(360) 629-7229

7204 267th St. NW, Suite 102
Stanwood, WA 98292

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Re-Opening May 18th, 2020

To Our Patients,


I hope that you and your loved ones have stayed safe and healthy during this difficult time.  I am writing to inform you that Cascadia Dentistry will resume normal operations on May 18th, 2020, following Governor Inslee’s mandate over the past several weeks to treat urgent dental care only.  To ensure the safety of our team and our entire dental family, we have implemented extra safety protocols to provide dental care in the safest manner possible, following recommendations and guidance of the CDC, the American Dental Association, OSHA and the Washington State Department of Health. When you next visit our office, please note the following changes:

  • We are requiring masks or face coverings for patients entering and leaving the office.  You will also notice that our entire team will be wearing masks at all times. 
  • We ask that you call from your car when you arrive for your visit.  We will ask what type of car you are driving and will come out to greet you in the parking lot.
  • Upon entering the office we will check your temperature with a forehead thermometer.  Please understand that we have firm guidelines requiring rescheduling any appointments for patients registering temperatures over 100F. We will also be inquiring as to whether you have been sick within the past two (2) weeks and ensuring that you have not had a fever for at least 72 hours.
  • Please make use of our provided hand sanitizer before your appointment.  Once seated, we will also be asking you to rinse with our antiviral mouth rinse.
  • The waiting room, for the time being, has been cleared of beverages, magazines and toys.  We hope to reintroduce these items as it is deemed safe to do so.
  • Our entire clinical team will be wearing face shields in addition to their other protective equipment.
  • There is a chance that appointments may be in higher demand due to the closure as well as our need to space them out appropriately to ensure everyone’s comfort.  We appreciate your patience and will try to accommodate you to the best of our abilities.

We appreciate your trust, loyalty and understanding during this transition period.  If you have additional concerns about your safety or specific risk profile for exposure, please consult with your physician first and schedule accordingly.  We look forward to seeing everyone soon.

Sincerely,

David Adams, DDS

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New Technology Announcement

Sample CBCT Software Analysis

We are excited to announce the installation of a new digital cone beam CT machine at Cascadia Dentistry!  Cone beam CT (CBCT) technology is a great tool for diagnosing a variety of conditions as it gives us a three-dimensional view of the hard tissue of your skull allowing us to map critical areas such as your trigeminal nerve and maxillary sinus without exploratory surgery.  A CBCT scan is instrumental in treatment planning for any implant placement and restoration and has quickly become the standard of care.  Once a scan is obtained it even allows us to fabricate surgical guides for surgeries like sinus lifts and implant placement(s) which ultimately makes your surgery easier. 

Previously we utilized a third-party service to acquire CBCT scans which required scheduling and payment through a mobile service which was just another hurdle to get through when planning for your surgery.  The ability to take CBCT scans on site will remove that hurdle altogether and provides us easy access to obtaining any scans as we need them.

We are very pleased and excited to announce this new development at our office.  We always strive to balance the need for advancing our technology with the timing that will best serve our patients.  If you would like to discuss how this change may serve your dental needs, please do not hesitate to contact us at 360-629-7229.

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Back To The Basics

The most common conversation that I have with my patients is on the topic of tooth decay prevention.  I wanted to offer some helpful insight to this topic as it is fundamental to dentistry and oral health. Let’s start with the basics of tooth decay and how it can be prevented.

What is tooth decay? Tooth decay is caused by certain strains of bacteria that eat tiny amounts of sugar after we eat or drink something sweet.  These bacteria metabolize sugar to produce an acid (known as lactic acid) that then sits on our teeth.  This process usually occurs in the nooks and crannies of our teeth, such as the grooves on the biting surface as well as the areas between your teeth.

If you think of how small bacteria are, you start to realize that they probably do not need to eat much sugar at all.  In fact, these bacteria feed on incredibly small amounts of sugar in the range of nanograms.  In addition, they feed on all sorts of sugars.  Sugars are found in many of our foods and beverages and it’s not just the usual suspects, such as candy or soda.  Agave, fruits, juices, breads, etc. all usually have some form of sugar in them.

Since bacteria feed on very small amounts of sugar, any amount of sugar that you consume will be sufficient to start the process of tooth decay.  However, not everyone may develop cavities.  The reason for this involves a number of factors that go into an individual’s risk for tooth decay.  Some of these factors include: what your mother ate and drank while you were in the womb, whether or not you had fluoride as part of your diet when you were a child, what strains of bacteria you received in your oral cavity (which usually run in families), what your oral hygiene is like, the environment in your mouth, etc.  While some of these factors are uncontrollable, the good news is that many of them can be positively influenced by taking steps aimed at preventing tooth decay.

The primary factors that can be controlled for are how well we take care of our teeth and the food we eat. Additionally, tooth decay is not necessarily just about which foods are worse for your teeth than others, but also about how often we eat.  I often ask patients who are prone to cavities if they drink coffee with even a tiny amount of sweetener and how long it takes them to drink their coffee.  This example highlights how drinking sweetened coffee over several hours can prevent your saliva from being able to rinse your mouth, which causes your teeth to sit in an acidic environment and sets the stage for tooth decay.

