Many of you may have heard about Xylitol. It is most often found in candies and chewing gum in place of sugar. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol sourced from corn or birch trees. It has a texture and sweetness both comparable to sugar, but with less ill effects. Xylitol is non-fermentable, meaning our oral bacteria can’t use it to produce cavity causing acids. It also prohibits bacteria from adhering to cellular tissue. This prevents oral bacteria from thriving. Xylitol contains about 40% less calories than regular sugar and has little to no effect on insulin and blood sugar levels. … Read More

Dry mouth (xerostomia) might seem like an annoying thing that happens at night from time to time. But if it occurs regularly, it needs to be treated. Left untreated, it can affect a variety of things, including eating, speaking, and your general oral health. If you do suffer from dry mouth, you are certainly not alone. As many as 400 medications list xerostomia as a side effect. You can check this list, to see if your medication is one of them. Symptoms of persistent dry mouth can include: thick or stringy saliva bad breath changes in your sense of taste … Read More

Every October we want to highlight our hygienists hard work as it’s National Dental Hygiene Month. They are always striving to better serve their patients and October is a time to help us raise awareness about the importance of good oral health. It is also a time to celebrate the important work they do on a daily basis. We are so fortunate to have 4 wonderful hygienists that put our patients at ease and encourage them to work toward a healthier smile. They are continually educating themselves to learn the best ways to improve oral health and to make it … Read More

The unstructured carefree days of summer are winding down and just like that another school year is upon us! This means kids will soon be waking up early and sports will be starting again. With sports comes the need to stay hydrated, but there are many drinks out there that can be deceiving. Many sports drinks are targeted toward kids. Most also have high levels of sugar, which is why kids usually prefer them over plain water. The constant intake of these sugary and acidic beverages though, can have unwanted ill effects on our teeth. Dental erosion is a loss … Read More

  As many of you probably know, a little over a year ago we started offering Invisalign clear aligner therapy in our office. We are so happy to offer this service to our patients. We have benefited from getting to see many smiling patients esteem rebuilt and hygiene ease restored! This process is made simple by our incredible team who have gained the knowledge and experience of working directly with Invisalign. While there are a lot of online companies emerging for aligner therapy we strongly urge you to consider seeing a professional for this care. Our Invisalign consults are free … Read More

Many of us can agree that there is no better place to be on a sunny summer day than this little corner of the Pacific Northwest! We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful setting; from the tidepools to the mountain tops and everything in between! One of my favorite things to do with a surprise long weekend is a “staycation.” Port Angeles has so much to offer and saves the time and hassle of planning a trip away! Here is a short guide to being a tourist at home! 🙂 OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK First on the docket … Read More

  At Laurel Dental Clinic we’ve begun to offer the option of a salivary test for Oral HPV. Now you might be wondering: “Why is my dentist concerned if I have HPV?” Or you might be thinking: “It’s none of your business if I have HPV.” These are valid concerns, as this is a new screening protocol that is likely to stir up many questions. To help allay any fears or concerns around our new screening, we’ve put together some information below, that further explains our role as dental professionals and providing the highest quality of preventive care that we … Read More

Fluoride is a controversial topic in the dental field, which is why we’ve chosen to discuss it this month. Numerous studies show that when used as directed or when added to community water in the correct amounts, fluoride significantly reduces the incidence of cavities. A frequent misconception surrounding fluoride is that only children will benefit from fluoride. Anyone regardless of age, has unique risk factors for developing cavities. Our dental hygienists are trained to identify your risk for developing cavities, and evaluate this at each hygiene appointment. By determining this, we are able to recommend any additional supplements that would … Read More

As many of you know, here at Laurel Dental Clinic we went through a little bit of a baby wave through our staff members this last year. They all delivered healthy, happy babies and moms are doing well; ask about them at your next visit, we love talking about our little ones! This seems like the perfect time to address oral care during pregnancy. There are a few misconceptions out there to shed light on and we’ll discuss how and why good home care is especially important during pregnancy. One of the biggest misconceptions involved with dental care during pregnancy … Read More

Earlier this month I, Amy Swenson, had the opportunity to take part in a dental service trip to Guatemala! This team included 2 dentists, 2 hygienists, 3 assistants, 2 translators, and 3 support staff. The team was built from Atlas Dental Group practices and sponsored by the Non-Profit branch, The Whitefield Foundation. Guatemala Once we landed in Guatemala City we made our way to Antigua for the first night, then continued to our destination of Godinez. We worked in the surrounding areas of Lake Atitlan. Guatemala has a long history of suffering multiple natural disasters ranging from hurricanes, earthquakes and … Read More