Preventive Care vs. Reactive Care

Keep your smile beautiful with regular visits!

All too often, many assume that a dental appointment is not needed because there are no real dental issues going on at the moment. Contrary to popular belief, your dentist is there for more than knocked out teeth and toothaches. The right dentist can help with proper preventive care to help keep your mouth healthy and to help prevent more serious issues from occurring.

Every 6 Months

At the very least, you should be visiting Dr. Aaron or Dr. Brandon Cooley every 6 months. This allows him to fully inspect your teeth and gums to ensure that there are no issues that you are not aware of yet. When you let conditions with your teeth get out of hand, the resolution can be rather invasive. By keeping your twice yearly appointments, you can keep your mouth healthy and your pain to a minimum.

Why Get A Baseline?

When you visit our office regularly, it allows us to have a baseline with which to compare your mouth to each time you visit. At your initial New Patient appointment, your Bellevue dentist will perform x-rays and other routine procedures to assess what is normal for your individual mouth. On subsequent visits, Drs. Aaron or Brandon Cooley will be able to determine if anything has drastically changed.

Immediate Assistance

Of course, if you have any issues that require immediate dental assistance, you should not delay in seeing your dentist. Anytime you experience pain, bleeding, a lost permanent tooth, a lost filling, or anything out of the ordinary, you should call us right away.

Chew Gum and Help Your Teeth!

Chew sugar-free gum with xylitol and help your teeth!

If you like to chew gum, you might be happy to hear that chewing sugarless gum can be good for your oral health. It is important to know the facts when it comes to chewing gum, however, because not all gum is created equal. In order to receive the oral health benefits, the gum should be both sugarless and approved by the ADA as is signified on the packaging. Another great benefit of gum that has xylitol added is that it can help prevent cavities as well.

How is Gum Good for you?

Research shows that chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes after your meal can help to prevent tooth decay. This is possible because of the increase in the production of saliva that gum produces. The more saliva that is in your mouth, the more food residue and bacteria that gets washed away, instead of staying on your teeth and causing tooth decay. In addition, it helps to remove the acids that are on your teeth as a result of eating acidic foods. Too much acid can cause the enamel on your teeth to break down, which is another culprit in tooth decay as well as sensitive teeth.

Brushing is Still Necessary

Even though chewing sugarless gum is good for you, it does not mean that you do not need to brush and floss. You should still be brushing your teeth at least twice per day and flossing at least once. This will help ensure food particles and bacteria that are stuck between your teeth and in hard to reach places are removed, reducing the risk of tooth decay. 

Learn more about your dental health on our Bellevue, WA dental website!

Eating Disorders Can Harm Oral Health

The dangers of eating disorders are fairly widely known, but one aspect that is not as well-known is its danger to a person’s oral health. Dental health is highly dependent on the nutrition that the body receives. When a person suffers from an eating disorder, they are not providing their body with the required nutrients, which could result in swollen or bleeding gums, dry gums as a result of a lack of saliva being produced and damaged tooth enamel as a result of chronic vomiting.

It does not matter if you suffer from anorexia or bulimia; your teeth are at risk. In addition to talking to your doctor in order to get help to overcome the disorder, you need to stay in close contact with Dr. Aaron Cooley or Dr. Brandon Cooley and it is vital that you practice proper oral health. On a regular basis you should be:

• Practicing proper brushing techniques at least twice per day. This includes brushing all areas of your teeth and replacing your brush every couple of months.
• Flossing at least once per day in order to rid your teeth of harmful bacteria that the toothbrush cannot eliminate.
• Rinsing your mouth with baking soda and water after vomiting in order to neutralize the acid from the vomit.

It's important to keep your regular dental appointments. In general, you should see your Bellevue dentist once every six months, but if you are suffering from additional dental problems as a result of your disorder, it is essential to see him more often. 

Is Frozen Yogurt Healthy For Your Smile?

Remember to clean your teeth after every meal.

If you believe that frozen yogurt is better for your health than ice-cream, you may want to think again! While frozen yogurt may be healthier for your diet, it is not good for your teeth. Frozen yogurt contains a variety of sugars that can lead to tooth decay.

Contained within the ingredients of frozen yogurt resides evaporated cane juice. Evaporated cane juice is another form of sugar, and should never be referred to as a "healthy" sugar. Both contain molasses, but evaporated cane juice has a somewhat lower percentage.

Regardless of the types of sugar you eat, when you consume food containing sugar you are putting yourself at risk of getting cavities. Sugar is a leading contributor to dental decay which can lead to other dental diseases. Don't feel like you need to eliminate frozen yogurt all together, but realize that the "health benefits" of frozen yogurt also include risks to your dental health.

Have you scheduled your next cleaning? Remember that twice yearly visits are the gold standard for a healthy smile. Call your Bellevue, WA dental experts at (425) 998-6998 today. We're here and waiting for your call!

Will The Best Toothbrush Please Stand Up?

How Do You Choose Your
Toothbrush?

Everyone knows that choosing a dentist is important, but dental care outside of your Bellevue, WA dentist's office is equally important. If you put a lot of thought into your teeth, finding the best toothbrush is just as important as finding the best dentist. Both will have a huge impact on your smile, so it is best to get it right.

The days of the simple nylon bristled toothbrushes have long gone, and now we have electrical powered toothbrushes, in addition to disposable toothbrushes.

Size matters when you are choosing a toothbrush. You need to find a toothbrush head that is one-inch tall, and half an inch wide. Next you will need to browse the bristle varieties. Soft bristles are more popular, because they are comfortable. If you are a heavy brusher, you will want to avoid hard or medium bristle brushes, because the heavy brushing can cause damage to your mouth.

Heavy brushers who use a medium or hard bristle brush are more likely to damage their:

• Protective Tooth Enamel
• Gums
• Root Surface

Parents should purchase a soft bristle brush with a small head for children.

Before you place that toothbrush in your shopping cart, look over the recommendations. You do not want to purchase a toothbrush that has not been tested for safety, regardless of how expensive – or cheap – it is. Fancy toothbrushes may be the most stylish, but they are not the best. If you do not see a Seal of Approval from the American Dental Association, do not purchase the toothbrush.

Have you scheduled your next cleaning? Remember that twice yearly visits are the gold standard for a healthy smile. Call your Bellevue, WA dental experts at (425) 998-6998 today. We're here and waiting for your call!