Sore Jaw? Here Are 4 Reasons Why...

If you wake up with a sore jaw, have chronic headaches or even have fractured teeth, you might be grinding your teeth without even realizing it. Most people are not aware of the fact that they grind (or brux) their teeth until they see their dentist who can pinpoint the symptoms. If you have been told that you are grinding your teeth, you might find yourself wondering why. Of course every case is different, but there are a few reasons that commonly occur.

Can't relax? Stress might be causing your jaw pain.

1. Stress – If you are under a lot of stress it can come out at night. When your muscles clench, it is a natural reaction to grind your teeth. 
2. Mouth Irritations – Whether it is teeth that do not line up perfectly, or another dental issue occurring in your mouth, you could end up grinding your teeth together at night to deal with the irritation.
3. Allergies or Colds – If you are uncomfortable from allergies or a cold, you might grind your teeth at night to deal with the discomfort.
4. New Dental Work - If you've recently had a filling or crown placed, your teeth may not line up anymore, and your mouth will constantly be adjusting to find the right "bite" again resulting in grinding.

There are several ways to deal with bruxism, including visiting your dentist at Coulter Family Dentistry to get fitted for a mouthguard. If you prefer to do something less drastic, you can try including relaxation methods into your daily routine and find ways to manage your allergies to avoid chronic grinding. Unfortunately, if you are subjected to grinding your teeth, you might not be able to prevent it from occurring 100 percent, but decreasing the amount of time that it occurs can help your overall dental health.

Concerned About Your Sore Jaw?

Give us a call today at (509) 209-8747 or visit us online to request your appointment through our online scheduling system. We're here to help relieve your pain!

Preventive Dental Care For Dental Health Month!

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. Travis Coulter or Dr. Elizabeth van den Hoven every 6 months. This allows them 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 Is A Comprehensive Dental Visit Important?

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 Spokane Valley dentists will perform x-rays and other routine procedures to assess what is normal for your individual mouth. On subsequent visits, Drs. Travis Coulter or Liz van den Hoven 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.

Happy "Tooth" Thousand Fourteen!

At Coulter Family Dentistry, we're ringing in the New Year in style. We invite you to come by our offices and see the difference that our patients are talking about! From comprehensive family dental care, to complex cosmetic makeovers and sleep apnea therapies, the Spokane Valley dental team at Coulter Family Dentistry offers only the best.

As you pin up your list of New Year's Resolutions, don't forget about your oral care! Is there a procedure you've needed but have been putting off? Or perhaps you've always wanted to fix the space between your front teeth but hadn't gotten around to scheduling a consultation. Many of our patients are surprised to learn how affordable cosmetic dentistry is, and appreciate the financial plans that we offer to help their dental needs and desires fit their budget.

It's not too late to call and schedule your next appointment - we're available to help you! Call us today at (509) 209-8747, or visit our website at www.coulterdentistry.com to learn more!

January is Coulter Family Dentistry's "Get Healthy Month"

New Habits for a New Year!

With the New Year upon us, we know there is pressure to get healthy and fit, and we truly believe in the importance of this. Our office would like to help make that a little easier for you! Please visit our website or Facebook page for a weekly tip on how to get healthy and stay healthy this year!

Tip #1: Reduce/cut out the stress in your life! www.vibrantlife.com 

Tip #2: Get the rest your body needs. www.vibrantlife.com 

Tip #3: Make sure you are getting an adequate amount of exercise each day! www.heart.org 

Tip #4: Maintain a healthy diet. www.helpguide.com 

Tip #5: Maintain regular visits with your primary care doctor. www.bmc.org 

Dentistry Without Fear!

If you are preparing for a filling, root canal, crown, tooth extraction, or other dental procedure, you now have an option to relieve your dental anxiety. At Coulter Family Dentistry in Spokane Valley, WA, there are several options available to our patients for relief of pain and anxiety during routine dental visits.

Conscious, or moderate sedation, allows patients to remain awake during dental procedures. Patients are able to interact with their dentists but do not feel any discomfort or pain. Moderate sedation can also help patients avoid more severe side effects of general anesthesia such as nausea, headache, vertigo and long-term drowsiness. This form of sedation generally causes the patient to not remember anything about their dental appointment other than a pleasant experience.

One of the most common forms of non-IV sedation is Nitrous Oxide, known as 'laughing gas'. Patients of all ages can use Nitrous Oxide with minimal to no side effects.

Make sure you tell your Spokane Valley, WA dentist about any drug allergies or dependencies, existing prescriptions or over-the-counter drug use, medical conditions, changes in your health, history of anxiety, heart conditions or alcohol use before undergoing treatment. You and your Spokane Valley dental team will discuss the benefits and risks of each option. We will work with you to make sure you have a pain-free, anxiety-free, comfortable experience.

Affordable Dental Implants Are Just A Visit Away!

Affordable Dental Implants
in Spokane Valley, WA

In contemporary society, it might be shocking to know that “69% of adults ages 35 to 44 have lost at least one permanent tooth to an accident, gum disease, a failed root canal or tooth decay.” By the time most adults reach their seventies, 26% have few if any of their original teeth left.

With so many people losing teeth and with our current dip in the economy, many people cannot afford the cost of implants and so go either without their teeth or with the less favorable option of bridges or dentures. Yet dental implants are the most desirable of all teeth-replacement options: they look natural, last virtually forever, do not cause pain, discomfort and bad breath and are permanent. Unlike dentures and bridges, implants do not sit on top of the gums or adhere to adjacent teeth. Instead, your dental implant experts, Dr. Travis Coulter and Dr. Liz van den Hoven, places them inside the jawbone, making them a natural, long-term replacement for teeth.

Thankfully, there is an alternate solution for those who need implants but cannot afford the cost. With a moderate-term, esthetic provisional, patients would be able to preserve their implant site and have the benefit of a temporary replacement tooth. Using computer-aided design and manufacturing, dentists can digitally create temporary implants for a fraction of the cost of permanent ones. The result, produced by a milling machine, is almost as strong as gold.

What this means is that there is now a predictable and successful stopgap for people who do not want dentures but who cannot afford implants. Call your Spokane Valley dentists at Coulter Family Dentistry for further details on how you can get your grin back.

Sip All Day - Get Decay!

Image Courtesy of dentalgentalcare.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 Coulter Family Dentistry in Spokane Valley, 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!