Federal Way Family Dentistry – Useful Facts

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Whole Grains Prevent Periodontitis

in Did You Know? by Bella Dental Clinic Comments are off

Everybody knows that whole grains are good for your body. They can help to reduce your cholesterol, manage your blood sugar, and more. Further, they may also help you to facilitate good oral health.

According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a study demonstrated that a diet rich in whole grains serves to prevent periodontitis. People who get at least three servings of such grains every day are roughly 23% less likely to suffer from this disease, compared to those who eat less than one serving. The theory is that, as whole grains facilitate your ability to metabolize glucose, eating them results in a lower blood glucose level. Since the sugar in your blood can reach your mouth, lower blood sugar means less food for your oral bacteria.

You can enjoy these benefits with just three or four slices of whole wheat bread a day. Brown rice, oats, and even popcorn can also help. For more help on maintaining proper oral health, talk to our Federal Way dentistry clinic.

Gum Disease May Lead to Prostate Problems

in Did You Know? by Bella Dental Clinic Comments are off

When you fail to brush and floss, you’re putting yourself at risk of worse things than tooth decay and gum disease. If you’re a man, you may actually be hazarding prostate disease if you let your oral health slip.

Researchers took a look at the potential relationship between prostate cancer and gum disease. To do so, they examined a group of twenty-seven participants who suffered from both moderate to severe gum disease and some form of inflammation in the prostate gland, along with an elevated prostate specific antigen level. These participants spent four to eight weeks getting treatment for their gum disease, but no treatment for their prostate inflammation. After this period, it was found that fully twenty-one of these participants exhibited an improvement in their prostate specific antigen levels. The more severe the inflammation was initially, the better the improvement.

If you, too, have some sort of inflammation in your prostate gland, it can’t hurt to take a look at your gums. Make an appointment with our Federal Way dentistry clinic to help manage any gum disease you may be experiencing.

Can Anti-Cavity Toothpaste Repair a Cavity?

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If you’ve ever perused your toothpaste options in the supermarket aisles, you’re familiar with the concept of anti-cavity pastes. Such toothpastes are rich in fluoride, helping you to prevent the formation of dental caries by plugging up the holes that form in your enamel when your oral bacteria secretes acid. It’s a good choice for when you want to keep your teeth healthy. However, if you’ve already developed a cavity, anti-cavity toothpaste is not going to reverse the damage.

Once a cavity begins to form, no amount of fluoride is going to stop it. There is a tiny crack digging deep into your dentin, where bacteria can hide and thrive. At this point, your only solution is to have a dentist drill and sanitize the crack, then plug it with a filling. If you fail to do this, the cavity will only get worse until it penetrates your dentin and infects your pulp, which calls for a root canal.

Should you ever think that you are suffering from a cavity, don’t try to fix your problem with toothpaste. Call our Federal Way dentistry clinic for all your oral care needs.

Is Honey Safe for Your Teeth?

in Did You Know? by Bella Dental Clinic Comments are off

If you’re looking for an alternative to conventional refined sugars as a sweetener, honey offers quite a few advantages. Unfortunately, these advantages do not extend to your oral health. If you are using honey with the hopes that it will put you at less of a risk of tooth decay, you’re going to be disappointed.

Indeed, honey has the same ability to rot your teeth as refined cane sugars. About 82% of honey is sugar, which adds up to seventeen grams of sugar in a single tablespoon. These sugars come in the form of natural glucose and fructose, which has certain benefits, but still feeds your oral bacteria and allows it to produce the acid that causes tooth decay and gum disease. Further, the sticky nature of honey allows it to linger on your teeth for a longer period than many sugars might, causing further decay.

So, when you eat with honey, be sure to treat it with the same level of caution that you would any other sugary snack. Enjoy it in moderation, and don’t coat your baby’s pacifier in it. Consult our Federal Way dentistry clinic to learn more.

Giving Up Meat Without Harming Your Teeth

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In an effort to be healthier or more environmentally conscious, more people have been adopting either a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle nowadays. Such diets can be very beneficial to your body, if they are done right. However, many fail to account for how their new meatless diet might affect their oral health.

One of the benefits of meat that you don’t hear people talk about too much is that it scrubs your teeth as you chew. Both low in carbohydrates and high in fiber, meat is good at removing plaque, sugar, and food. A lot of fruits and vegetables have a similar effect, but they also contain more sugar for your oral bacteria to feed off of.

If you’re looking to assume a meatless diet, you will want to seek out foods that better replicate the effect of eating meat. Good low-sugar, high-fiber foods include beans, legumes, and whole grains. Not only will these scrub your teeth, but they are also a fair source of meatless calcium to help you keep up healthy teeth.

