Federal Way Dental Clinic

The unfortunate truth is that it’s nearly impossible to avoid substances that stain your teeth.  After a whitening, even a professional one performed at our Federal Way family dentistry, it’s really just a matter of time before your teeth lose that sparkle once again.  With that in mind, take a look at this list of common tooth-stainers, and be mindful of how you might reduce the impact they have on your pearly-whites.

• Smoking: Tobacco, marijuana, and any other variety of smoke has a strong ability to leave its impression on your smile.  Don’t smoke.

• Colorful Drinks: A lot of juices, sports drinks, and sodas have a bad combination of acids and pigments that can weaken your enamel and leave them susceptible to discoloration.  Try drinking them with a straw more often, to help them bypass your teeth on their way down your throat.

• Berries: Though highly nutritious, many berries and other richly colored fruits have strong pigments that can show up in your teeth.  Try rinsing out your mouth after eating berries or berry-related pies, pastries, or red wines.

• Sauces: Colorful sauces like tomato sauce and soy sauce are big tooth-stainers.  Consider using white sauces more often.

• Coffee and Tea: Not only do the darkly colored coffees and teas stain teeth, but even herbal tea and white tea can contribute towards weakening your enamel and letting colorful pigmentation in.

• Candy: As always, candy is not the friend of your teeth.  Many have tooth-staining colors added to them, so add that to your list of reasons to cut back.

A lot of times, bad breath can be a good sign that you need to get to your Federal Way family dentistry. It’s common knowledge that gum disease and tooth rot are some of the best ways to make your friends want to stand upwind of you when you talk. However, if your brushing and flossing routine is immaculate and you still have people complaining about your breath, it may be time to consider a different source. After all, contrary to popular belief, halitosis does not always point to a problem in your mouth.

The first thing to do is to consider your diet. Certain things you eat, or fail to eat, can release bad-smelling substances into your lungs and spoil your breath at the source. Garlic and onions, though otherwise very healthy for you, are some of the bigger offenders here. Diets rich in meat and fat, alcohol, and certain kinds of fish, can also contribute. There is even a phenomenon called “hunger breath” that happens when you diet or aren’t getting enough protein; as the body needs to digest the proteins stored in your fat, it releases foul odors in your lungs.

If you’ve considered all of these, and you still can’t pinpoint the source of your room-clearing exhalations, then it might be time to see a doctor. In some of the worse cases, halitosis can point to an infection in the lungs, liver, or kidneys that you will need to have checked out by a medical professional.

Are you afraid of the dentist? You’re not alone. Between ten and twenty percent of Americans have some sort of anxiety or even an outright phobia of visiting the dentist’s office. Fortunately, there are ways that you can work with our Federal Way Dentistry in order to alleviate these fears and allow you to live a normal life with good, proper dental care.

The best way to address your fears is to discuss them with your dentist. If you communicate what your concerns are, you may be surprised by how much your dentist can ease your mind. There are many dental procedures that are not nearly as painful as is commonly believed, or not nearly as invasive as you might imagine. A good dentist can help you understand exactly what is to go on inside your mouth such that you are better able to get through it without worry.

Some people fear the dentist because they feel powerless while on the dental chair, with their mouth invaded by powerful, frightening tools. In these cases, it can help to establish a signal with your dentist. If you’re feeling pain, if you need to swallow, or if you just want to step away for a second, this can go a long way towards helping you feel comfortable with normal dental procedures.

Are you aware of how many options you have when it comes to flossing? For something as simple as a length of dental string, there is a lot of variation available to accommodate your individual needs. You can ask our dentist in Federal Way about what floss might be right for you, or you can follow these simple tips to try to discover the perfect floss for yourself.

One big factor in floss choice is thickness. Some people have particularly narrow gaps between some teeth, and conventional floss frequently gets stuck or breaks while they are flossing. If this is you, you should look for a finer floss. If you’re comfortable with a thicker thread, however, you’re probably better served thereby.

It’s also a good idea to look out for a floss with fluoride. This is a material that is found in most toothpastes, and works well to reinforce your tooth enamel. The spaces between your teeth may not be benefiting as much from the fluoride in your toothpaste, so a little extra help may be warranted.

Lastly, there are people who lack the manual dexterity needed to maneuver their floss through their back teeth. Maybe you have bad joints, poor coordination, or fingers that are just too big for your mouth. These people might benefit from one of several varieties of flossing aids. Look for these at your local drugstore, or consult your dentist for more information.

Some patients of our Federal Way Dentistry are suffering from a poorly maintained toothbrush. Though this may seem like a simple enough device with a simple enough function, there is a number of ways that your brush can fail you and even start doing more harm than good. In order to get the most out of your brushing routine, make sure that your brush is up to the task.

