The Benefits of a Routine Dental Exam

If you want healthy teeth and gums, you should never miss your routine dental examination. We encourage you to mark at least two days in your calendar each year so you can visit us for your routine dental checkup. Even if you believe there is no reason to visit us, you should not skip your visit. Various dental problems begin with little or no signs or symptoms. The sooner we examine your mouth, the quicker we can solve the problem.

Benefits of a Dental Checkup

Regular dental checkups not only help avoid any unforeseen dental problems but also help to prevent the buildup of tartar and plaque. These are the main causes of tooth decay and cavities. If you skip your dental appointment with us, this could eventually result in something major like a root canal or even a tooth extraction. Even if you brush and floss regularly, getting rid of plaque and tartar is almost impossible. This is something our professionals are masters at. This is why you must keep up with your dental appointments at our clinic.

Healthy Gums and Stronger Teeth

Gum diseases are sneaky. It does not take them long to spread and for a long time, you won't even know you have this disease. The only way one can identify gum diseases is when our professionals examine your mouth. Gum diseases can spread quickly and cause dental issues that are hard to treat. If you want your teeth and gum to stay healthy, don't miss your dental appointment.

The dental exam also involves a thorough cleaning which helps to remove plaque and tartar buildup from your teeth. This not only reduces the risk of dental problems but also ensures you will not suffer from bad breath. Bacteria in your mouth caused due to plaque and tartar are what causes bad breath. When our professionals clean it regularly you won't have to worry about reaching for a breath mint every time you step into an enclosed space. It's your responsibility to look after your teeth and gums. Make sure you give us a call at our Milwaukie or Oregon City offices to book your routine dental exam.

How Many Times Should I Use Floss?

Even though brushing your teeth twice a day is very important, it is just as important to use a dental floss to clean in between your teeth and beneath the gum lines.

Food debris and bacteria can creep into the tiny spaces between your teeth and beneath the gum line, giving rise to plaque that can erode your enamel. The worst part is that you will never know about these hidden cavities until they become severe.

That is why Dr. Chung at ComfortCare Dental recommends using floss in places that your toothbrush cannot reach.

Should You Use Anything to Remove Food Debris Stuck in Your Teeth?

If you are relaxing on the couch watching your favorite Netflix show and you feel something stuck in between your teeth, it can be very tempting to pull it out using anything pointy that is nearby, most often your nail. According to surveys, about 61% of Americans use their fingernail and about 40% use a folded card to pull out food debris stuck in their teeth.

However, not only these improvised toothpickers not clean your teeth sufficiently, they may hurt your gums as well. It is important that you use dentist-accepted interdental cleaners like floss, dental picks, water flossers, and tiny brushes to clean food debris.

When Should I Clean In Between my Teeth?

As long as you floss your teeth at least once a day, it doesn’t really matter when. You can pick anytime of the day to spend a few minutes cleaning in between your teeth and beneath your gumline. You can also use floss to clean away food debris from between your teeth after every meal.

Parents should cultivate the habit of using floss in children as young as three years old. They should start cleaning in between their children’s teeth as soon as their child gets two teeth right next to each other. Since children cannot correctly floss on their own, you should help them floss at least until they turn eight.

Flossing or interdental cleaning is not supposed to be painful. It is normal to feel slight discomfort when you start cleaning in between your teeth after a long while, however, this feeling will quickly go away. If your gums continue to become irritated every time you floss, it could point to some other oral issue and you should get an appointment with us at our offices in Milwaukie, Oregon City, or our Mobile Dental Clinic to treat it.

Effects of Smoking on the Teeth

A healthy smile is the first thing you notice on a person’s face and is often considered as a basic grooming essential. Everyone knows that smoking is bad for health. However, what many people might not know is how smoking is bad for the teeth. Here are some of the effects of smoking on teeth.

Stained Teeth

There are numerous effects of smoking on the teeth, but one of the most apparent effects happens to be the blackening/yellowing of the teeth. The nicotine and tar present in cigarettes and other similar products can settle on the surface of the teeth, giving it that stained appearance.

These effects can be reversed if you quit smoking and resort to brushing your teeth regularly. However, in some severe cases, it becomes quite difficult to get rid of these stains. Furthermore, besides the teeth, smoking can sometimes cause the gums to darken as well.

Bad Breath

People also tend to develop a distinctively smokey breath right after smoking. However, more importantly, over time it can also cause bad breath that is hard to eliminate even after brushing. This is because the act of smoking often affects saliva production, which then leads to dry mouth and the growth of bacteria. These lead to bad breath.

