Are you experiencing a white, lacy rash or a series of red, shiny bumps across the surface of your tongue or inside your cheeks? It might be oral lichen planus. It’s unclear what causes this condition, and it generally does not require treatment in its milder form. However, if it gets severe, it can be a risk factor for oral cancer and it may be necessary to bring it to the attention of our Lynnwood dentistry clinic.

Lichen planus is characteristic of a sore feeling in your mouth, occasionally coupled with blisters or ulcers. Spicy foods and citrus fruits can aggravate these symptoms, so it is best to avoid such substances when you suffer from this condition. Should you require treatment, it will generally come in the form of a corticosteroid cream, though some cases call for an immunosuppressant.

Drinking tea is generally a good idea. Many substances used in tea offer valuable health benefits, including reducing the chance of developing certain types of cancer. You therefore wouldn’t expect that your daily cup of tea might also be increasing your chances of throat cancer.

According to studies done on esophageal cancer patients, it was determined that the people who regularly drank more than a litre of hot black tea were more likely to contact the disease. It would seem that tea of above sixty five degrees puts you at a greater risk, while people who drink teas of over seventy degrees show an even greater occurrence.

So, what can you do to stay healthy? You don’t need to cut down on your tea drinking, so long as you let it get cool enough. By waiting a minimum of four minutes after boiling your tea, you can assure that it gets below the sixty degree mark. Meanwhile, by getting your regular cancer screenings at our Lynnwood dentistry clinic, you can catch any cancerous developments before they become a problem.

Most people will grow twenty baby teeth and then have them all replaced with about thirty-two permanent teeth, all in a neat little row in the upper and lower jaws. However, the occasional individual will develop excess teeth, sometimes in irregular places throughout the mouth. This is a condition known to our Lynnwood dentistry clinic as hyperdontia.

It’s not entirely clear what causes hyperdontia, though genetics and environmental concerns are high on the list of suspects. The condition frequently comes with other conditions, including Down syndrome, cleft lip, and Gardner’s syndrome. The supernumerary teeth cause problems in that they crowd your normal teeth and push them out of alignment. Such teeth should be extracted by a dentist, and an orthodontist may be needed to straighten out your remaining teeth.

One of the most common forms of dental injury is the chipped tooth. Whether you get struck in the face, or simply bit down on the wrong item, a broken tooth can be a big problem for your oral health. You will want to bring your chipped tooth to our Lynnwood dentistry clinic as soon as you can to get it fixed.

The process of repairing a chipped tooth is going to depend on the extent of the damage. In general, so long as the sensitive pulp inside your tooth has not been damage, it’s a simple matter of rebuilding your tooth with a crown or similar structure. If the chip is deep enough to damage the pulp, however, you may need to have a root canal along with either a crown or veneer. Consult our dentist for more information.

Tooth grinding, or bruxism, is fairly common among children. Somewhere between fifteen and thirty-three percent of children grind their teeth. This generally occurs at two times: when their baby teeth are erupting, and when their permanent teeth replace their baby teeth. Most children quickly lose the habit after the discomfort of tooth eruption passes, but some will continue to grind after they have a complete set of teeth. Should this occur, our Lynnwood dentistry clinic offers the following tips:

• First, you’ll need to identify your child’s grinding problem. Most children who grind their teeth will only do so at night, so be on the lookout. Does your child complain of headaches or a sore jaw? Check on them while they sleep to listen for grinding.
• If your child is grinding, stress may be the culprit. Work on reducing his or her stress, particularly before bed.
• Encourage your child to relax his or her muscles by massaging or stretching their muscles.
• Tooth grinding can be linked to dehydration. Assure that your child is drinking enough water.
• Tell your dentist about your child’s tooth grinding problem. He or she may be able to identify the source of the problem in the form of pain or discomfort in the teeth, or provide a means to overcome the effects of the grinding.

Normally, your tongue should have that familiar pinkish hue that we usually see. This is a sign of good health. However, some people will occasionally find that their tongues have turned an unusual red color. This will sometimes come with enlarged taste buds, which gives the surface of your tongue the appearance of a strawberry. A number of different conditions can be linked to such symptoms, some of which should be brought to either our Lynnwood dentistry clinic or your doctor for treatment. These conditions include the following:

• Benign Migratory Glossitis: Also known as geographic tongue, this condition manifests in the form of geographic-like patterns on the surface of the tongue. The patches that form may be outlined with thin, white lines. This is typically a harmless condition, but you should tell your dentist if it persists longer than two weeks.
• Scarlet Fever: This infection can sometimes include strawberry tongue. If you have scarlet fever, you should see your doctor for an antibiotic treatment.
• Kawasaki Syndrome: Young children are typically the only people at risk of this disease. It usually includes a high fever, often paired with a swelling of the hands and feet. Should your child exhibit such symptoms, take him or her to your doctor.
• Vitamin Deficiency: You may develop a red tongue if your diet does not include enough vitamin b12 or folic acid.

There are many strange conditions that might manifest in your mouth, some of which are harmless and some of which are deadly. Some, like leukoplakia, are potentially either. If you see any signs of this condition, alert our Lynnwood dentistry clinic to get it checked out.

Leukoplakia comes in the form of a white or gray patch on your tongue, inside your cheek, or on the floor or roof of your mouth. Usually, you will not experience any pain, though the affected area may be sensitive to touch, heat, or spicy foods.

This condition is generally caused by chronic irritation of your sensitive mucous membranes, which may be caused by rough teeth, ill-fitting dentures, smoking, or sun exposure. In rare cases, though, it can be more serious. If the patch takes on a fuzzy appearance, it may be an early sign of an HIV infection. Alternatively, it can occasionally serve as a warning sign of oral cancer. It is for this reason that you should have all cases of leukoplakia examined by a medical professional.