On Guard for Stealthy Sugar

If our Bellevue dentist asked you if you knew the causes of tooth decay, you’d probably have an answer ready. You’re sure to know that candies, gums, sodas, and other sweet-tasting foods are the biggest no-no’s of dental hygiene. Unfortunately, this is only the tip of the iceberg.

Agents of tooth rot can be hiding where you least suspect them. Many people assume that only junk food poses any particular threat to their teeth, but this is far from true. Fruit is one of the sneaker sources of sugar; though fruit is a valuable part of your diet, even whole, all-natural fruit can be just as hard on your teeth as certain sweets. This is especially true for fruit juices and dried fruit.

Another unfortunate antagonist is your cough drop. Many medicinal items like this are packed with sugar, and a minute or two of sucking on one can quickly turn your mouth into a bacterial free-for-all. So, after relieving that pain in your throat, be sure to rinse!

Dealing With Canker Sores

Some people come to our Bellevue dentist with concerns about their canker sores. What are they? 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, there are measures you can take to combat these oral nuisances.

Canker sores can generally be linked to irritation of the tissues in the mouth. You will therefore want to prevent further aggravation towards these tissues by keeping away from anything that might poke, burn, or irritate the area. This can mean avoiding certain foods, particularly acidic ones like citrus fruits. It also means cutting back on activities like gum chewing, which increases your risk of biting down on the sore.

The pain from a canker sore shouldn’t generally last longer than a few days, and the sore should heal completely within two weeks. If it persists longer than this, or if it is a particularly large or painful sore, then greater action may be called for. Contact your dentist about such sores.

Other Services Available

A good dentist needs to be able to do more than just clean your teeth and fill your cavities. This is why Overlake Dental’s Bellevue dentist is prepared to serve you with a selection of other services designed to assure our patients the best possible oral health.

VELscope Oral Cancer Screening

Oral cancer, though a relatively uncommon form of cancer, has an unfortunately high death rate. Fortunately, if it is discovered in its early stages, the patient’s chances of survival are very good. This is why Dr. Yu offers VELscope Oral Cancer Screening at his practice to perform a much more thorough assessment of your mouth and oral health as part of your regular dental visit.

The VELscope exam helps us identify normal and abnormal tissues by visualizing any abnormalities in the mucosal tissues of the lips, mouth, and upper throat within a few minutes. Call us at 425-453-9999 to learn more about the VELscope Oral Cancer Screening process.
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Dental Implants

If you have a single missing tooth or several missing teeth, you may be self-conscious about your smile. Even if you are missing teeth in the back of your mouth, the lost tooth can adversely affect your ability to chew and also cause deterioration of the jawbone. This is why missing teeth must be treated as soon as possible, and Bellevue dentist Dr. Yu may recommend dental implants to fill the gaps in your smile.

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Need Dental Work? Make an Appointment with a Bellevue Dentist

When people are choosing their Bellevue dentist, they should look for a dentist that provides a wide range of dental services. Good oral health is part of a healthy lifestyle. It’s been shown that the same bacteria that attack a person’s gums can attack their heart as well. Dentists recommend that patients have a routine cleaning and dental checkup every six months to prevent bacterial gum infections. Our Bellevue dentist will also check a patient’s mouth for cancer. Finding this serious illness early, gives the patient the best chance of surviving it.

Routine checkups also give a patient the chance to discuss other dental matters with their Bellevue Dentist. They may be concerned that their teeth are yellow or that they are missing a tooth from a recent accident. Dr. Yu can tell them what their options are and describe the process in detail. That way the patient can understand the ways that they can achieve the smile the want. It may surprise them that they can have their teeth professionally whitened in only a single office visit. Dingy and yellow teeth can be made up to nine shades whiter.

Missing teeth are easily replaced with dental implants. The Bellevue dentist at Overlake Dental will take detailed x-rays to confirm that the patient’s jaw is strong enough to support an implant. The x-rays will also identify the location of nearby teeth, their roots and any nerves in the area. This helps the dentist place the dental implant in the correct location. It takes about six to eight weeks for the jaw to heal after the implant is inserted. During that time the jaw fully incorporates the implant. Once that process is complete, the implant is as integrated in the jaw as the original tooth root. A porcelain crown can then be fitted on top of it. The result is a natural looking tooth that fits the patient’s smile perfectly.