Healthy Mouth, Healthy Pregnancy - Part II

Ensure a healthy mouth for you and
your baby!

Last month we wrote about awaiting the arrival of your new baby, and some of the risks of your oral health. Today we talk about puffy gums and what they can signal.

Pregnancy Tumors

Some women experience pregnancy tumors.  These puffy areas of the gums are typically non-cancerous, but can be painful or uncomfortable for you. Pregnancy tumors are inflammatory reactions to an irritant like plaque, and can bleed and become unsightly to some women, causing them to refrain from eating, smiling and talking. 

It is very important to see your dentist while you are pregnant. Drs. Cooley and Cooley will be able to ensure that your teeth remain healthy, as well as determine if you are prone to or suffering from any pregnancy induced oral health issues. 

Concerned About Your Oral Health?

Talk to one of our dental professionals at Cooley Smiles Family & Cosmetic Dentistry in Bellevue, WA. We invite you to visit our website at www.cooleysmiles.com or call us at (425) 998-6998 to schedule your individualized consultation with our doctors.

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.

Flossing = Better Health!

Flossing = Better Health!

Our Bellevue Dentists, Dr. Aaron Cooley and Dr. Brandon Cooley recommend that you floss your teeth at least once per day. Whether you choose to make this a part of your morning or evening routine is up to you; it is how you floss that is important.

The Importance of Flossing

Flossing is the only way to get the debris that settles between your teeth as well as any bacteria. If food is left to settle, it turns into plaque and is a job that only your dentist can handle. Even extreme amounts of brushing your teeth will not effectively get rid of all of the debris between your teeth, which is why flossing is so important.

Choose Your Favorites

There is no hard and fast rule about the type of floss that you must use; whatever feels good to you is what you will be the most likely to use on a daily basis. You can choose between waxed and unwaxed floss and various interdental cleaners to get in between your teeth. The interdental cleaners can be brushes or sticks that easily get between your teeth.

The best products to purchase are those that have the ADA seal on them. These products tend to be safer to use in your mouth as well as the most effective at removing debris, bacteria and plaque. Each product will have a reason for the ADA seal, which will help you decide which product you are most comfortable using with your daily brushing and flossing routine. 

To learn more about your dental health and the types of family and cosmetic dental services that we offer at Cooley Smiles, please visit our website at www.cooley-smiles.com.

Do you Know How to Care for your Toothbrushes?

How Are You Caring for Your Toothbrush?

You brush your teeth at least twice a day and even floss at night before going to bed. You are practicing proper dental hygiene right? Not quite yet. You are forgetting an important aspect of dental hygiene, caring for your toothbrushes. If you are not replacing your brushes at least every 3-4 months, you could be exposing your mouth to harmful bacteria. This bacteria could come from your own mouth as well as the environment that your toothbrush is stored.

After Brushing

Always rinse your toothbrush with warm water and let it thoroughly dry. Try to keep other toothbrushes separate from yours or at the very least, facing away from one another. It is very important that you leave toothbrushes free to dry and avoid covering them, as that is how mold and bacteria grow, in dark, damp places. 

Watch for Wear and Tear

Watch your brushes very closely for wear and tear. Typical use will cause most brushes to last between 3 and 4 months. If you brush harder than normal or more often, you might have to replace your brushes sooner. Simply check the bristles to see if they look worn down. If you do not replace them, they will not effectively clean your teeth, leaving you at risk for debris, bacteria and plaque. In addition, if you become ill, you should replace your toothbrushes when you are well again, to avoid contaminating yourself with the germs once again. 

For more information on dental health, visit our website at www.cooleysmiles.com and learn about family-oriented care!

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!