Is Your Mouth Tasting like Pennies?

If you are otherwise healthy, that metallic taste in your mouth usually goes away after you’re done with a cold, an infection has cleared, or you’ve stopped taking certain medications. The condition is typically benign and so, there’s nothing to worry about. But there may be conditions that result in the metallic tang that you should know about. We list here the most common ones.

At the top of the list is poor oral hygiene. Lack of proper brushing and flossing can lead to tooth decay and gum diseases, infections that alter taste. When you treat these infections, the odd taste goes away.

Now, there are prescription drugs that treat conditions outside of your mouth and taking them changes taste perception. Drugs like tetracycline antibiotics, allopurinol for gout, lithium for psychiatric conditions, and some cardiac drugs can leave a metallic taste as they are absorbed into your system and passes your saliva.

Antidepressants can cause dry mouth and still alter taste because they close the taste buds. Multivitamins with heavy metals (such as copper, zinc or chromium) or cold remedies (such as zinc lozenges) can cause a metallic taste. So can prenatal vitamins, and iron or calcium supplements.

Upper respiratory infections, colds and sinusitis change your sense of taste but will resolve when your infection clears up. The change in taste can also affect women in their early stages of pregnancy, those who are under chemotherapy and radiation for the treatment of cancer, and those with dementia. In dementia, taste buds connected to nerves do not respond as before due to the breakdown of that part of the brain that regulates taste.

Another cause for the taste change is exposure to high levels of mercury or lead. Inhaling them can produce this metallic taste in the mouth.

Better consult your doctor if this change persist.

Knowing About Taste Changes | Consult with our Lynnwood Dentist

Ask your dentist at Lynnwood Song Dental about metallic taste in the mouth and if it’s dental-related he can resolve with treatment and advice. Otherwise, a medical consultation is the next thing to do.

Using Lemons to Whiten your Teeth

There has been a lot of articles about using lemon to whiten your teeth. What you may not know is that acidic food always has the potential to weaken your enamel and allow your teeth to decay. Unfortunately, even foods that are otherwise very healthy for you, like citrus fruits, have this potential.

Lemons are a particularly strong offender in this sense; lemon juice is responsible for the most dental damage of any citrus fruit in a scientific study. When you add the copious amounts of sugar that is generally paired with lemonade and similar lemon-related treats, you’ve got a very potent tooth-rotter.

When you enjoy lemonade or fruity drinks, consider following your drink by rinsing out with a drink of water. Don’t brush right away, as your enamel needs at least twenty minutes to remineralize. Keep this up, and get your regular cleanings with our Lynnwood dentist, and you’ll be able to stave off tooth decay without having to give up citrus.

Matcha Green Tea Benefits

There are many good reasons to drink green tea, one of which has to do with your dental health. According to researchers, such tea contains antimicrobial molecules that serve to protect your teeth from harm. Subjects between the ages of forty and sixty-four who drank one cup of green tea every day were found to be 19% less likely to lose teeth as they aged.

Oolong tea was found to contain a lesser amount of the catechins responsible for this effect. Green teas sweetened with sugar, meanwhile, were far less beneficial.

Part of the benefit of tea may be attributed to the lukewarm fluid washing out your mouth. However, similarly warm coffees seem to lack the same benefits. Regular coffee has demonstrated no ability to keep your teeth healthy, while sweetened coffees are actually quite detrimental to your oral health. Coffee may also stain your teeth because of the dark coloration.

Drinking fluids that are too hot is also harmful to your delicate oral tissues and be aware that drinking hot tea may cause teeth sensitivity. It’s best to drink beverages that are closer to room temperature. With this in mind, do not hesitate to drink your tea cool.

For more tips on maintaining a clean, healthy mouth, contact our Lynnwood dentist, Dr. Song today!

What to do in Cases of Dental Trauma

Most trauma injuries to teeth occur during normal daily activities, often are circumstances difficult to prevent. From children to adults, traumatic injuries are common. Infants and toddlers, during playtime or even when learning to walk, meet with accidents that tend to knock out their front primary teeth.

Older children to adults, especially those engaged in sports and other active encounters, or get into brawls, or meet with vehicular accidents, suffer trauma to the face, jaws and teeth. Safety measures are not always in place. In these situations where loss of teeth are involved, a dentist expertise is sought immediately. So, what can you do?

If a baby or your toddler’s tooth or teeth get knocked off, take care that you do not implant the displaced tooth back into its socket. Let your dentist do it for you are likely to damage the developing permanent tooth that is just behind the dislodged primary tooth. If this happens to a permanent tooth, it should be carefully picked up by its crown, not by its root, for the root part may still contain vital attachments necessary for a successful transplant.

