If you are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant, be sure to communicate this to our Bellevue dentist. Pregnancy has a lot of serious implications regarding your dental care, and you will want to involve your dentist to assure the best health for not only your teeth but also your new baby.

• Avoid X-Rays During Pregnancy: As much as recent developments have made dental radiography safer than it’s ever been before, there’s no sense in exposing your fragile new baby to unnecessary radiation. Try to schedule any important x-rays before your pregnancy, if you can.
• Plan Your Dental Appointments Around your Trimesters: Dental treatment should be avoided during the first and third trimesters, as these are important times in the baby’s development. Routine dental procedures should be safe during the second trimester.
• Alert Your Dentist of Any Medication You Are Taking: It may be necessary to alter your dental treatment to accommodate new medications.
• Take Particular Care of Your Teeth: Hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy put you at greater risk of periodontal disease. Maintain proper oral hygiene, and pay close attention to your gums for signs of bleeding, swelling, or tenderness.
• Switch to a Bland-Tasting Toothpaste: Strong, minty flavors can aggravate your morning sickness. Look for a toothpaste with a more neutral taste for the duration of your pregnancy.
• Rinse After Vomiting: Frequent vomiting exposes your mouth to harsh acids that can break down your teeth and gums. Rinse out with water or mouthwash after vomiting, but don’t brush; the acids in your mouth have temporarily weakened the enamel of your teeth, and brushing too quickly can strip this enamel away.

Part of our job at our Bellevue dental clinic is to protect you from oral cancer. This cancer accounts for less than five percent of cancers in the United States, but has a surprisingly higher death rate than most of the more common cancers. You can work to avoid such cancer by living a healthy lifestyle, and being mindful of the following risk factors:

• Men make up 70% of oral cancer cases, with men over fifty being at the greatest risk.
• Users of tobacco have a considerably higher risk factor for oral cancer. This includes tobacco smoked as a cigarette, cigar, or pipe, as well as smokeless snuff or chewing tobacco.
• Alcohol consumption contributes greatly to oral cancer risk, particularly if the drinker also smokes.
• Excessive exposure to the sun can contribute to oral cancer developing on exposed regions of the lips.
• A poor diet, particularly one deficient in vitamin A, can increase your oral cancer risk.
• A family history of cancer can always be indicative of a higher cancer risk.

Most deaths caused by oral cancer could have been avoided if the condition was discovered earlier. If you’re a high risk for oral cancer, talk to your dentist and be sure to get your regular screenings.

Our Bellevue dentist is not the first person to tell you about the dangers of smoking. You’re probably familiar enough with many of the bigger bullet-points, like cardiovascular disease and lung cancer. But were you also aware that smoking leaves you more susceptible to tooth decay and gingivitis?

The problem goes far beyond the unsightly stains smoking leaves on your enamel. Cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and anything else that causes you to suck smoke into your system is filled with toxins and deadly free radicals that can seriously compromise your oral health. The damage starts as the smoke passes through your mouth, irritating your gum tissues and causing them to recede. Meanwhile, the smoke is getting to your bloodstream and weakening your circulation. This lowers your body’s ability to fight infections and repair damage, while breaking down bone structure in your mouth and jaw.

At the same time, the people around you are suffering from similar problems based on your secondhand smoke alone. For your own oral health, and for the health of your friends and family, stop smoking today!

If you have a kid, it’s fairly likely that he or she sucks his or thumb at least occasionally. Most kids will lose the habit by themselves at some point between the age of two and four, but some will persist longer than others to a point that the parents start to get concerned. Indeed, the effect that habitual thumb-sucking on your teeth is well-understood; it can cause teeth to come in crooked, possibly requiring costly orthodontic work down the line.

Thumb Sucking Habit

There are ways to help your child get past a thumb-sucking habit. In many cases, the habit can be linked to insecurity. Explore anything that may be causing insecurity in your child, and look for ways to help him or her get past it. If this doesn’t work, consider putting a bandage around the thumb to serve as a reminder, or having your child wear socks over his or her hands while sleeping.

Should you require any other help with your child’s oral health, talk to our Bellevue dentist.

Causes and Consequences of Teeth Grinding

Unawares, you might be sweating or tapping your foot, or worst grinding your teeth at night. All these might be happening while you are sleeping. And you don’t have the slightest idea; unless your bed partner says something about it. Or that you might have paid your dentist a visit, a rare occasion for you, and you’re told something is happening to your teeth. Then you’ll realize that these are your body’s responses to stress. The most worrisome of these symptoms must be teeth grinding. It can have some very serious side effects.

Bruxism

Teeth grinding, also called bruxism is the involuntary grinding, gnashing, or clenching of the teeth, at night or during the day. There seems to be no direct cause, but problems with the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) can be one; it could be caused by orthodontia (like braces or retainers), or it could just be related to stress. The only sure way to find out the cause is to visit the dentist and have a mouth examination. If the condition is ignored, consequences can be long-term and damaging.

One of bruxism’s consequences are chronic muscular pain and joint discomfort, particularly in the TMJ. Grinding your teeth nightly will surely, slowly wear down enamel, compromising your teeth’s integrity. The eroded surfaces can be prone to small fractures which can render teeth more sensitive to cold or hot foods, especially when dentin is exposed. Chewing properly can be difficultas the jaw can sometimes become stiff. Headaches, earaches and even migraines can disrupt your sleep.

A treatment plan that suits you can be drawn out by your dentist. That will depend if your teeth grinding is muscular, joint-related, or a combination of both. These options are designed to give protection to your teeth and stop the escalation of the grinding.

Bruxism Treatment

There are several options for treating bruxism. Facial massages can help. A customized mouthguard worn at night can be helpful in preventing the contact of opposing teeth. Some get Botox injections to to relax the muscles around the jaw and provide relief. Depending on the severity of your symptoms and the budget, you can avail of the one most suited to your condition. The thing is to take action as soon as possible to avoid the consequences of of bruxism. Otherwise, there will be more grinding and, hence, more treatment.

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Consulting About Bruxism in Bellevue

Do not ignore your teeth grinding and see us as soon as you are aware. Know that your our dentist at Overlake Dental can help you overcome this condition and prevent it from getting worse.