When buying food for the house, if you’re not paying attention to the products and beverages you’re purchasing, a simple trip to the grocery store could lead to a pantry stocked with acidic foods that can be harmful for your teeth. As great as candies, sodas, and citric fruits taste, they can actually end up doing your mouth more harm than good. In this article, we’re going to explore the damaging effects acids have on enamel and how to protect the dental health of your whole family with a few simple steps. What is Enamel and How Does Acid Affect It? Enamel is the outermost protective shell that covers your teeth and it’s the hardest most highly mineralized substance in the body (even more so than bones!). The role that enamel plays in the mouth is to protect the inner layers of teeth from damaging effects caused by acids and plaque. As an added protective measure to prevent enamel from becoming damaged, dentists also apply sealant around the chewing surfaces, although it doesn’t protect areas of the tooth that sealant won’t reach, allowing sodas and sticky candies to cause decay. When left on the teeth, acids can cause erosion which...

Finding the right dentist is an important part of making sure your dental health is where it needs to be, year after year. During the search, you may have noticed that some dentists have a DMD title, and others have a DDS title. If you’re like most, you’re probably wondering what the difference is and whether or not it should impact your selection. To help ease your mind, in this article, we’re going to clear up the confusion between these two degrees and explore the interesting history between them. To start, let’s first look at what they stand for and how they’re obtained. Solving the DDS and DMD Confusion Because they have different abbreviations and titles, many patients assume that each degree falls under a different specialty. While DDS stands for “Doctor of Dental Surgery”, DMD stands for “Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry”. To get either, dentists must go through three or more years of undergraduate college, four years of dental school, and then pass both a written national exam and a state or regional licensing exam. As it turns out, the American Dental Association says that there is no difference between the two degrees. Each simply means the doctor...

For both parents and children, a trip to the dentist can be a little intimidating. At Inland Family Dentistry, we understand this common problem and we're here to help you face it head on. From the initial meet and greet, we strive to create a comfortable experience for children that inspires excitement and laughter rather than tears and fears. From the adult side of things, we work to educate loving parents about the importance of dental hygiene and routine visits for their kids, creating a solid foundation for a future full of healthy smiles. The Importance of Dental Hygiene As a parent, it's important that you instill lifelong dental hygiene habits in your children. When babies are born, they already have their full set of 20 primary teeth that don't begin to show until they're between 6 months and 1 year, fully coming in by age 3. During this time, being proactive about your child's dental health is the best way to ensure everything is on track so they don't experience any developmental problems later on. This includes making sure their gums are healthy before the first teeth even begin coming in, and taking proper care of their oral health...

Happy holidays everyone! Just a short post to wish everyone well over the holidays and best of luck in the new year. We will be out of the office December 22 and will return January 2. We are periodically checking messages. If you are a patient of Dr. Goyer or Dr. Coe and experiencing a dental emergency, please call (509) 525-7250 and select option 2 and one of the doctors will return your call as soon as possible. We look forward to seeing everyone in the new year. Remember, the new year also brings insurance changes, so please keep us updated as benefits may change in the new year. We do our best to research your coverage prior to your appointment. Safe travels. Be merry!

Dentures that fit not only add to your enjoyment of life but are essential to maintaining your health. Properly fitting dentures also help support facial muscles and allow for more natural speaking and chewing. There are many types of dentures and options to consider when determining your oral health future. Dental implants placed in the jaw and attached to the denture, for example, help prevent bone loss and improve your ability to chew more naturally. Financial planning is another very important aspect to consider. Medicare and Medicaid provide little to no dental benefit coverage. Plan ahead to create a treatment plan with your doctor to ensure that you are fit for life.

A great question was asked the other day by one of our Facebook friends—How acidic is milk or coffee? Often we think about the acidity of sodas or sports drinks, as depicted in the visual we created to explain why acid matters. Tooth enamel starts to break down at pH 5.5, and the root surface of teeth start to break down at pH 6.5. Most sodas, juices, and sports drinks range from pH 2.4 to 4.0. So how about other drinks that often make their way into our daily routine? We did a little research—coffee on average is reported around pH 5 while milk is far more neutral ranging between pH 6 and pH 7. Another beverage to keep in mind is wine, which averages between pH 3 and pH 4. Food also ranges from acidic to more alkaline (basic). For example, lemons are very acid at pH 2 while egg whites are considered basic at pH 8. Obviously, we aren’t advocating giving up fruit, coffee, and wine forever, but rather suggest that these beverages are treated as treats. Sipping on acidic beverages all day, as opposed to water, perpetuates the cycle of decay. To learn more about this process...

Have you heard your child snore? Take a moment to read Mouth Breathing: Adverse Effects on Facial Growth, Health, Academics, and Behavior to learn about how sleep disorders impact children. Talk to your child's dentist or pediatrician if you have concerns about your child's sleep hygiene and orofacial development. Consider checking in on your child or use the baby monitor every now and then to monitor his or her sleep patterns. Local pediatricians often refer parents to healthychildren.org as a resource for many health, developmental, and nutritional issues. This site also has information available for the different ages & stages that talks about sleep. Check it out—It could literally change your child's life!

Added acid in the food industry comes in basically two forms: phosphoric acid and citric acid. Phosphoric acid is added to all carbonated drinks to preserve the carbonation (the bubbles) until the beverage is opened. Citric acid, which is made and produced as a byproduct of the corn industry, is used as a preservative. To note, we are not talking about citric acid in its natural form--citrus fruits. Although, citrus fruit in the form of juices is just as damaging. As you may recall, pH is a relative scale we use to indicate acids and bases. A neutral pH is 7 which is for the most part the pH of our bodies. Water is also at a neutral pH. Battery acid is highly toxic at a pH of 1. Most juices, energy drink, sour candies, and sodas range in pH between 2.4 and 4.0. Tooth enamel starts breaking down at a pH of 5.5. The root surface of teeth starts breaking down at a pH of about 6.5. The Minnesota Dental Association launched a Sip All Day, Get Decay campaign to bring awareness to this issue. The acid in sports drinks, energy drinks, and sodas, whether they contain sugar or...

The health of your mouth has countless impacts on your overall health. Think of your mouth as the gateway to the rest of your body. From diabetes to sleep apnea to emotional health, the mouth matters. Malocclusion Malocclusion means teeth that don’t fit together well. Baby teeth are the placeholders for adult teeth. Lose the placeholders and the adult teeth can come in crooked or crowded. This can be caused by losing a baby tooth too early to decay or even by decay between the baby teeth. Teeth that don’t fit together trap food. Crooked or crowded teeth are harder to keep clean. This can lead to tooth decay and gum disease. In a growing child with lots of decay the shifting teeth can cause the inside shape of the mouth to narrow and the tongue can become crowded. There is scientific evidence suggesting that this can affect the shape of the airway in the throat and could lead to sleep apnea or breathing problems during sleep. Heart Disease Roughly 80% of US adults have some form of gum disease. Gum disease is preventable and reversible. Bacterial infection in the gums can spread to other parts of your body. Researchers...

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