Gum Diseases

Smokers, as compared to nonsmokers, are more likely to develop gum diseases, which usually attack the roots of the teeth, loosening the gums and making room for bacteria to grow. This in turn causes the teeth to fall out after developing decay.

Damage to Enamel

Our teeth are covered with a very sophisticated coating of enamel that naturally protects them from decay and certain problems, such as pain and sensitivity to certain foods and beverages. Long term smoking damages the enamel.

The best way to get rid of the effects of smoking on your teeth is by giving up smoking altogether. After that, if you still notice any problems or pain, you can contact our offices in Milwaukie, Oregon City, or our Mobile Dental Clinic for a consultation.

We Can Provide You With More Comfort Through Sedation

Sedation is a great option to help our patients be more comfortable during their dental procedures without needing to be under general anesthesia. Sedation provides pain relief and helps you feel more relaxed overall. There are a few different types of sedatives that we can use, such as nitrous oxide, oral sedatives, and intravenous (IV) sedatives. Our dentist will discuss the best choice for and give you further instructions on preparing for your procedure as well as recovery.

How It Works

The procedures for each type of sedation vary slightly, but they are all quite simple. Nitrous oxide is a gas that acts quickly and wears off very shortly after your procedure. You inhale this gas through a small mask that is placed over your nose. Our dentist will administer this gas before and during the procedure as needed. Oral sedatives are prescription medications that you take before your procedure. Our dentist will give you more specific instructions on taking these, but you usually take them about an hour before the procedure. These may make you feel tired following the procedure. IV sedatives are less common and are much more similar to general anesthesia than the other two types of sedatives. These can also be administered throughout the procedure and may make you tired or groggy.

Self-Care Instructions

Our dentist will explain how each of these sedatives works in detail when you schedule your appointment. Instructions may include avoiding food and drinks for a certain amount of time before and after the procedure, having someone drive you home, and resting upon arriving home. Our dentist will also explain symptoms that you may feel as a result of these sedatives, such as sleepiness. However, these symptoms are all very manageable and wear off relatively shortly following any dental procedure. Call us for more information about sedation.

Contact Our Offices

Milwaukie: (503) 855-0465
Oregon City: (503) 765-7185
Mobile Dental Clinic: (503) 653-9334

Acidic Foods to Avoid in Order to Protect Your Teeth

Virginia Woolf says that one cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has no dined well. We often spoil ourselves with our desired foods at different times in our lives, and usually acidic foods are involved in these intermittent indulgences. As great as acidic foods can taste, however, they are not always good for our teeth. Foods with pH lower than 7 are acidic, and the range of saliva in the mouth should be between a 6.5 to a 7.5 when it is not eating or drinking.

What Foods Are Considered Acidic?

When thinking of foods with acidity, fruits are pretty high on this list. Fruits that are packed with vitamin C — such as oranges, lemons, apples, grapefruits, pineapples, blueberries, tangerines, to mention a few — tend to be highly acidic. As fruits are acidic, their fruit juices are too. Tomatoes and tomato juice, jam and jellies, pickles and cranberries are acidic. Carbonated drinks, sport drinks, yogurt, coffee, alcohol and vinegar are also acidic. The remains of potato chips that lingers in your mouth after eating them can also produce acid.

What Effects Do These Acidic Foods Have on Our Teeth?

Acidic foods can have an impact on the health of our body and also our teeth. The enamel and gum line are initial targets of this erosion. The enamel is very tough, but it can be weakened through continuous consumption of acidic foods. When the enamel weakens, the teeth’s dentin can be exposed, making it susceptible to sensitivity. Discoloration and/or decay may occur. Cracks along the edges of the teeth is also common.

How to Prevent Damage From Acidic Food

Obviously, we cannot avoid all the aforementioned food altogether, but we can avoid sucking on highly acidic beverages. Straws are a great option, as they help to keep juices from coming in contact with your teeth. Also, rinse your mouth out with water or brushing after consuming such food. To learn more about how to protect your teeth from the damaging effects of acid in food, please contact our offices for more information.

Contact Our Offices

Milwaukie: (503) 855-0465
Oregon City: (503) 765-7185
Mobile Dental Clinic: (503) 653-9334

Perspective May Help You Understand the Benefits of a Root Canal

When some people find out they need a root canal, they go through a bunch of emotions. The emotions run from fear to uncertainty to wondering if they really have to go through this procedure.

