We now offer an in office dental plan through QDP. No maximums, no exclusions, no waiting periods, and affordable monthly payments. The plan includes preventative care and Xrays, with discounts on all treatment. Call us at (425) 355-2330 for more information and to get signed up.
Dental x-rays: punch card or essential diagnostic tool?
X-rays help dentist to detect problems that would be missed by just looking in your mouth, such as:
1) cavities between teeth or under fillings
2) trouble with teeth and jaw development in children and teens
3) bone loss from gum disease
4) jaw bone tumors
Sometimes x-rays are needed as part of your dental treatment for diagnosis if you have tooth ache or in case of tooth fracture.
Types of Dental X-rays
Common x-rays used in the dental office include bite-wing, periapical, and panoramic x-rays. Bite-wing x-rays help dentist check for tooth decay between the back teeth or under dental fillings. Periapical x-rays help dentist observe conditions below the gum line, showing the roots of the teeth and surrounding bone. Panoramic x-rays use a machine that rotates around the head. It produces a long film that shows the entire jaw and all of the teeth in one image.
Cone-beam computed technology is used to create a 3-dimensional image from a series of images. Because it relies on multiple images, the radiation exposure is higher than that of commonly used x-rays and is used for surgical treatments.
Are Dental X-rays Safe?
Because dental x-rays expose us to radiation, patients sometimes wonder if they are safe. Routinely we are exposed to radiation from a number of sources, even sunshine, air and soil around us.
To help limit the amount of radiation exposure to your thyroid gland when taking x-rays, your dentist may cover your throat with a special collar.
Source: The Journal of the American Dental Association (2019; 150: 636)
Kid's teeth oral hygiene
In this message I will provide useful advice on children's teeth care based on recommendations from the American Dental Association.
Toothbrushing:
You can start brushing your child's teeth twice a day when the first tooth comes in. For children younger than 3 years, use no more than a smear of toothpaste about the size of a grain of rice. Children 3 years and older can use a drop of toothpaste about the size of a pea. You will need to brush younger children's teeth for them. For older children, watch that they use the right amount of toothpaste and spit out as much as possible.
Teeth are covered with a thin, sticky film of bacteria, which produces acid when exposed to sugar. This is what causes cavities. Limiting sugary drinks and snacks is important too.
Drinks are the largest source of sugar in the American diet. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests avoiding juice for the first year. Also, The AAP warns that children should not sip on juice throughout the day or go to bed with juice.
Take your baby to see the dentist after their first tooth comes in but before his or her first birthday.
What Are Dental Sealants?
Dental sealants are a protective coating that your dentist can place over chewing surfaces of the back teeth. These areas are at high risk of developing tooth decay because they are smooth, and have deep grooves. A toothbrush cannot get into these areas to keep them clean. Sealants form a barrier over the curved surfaces. Sealants go on as a gel-like liquid and then harden into a thin but strong protective coating.
Dental sealants usually last for years, but they can become worn. Your dentist can check them during your dental visits to see if they need to be redone or replaced.
BRUSH UP AND SMILE WIDE
Importance of Oral Cancer Screening
April is Oral Cancer month. Please give us a call if you have any questions.
- Oral and pharyngeal cancer, grouped together, is the sixth most common cancer in the world.
- Close to 48,250 Americans will be diagnosed with oral or pharyngeal cancer this year. It will cause over 9,575 deaths. Of those 48,250 newly diagnosed individuals, only slightly more than half will be alive in 5 years. (Approximately 57%) This is a number which has not significantly improved in decades.
- The death rate for oral cancer is higher than that of cancers which we hear about routinely such as cervical cancer, Hodgkin's lymphoma, laryngeal cancer, cancer of the testes, and endocrine system cancers such as thyroid.
- The risks of oral cancer are aggravated by HPV16 and tobacco smoking. With sexually transmitted HPV16 rates increasing, oral cancer patients are increasingly young, healthy and non-smoking individuals.
- Oral cancer is particularly dangerous because in its early stages it may not be noticed by the patient, as it can frequently prosper without producing pain or symptoms they might readily recognize, and because it has a high risk of producing second, primary tumors. This means that patients who survive a first encounter with the disease, have up to a 20 times higher risk of developing a second cancer.
- It is estimated that approximately $3.2 billion is spent in the United States each year on treatment of head and neck cancers. (2010 numbers).
- The good news is that a dentist or a dental hygienist can see or feel the precancerous tissue changes which might lead to a cancer. The examination takes less than 5-10 min of your time.
- Visual and tactile exam is inexpensive, painless and quick.
- Everyone over age of 18 should be screened annually.
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