First of all, you should remember to change your brush at least every three months. This is generally how long it takes for the bristles to be worn down too much to give you an effective brushing. They become weaker, they begin to jut out at odd angles, and they’re just not lifting plaque away like they should. You may need to get a new brush more frequently if you brush your teeth particularly hard, or if you are suffering from gum disease.

Another problem that can afflict your brush is bacteria build up. Your brush is bound to be exposed to bacteria in your mouth, and these can quickly multiply deep within your bristles. To combat this, it’s a good idea to store your brush upright; this better allows it to dry out between brushings, which makes it a more hostile environment for microbes. You can also periodically dip the bristles in hot water, or an antibacterial mouthwash. Do not microwave a toothbrush or attempt to wash it in your dishwasher; these can damage your brush.

People suffering from diabetes have a lot of problems to deal with, and some of these problems have to do with their dental care. Our Federal Way dental clinic cautions diabetic patients to be careful with their teeth, for their condition puts them at greater risk of tooth and gum problems.

One of the symptoms of diabetes is poor circulation, and this hurts your ability to fight dental infections. It also means that your saliva becomes saturated with glucose, and this is feeding the harmful bacteria in your mouth. Compared to a person with a controlled blood sugar level, diabetics are highly susceptible to tooth decay and gum disease.

On top of all this, gum disease is turning around and aggravating your blood sugar level, trapping you in a vicious cycle. Diabetic patients with gum disease need more medication to regulate their condition, and their blood sugar becomes more manageable only after their gum disease is brought under control. Spare yourself this grief by taking the necessary measures to keep your teeth healthy.

What are canker sores? How do you get them, and how do you get rid of them? The answers are never easy, because nobody is entirely sure what causes these sores. However, if the pain is bothering you, your Federal Way Dentistry recommends these measures to combat these little nuisances.

Canker sores are usually attributed to an irritation of the sensitive tissues of the mouth. Protecting these areas from anything that might poke, burn, or otherwise aggravate them is a good first step. You might want to avoid hot or acidic foods, and cut back on gum or anything else that subjects your mouth to needless chewing.

The pain from a canker sore should go away after a few days, and the sore should be completely gone within a couple of weeks. If it persists longer, or if it is a particularly large or painful sore, then you might need dental help.

Some people like to use a good toothpick or other fancy pick-like device to get in between their teeth. If you ask our Federal Way Dentistry, however, it’s a mistake to try to use a toothpick in place of flossing.

Though toothpicks have some small value, it is a truly limited value and one that can be outweighed by the potential drawbacks. You can put them to good use in extracting an irritating piece of food from between your teeth after a meal, but there’s still a whole world of plaque down there that your pick simply cannot reach. Some people try to force the pick in far enough to get at these tough-to-reach places, which puts them at risk of grinding away at the fragile gum tissues or even leaving tiny splinters of wood behind.

So use a toothpick if you must, but never let anything take the place of your floss!

Many patients come to our Federal Way Dentistry with concerns about sensitive teeth. It’s a tricky problem, as your sensitivity could just as easily come from too much dental care as it can from poor dental care.

Tooth decay and receding gums are both negative factors that can cause your teeth to be sensitive. Brushing too little invites infection, and brushing too much strips away fragile tissues. Unfortunately, you can also expect some sensitivity from antibacterial mouthwashes, tooth whiteners, whitening toothpastes, and other products that are actually helping your teeth. You can even expect some short-term sensitivity after a routine dentist appointment.

If you want to conquer tooth sensitivity without sacrificing your oral hygiene, talk to your dentist. There may be some way to change your dental routine in order to be less harsh on your gums.

Are you suffering from bruxism, or teeth-grinding?  Your Federal Way Dentistry can help you get rid of this problem before it takes its toll on your jaw or tooth structure!  Try following these easy tips to rid yourself of bruxism:

• A lot of grinding is caused by stress.  Identify anything that might be stressing you out, and figure out how to deal with it.

• Pain in the teeth or jaw area can cause you to grind.  If you are experiencing any pain, alert your dentist so he can help you find relief.

• Cut back on alcohol.

• Cut back on caffeinated substances, like coffee, soda, and tea.

• If you often chew items that are not food, like pencils, bottle caps, or gum, your jaw muscles are getting used to clenching.  This might aggravate your grinding problem.

• If you grind during daytime, you can train your jaw muscles to relax by holding the tip of your tongue between your teeth.

• If you grind at night, try relaxing your jaw muscles.  Hold a warm compress against your cheek for a few minutes before going to sleep.