The reason for this is often because they do not understand what the root canal is all about Instead of looking at it from the perspective of the unknown, it is better to look at it through the benefits of a root canal.

What is a Root Canal?

A root canal is an oral surgery procedure, but it is a minor procedure that many people go through. Your tooth consists of an enamel on the outer layer, a hard part called dentin and a softer tissue called pulp. Tooth decay that extends deep into the tooth and that affects the pulp needs removal. That is where a root canal comes into play.

The Benefits of a Root Canal

There are several benefits to getting a root canal. The first is it offers the best way to save a tooth suffering from decay. It can stop the pain you have from a tooth that is failing and can prevent more problems from occurring.

Once you get the root canal, you will notice a few good things. You will be able to chew properly again without any tooth sensitivity. Because of the root canal, you will be able to bite down normally. A healthy tooth that has undergone a root canal can prevent damage to other teeth.

The most important benefit is that it restores a happy smile to your face. You do not have to worry about any pain and you can restore the smiles to your face. Root canals typically take one or two visits and with anesthesia are not painful or uncomfortable. It all depends on how you look at them.

For more information about this contact our offices to schedule an appointment.

Contact Our Offices

Milwaukie: (503) 855-0465
Oregon City: (503) 765-7185
Mobile Dental Clinic: (503) 653-9334

Pumpkin Offers Many Dental Benefits

Many people enjoy pumpkin, particularly during the months of October through December. However, did you know that in addition to tasting good, pumpkin actually has oral health benefits? It’s true! If you are looking for reasons to eat pumpkin, read on.

Pumpkin Contains Many Nutrients Your Teeth Need

Pumpkin is a great source of many of the vitamins you need for healthy teeth and gums. Here are a few of the things you’ll find in pumpkin:

• Vitamin A. This vitamin is used by your body to help ensure that your gum tissue is healthy. What’s more, pumpkin is full of the stuff: ½ cup of pumpkin will give you all of the vitamin A you need for the day.

Ways to Eat Pumpkin

There are a number of ways for you to get the pumpkin you need. In addition to the old standby of roasted pumpkin seeds, you can put it in smoothies or curry. You can even eat it as part of a dessert, such as pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, and of course pumpkin pie. So, next time you have the opportunity to eat some pumpkin, go ahead and do it. Your mouth will thank you for it! If you have any questions about ways that pumpkin can help your dental health, please feel free to reach out to us. We are happy to help you!

Contact Our Offices

Milwaukie: (503) 855-0465
Oregon City: (503) 765-7185
Mobile Dental Clinic: (503) 653-9334

Options When You Have Gaps Between Your Teeth

While it may seem like having gaps in between your teeth is not an oral health issue, it actually can be troublesome, not only to your oral health, but also to your self-esteem. Many people are bothered by a gap riddled smile and would like to have nice, straight, touching teeth, but think that braces are the only answer. Let us look at some of the options you may have available to you for closing the gaps in your teeth.

Closing The Gap

There are a couple of recurring problems that we see with patients who have gaps between their teeth; the first is that often times, people who have large gaps between their teeth do not floss as well as they should. Perhaps they assume that since the teeth do not touch, there is less of a need for flossing. This is untrue. While it is true that you may not get food stuck in between your teeth if they are gapped, you still have plaque and tartar build up that needs to be removed regularly by flossing. The second problem that patients report is that they are unhappy with the appearance of their smile. Gaps in the teeth can be closed by using invisible braces, or even traditional braces, but these are not the only options. In our office, we can use dental bonding to build up your tooth on the sides, effectively closing the gaps in between your teeth. Another option is dental veneers which are applied directly to the front surface of the tooth. Both options improve the overall appearance of your teeth by closing the gaps and restoring your smile.

If you have gaps in your teeth that you are unhappy about, give our offices a call and schedule an appointment. At your exam, we will be happy to go over the options you have available to you.

Contact Our Offices

Milwaukie: (503) 855-0465
Oregon City: (503) 765-7185
Mobile Dental Clinic: (503) 653-9334

How to Manage Bruxism When You Sleep Through Doing It

If you clench and grind your teeth while you’re asleep at night, you might think there is nothing that you can do about it. After all, you aren’t aware that it is happening until the next day when you wake up with tooth or jaw pain. However, there are a few things that you can try in order to manage your bruxism.

