Spokane Dental Blog

A healthy smile is about so much more than white teeth! Your gums, the bone surrounding your teeth, salivary glands, and the soft tissue in your mouth are all important components to a healthy smile. They are also all well taken care of and examined by Dr. Smith and your Spokane Dental team! Here are five tips to follow for a healthier smile:

Toothpaste ads and mouth rinse commercials alike all claim their product will ultimately achieve the same goal: fight gum disease. But when we all think of disease, most of us have a different picture in our mind that doesn’t involve gums at all. So what really is gum disease? We will explore that question, along with how to know if you have gum disease and how to treat it.

As a parent of a teething child it can be daunting to decipher if what your child is experiencing is “normal” or not. Most children have 20 total “baby” teeth that usually begin erupting at around six months of age and finish by the time they turn three. However, there are always outliers or symptoms to wonder about (especially as a new parent). Here are some things to consider about your child’s teeth eruption:

In terms of oral health conditions, gum disease is somewhat overlooked. Sure, most people probably have heard of gum disease, and some will know exactly what it is and what it can do to your mouth. However, when compared to something like a cavity, the general population is pretty much in the dark on this topic.

Do you want whiter teeth? Probably – most people do! There is nothing wrong with wanting to look your best when you walk out the door each morning, and part of looking good is having a beautiful smile. In addition to the alignment of your teeth, part of a great smile comes down to keeping your teeth white over the long run. Fortunately, if yours have started to fade a bit, there are plenty of options available to you today that can remedy the situation.

As far as dental treatments go, root canal has a particularly bad reputation. This is not something that the average person thinks of in positive terms, as the commonly-accepted idea of root canal is one of serious pain and discomfort. In fact, when talking about how painful something else may have been, someone may even say that it was ‘like having a root canal’.

Tis the season for sweet treats, hot drinks, and freezing cold temperatures. The holiday season can also be one of tooth sensitivity for all of the same reasons enjoy it! Sugary and sticky foods can be a culprit for that painful zing some of us know that goes along with tooth sensitivity. Hot drinks such as cocoa or that delicious eggnog latte can sometimes stimulate sensitivity in some teeth as well. Even just simply stepping outside in the cold air can cause sensitivity for some when they open their mouth! During the holiday season, everyone wants to be focused on the joy of it all, not tooth pain! Your team at Spokane Dental wants you to know there is a way to help your tooth sensitivity!

In terms of your overall oral health, avoiding gum disease is a huge step in the right direction. Sure, there are other issues you’d like to steer clear of while maintaining your oral health, but simply managing to stay away from gum disease is a great start. Unfortunately, many people don’t know that they are actively raising the likelihood of developing gum disease as a result of some of their habits. By cleaning up your habits – and establishing some new, positive ones instead – you can dramatically reduce the chances of winding up with periodontal disease.

When you are told that you need oral surgery, you’ll probably not be too happy about the news. And that’s okay – we understand that the prospect of oral surgery can be intimidating, and it is something you’d rather avoid if at all possible. With that said, it may help to think about this from the positive side. If you are going to undergo oral surgery, that means something is wrong in your mouth, and it has probably been causing you discomfort. By having surgery and addressing the problem, you should be able to move forward from this issue and look forward to a more comfortable future.

As we enter into the Holiday season your Spokane Dental team is reflecting on all we are thankful for. We have had another great year of serving our patients and bringing smiles to people’s faces, and look forward to another year of the same. Here are some of the things we are most thankful for: