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!

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!

Flouride - Nature's Cavity Fighter!

Healthy Teeth For Life

Many children in Washington suffer from dental pain caused by disease and decay. These children have limited access to preventive dental care, and may not even have access to restorative care (filling teeth, extracting decayed teeth). Dental decay is one of the most often cited reasons for missed days of school, and impacts our community's most vulnerable. For this reason, Dr. Travis Coulter and Dr. Elizabeth van den Hoven at Coulter Family Dentistry in Spokane Valley, WA join the ADA and Washington State Dental Association 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.

Children's Dental Health Month

February is National Children's Dental Health Month, and all across the United States, dental associations participate in Give Kids A Smile Day - a day of free dental care. Many children suffer from decayed and abscessed teeth in Oregon, as a result of poor diet, poor hygiene, and lack of access to preventive dental care.

Age 1 Dental Visits - Healthy Teeth For Life!

At Coulter Family Dentistry, we advocate for children's health and recommend children begin dental visits at age 1, or when teeth first come in (per the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry guidelines). This helps ensure that children become familiar with visiting the dentist on a regular basis, alleviating any anxiety or fear. It also creates a comforting and recognized environment for your child, should a dental emergency occur.

Although children have baby teeth (primary dentition) that will eventually exfoliate (fall out), it is highly important that those teeth remain free of decay and disease. Not only does decay cause pain and other illness, but children need their teeth as they learn to speak, and to assist in proper jaw and facial development.

To learn more about children's oral health and visit your dentist in Spokane Valley, WA, visit our website or call us at (509) 209-8747.

Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives

2 minutes - 2 times a day!

In August of 2012, the Ad Council joined with The Partnership for Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives, a coalition of more than 35 leading dental health organizations, to debut Kids’ Healthy Mouths. Dental decay is the most common chronic childhood disease with more than 16 million kids suffering from untreated tooth decay in the U.S., oral disease is estimated to cause kids to miss 51 million school hours and their parents to lose 25 million work hours annually, and disproportionately affects children from low-income families. At Coulter Family Dentistry in Spokane Valley, WA, we recommend children have their first dental visit by age 1 as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and maintain regular 6 month cleaning appointments for exams. 

Parents and their children can visit 2min2x.org to watch entertaining videos and listen to music, while children are brushing their teeth. Learn more about preventive care and make sure to schedule your next dental appointment with your family dentist at Coulter Family Dentistry. Make oral health part of your New Year’s Resolution!

November is American Diabetes Month

Since people with diabetes are at a greater risk of developing some oral health problems, this is a good reminder of the importance of staying. Some of the common oral health problems associated with diabetes are: gum disease, fungal infections, infections and delayed healing. Periodontal (gum disease) is no laughing matter; it's also connected to heart disease and other health-related issues.

Our friends at www.perio.org tell us:

Diabetic patients are more likely to develop periodontal disease, which in turn can increase blood sugar and diabetic complications.

 
People with diabetes are more likely to have periodontal disease than people without diabetes, probably because people with diabetes are more susceptible to contracting infections. In fact, periodontal disease is often considered a complication of diabetes. Those people who don't have their diabetes under control are especially at risk.

Research has suggested that the relationship between periodontal disease and diabetes goes both ways - periodontal disease may make it more difficult for people who have diabetes to control their blood sugar.

Severe periodontal disease can increase blood sugar, contributing to increased periods of time when the body functions with a high blood sugar. This puts people with diabetes at increased risk for diabetic complications

For more information and to watch a video on how diabetes can impact your oral health, visit the MouthHealthy A-Z page on Diabetes.

Ready to learn more and schedule your appointment?
We are accepting new patients, and both of our doctors at Coulter Family Dentistry in Spokane Valley, WA have experience in treating patients with gum disease. Give us a call today at (509) 924-1314 or visit our website for more information!

Can You Afford to Skip Dental Care?

We all know life can be busy, but don’t neglect your oral health. Your dental care is just as important now as it was when you were a kid. Untreated dental disease can lead to serious health problems such as infection, damage to bone or nerve and tooth loss. Brush your teeth twice a day, floss once a day and see your Spokane Valley, WA dentist regularly.