Tooth decay is really a back and forth process.  For early cavities that haven’t penetrated through the enamel, these cavities are even reversible!  Your saliva has calcium in it and your teeth can harden back up after they start to soften. This is why early detection of tooth decay is key to avoiding larger dental complications that can result in pain, medical emergencies and early tooth loss.  The best advice I can give my patients is to try and reduce the amount of time throughout the day that you are snacking, rinse with water after any sweets and try to maintain good oral hygiene, including topical fluoride.  I also recommend regular exams to identify tooth decay in its early stages before it becomes too much of a problem.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss tooth decay further, please do not hesitate to give Cascadia Dentistry a call at 360-629-7229.

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Alternative Means Of Whitening

Recently, we have been hearing questions from our patients about alternative means of teeth whitening.  I wanted to discuss two of these alternative options specifically: apple cider vinegar and activated charcoal.  In general, teeth can stain over time due to the hardships we place on them.  Drinking coffee, tea, soda and other harsh foods can take a toll on our pearly white smiles.  Staining happens in two ways, which are known as extrinsic staining and intrinsic staining.  Simply put, extrinsic staining occurs on the surface of the exposed enamel while intrinsic staining occurs deep down.

When we talk about whitening our teeth, we are usually referring to attacking that extrinsic staining.  Many products have been created for consumers to try to eliminate staining and most of these products work by the process of abrasion.  In other words, products like whitening toothpastes are very abrasive and can actually remove minor amounts of tooth structure when used – but will sometimes also result in whiter teeth. Although there haven’t been many studies on the success of activated charcoal in toothpaste, the mechanism by which it works is similar to the same mechanism used in other abrasive toothpastes.  However, in contrast to tooth whitening toothpastes, activated charcoal toothpastes have not been examined or approved by the ADA and too much abrasion can damage your teeth if used as a prolonged alternative to recommended toothpastes.

When considering apple cider vinegar as a mouth rinse and tooth whitening agent, the studies are also absent and its use is strongly discouraged.  Vinegar is a common name for its proper name, acetic acid.  Just like any other acid, anything acidic should be avoided as a long-term rinse as acidic food and drink will shift the environment in your mouth that may lead to the softening and subsequent erosion of your teeth, which may predispose you to a higher risk for tooth decay.  If this is the last thing you do before bed, you are letting your teeth sit in an acidic environment while you sleep.  Additionally, if you are brushing your teeth afterwards, the effects can also be damaging as you are gradually brushing your teeth away.

If you are interested in tooth whitening, both in terms of continued use and long-lasting results, custom-fitted whitening trays remain the gold standard.  Although whitening gels can cause temporary sensitivity, the mechanism used does not damage your teeth and the results last much longer than other over-the-counter alternatives.  Additionally, Cascadia Dentistry offers products than have been shown to reduce or eliminate even the smallest amount of post-whitening sensitivity.

If you’re interested in whitening your teeth, we are here to discuss it further and help you get started!

To schedule an appointment, please call Cascadia Dentistry in Stanwood:  (360) 629-7229

 

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Antibiotics For Treating Dental Patients With Artificial Joints Are No Longer Recommended

In December 2012, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) and the American Dental Association (ADA) collaboratively announced revised guidelines on the use of antibiotics as a means to prevent the infection of prosthetic joints.  The most recent guidelines no longer recommend the routine use of antibiotics in most cases of patients with artificial joints. This revision to existing best practices has been slow to reach the general public.  In summary, based on considerable research (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3927664/), antibiotics before dental procedures has not been found to be beneficial for the vast majority of patients with artificial joints and in many cases can actually be harmful.

This topic comes up fairly often in the dental chair as many of my patients have artificial joints.  For years the guidelines have been moving toward the reduction of the use of prophylactic antibiotics before dental visits and the frequently changing opinions can often be confusing.  The idea was that bacteria can enter your bloodstream during invasive dental procedures that could, potentially, after a torturous path, end up making their way into the joint space, resulting in a harmful infection of that prosthetic joint.  If this theory were correct, the use of antibiotics as a means to prevent it could make sense.  However, after years of research, they cannot find any cases where this has actually happened.  At the same time, they have also found that simply brushing your teeth can also result in bacteria from your oral cavity entering your bloodstream; and yet, there are no recommendations for the use of preventive antibiotics before brushing teeth.  After years of ongoing research, the AAOS and ADA have finally eliminated the general recommendation for the use of antibiotics in the case of prosthetic joints.  Ultimately, however, their recommendation defers to the patient and their orthopedic surgeon to make the final decision.

If this topic applies to you, the Cascadia Dentistry team continues to defer to you and your surgeon and recommend that you talk with your surgeon about the revised guidelines.  In both personal experience and in doing our own research, we have found evidence that scaling down the overuse of antibiotics is beneficial, as instances where they are over-prescribed can reduce their effectiveness or even lead to life-threatening digestive issues.  As a result, we follow the guidelines of the ADA and the AAOS and do not routinely recommend the use of antibiotic prophylaxis for prosthetic joints.  If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know at your next dental visit. We would be more than happy to discuss this with you further.

To schedule an appointment, please call Cascadia Dentistry in Stanwood:  (360) 629-7229