A recent study was conducted to examine the relationship between gum disease and prostate problems. In the study, twenty seven men who suffered from some inflammation of the prostate gland and an elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) level, along with moderate to severe gum disease. Following this evaluation, participants underwent four to eight weeks of treatment for their gum disease, during which they received no treatment for their prostate inflammation. The results showed that a total of twenty one of these men experienced an improvement in their PSA levels as their gum disease improved. Further, it was the men who had the most inflammation benefitted the most from periodontal treatment.

The takeaway from this is that, if you are struggling with prostate inflammation, you should have any gum disease you may be experiencing addressed as a supplement for any other treatment you are undergoing. Talk to our Lynnwood dentistry clinic to learn more about how to protect your gums from disease, or how to cure gum disease after it has taken hold.

When a woman is pregnant, feeling excessive stress has been shown to have many unfortunate effects on their unborn children. Recently, a study from the University of Washington in Seattle suggested that these effects might include excessive tooth decay.

This study took a look at data gathered from over seven hundred mothers and their children, including signs of high stress that the mothers experienced during their pregnancies and the extent of oral decay in the children between three and six years following their births. Their findings indicated that children born from mothers under a lot of stress had a significantly higher risk of dental caries.

This is the first study that has linked stress during pregnancy to tooth decay in children. However, it is consistent with numerous studies that have shown a higher instance of caries among children in low-income households, as pregnant mothers in low socioeconomic situations commonly experience more stress.

If you are pregnant, do what you can to manage your stress for your child’s sake. After your child turns one, bring him or her in for a visit at our Lynnwood dentistry clinic.

The winter holidays are upon us once again. This is a time of fun, family, festivities, and an unfortunate degree of tooth decay. Not only does all of our binge eating and sugary seasonal sweets make our oral bacteria run wild, but the stress that all too often comes with our holiday celebrations is not conducive of a healthy mouth. Stress encourages you to grind your teeth, fosters canker sores, and inhibits your ability to fight infections.

Often times, careful planning is all it takes to make the difference between a stressful holiday and a relaxing vacation. Be mindful of your own limitations, never taking on more than you can handle. Delegate certain jobs to people you can trust, and try not to take anything too seriously. It’s the holidays, after all!

Most importantly, try to stick to your daily routine; stressful situations make it easy to neglect regular health practices like brushing and flossing. Not only should you be sure to maintain your oral hygiene for the sake of your teeth, but it’s also worth noting that adhering to your familiar patterns is a good way to reduce stress.

Far too many children develop caries in their baby teeth at a young age. Since these teeth are an important part of their long-term dental health, it is vital to protect your youngest family members from unnecessary decay. For many people, this amounts to controlling the sugars that a child consumes. However, there are other threats to look out for, one of which is secondhand smoke.

A number of scientific studies have indicated that exposure to cigarette smoke at a young age impairs a child’s ability to resist caries. Children who are exposed to tobacco smoke at four months old, compared to children with minimal or no exposure to secondhand smoke, suffer about twice as high a risk of caries. This can be attributed to the fact that secondhand smoke reduces one’s ability to produce saliva, which is important to clean your teeth. It also raises children’s levels of sialic acid, which fosters the growth of the s. mutans bacteria that is responsible for tooth decay.

For other ways to help get your children off to a good start with their oral health, bring them to our Lynnwood dentistry clinic at an early age.

There was a time when it was believed that, if you told a lie, you would get a painful bump on your tongue. Such bumps were known as lie bumps. In the modern day, though, we recognize this as an old wives’ tale. These bumps are a condition known among the medical community as transient lingual papillitis.

Transient lingual papillitis comes in the form of tiny, white bumps on the upper surface of your tongue. They may sometimes turn red, or become tender for a few days. Fortunately, this is otherwise a harmless condition. You can expect them to heal by themselves in a few days, and you do not need to worry about spreading it to another person. If they persist for a particularly long time, consult your doctor or dentist.

It is unclear what causes transient lingual papillitis, though it is believed to be the result of some form of trauma. Perhaps your taste buds have been harmed by rubbing or scraping, or even via a chemical reaction with something you have ingested.

One of the problems with the holiday season, from a dental care standpoint, is that this is a time of year when we allow ourselves to indulge in things that we normally try to moderate. Some of these have an obvious effect on your teeth, including yuletide sweets and overeating on holiday meals. However, this is not the end of the story.

The holiday season is a big time for drinking. Our family gatherings and holiday parties create an environment where it’s okay to constantly be drinking for hours on end. In addition to the constant assault on your tooth enamel that such sugary beverages create, it is also easy to exceed our limitations. People will get more tipsy than they realize, then stumble into a glass door, hit themselves in the mouth with their drink cups, or fall face-first into the floor. The result is broken teeth and emergency trips to the dentist office. With this in mind, consider keeping careful track of your alcoholic drinks this holiday season.

Thanksgiving is here, and this is a time that can be quite hard on your oral health. After all, when you spend the day binge eating, sipping on wine, and sharing snacks and desserts with your friends and family, your teeth are not getting much of a break from the acid produced by your oral bacteria. Fortunately, there are aspects of the holiday that are highly beneficial for your teeth.

First of all, the turkey has a very important nutrient for your oral health. Turkey meat is a rich source of phosphorus, which is required by your body to allow calcium to rebuild your teeth and bones. Try eating this turkey with a healthy serving of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, like string beans and marshmallow-free sweet potatoes; these serve to stimulate your saliva and clean out your mouth.

Your wine or sparkling cider is harder on your teeth. These sugary beverages should be enjoyed largely along with your meal, rather than sipped throughout the day. Finally, consider rinsing your mouth with water after enjoying your slice of pecan or pumpkin pie.

In the modern, health-conscious age, many Americans are giving up meat in an effort to lose weight or foster a healthier heart. Unfortunately, such people sometimes fail to account for the implications that a meat-free diet has on their oral health. If you are trying to make the transition to vegetarianism yourself, be sure to tailor your diet to foster healthy teeth.

One of the benefits of eating meat is that it is a low-carb, high-fiber food. This means that it scrubs your teeth as you chew it, removing plaque, sugars, and food particles. It is true that many fruits and vegetables can have the same effect, though many of these contain sugars for your oral bacteria to feed on.

Fortunately, there are good options to replace the fiber that you would usually be getting from meat. Your best choices include high fiber, low acid beans, legumes, and whole grains. Not only are these high in fiber, but they are also a good way to get meat-free calcium you need to keep your teeth and bones healthy.