What are some healthy snacks for my child's teeth?

August 30th, 2022

Now that school has started, many parents may wonder what type of snacks they should pack for their child that are still healthy for their teeth. We're here to help!

Here are some guidelines to help choose the best types of snacks for your child:

  1. Foods with crunchy textures: foods such as celery or carrots help to give your child's teeth an extra brush. These foods don't stick to your child's teeth! Avoid foods like chips or cookies (even though they are also crunchy) since after your child chews these foods, they become sticky and stick to teeth!
  2. Foods rich in calcium: foods such as cheese sticks, yogurt, and milk are rich in calcium, which helps build strong teeth!
  3. Low sugary foods: it's better to give fresh fruits as a sweet treat so that your child doesn't get extra sugar in their diet. This reduces their chance of getting cavities!

Regardless of what your child eats, don't forget to have them brush two times a day for at least two minutes each time. Remember that the magic number is 2!

"My child gets so scared at the dentist and doesn't do well each time we go"

August 10th, 2022

We hear these words from parents so commonly! Whether your child has had a previous traumatic dental experience, or your child has special health care needs, we understand that visiting the dentist may not be easy! This is where our office is here to help!

We believe in desensitization visits - this is where your child comes to visit the dental office multiple times where we gradually expose them to the dental setting. The more times your child is exposed to something, they become familiar with it, and will end up feeling more comfortable! For example, the more times they are able to get into the dental chair, the more times they are used to us brushing their teeth, the less scary each thing becomes!

We are also here for the little wins and want to take things step by step with your child. We want to take away any pressure of having to complete a "full dental visit." If all your child was able to do at the visit was sit in the dental chair, that is a win for us! Then the next time your child comes, we may be able to use a mirror to count their teeth or may even be able to brush their teeth! We do everything based on your child's comfort level!

At East Valley Children's Dentistry, we offer complimentary office tours for our new patients. This allows your family to get to know us and to become familiar with our environment before your dental visit with us! We also have a photobook that walks through the steps of a dental visit to help prepare your child before their visit. Please don't hesitate to contact our office with any questions you may have, we are here for you!

"We Don't Talk About Bruno" (dental edition)

June 13th, 2022

We understand that many parents want to prepare their child for the dentist, especially when it comes to visits when their child is getting a cavity fixed.  To help you help your child better, here are a few tips!

1) Avoid any trigger words such as "hurt", "sharp" or "pain". When we use these words, your child may come to expect that something may hurt them during the visit.

2) We especially do not want to use the word "shots" or "needles" because we don't want your child to associate the numbing medication we give with the vaccinations they receive at their medical doctor. We call our dental syringe that we use to give the numbing medication  "Bruno" - we know it may be an uncomfortable experience for your child, but as pediatric dentists, we have many techniques to distract your child that they may not know they are being numbed! So remember - "we don't talk about Bruno!"

3) Pediatric dentists are masters of distraction - we use stories and games with your child during their visit to make them feel comfortable! We use less "scary" words for different instruments to make sure that your child isn't scared of anything we use. We don't hide anything from your child, we just reframe how they see something new so that they aren't afraid!

4) We understand that parents may have their own personal dental experiences in the past that may have been difficult. We want to avoid these same difficult experiences for your child. The most important thing to remember is that we are here to help you and your family, we want to build that trusting relationship! Don't forget to remind your child that their dentist is here to help them, not harm them!

These are just a few helpful tips to make the dental experience easier, but every child is different, so we are here to work with you and your family to make your experience at the dentist the best it could be!

What can be done in dentistry to help the earth?

April 21st, 2022

Earth Day is tomorrow so we wanted to give you some dental tips to help the Earth!

  1. Use a reusuable flosser - using individual plastic floss picks can add a lot of waste to the Earth. By using a reusuable flosser, you reuse the plastic handle and only change out the floss portion after each use!
  2. Drink tap or filtered water - this reduces the amount of water bottles that are being used! Remember that water is the best drink we can have for our teeth!
  3. Turn off the faucet while you brush to conserve water - you save a lot of water by turning off the faucet for the whole two minutes that you brush!

What are you doing at home to be more earth-friendly?

Let's all work together to keep our Earth healthy!

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