Watching Out For Snoring Patterns

If 1 in 4 American males and 1 in 3 American females snore – that’s a huge company of snorers. So why do some people snore? According to some experts, we tend to lose muscle tone when we’re asleep. The tongue flops back and the tissues and muscles in the throat and nose relax. While inhaling and exhaling, air passing over and between these relaxed tissues causes them to vibrate, which in turn causes noise.

So why do some people snore and others don’t?

There are factors that play, for example, obesity in a person. Fat deposits at the base of the tongue and along the upper throat take up more space and can push in the muscles and block off air passage. Another is sleeping on your back, which can cause the tongue to sag into the throat where it may constrict air flow and increase the vibrations. Drinking alcohol can further relax the muscles and tissues of the airways, and so promote snoring.

Snoring can also be brought about by structural anomalies or differences in the immediate area. One example is a deviated septum. It’s that wall inside the nose that separates the nostrils. If it is askew, air circulation can be pinched off. If the uvula, that dangling tissue that hangs down in the back of the throat, happens to be longer than usual, it can relax and rest on the tongue, enabling snoring.

Sleep Apnea

While snoring is not a major problem in most cases, sometimes it is. If a person has sleep apnea of the obstructive type, which is extended breathing stoppages, it had been associated with an increase in cardiovascular disease risk, when there is snoring also. Snoring and sleep apnea may lead to intermittent hypoxia, insufficient oxygen in body tissues that can put unhealthy pressure changes inside the chest, cause arterial damage or blockages, and inflammation.

In obstructive sleep apnea, there can be complete lack of breathing for 10 seconds or longer. A breathing device, to use while sleeping, called a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) ventilator can be the treatment along with weight loss. Surgery can also apply, if necessary.

Some snoring patterns may be suspicious, like if it sounds like a person has shallow breathing for a few seconds or often quits breathing for a while, accompanied by gurgling or choking and with some shaking – as if the body is trying to wake itself up – a doctor must be consulted. Sometimes, a non-snorer suddenly developing a new-onset severe snoring, it can be sign of an obstruction forming in an airway. So, see a doctor. Aside from watching your diet, you can downgrade your alcohol consumption, and try sleeping on your side instead.

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Consulting Your Snoring in Bellevue

You might have sleep apnea and not know it and regard is as just plain snoring. See us at Overlake Dental for this concern and don’t ignore it.

It’s All About the Enamel

Did you know that a quarter of children have dental decay by the time they start school?

Parents do their best to avoid tooth decay in their kids – tooth brushing regularly, limiting sugary treats and drinks, using fluoridated water. But despite parents’ best efforts, some children’s teeth are inherently weak and decay more easily.

It was previously thought that only a very small minority of people have this rare genetic condition called amelogenesis imperfecta or enamel malformation. Amelogenesis imperfecta is a disorder of tooth development. It causes teeth to be unusually small, discolored, pitted or grooved, and prone to rapid wear and breakage. Other dental abnormalities are also possible. The condition can affect both baby teeth and adult teeth.

Hypomineralized Second Primary Molars

However, there are recent studies that have reported that up to 14% of preschoolers may have “hypomineralized second primary molars” (or HSPM). It’s a condition where the enamel of the second baby molars doesn’t develop properly, making them weak and prone to damage.

The teeth of children with hypomineralized second primary molars may have white or yellow patches with rough areas where the weak enamel has broken off. Teeth can be so weak that they’re unable to cope with the demands of chewing and break down soon after they come through the gums. They are often highly sensitive and children may avoid brushing them because they hurt. Such sensitivity, combined with the weak enamel, means dental decay occurs more readily.

Dental care for children with these teeth is challenging, the usual anesthetic agents are less effective and treatment is painful. The usual filling materials do not stick to the enamel and they don’t last due to poor enamel quality. These kids need to have dental treatment more often and may contribute to more dental anxiety and phobia. However, if the baby teeth are affected, the adult teeth are also more likely to be affected.
What can be done? A healthy diet and good brushing can help, but precautions are needed. Dentists can detect signs of weak teeth before they break down and help protect these teeth using seals or fillings that cover weak parts. It’s so important to have regular dental visits, starting as early as 12 months of age, or when the teeth first come through.

Prevention is Key in Bellevue

Be sure you bring your children to Overlake Dental for their first dentist visit. It is best to prevent future dental problems.

The Purpose and The Problem of Wisdom Teeth

Most people develop a third set of molars in their late teens or early 20s, a period ushering in adulthood, becoming more wise and mature, supposedly. Hence, the teeth are called wisdom teeth. That is just about there is to it. But knowing all the problems that come with them, you’d ask if it’s wise to keep them at all.

Why are they there in the first place when you don’t see the rationale?

Apparently, there was a point, but one that brings you back thousands of years ago – when humans evolved. Prehistoric man would catch and tear into their food using their mouth, causing a great amount of wear and damage to the teeth. When teeth are lost then it becomes difficult to eat and hence, difficult to survive. At some point in the evolution, a replacement set of molars came in later in life, and this provided a backup system for eating.

