It’s old news that sugary soda is bad for your teeth. Obviously, all the sugar in soda is a big contributor to tooth decay and gum disease. Armed with this knowledge, some people think that they can avoid this problem by drinking only sugar-free soda. Unfortunately, this is not the fix that they think it is. Our Bellevue dentistry cautions you to take as much care with sugar-free sodas as you would with sugary beverages.

The truth is that it is not only the sugar content of soda that is detrimental to your teeth. The carbonation is also doing your mouth no favors. Carbonated beverages like soda are highly acidic, and this acid has a high potential to break down your tooth enamel. In many drinks, this acid is doing more damage than the sugar itself. You can minimize this damage by chasing an acidic beverage with a calcium-rich drink, like milk, and stick to drinking water between meals as much as you can manage.

Acid reflux can be difficult to live with. People suffering from this condition have trouble with their stomach acid escaping up their esophagus, which can burn the throat and cause a lot of pain. Some of this acid can also reach your mouth, which can take its toll on your teeth. Our Bellevue dentistry advises that you take measures to manage your acid reflux for the sake of your oral health.

You can reduce your acid reflux symptoms by carefully planning your diet. There are many foods that aggravate acid reflux, among these being alcohol, chocolate, garlic, onions, dairy, citrus, tomatoes, mint, spicy food, fatty food, coffee, tea, and other caffeinated beverages. Avoid these substances late in the day, and try propping up the front legs of your bed a few inches so that your throat is an uphill climb from your stomach. This will go a long way towards saving your tooth enamel from the ravages of your stomach acid.

The mouth can be the site of many bothersome lesions, bumps, and sores, and the cold sore is one of the more irritating. Should you or a member of your household become afflicted with such a sore, our Bellevue dentistry advises that you observe the following precautions in order to hasten recovery, minimize pain, and prevent the virus from spreading:

• There are drugs you can buy over the counter that can be effective in mitigating the pain, reducing cracking, and speeding up the healing process.
• Cold sores can become infected, so keep the area clean. You should wash a sore gently with ordinary antibacterial soap and water as needed.
• Use a sunscreen on your face and lips if you are to be out in the sun for an extended period of time.
• Don’t let the virus spread! Wash your hands after touching a sore, and don’t share utensils, drinks, or anything else that touches your mouth.
• You can also spread the virus to other parts of your own body if you are not careful.
• Vulnerable areas include your eyes and mouth. Wash your hands before touching other parts of your body.
• Replace your toothbrush, and don’t let your infected brush touch the brushes of others.

Remember that your sores will be contagious until they completely crust over. Cold sores will generally heal by themselves within seven or ten days.

Do you have grooves or cracks running down the length of your tongue? This is something that our Bellevue dentistry clinic knows as fissured tongue.

Fissured tongue, sometimes known as “plicated tongue” or “scrotal tongue”, is something that between 2% and 5% of the population of the US has. It is characteristic of fissures that run across the top and sides of the tongue, sometimes getting as deep as six millimeters. These fissures occasionally appear during childhood, though they more often show up during adulthood and get deeper with age.

Should you have a fissured tongue, don’t worry. Fissured tongue is generally nothing to worry about. The condition is more or less harmless, simply representing a variation on the more typical tongue. You may need to take extra care in scraping your tongue in order to clear away detritus that gets stuck in the grooves and cause irritation, but you will probably not require any special treatment. If you would like to learn more about fissured tongue, consult your dentist.