Smile-Healthy Lunch Ideas Your Kids Will Love
Are you more excited than your kids, about them heading back to school soon? After a long, hot summer it can be fun for the whole family to have a change of pace, and to enjoy the cooler temperatures that are coming. With busy school days, though, comes lots of lunch packing. Before you become overwhelmed trying to come up with healthy options your kids will actually eat, and certainly before you resort to the convenience of overly salty and sweet pre-packaged snacks, consider these tips from your pediatric dentist. After all, you can help promote healthy bodies and smiles by packing your kids’ lunches with nutrient-rich foods! (more…)
What Should Your Kids’ Hygiene Routine Include?
As a first-time parent there is a lot to learn, from how often to feed your baby to how to properly swaddle him or her. Perhaps most importantly you will also have to adapt to surviving on next-to-no sleep. The good news is that, as with most tasks, there will be a lot of learning as you go and you will surely improve your parenting skills over time. One area you might need a little extra help, though, is taking care of your son or daughter’s smile! It can be all-too-easy to neglect your child’s oral care, when he or she has yet to erupt a single tooth. But good dental hygiene should actually begin before you see that first precious pearly white tooth. So let your pediatric dentist guide you in how to best take care of your baby’s smile! (more…)
Why Parents Need Preventive Care Too
Now that fall is almost here, do you find your calendar filling up fast with football games, band practice and a myriad of other school functions? While your kids may require a great deal of your attention and carpooling talents, over the next few months, that doesn’t mean you have to overlook your own needs. In fact, you shouldn’t postpone preventive care for your own smile. Regular dental hygiene and routine checkups are some of the best ways you can preserve your oral health, preventing the need for invasive restorative treatment. Plus, your own excellent oral care helps your kids develop healthy habits that will serve them, and their smiles’, well for many years to come. (more…)
Simple Tips for Healthier School Lunches
The kids will be heading back to school soon, and that means your job as official family lunch packer is about to resume. Before it does, and you resort to old standbys like pre-packed lunch kits and bags of cookies, consider some healthier alternatives, instead. By sending your kids to school with healthy foods and snacks, you can help them grow strong while also preserving their healthy smiles! (more…)
Make Sure Your Kids Drink Plenty of Water
The summer days may be winding down, now, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still important reasons to make sure your kids continue to drink plenty of water each day. While the scorching heat may be a palpable reminder that your family needs to hydrate, regularly, your bodies still need adequate hydration to function at their best each and everyday. So take this opportunity to learn a bit more about why water is essential to your kids’ oral health, and what you can do to ensure they’re actually staying well hydrated each day. (more…)
Does Your Baby’s Smile Need Dental Care?
Is any smile more precious than your baby’s? Your child’s smile probably lights up every room he or she enters, and it has, of course, secured a special place in your own heart. What you may not realize, though, is that to protect that priceless smile, you will need to begin caring for your child’s teeth early. In fact, even before baby’s first tooth has erupted, there are still simple steps that can be taken to protect your baby’s oral health. (more…)
Does Your Child’s Smile Need Protection?
The kids will be heading back to school soon, which means your family’s calendar is likely to fill up with a variety of activities and exciting new endeavors. If some of those events include athletic competition, your child might require a mouthguard to protect his or her smile. Of course, an existing dental problem is another compelling reason to seek treatment, promptly, before summer is through. Restoration, like a filling or crown, could help improve your kids’ comfort, and perhaps even the appearance of their smiles, before they start a new school year! (more…)
The Unfortunate Truth
Most people are probably not aware that tooth decay can begin within 20 minutes of eating, drinking, or snacking, but it’s an unfortunate truth. They also may not know that, while periodontal disease is the major cause of adult tooth loss, tooth decay is the major cause of childhood tooth loss. Our mouths are naturally rife with bacteria, but some oral bacteria are harmful to your teeth, especially when they come into contact with sugars and starches. Bacteria feed on sugars and starches and in the process secrete acids. The bacteria, acids, left-over food particles, and saliva form a sticky film called plaque. If not removed, plaque eats away at your teeth causing decay. If you knew this, would you put your child to bed with a bottle of sugary milk or juice? Probably not.
Should Your Kids Do More to Protect Their Gums?
Strong teeth and healthy gums are both essential to maintaining great smiles. Unfortunately, many children and adults alike fail to care for their gums effectively. This is why many Americans struggle unknowingly with gum disease, a serious condition that can cause inflammation, infection, and eventually tooth loss. Gum disease can also have a negative impact on one’s entire body, because infections in the gum tissue can be carried to other parts of the body through the bloodstream. Fortunately, it is possible to prevent gum disease. You just need to teach your kids how they can best care for their entire smiles, including their gums! (more…)
Smile Brightly This Summer with Simple Care Tips: Part Two
Summer is actually an ideal time to schedule your kids’ semi-annual dental checkups and cleanings. Remember, even kids whose smiles seem healthy could be at risk of developing cavities or other issues, because of acidic tartar buildup. Most patients need to visit the dentist at least twice a year to keep these and other problems at bay. By scheduling your kids’ checkups during summer break they won’t have to miss any school to keep their smiles in great oral health. (more…)