General

When you break or lose a tooth, you may be a candidate for a bridge. This form of restorative dentistry comes in the form of an artificial tooth structure that is held in place by a pair of crowns installed on the two adjacent teeth. It is an effective solution for many dental problems, but it can pose its own set of challenges in terms of your daily dental care. So, how can you best take care of your bridge after it is installed?

It becomes particularly important to avoid tooth decay around your bridgework. Since the bridge is supported by the natural tooth structure of your adjacent teeth, any weakness in this structure can lead to a breakdown in the entire bridge. For the most part, you’ll be able to take care of your teeth as normal. However, it will be impossible to floss inside your bridge with conventional floss; you will therefore need a product known as a floss threader to avoid any decay in your hard-to-reach areas.

When you get a bridge installed by our Bellingham dentist, it should last you as much as fifteen years or more. This is only going to be true, though, if it is properly maintained. Talk to your dentist to learn more.

What do you think of when you think of foods that rot your teeth? If you’re like most people, you probably know enough to limit your intake of sugary candies and sodas. However, there are many other substances with the potential to quickly encourage tooth decay. One of the more surprising of these may be pickles.

This revelation is coming to us from a British study from 2004. Researchers took a look at the eating habits of a broad cross section of English teenagers, finding that many teenagers with excessive wear on their teeth consumed a large quantity of of pickles. It would seem that the problem with pickles is the vinegar, a highly acidic substance that has the same potential to weaken your tooth enamel that the acid produced by your oral bacteria dies.

If you’re a fan of pickles, the good news is that you’re probably not doing much harm to your teeth unless you eat a significant number of pickles more than once a day. So long as you are keeping up with your daily oral care routine and making your regular visits to our Bellingham dentist, there is no reason you shouldn’t be able to enjoy pickles.

A fractured tooth is an important problem. When your tooth fractures, bacteria and acid can penetrate right through your enamel and dentin to rot away the fragile insides. If left untreated, a fractured tooth may call for a root canal. Unfortunately, you may have a fractured tooth without even realizing it for a long period of time. It may feel normal to the touch, and you might not even experience any symptoms until your pulp becomes infected. To avoid such problems, be on the lookout for these warning signs:

• Any erratic pain in your tooth that manifests or becomes worse when you chew or clench your teeth.
• Pain that comes from temperature changes in your mouth, particularly cold temperatures.
• A pain, swelling, or pocketing in the gums around your tooth.
• A rough or sharp feeling on your tooth.

Should you ever suspect that you have a fractured tooth, don’t wait to call our Bellingham dentist. Prompt treatment may make the difference between needing a filling or needing a root canal.

Everybody knows that drinking soda is unhealthy for your teeth and gums. All of the sugar in sodas create a feeding frenzy for your oral bacteria, fostering cavities and gingivitis. Knowing this, there are many people who try to dodge this bullet by opting for only sugar-free sodas. But is this really the fix that they think it is? The answer may surprise you.

The unfortunate truth is that sugar-free sodas have just as much potential to rot your teeth that conventional sodas do. After all, it’s not only the sugar in a soda that is breaking down your enamel. Carbonated drinks are always highly acidic, and this acid serves to weaken your tooth enamel in exactly the same way the acid produced by your oral bacteria does. In many drinks, the acid is responsible for more damage than the sugar is. So, if you drink sugar-free sodas, you should be taking as much care as you would with normal sodas; try following your soda with a drink of water or something calcium-rich, like milk, to neutralize the acid. You can also avoid or decrease the consumption of sodas and other sweet drinks.

Talk to our Bellingham dentist to learn more about how to keep your teeth healthy.

If you are struggling with diabetes, you may find that you have particular problems managing your oral health. This is a condition that puts you at greater risk of tooth decay and gum disease.

One of the big problems with diabetes is that you develop poor circulation. What this means for your teeth is that you have a reduced ability to fight against infections, including those that affect your teeth and gums. Further, your saliva is more saturated with sugar than it normally would be if you had a normal ability to control your blood sugar. The bacteria in your mouth can feed off of this sugar and bring about decay and gingivitis. Finally, the medication you take to manage your diabetes may give you dry mouth, which encourages the growth of oral bacteria.

To make matters worse, gum disease can further aggravate your blood sugar level. This can bring about a vicious cycle, with your diabetes fostering gum disease and your gum disease aggravating your diabetes. To avoid this cycle, take care to never miss one of your regular check-ups with our Bellingham dentists, Dr. Jill Tetrick and Dr. Gary Tetrick.