While wisdom teeth were advantageous to our ancestors, why is it more of a disadvantage for us in this modern age? While we now cook our food, those extra molars are no longer necessary, yet we can’t leave them alone. They are now a burden.

The problem now is that the size of our jaws decreased but our body kept making wisdom teeth. There is not as much room to come in so they often come in at odd angles and will mess up our other teeth. In these cases, the wisdom teeth have to be removed surgically.

Now we know how it all came down to us, and so these times, many dentists advice wisdom teeth removal to decrease the chances of dental problems in the future.

Wisdom Teeth Removal in Bellevue

Now you know why we have our wisdom teeth. If you are having issues with them, don’t hesitate to come for a consultation at Overlake Dental in Bellevue.

Gum Pain: Reasons and Tips

Many patients ask why their gums hurt when they’re brushing their teeth. They feel some degree of discomfort and/or pain in their gums while doing their oral hygiene routine. In some instances, they have never yet experienced this reaction before. If it happens to you, should you be alarmed?

Sometimes our gums hurt and the most common cause for this is a chronic inflammation of the gums. This is a result of a chronic infection of the gums. Know that after eating, it only takes about 12 to 24 hours for plaques to form. Plaques are sites for bacteria to grow and multiply, and we know that there are hundreds of different bacteria residing in our oral cavities. If we do not brush our teeth regularly and properly, bacteria can multiply and result in infection. The risk is higher if food intake is mostly sugary. In other words, now, gums hurt usually due to poor oral hygiene.

Gums also hurt if you use hard bristle toothbrushes; likewise, if you use harsh brush strokes. These habits can scrape the soft gum tissue as well as erode enamel. Similarly, old brushes with worn out bristles do not clean the teeth properly and are a risk factor for causing infection.

Gums hurt, too, due to the loss of dental enamel, that first outer layer of teeth. Strong as it is, constant exposure to acid, for example, can weaken it and cause it to become sensitive. Enamel loss can be brought about by high starch and sugary food and drinks, energy drinks, drugs like tetracycline, reflux disease, and conditions like teeth grinding. They can all result to chronic inflammation and infection of the gums.

Teeth and gum problems cause pain and increased sensitivity of the gums, and in many cases, tooth loss. They can also cause systemic infections, like heart problems, hence, should not be ignored.

So, what must one do when gums hurt? Improve hygiene of the teeth and gums. Brush teeth every morning and before going to bed at night or after every meal. If not, at least have a mouth rinse after meals or drink lots of water after drinking soda. Use also an antiseptic mouthwash. Change your hard bristle toothbrush to a soft one and replace as soon as the bristles start to wear out. Floss daily. Avoid taking sugary foods and drinks. Lastly, have a professional cleaning regularly, which also means you will be visiting your dentist and have an oral examination.

Treating Gums in Bellevue

Do you experience pain or discomfort in your gums? Learn what’s wrong by visiting our Bellevue dentist, Dr. Yu, here at Overlake Dental.

The Good and The Bad Bacteria

There’s a natural balance of good and bad bacteria in our oral cavity. The balance is offset if poor dental hygiene is neglected and bad bacteria take over, growing and accumulating. Did you know that there are about 700 different types of bacteria in the mouth, most are naturally occurring and doing no harm? Probiotics are examples of good bacteria that support overall health as well as oral wellness. Each of us ingest bacteria daily in the form of probiotics, either unintentionally as contaminants of food, or intentionally, in processed foods such as yogurt, fermented milk or cheese.

On the other hand, there are bacteria that can contribute to dental decay and gum disease. Streptococcus mutans is the bacteria identified the most with tooth decay. It lives in your mouth and feeds on the sugars and starches that you eat. It can cause bad breath, as a result of tooth decay that is allowed to progress.

So when the wrong types of bacteria are ones proliferating in the mouth, bad breath, tooth decay and gum disease are the natural consequences. These conditions are the result of poor oral hygiene; incorrect and insufficient tooth brushing and flossing and not using mouthwashes – allow food debris and bacterial plaque to advance on the teeth and the tongue. Thick bacteria can also cling to gums, when unattended can lead to gingivitis and over time, to its more serious form, periodontitis.

So how do you combat bacteria, the hidden culprit?

Brush and floss daily. It takes 12-24 hours for plaque to gather in your mouth to support bacteria. Brushing and flossing at least once a day can remove most of this build up.
Rinse your mouth daily. Brushing alone only reaches 25% of your mouth, while a mouthwash fights the remaining bacteria in your whole mouth, teeth and gums. Research shows that some antimicrobial mouthwashes can kill oral bacteria in 30 seconds.

Cut back on sweets. Harmful bacteria like Streptococcus mutans love sugar. The more sugar and other carbohydrates they feast on, the more they produce acid that will build up on your teeth. Acid can cause enamel weakening and make teeth prone to cavities and decay. With proper and consistent oral hygiene, no bacteria is beyond your control.

Guarding Against Bad Bacteria in Bellevue

When you visit us at Overlake Dental regularly, you’ll know more about how to combat harmful bacteria that can lead to dental woes. See us today for a consultation.