Daily Dental Routine

Cleaning your tongue is an important part of your daily dental routine, just like flossing your teeth. Failing to clear away the plaque and detritus on your tongue is a good way to invite tooth decay and gum disease.

In case this is not enough to motivate you to get a proper tongue scraper, also consider the additional benefits that tongue scraping has for your dining experience. Just make sure you use proper tongue scraping and cleaning techniques. If you have trouble brushing your tongue, ask our Bellevue dentist about a tongue scraper.

Plaque and Bacteria on your Tongue

When you neglect to scrape your tongue, your taste buds aren’t able to do their job. You’re tasting your food through a thick layer of plaque and bacteria. Blocked taste buds also bring about false cravings and a reduced ability to enjoy your food. It is only by regularly cleaning your tongue that you can properly enjoy all of your favorite dishes and its flavors.

Overlake Dental in Bellevue

Make an appointment with us to learn more about proper tongue scraping and making it a part of your daily oral care routine.

What Stains Your Teeth?

When you need to get rid of the stains on your teeth, you can come into our Bellevue dental clinic for a whitening. But how can you keep your teeth from staining more in the future?

Unfortunately, tooth-staining substances abound in your daily diet, so much so that you can’t reasonably expect to avoid them all. Common food and drinks that stain your teeth include the following:

• Tea. This is particularly true of dark colored teas, but even herbal white tea has the potential to erode your enamel and leave a stain upon your teeth.
• Colorful sauces. These include tomato sauces, soy sauce, and curry.
• Sodas and sports drinks.
• Coffee.
• Berries. The strong pigmentation present in the more colorful berries are also present in jellies, jams, juices, and the dark wines that are made from them.
• Tobacco and other smokables.
• Many colorful candies and sweets.

Try Changing Daily Habits

Obviously, this list represents not only a lot of common indulgences for many people, but also a lot of the healthiest substances you can put into your body. Therefore, instead of simply cutting them all out of your diet, consider some easy stain-fighting habits that can allow you to enjoy your favorites without dulling your smile.

Drink your more colorful drinks through a straw, and don’t let them linger among your teeth. Keep water handy as you partake of staining foods to help you rinse away pigments before they settle. And when all else fails, make a whitening appointment with Overlake Family Dental!

Flossing may be a difficult habit to get into, but it’s one that our Bellevue dentist strongly advises. Good flossing can save you from a lot of tooth decay, and is in many ways more important even than brushing in terms of maintaining a clean mouth. Consider the following flossing routine to see if your own habits are up to the task.

• Choose a floss that works for you. If you have narrow spaces between your teeth, look for a narrower floss.
• Floss at least once a day, preferably before your final brushing of the day.
• Draw a length of floss about as long as your forearm (perhaps about eighteen inches). You should then wind either end around your index fingers such that you’re holding about two inches between your hands. As you floss, unwind from one finger while winding up on the other to make sure you’re always flossing with clean floss.
• Begin flossing, maneuvering the string into the space between your teeth and between your back teeth and gums. Make sure that you get both edges of all teeth, pulling the floss into a “V” shape against either surface as you go.
• Be gentle. Do not saw at your gums.

Understanding X-Rays

X-rays are one of the most important diagnostic tools at any dentist’s office. Getting your regular x-rays is the only way to be sure that you don’t have any tooth decay that needs to be taken care of.

But, considering the dangers of radiation, are x-rays a worthwhile risk? This is a common concern, so Overlake Dental in Bellevue wants our patients have the important facts they need to feel safe during their normal dental appointments.

“X-rays, also known as radiographs, are an essential part of any dental care treatment plan. They are diagnostic, but they can also be preventative, by helping a dentist diagnose potential oral care issues in a patient’s mouth before they become a major problem. An x-ray is a type of energy that passes through soft tissues and is absorbed by dense tissue. Teeth and bone are very dense, so they absorb X-rays, while X-rays pass more easily through gums and cheeks.

X-rays are divided into two main categories, intraoral and extraoral. Intraoral is an X-ray that is taken inside the mouth. An extraoral X-ray is taken outside of the mouth.

Intraoral X-rays are the most common type of radiograph taken in dentistry. They give a high level of detail of the tooth, bone and supporting tissues of the mouth.”

– Colgate

The first thing to realize is that the amount of radiation you are subjected to with modern dental x-ray machines is exceptionally minimal. Advances in x-ray technology allow us to get an effective image of your teeth quickly and efficiently.

Machines operating at a higher speed let us capture a picture with a very short exposure period, and more limited x-ray beams focus the radiation only on where it is needed. Along with the advances in dental technology, you also enjoy the protection lead-lined aprons.

In short, the small amount of radiation that you are exposed to is easily worth the benefits you get from an occasional dental x-ray.

There is a myth floating around that you can ease a toothache by placing an aspirin next to it. However, our Bellevue dentist advises that this is not a wise course of action. Not only will this not mitigate your pain, but you are in fact only making your problem worse.

A toothache generally results from an inflammation of the pulp inside the tooth, which is thereby crowded by the unmovable shell that makes up the rest of the tooth. An anti-inflammatory drug can ease the pain, but only if you swallow it and allow it to make its way to the afflicted tissues through the bloodstream. As an aspirin is acidic, merely holding one in your mouth is further contributing to the breakdown of your gums and enamel, exactly as if you were holding a sugary candy by your tooth.

When your tooth is hurting, swallow the aspirin, ice the area or rinsing your mouth with warm salt water can ease gum swelling. If you have concerns, please call Overlake Family Dental as soon as possible.