Tooth-Cleaning Gum: Does it Work?

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by Lynnwood Song Dental

There are several brands of gum on the market that claim to help you clean your teeth, and some of the more wary patients at our Lynnwood dental center will ask if these claims are legitimate. After all, gum is supposed to be bad for your teeth. In our modern era of scam diets, hedge funds and online snake oils it’s certainly understandable to want to look the more spectacular price horses in the mouth, but you can rest assured on this one: chewing certain kinds of gum can indeed be a good part of your oral hygiene.

Most gum is bad because it is sugary. It feeds the bacteria in your mouth and encourages it to eat through your enamel. The chewing action, however, is good for promoting the production of saliva, which is one of your best natural weapons against tooth decay. Saliva washes out your mouth and counteracts the effects of acid that might corrode your teeth. Therefore, a sugar-free variety of gum can be quite beneficial to your oral health, particularly if you suffer from low saliva.

In 2007, the American Dental Association awarded their Seal of Acceptance to Orbit, Eclipse, and Extra chewing gums to acknowledge their value to proper dental care. To learn more about sugar-free gum, or to discuss other options to combat low saliva production, contact our Lynnwood Dentistry today.

Smoke and Secondhand Smoke vs. Your Teeth

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by Lynnwood Song Dental

You’re probably aware of all the bigger bullet-points about smoking, but did you know that smoking is also bad for your teeth? This goes beyond the ugly stains that it leaves behind; smoking is a serious threat to your oral health, and our Lynnwood dentist advises that you avoid the habit for the sake of your own teeth and, indeed, the teeth of those around you.

Tobacco smoke boasts a two-pronged attack against your mouth. Firstly, it compromises the growth of healthy gums, contributing strongly to gum disease. As this happens, it is also reducing the mineral density of bones and retarding the ability of your teeth to bounce back against tooth decay. Smokers are therefore far more likely to lose teeth than non-smokers.

Unfortunately, these problems aren’t limited to the smokers themselves. Secondhand smoke has also been shown to reduce bone density, plaguing anyone close to a smoker with a higher risk of tooth rot. If you smoke, do the right thing for yourself and for your loved ones: drop the habit immediately, and make an appointment with our Lynnwood Dentistry today.

How Pregnancy Affects Your Oral Health

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by Lynnwood Song Dental

Are you pregnant? Congratulations! Call your parents, call your friends, and then be sure to call your Lynnwood dental clinic. Dental care may not be first on your list of priorities when you’re expecting, but pregnancy has a bigger impact on your oral health than you may expect.

First and foremost, you’ll want to make sure that your dentist plans your treatment around your pregnancy. There are certain procedures that may put your baby-to-be in unnecessary danger. If you can, tell your dentist if you’re planning to get pregnant before the pregnancy occurs so that you can have your regular x-rays or any other treatments done in advance.

On top of this, you will want to take extra care throughout your pregnancy to avoid tooth decay and gum disease. Your body goes through changes during pregnancy, and some of these changes compromise your ability to fight dental problems. Combine this with the increased consumption of sugary foods that many pregnant women go through, and it adds up to a seventy percent rate of women experiencing some form of gum problem while pregnant.

A healthy mouth means a healthy body, and a healthy body means a healthy baby. If you would like to learn more about how to handle your oral hygiene during pregnancy, contact Song’s Lynnwood dental center today.

Watching for Gum Disease

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by Lynnwood Song Dental

In many ways, the health of your gums is more important than that of your teeth.  Gums are fragile and harder to repair, and when they’re compromised your entire mouth can suffer.  This is why our Lynnwood dental clinic offers extensive periodontal care, and encourages you to watch out for these warning signs of gum disease:

  • Your gums bleed easily, particularly after proper brushing or flossing.
  • The gums are inflamed, changing color and swelling up to an unusual size.
  • Pus appears in between your teeth and gums.
  • Your gum line is retreating from your teeth, exposing the roots of the teeth.
  • You experience bad breath that doesn’t go away..
  • You have a bad taste in your mouth that you cannot account for.
  • Your teeth no longer fit together the way they used to.
  • Your teeth are coming loose.

Gum disease is among the leading causes of tooth loss among adults, but it is easily treated if it is caught in its early stages.  If you experience any of these warning signs, don’t hesitate to call Song’s Lynnwood dental center.

White Fillings: the Clear Choice over Silver

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by Lynnwood Song Dental

At Song’s Lynnwood dental clinic, we favor the newer, composite fillings over amalgam. Not only do they look better, blending in with the white of your teeth, but they’re also a lot less controversial.

The biggest issue regarding the silver amalgam fillings is their mercury content. These fillings are generally about fifty percent mercury, which is by itself a highly toxic material. For a long time the FDA maintained that the mercury in amalgam fillings is safe, but in light of recent lawsuits in the past decade they have been forced to acknowledge that mercury vapors that may be released in the process of installing an amalgam filling could have a harmful effect on developing fetuses or anyone with a particular sensitivity to mercury.

Though controversy continues on the topic, and amalgam continues to be used in about thirty percent of dental fillings, Song Dental Center is happy to offer a safe and effective alternative to you and your family. When it’s time to go under the drill, make the secure choice and call our Lynnwood dentist for a composite filling.