Use a Night Guard

The most common treatment plan for nighttime grinding is the use of a night guard. We can custom fit a mouth guard to match the exact shape and placement of your teeth. It will fit over the top teeth, and while it won’t stop you from grinding while you sleep, it will protect your teeth from damage.

Work Out

Another tip that might help to reduce your nighttime grinding is to get regular exercise. Many people grind their teeth while asleep due to stress and anxiety, even if you aren’t completely conscious of what you are doing. You can take a walk in the evening or work out at the gym; anything that helps you to feel more relaxed and less stressed.

Find a Way to Unwind before Bed

In addition to exercise, there are other things that you can do to unwind before you go to bed. Some people like to read to take their minds off of their troubles. A warm bath or shower before bed can also help, as warm water can relax the jaw muscles. A heating pad might also help.

Bruxism can be extremely damaging to the teeth, so it is important to find a way to manage the issue. If you grind your teeth at night, please call our offices to set up an appointment. We will help you to create a bruxism management plan and can inspect your teeth for any possible damage.

Contact Our Offices

Milwaukie: (503) 855-0465
Oregon City: (503) 765-7185
Mobile Dental Clinic: (503) 653-9334

Dangers of Being an Open-Mouth Breather

People breathe in different ways. There are open mouth breathers and there are people who breathe through their nose. The important part is that you get oxygen in your body, but the way you breathe can impact you in different ways. An open-mouth breather could cause oral health problems that are better avoided. These are the dangers of breathing through an open mouth.

Mouth Breathing and a Dry Mouth

The biggest problem with mouth breathing is that it can lead to a dry mouth. The saliva glands in your mouth help in many ways. The saliva helps wash away debris and bacteria left on the teeth and gums. It keeps the skin tissue moist and healthy. When you breathe through the mouth, the amount of saliva present will go down. You will lose the benefits of having a moist mouth. When your mouth starts to dry out, more bacteria can grow. You can also develop dry skin and cracked lips that provide more space for bacteria to grow. This puts your entire oral health at risk. You are more prone to tooth decay, gingivitis and cracked or broken teeth when you are a mouth breather.

How to Know and What to Do

The problem is that many people do not realize they are a mouth breather. The most common cause of mouth breathing is clogged sinuses. You are not sable to breathe through your nose, so you breath through your mouth. Some of the signs of mouth breathing include snoring, bad breath, and chronic fatigue.

If you do suffer from mouth breathing, you need to do something about it. Medications that help with nasal congestion can make it easier to breathe through the nose. Strops attached to the nose while you sleep may open the airways. For someone suffering from sleep apnea, appliances that help with this can stop the mouth breathing.

If you notice the signs of mouth breathing, take the time to find out how you can change it before you cause any damage. Call us and schedule an appointment for us to take a look around your mouth.

Contact Our Offices

Milwaukie: (503) 855-0465
Oregon City: (503) 765-7185
Mobile Dental Clinic: (503) 653-9334

Common Questions from Our Dental Patients

Our office assists in many different procedures to help ensure your mouth is healthy and happy. We get some common questions throughout the year. Here are the two most common questions that are asked by patients. The answers can give you a bit of leverage when it comes to caring for your teeth and improving the overall quality of oral health you have.

How Often Are Dental Visits Really Necessary?

We often get asked if it is important that you come in and see us at regular intervals. The answer is an overwhelming and resounding yes. We need you to come in two times per year, approximately six months apart. This allows us to keep your teeth clean, spot signs of ill health at their earliest stages, and correct any problems we do find before they turn into bigger problems. It also allows us to compare x-rays regularly, so we can spot early signs of jaw malformations or oral cancer symptoms.

Is There a Preferred Way to Whiten My Teeth Safely?

Another question we get regularly is how to safely whiten their teeth. There isn’t one answer that will work for everyone, but we do have some general rules of thumb we provide. First, if you want your teeth whiter, come see us. Second, if you want to prevent dental stains, avoid foods and beverages that cause staining. Third, we highly advise you to steer clear of drug store whitening products. They do not have as strict of standards, and can lead to issues with your teeth if used improperly. If you have other questions or would like more information, contact us today. We are happy to assist in your oral health care. It is our goal to ensure that you have as healthy of a smile as possible, and are always willing to answer your questions to help you become proactive about your oral health.

Contact Our Offices

Milwaukie: (503) 855-0465
Oregon City: (503) 765-7185
Mobile Dental Clinic: (503) 653-9334