Preventive Care for Dental Health Month!

Visit your dentist regularly to prevent future pain!

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

You should be visiting your dentist a minimum of every 6 months. This allows Dr. Snodgrass 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, resolving the . By keeping your twice yearly appointments, you can keep your mouth healthy and your pain to a minimum.

Why Is A Comprehensive Visit So Long?

When we schedule our New Patient visits, we allow for plenty of time with Dr. Snodgrass. Not only does it allow us to learn about you and your individual needs, it allows us to create a baseline with which to compare your mouth to each time you visit. At your initial New Patient appointment, your Vancouver dentist will perform x-rays and other routine procedures to assess what is normal for your individual mouth. On subsequent visits, Dr. Alan Snodgrass 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 calling our office. Anytime you experience pain, bleeding, a lost permanent tooth, a lost filling, or anything out of the ordinary, you should call us right away.

The Sugar Remains

Your Teeth Are What You Eat!

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 dental cleaning at Thurston Oaks Dental? Regular cleanings are a vital part of your oral health. Call us today at (360) 524-4377 to visit your Vancouver dental experts.

Will The Best Toothbrush Please Stand?

Is Your Toothbrush Right
For You?

Everyone knows that choosing a dentist is important, but dental care outside of your Vancouver dental 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. 

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Have you scheduled your next dental cleaning at Thurston Oaks Dental? Regular cleanings are a vital part of your oral health. Call us today at (360) 524-4377 to visit your Vancouver dental experts.

Strong Teeth for Life!

Start Dental Care Early For a Lifetime of Health!

Dr. Alan Snodgrass at Thurston Oaks Dental in Vancouver, WA joins the ADA and WSDA to support water fluoridation to prevent dental disease.

Fluoride is nature's cavity fighter, occurring naturally in the earth's crust, in combination with other minerals in rocks and soil. Small amounts of fluoride occur naturally in all water sources, and varying amounts of the mineral are found in all foods and beverages. Water fluoridation is the process of adjusting the natural level of fluoride to a concentration sufficient to protect against tooth decay. Flouride minerals bind to enamel to strengthen the structure of the tooth, and this can be key for children as their teeth develop.

For more information about the work the Washington State Dental Association and Washington Oral Health Foundation are doing for Vancouver area residents in the fight for children's health, read more here.

Regular or Diet? Sip All Day - Get Decay!

Image Courtesy of dentalgentlecare.com

It is well known that sugar can promote obesity, tooth decay, and a wealth of other health issues. but do we realize just how much sugar is in our food and snacks? Here at Thurston Oaks Dental in Vancouver, WA we understand that a healthy diet is just as important as regular visits to the dentists or hygienist. Our friends at the Minnesota Dental Association have put together a campaign to teach children and families about the harmful effects of soda drinking.

Here's how you get cavities

• Sugar in pop combines with bacteria in your mouth to form acid.
• Diet or "sugar-free" pop contains its own acid.
• Acid in soft drinks, whether they contain sugar or not, is the primary cause of weakening tooth enamel.
• The acid attacks your teeth. Each acid attack lasts about 20 minutes.
• The acid attack starts over again with every sip.
• Ongoing acid attacks weaken your tooth enamel.
• Bacteria in your mouth cause cavities when tooth enamel is damaged.

How to reduce decay

• Drink soft drinks in moderation.
• Don't sip for extended periods of time. Ongoing sipping prolongs sugar and acid attacks on your teeth.
• Use a straw to keep the sugar away from your teeth.
• After drinking, swish your mouth out with water to dilute the sugar.

To learn more about the research Minnesota Dental Association has completed, visit their website here!