You can very briefly wash it (in seconds only) in milk or saline solution if it is dirty. If it is possible to replant the tooth, hold it then in place by biting on a clean cloth to keep it in place. Or otherwise, if it can’t be re-implanted immediately, the tooth can be placed in the patient’s mouth, between the teeth and the inside cheek. This is an emergency, and dental attention should be prompt.

Emergency Dental Care at Lynwood Dentistry

We at Song Dental Center provide same day emergency appointments for existing and new patients. If you have a dental emergency, like trauma, do give us a call so can expect you and be ready. Or, you can just walk-in and be assured we will serve you promptly.

The Unconscious Sleep Disorder called Bruxism

Sleep bruxism is considered a sleep-related movement disorder more common in children. Bruxism can happen both in the day and night time, but it is at night that the sliding or grinding of tooth surfaces are at its height. Though adults may also clench or grind their teeth during sleep, they are likely to have other sleep disorders, such as snoring and sleep apnea.

Mild forms of bruxism may not need treatment, but severe bruxism can lead to teeth damage, headaches and disorders of the jaw. You may not know it, feel pain at all while you’re unconsciously grinding, but waking up to a sore jaw is not uncommon.

So why does it happen?
Stress seems to cause bruxism but causes vary from person to person. Some experts point to the level of anxiety, ability to relax, sleep posture, sleeping habits, eating disorders, and misaligned teeth. Signs of the condition are found evident on the teeth, like worn, flattened surfaces and sometimes a chipped or broken tooth, exposure of the deeper layers of teeth that may be sensitive or not. You can have an earache and jaw ache or a headache at the temple areas, have soreness or tightness of facial and jaw muscles, marks on the insides of your cheek as well as on your tongue. A locked jaw can be a possibility.

What must you do then?
See your dentist right away. He can help determine the extent and severity or find a psychological component that a sleep specialist can manage. Otherwise, the dental approach may ease the effects of bruxism – like splints and mouth guards and correction of misaligned and damaged teeth. These aim to reduce pain, prevent permanent damage to teeth, and reduce clenching as can be possible.

Dental Help for Bruxism in Lynnwood

Bruxism need not get serious. With early intervention, you can diminish potential damage to teeth and jaws. Visit Song Dental in Lynnwood and know more about how to manage this condition in a variety of ways.

Dental Benefits of the Laser

Delivering energy in the form of light, lasers act as adjunct in surgical and dental procedures serving as cutting instruments or as vaporizers on tissues the light comes in contact with. Easily and precisely, lasers remove decay from tooth enamel and is also used to prepare the cavity that will receive the dental filling material that seals it. Likewise, during root canal procedures, lasers take out diseased pulp tissue and cleans up the root chambers.

The technology also cuts unwanted or diseased gum tissue, reshaping it in place or where grafting is necessary. Where a piece of tissue has to be taken out for biopsy purposes or a mouth lesion needs to be vaporized, the laser is a helpful instrument. And did you know that it can also be used in teeth-whitening procedures, activating bleaching solutions placed on teeth to speed up the process?

Patients appreciate the speed and convenience this modern technology offers. There is less need for anesthetics or sedation as it is a no-pain procedure in many cases. Patients’ anxiety over the use of the dental drill is lessened with lasers, as well as lesser bleeding and swelling of soft tissue can be expected. It also saves more normal tooth structure in procedures like cavity-removal.
While there may be conditions where lasers are not indicated and that this modern technology is additionally more pricey than conventional means, laser benefits are quite hard to overlook.

Precision Dentistry at Lynnwood Song Dental

In the hands of certified and experienced professionals such as Dr. Song, laser technology provides the speed, safety and precision of modern dental practice in today’s world. If you’re ready to experience this, do come by for an appointment at Song Dental. Find out if laser dentistry is for you, here in Lynnwood.

Our Lynnwood Dentistry offers many options to help people suffering from TMD, Temporomandibular Joint Disorders.

First, patients should be aware of the condition.  Consider the following list of potential symptoms, and contact Song Dental Center if you believe you might have a problem in your temporomandibular joint. It’s better if you don’t wait until you feel pain, or increased pain.

Symptoms of TMD/TMJ

• A pain or a tender feeling in your face, neck, or shoulders.
• A pain in or around your ears when you chew, speak, or open your mouth wide.
• Difficulty opening your mouth wide.
• A clicking in your jaw, or a tendency for your jaw to lock.
• A clicking, popping, or grating in the area of your jaw joint when moving your jaw.
• A feeling of fatigue in your face.
• A change in the way your upper and lower teeth fit together, which may result in difficulty or discomfort when chewing.
• Swelling in the side of your face.
• Toothaches.
• Dizziness.
• Hearing problems, or a ringing in the ears.

Contact our dentist, Dr. Song, if you have any questions or concerns about your TMD or TMJ conditions.