What Makes Beaver Teeth So Powerful?

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The enamel on your teeth is a very complex structure, one that the rest of your tooth relies upon to protect it from harsh, decay-causing acids. Developing a better understanding of this structure is an important part of creating effective new dental technology. In pursuit of such an understanding, a team at Northwestern University took a look at the tooth of the common beaver.

It’s no secret that beaver teeth have to be in top form. Beavers need them to chew their way through the trees they make their homes out of, and they don’t have fluoride toothpaste to help keep them together. Fortunately, the beaver benefits from a superior tooth enamel that is harder and far more resilient to acid than our own. The team found that beaver tooth enamel is made up of nanowires of hydroxyapatite, with an amorphous, iron-rich mass filling out the space in between. This iron is responsible for the reddish color of beaver incisors, as well as some of their great strength.

While the chemicals found in beaver tooth enamel is different from our own, the structure is more or less the same. With this in mind, researchers may be able to find a way to put what they’ve learned to good in protecting our own teeth. Until such a time, you can always count on our Federal Way dentistry clinic to give you the dental care you need.

Do Americans Really Have Better Teeth?

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The stereotype of the crooked British smile has been around for many years, largely driven by the appearance of some prominent figures. But how accurate is this stereotype?

Until now, there has not been much in the way of scientific evidence either supporting or refuting our image of our neighbors across the pond. A recent study took a close look at the mouths of a selection of British and American participants, counting the number of missing teeth that the average citizen of either country had. The results were that Americans, on average, were missing more teeth than their British counterparts. The study did not look into any other aspects of dental health, including orthodontic needs. However, it would seem that dental care in the United States is falling somewhat short. Some are attributing this to the more comprehensive welfare policies that the English enjoy, which accounts for the fact that it’s largely people from the lower socioeconomic position in the United States who exhibited the most missing teeth.

One way or the other, be sure that you are not denying yourself the dental care you need. Contact our Federal Way dentistry clinic for your regular checkup and cleaning right away.

What are Lie Bumps?

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Occasionally, you might find tiny, white bumps forming on the top surface of your tongue. These bumps sometimes turn red, and can feel uncomfortable or tender to the touch. Long ago, some people believed that these were the result of telling lies, giving them the name “lie bumps”. Of course, this is an old wives’ tale. Today, we know the condition as transient lingual papillitis.

Nobody knows for sure why transient lingual papillitis happens. However, it is largely believed that they are caused by some form of trauma to the taste buds. You might experience them after scraping your tongue too hard or biting down on it. It is also possible that certain foods will react poorly with your buds after you ingest them.

The good news is that this is a fairly harmless condition. It may be slightly uncomfortable, but it will generally vanish after a few days. Further, it is impossible to spread it to your loved ones. However, if they persist for more than a few days, talk to your doctor.

Stress During Pregnancy Causes Tooth Decay in Children

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A recent study has indicated that the amount of stress that a pregnant mother experiences has a significant effect on the dental health of her baby.

This study, conducted by a research team from the University of Washington in Seattle, examined data taken from over seven hundred children and their mothers. They examined signs of stress exhibited by the mothers during their pregnancy, and the number of dental caries suffered by the children. The results of the study showed that children born after high-stress pregnancies were at a significantly higher risk of dental caries.

These findings are consistent with other studies, which have drawn a connection between childhood caries and low income households. This is the first time that a study has suggested that it may be the higher stress experienced by mothers in a low socioeconomic situation that is to blame.

If you are an expecting mother, do what you can to reduce your stress for the sake of your child. Later on, after he or she turns one, come in for a visit at our Federal Way dentistry clinic.

Secondhand Smoke Linked to Childhood Tooth Decay

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Many young children suffer from caries on their teeth at an early age, with roughly one in four children in the United States exhibiting some form of tooth decay between the age of two and five. This is unfortunate, as your child’s baby teeth play an important role in the long-term health of their teeth. Many parents try to spare their young ones this damage by limiting their sugar intake. Though this is a good start, secondhand smoke is another significant risk to look out for.

A scientific study looked at the rate of tooth decay in four-month-old children, comparing those who were raised among secondhand smoke with those who were exposed to little or no tobacco smoke. It was found that those coming from households that smoke had roughly twice the risk of developing caries as those from non-smoking families. It would appear that smoke from cigarettes reduces children’s ability to produce the saliva they need to clean their teeth, and invites the development of the oral bacteria that breaks down your enamel.

If you’re looking for other ways to encourage good oral health in your child, bring him or her to our Federal Way dentistry clinic.

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