April 19th, 2021
We all know the golden rule for brushing - brush two times a day, two minutes each time. But how can we make brushing fun for kids? We get this question a lot from parents since it is so hard to get their kids motivated to brush. There are many ways to get your kids brushing, but here are a few of our favorites!
- Brushing Tunes! - Have your child choose their favorite song and have them brush for the full amount of time that the song plays for. Because we want your child to brush for at least 2 minutes, make sure the song lasts for that amount of time!
- Brushing Sticker Chart - Create a calendar where you reward your child with a sticker for every morning and every night that they brush their teeth. At the end of the month, if they were able to get a full chart of stickers, you can reward them with a prize of your choice!
- Brushing Together - Some children, especially the younger ones, love watching and copying what their parents do. If you brush together, it becomes a family activity that they'll get used to doing.
The biggest thing about brushing habits is creating a routine. Our favorite routine is brush, book, bed - the three B's! Brush your teeth, settle down with a bedtime story/book, and then get tucked into bed.
We hope these tips help you and your family - let us know what works for you! And please share with us any other great ideas your family has to make brushing fun!
February 19th, 2021
In honor of National Children's Dental Health Month, we wanted to talk about a really important topic to us. We often hear "but they're just baby teeth, do they really need to be fixed? Aren't they going to fall out anyways?" Although it is true that baby teeth do fall out and new adult teeth come in, not treating baby teeth can cause a lot more harm than we think!
What happens when we don't treat cavities in baby teeth?
- Cavities can grow really big and affect the nerve inside the tooth. When this happens, your child may start feeling discomfort and pain on that tooth. This pain affects children when they're eating and sometimes even at night when they're trying to sleep.
- After cavities start affecting the nerve of a tooth, the bacteria from the cavity may start causing an infection to form inside the bone underneath the tooth. You may see a pimple with pus on your child's gums next to the tooth with the cavity.
- If infections are left untreated, this can be really painful and potentially dangerous for your child. Infections can cause large swellings in the face and neck, and if the swellings are large enough, it can cause your child to have difficulty breathing. This becomes a really urgent emergency!
- Over time, if the infections stay in the bone around the tooth, this infection may affect the adult teeth that are developing underneath. The adult teeth may not develop normally - they sometimes become a different shape or a different color from what is normal.
- And lastly, not all baby teeth fall out at once! Most children do not lose their last baby tooth until they are 12 years old!
All of these things that can cause discomfort for your child are extremely preventable! When we treat baby teeth, we try to treat them as early as possible so that we take care of the cavities when they are still small. Our goal is to protect and save as many baby teeth as we can, because we want every child to have a beautiful and healthy smile!
January 25th, 2021
A very common question we get from parents is: "Why are there so many gaps in between my child's teeth?" This question is usually followed by: "Does this mean my child needs braces?"
We've all been taught that straight teeth are what teeth are supposed to look like. But for baby teeth, those gaps or spaces are what we want! Baby teeth are very small in size in comparison to the adult teeth counterparts. By having gaps in between each baby teeth, the extra space allows for the larger adult tooth to erupt into its normal place.
Dentists describe spacing via the Baume classification system.
- Baume Type 1 means that there are gaps/spacing between the baby teeth, allowing room for the adult teeth to come in.
- Baume Type 2 means that the baby teeth are in contact or touching. There is a lack of extra space, meaning that the adult teeth may not have enough room to come in, leading to crowding and possible need for braces for the child in the future!
Once adult teeth erupt into place, they are usually in contact with one another, no gaps remaining. But not all gaps are bad! Some people have natural gaps in between their adult teeth and that's okay! Every smile is a beautiful smile!
December 29th, 2020
What's more exciting than seeing your child grow their first baby tooth? When your child gets their first loose tooth! It is finally time for your child to get a visit from the tooth fairy. But you also notice that the new tooth is growing behind their baby tooth. Many parents come ask us - "is this something we need to worry about?" The great news is, this is extremely common! We call this "Shark Teeth." Shark teeth is when the new adult teeth grow in a row behind the existing baby teeth, creating two rows of teeth, similar to sharks!
Most of the time, we don't have to worry about shark teeth. Once the baby tooth falls out, the new adult tooth will drift into the space, even though it has grown in behind the other tooth. The normal movement and pressure from your child's tongue will also allow the tooth to be pushed into place - your child doesn't have to actively push on the tooth with their tongue!
When might we worry? If you notice that your child's new adult teeth have now grown taller than your child's baby teeth, and you also notice that the baby teeth are not loose, this is a great to talk to your child's dentist. Your dentist will be able to evaluate your child to determine if there is anything that needs to be done in order for your child's teeth to grow in properly.
When in doubt, never hesitate to ask your dentist! They are your experts on oral health and always want to make sure that you and your family are well taken care of.