Green tea is a great way to enjoy many strong health benefits. If you’re a regular tea-drinker, you’re probably already aware of the way green tea protects the cells of your body from aging and disease. However, many people are not aware that the same tea can also help you foster a strong, healthy mouth.

This is according to a study which determined that the antimicrobial agents in green tea serve to kill off the bacteria that are responsible for tooth decay and gingivitis. Participants in the study who reported drinking at least a cup of green tea on a daily basis were found to be 19% less likely to lose teeth as they aged.

Certain other drinks were found to have similar benefits. Oolong tea was found to feature the same antimicrobial catechins, but to a lesser extent. Meanwhile, green tea that is sweetened with sugar apparently loses much of its benefits. Coffee exhibits no such benefits, while sweetened coffees are quite harmful to your teeth.

To learn more about how you can foster clean and healthy teeth and gums in your daily routine, talk to our Bellingham dentist.

Do you or someone in your family suffer from asthma? If so, your regular oral hygiene should be all the more important to you. This unfortunate condition has a lot of potential to foster tooth decay and other dental problems.

Asthma and Dental Health

The main problem with asthma, as far as your dental health is concerned, is that it encourages you to breathe through your mouth when you are short of breath. This causes your mouth to dry out. At the same time, dry mouth is often a side effect of the asthma medication that you might take. Since your saliva is an important part of your mouth’s ability to clean itself and fight infections, any drying in your mouth is making it easier for your oral bacteria to break down your teeth and gums.

If you struggle with asthma, be sure to tell us when you come to our Bellingham dentist’s office. Some people with asthma have particular trouble in the dental chair when they feel dental anxiety. By communicating openly with us regarding your discomfort, you can help us to help you remain comfortable and avoid any difficulties during your cleanings.

Recently, a team at the Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences took a look at the dental habits of eight hundred men and women.

Participants in this study underwent an examination of their oral health, and then were asked a set of questions in regards to their understanding of dental care. After examining the results, the team determined that women were, on average, more diligent in their dental care than men were.

This is according to the following findings:

• The flossing habits of women are about 26% better than those of men.
• A woman is about twice as likely as a man to schedule her regular dental visits every six months.
• 44% of the women surveyed were aware that the overall health of their bodies could benefit from regular visits to the dentist. 33% of men were similarly aware.
• A woman is about twice as likely as a man to take notice when someone she is talking to is missing a tooth.
• 74% of the women surveyed stated that they would feel embarrassed to be seen with a missing tooth. 57% of the men said the same.

If you feel that you are falling short in your own dental care, consider making a call to Tetrick Family Dentistry. Our Bellingham dentist office can help you to get back on track and maintain good oral health for many years to come.

Suffering a stroke is never an easy thing to go through. Your daily routine can change dramatically in many ways, and your regular oral hygiene is no exception. If you’ve recently had a stroke, you should be sure to take special measures to assure that your dental care does not suffer as well.

A big problem for many people is that they lose the manual strength or dexterity that they need to brush their teeth properly. If this is your experience, consider making the switch to an electric toothbrush or a flossing aid. In some cases, you may only need to wrap a cloth around your toothbrush to make it easier to grip.

When it comes time to visit our Bellingham dentist again, bring along a list of any medication you may have been prescribed following your stroke. Some medication, like anticoagulants, can encourage excessive bleeding and have unfortunate implications in your dental treatments. If you are experiencing poor memory as a result of your stroke, consider writing down any instructions that your dentist gives you. In this way, you should be able to maintain healthy teeth and gums in spite of your stroke.

People around the world are currently looking forward to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, with all the excitement and athleticism that the events are known for. Unfortunately, if the last summer games has taught us anything, there is also a great deal of oral decay going on under the surface.

Indeed, during the 2012 games in London, it was observed that about a fifth of the participating athletes exhibited some degree of dental problem. Some suffered toothaches, some bleeding gums, and some had such serious decay that their ability to participate in the games was jeopardized.

It would seem that this is a problem common among athletes. Though they are often models of great physical health, their mouths suffer as a result of their workout routines. Part of this is because they become dehydrated, which fosters oral decay. Further, many athletes favor consuming a lot of carb-heavy foods and sports drinks, both of which have a lot of sugar in them.

Therefore, if you are an avid athlete, be sure to keep your regular appointments with our Bellingham dentist to make sure your teeth do not prevent you from participating in the sports you most love.