In the current economic crunch, it may be tempting to skimp on dental care. But you will not save money in the long run by ignoring your dental health and you might endanger your child's health or your own.

We want to help you keep more of your money for other essentials and that is why we encourage you to get regular dental checkups. Insurance companies know that prevention is far less costly than cures and that is why most policies cover routine dental checkup and cleanings.

The best way to avoid more expensive dental procedures is to follow a home dental hygiene program and maintain regular checkups to identify issues before they become full-blown problems needing costly intervention.

Fact Check:
Did you know that the average adult between the ages of 20 and 64 has three or more decayed or missing teeth? If you are missing one or more teeth, there are plenty of reasons to correct the problem. Your dentists at Coulter Family Dentistry have many treatments to restore your smile.

The ADA website has many great resources for kids and adults of all ages - and Drs Coulter and van den Hoven recommend that you visit the pages often for great information on keeping mouth healthy all year long!

To learn more, visit pages on MouthHealthy.org.

Ready to Schedule Your Appointment With Dr. Coulter and Dr. van den Hoven?
We look forward to welcoming new and returning patients! Has it been a few years since we've seen your family? We still consider you our patient and we would love to see you back in the office to check up on your dental health and assist you in getting back on a healthy track. Request Your Appointment Online, or call us today at 509-924-1314!

No More Dental Fear!

At Coulter Family Dentistry, we want you to have a comfortable experience. We offer several levels of sedation for anxious or fearful patients

Nitrous Oxide- laughing gas helps patients feel less anxiety and less discomfort in their mouths during procedures. The effects of the gas wear off within a few minutes of breathing oxygen.

Oral Conscious Sedation- Patients are prescribed an pill to take before coming to their appointment. The medication relieves anxiety and often can be combined with the effects of nitrous oxide once the patient is in our office.

IV Conscious Sedation- For these patients a medication is administered to take them to a deeper level of sedation than can be safely accomplished with pills. Patients undergoing this type of sedation usually do not recall anything from their procedures. In order to be licensed to perform this type of sedation our Spokane Valley, WA dentists have received extensive training in a dental residency including a rotation in the operating room of a hospital to administer general anesthesia to patients. Patients are carefully monitored to ensure their safety and comfort.

We are currently accepting new patients in the Spokane Valley, WA areas; call us today at (509) 924-1314 to make an appointment for an exam. Dr. van den Hoven and Dr. Coulter invite you to learn more about our Dental Services and Team Members. If you are having pain or have broken a tooth we would be happy to get you in to address your problem today. We look forward to serving you and meeting your family!

Study Linking Dental X-rays to Brain Tumor

An article was published today in Cancer, a scientific journal of the American Cancer Society, regarding a link between dental x-rays and brain tumors. Check out both links below.

Cancer article

American Dental Association April 10 2012 Press Release

For more information on digital x-rays, or the technology we use at Coulter Family Dentistry, visit our website, or call us today at 509-924-1314.

Preschool Cavities

Cavities are on the rise. A recent video on Today highlights the growing epidemic. Click here to learn more. To learn more about your child's dental health, we invite you to give us a call and schedule their appointment today!

Welcome to Coulter Family Dentistry!

The dental team at Coulter Family Dentistry is excited to start this blog, dedicated to patient education and oral health.

Conveniently located in the Spokane Valley, Coulter Family Dentistry welcomes patients of all ages. Dr. Travis Coulter, Dr. Elizabeth van den Hoven and our dental team are committed to excellence and education with regards to patient care.

Using state of the art technology allows our practice to perform a wider range of diagnoses and treatments in the office, helping to reduce multiple visits and rescheduling, saving our patients time and money.

We've compiled a range of information within our website to help our patient community learn about the services we provide, and get a glimpse into our philosophy of dentistry. Dr. Travis Coulter and Dr. Elizabeth van den Hoven believe in treating the whole individual, and in taking the time necessary to help you understand treatment options for a healthy, beautiful smile.

For more information, call our office today or request your appointment through our online system. We can't wait to showcase Coulter Family Dentistry to you and your family!