we are likely to overdrink. Many people will drink for hours on end, very probably passing up their normal limits without even realizing it. When we do that, we are all the more likely to hit ourselves in the teeth with our cups, walk into glass doors, or collapse on the floor. This adds up to chipped teeth, cracked teeth, and the occasional lost tooth.

To avoid any dental emergencies, just try to enjoy your alcohol in moderation. Limiting your alcoholic beverages to mealtimes can be a good way to manage your portions. Contact our Issaquah dentist if the worst should happen.

The Importance of Tongue-Scraping

You’re probably brushing and flossing every day, but are you also scraping your tongue? If you aren’t, you are missing an important part of your daily oral hygiene.

Bacteria can grow on any surface in your mouth, and it doesn’t need to be growing on your teeth or gums to cause tooth decay or gingivitis. The surface of your tongue is developing a thick layer of plaque which is creating the acid that eats away at your mouth, and also contributes to bad breath. An antibacterial mouthwash can go a long way towards killing off the bacteria throughout your mouth, but it will do little to clear away the plaque.

The good news is that it’s easy to clear this plaque away; simply brush at the top of your tongue with your toothbrush once a day. Since many people find this to be fairly uncomfortable, particularly when they try to scrape the back of their tongues, there are products available designed specifically for tongue-scraping.

Tongue Health and Care

Talk to our Issaquah dentist if you have any questions about tongue-scraping, or anything else that pertains to your daily oral hygiene routine.

Am I at Risk for Oral Cancer?

Oral Cancer

Part of our job at Meadow Creek Dental Issaquah is to protect you from oral cancer. This cancer makes up less than five percent of cancer cases in the country, but compared to many of the more common cancers it has a surprisingly high death rate.

Possible Risk Factors

You can take steps to avoid these cancers by living a healthy lifestyle, which starts by being mindful of these risk factors:

  • Men account for 70% of oral cancer cases, with men over fifty being at the highest risk.
  • Users of tobacco have a substantially higher risk factor for oral cancer. This includes tobacco smoked in a pipe, cigarette, or cigar, as well as smokeless chewing tobacco or snuffs.
  • Excessive alcohol consumption greatly increases your risk, particularly if you also smoke.
  • Sun exposure can lead to oral cancer developing on your lips.
  • An unbalanced diet, particularly one that is low in vitamin A, can increase your risk of oral cancer.
  • A family history of cancer can always be indicative of a higher cancer risk.

Oral Cancer Screening at Meadow Creek Dental Issaquah

The high death rate of oral cancer can be largely attributed to too many cases being discovered at a late stage. If you’re a high risk for oral cancer, talk to our dentist at Meadow Creek Dental and take care to get your regular screenings.

Regular Maintenance at Issaquah Dental Clinic

Why Go for Regular Maintenance?

Most people’s first dental visit may have been prodded by an emergency or perhaps a long-standing dental issue that has been put-off for some time. Where medical doctor check-ups are viewed with more seriousness, regular dental maintenance is treated with some laxity.

Let’s look at a few reasons why people should come for those regular visits.

One is for cosmetic reasons and not for vanity alone. Discolorations, tooth breakages, tooth spaces, gingivitis, even bad breath from dental caries affect your self-esteem. Putting them aside is detrimental to normal function and aesthetics in the long run. Optimal oral health doesn’t just happen and needs professional care.

Also, with regular maintenance, one receives education. Regular cleaning is part of proper care and your dentist educates you on the pros and cons of your dental habits. Young children started off on early dental visits receive training about oral hygiene and which also eases their anxieties about dentists.

Another reason is for general health. A regularly visited dentist is usually the first to spot a medical situation inside the mouth. Health hazards such as diabetes, cancer, or HIV are seen early on and can hence be immediately and medically addressed.

Regular is Healthy

Even those in the pink of dental health require regular maintenance. With age, your eating habits, hygiene practices, lifestyle, and medical status do change and require some professional looking-in. Our dentist in Issaquah, Dr. Dipti, reminds that keeping up with your regular oral maintenance is a beneficial and healthy practice.

The Do’s and Don’t’s of Brushing

Our Issaquah dental clinic sees many problems that could have been avoided with proper brushing technique. Even a small flaw in your routine can gradually turn into a big problem for you and your teeth. If you think that your own habits could do with a little “brushing up”, take a look at our easy-to-follow tips here:

  • Flossing should come first. This allows the toothpaste to put its fluoride to better work between your teeth.
  • Brush twice a day, once after you wake up and once before you go to sleep, after your last meal of the day. You shouldn’t eat or drink anything aside from water after you last brush, as your mouth is more vulnerable to lingering food particles as you sleep.
  • Brush for two minutes at a time. Too little may leave you insufficiently cleaned, and too much might be too hard on your gums.
  • Do not brush too soon after eating. Acids in your food can compromise your tooth enamel for a short while, making them vulnerable to being stripped away by your brush.
  • Hold your brush at a forty-five degree angle to your teeth and brush in a circular motion so that you gently massage your gums.
  • Remember that plaque can gather on your tongue. Use a tongue scraper if you have one, or simply brush your tongue.
  • If you’re so inclined, follow up your brushing with mouthwash. There are many good options available to give your teeth the extra edge they need.

How to Overcome Childhood Dental Anxiety

Dental Anxiety

Millions of people suffer from dental anxiety, and most of them can trace the roots of this problem back to their childhood. Indeed, fostering comfort with the dental office is something that should begin at an early age.

Tips to Help Dental Anxiety

You can help your child feel better about his or her dental appointments with Meadow Creek Dental in Issaquah by considering the following tips:

  • The general recommendation is that a child’s first dental visit should occur at the age of one. Bringing him or her in at an early age is not just a good way to prevent decay, but also a great way to acclimate the child to the experience of being in the dentist office.
  • Children have a surprising sense of the emotions of their parents. If you are anxious about visiting the dentist, your child could be picking up on this and learning from your example.
  • Present the dentist office to your child with a positive light, but avoid using language like “everything will be alright”. You want to avoid losing your child’s trust if he or she experiences discomfort during your visit.
  • Never offer your child a bribe to go to the dentist. Children are smart enough to realize that, when you promise them a reward, there must be something bad to look forward to.

What’s with DNA Testing at Issaquah Dental?

Your Periodontal Health is on your DNA

Gum disease is a very common affliction and most people are bound to have it, anywhere from gingivitis to its severer form which is periodontal disease. There are reports that say 75% of Americans over 35 years of age have some degree of a periodontal problem.

Periodontal disease is caused by bacterial invasion, coming from poor oral hygiene, poor nutrition, and unhealthy habits. With its predominant symptoms of gum swelling, discoloration, gum recession and sometimes bad breath and bleeding, this advanced form can pervade other teeth and gum tissue. You may lose your teeth eventually.

However, studies show that even if widespread, different people respond to bacterial plaque differently. Certain populations are more prone to higher risks of developing severe periodontitis, while others are not. Their genetics seem to spell the difference. It becomes of clinical significance to test your DNA to find out if you are predisposed to the disease so that you are forearmed.

Test and Know at Issaquah Dental

To have your DNA tested at Meadow Creek Dental can establish a clear window to your periodontal health. Our Issaquah dentist employs this test to identify if you have a pathway to this condition, your risk is assessed and a personalized treatment may be necessary to manage it before it starts or before it worsens. Have this simple test at our Issaquah dental clinic and know how to win the battle.

Is Sugar-Free Soda Better for Your Teeth?

We all know that soda is bad for your oral health. The logic behind this is easy enough; after all, a substance so sugary is sure to feed your oral bacteria and invite serious tooth decay and gum disease. Knowing this, there are some people who think they can avoid such problems and still enjoy all the soda they want simply by switching to sugar-free soda options. Unfortunately, this is nowhere near as good an idea as it may sound.

Indeed, even a completely sugar-free soda can encourage cavities and gingivitis. The fact is that, when it comes to your dental care, sugar is not the biggest problem with soda. Soda is carbonated, and any beverage with carbonation is going to be highly acidic. This acid serves to weaken your tooth enamel in the same way that the acid produced by your oral bacteria does. It is this acid that is doing most of the harm to your teeth.

You can minimize the effect of soda on your teeth by following up your drink with some water. Meanwhile, always be sure to keep your regular dental check-ups with our Issaquah dentist.