Is Fluoride Good for Children’s Teeth?
As a parent, you want to do all that you can to ensure your children’s good health, and as part of that concern, you take extra care when teaching them to brush and floss their teeth every day. Establishing a good dental hygiene routine can help prepare your children for a lifetime of healthy and beautiful smiles, and the inclusion of fluoride can facilitate the growth of strong, dependable tooth enamel. As part of a complete hygiene and preventive dental routine, fluoride has proven itself useful at protecting children’s teeth from tooth decay and cavity development. (more…)
Worried About Your Kids’ Smiles? Teach Them Great Dental Care
Do you feel like it’s an almost daily struggle to get your kids to take proper care of their teeth? If so, you are not alone. Many parents get frustrated while trying to teach their kids proper oral hygiene, which could explain the troubling statistics surrounding children oral health in this country. According to the National Children’s Oral Health Foundation, 17 percent of American children are not receiving the oral care they need. So, while it may not always feel fun, it is important to teach your kids to care for their smiles from a young age, so they can enjoy healthy smiles as they grow!
How Do I Know If My Kid Has a Cavity? Part One
Most parents know that one of the biggest threats to their kids’ oral health is cavities. They can be caused by a number of factors, including a diet too high in sugar, poor dental hygiene, or simply genetics. Due to all these reasons, dental decay is quite common, in children as well as adults. However, that does not mean that cavities are inevitable. It just takes a lot of work to properly prevent them, through a healthy diet, regular dental checkups and also great dental hygiene, at-home. What should you do if your kid does develop a cavity, though? As a parent, it’s especially helpful to know the warning signs of a cavity, so that if your child does develop one, you will know how to react, so that his or her oral health can quickly be restored!
Celebrate This Easter with Smile-Friendly Treats
With Easter just around the corner, are you busy making last-minute plans to fill your kids’ Easter baskets with goodies, and their holiday with glee? If so, it can be tempting to fill the basket with chocolates and other candies. Sweet treats are readily available, inexpensive, and most kids love them, which explains why they’re considered gift staples in many households. Unfortunately, all that sugar can have a negative impact on kids’ teeth! In fact, sugar is a main contributor to the development of cavities, which can require restorative treatment. So, if you would like to elicit smiles without endangering them, this Easter season, here are some great alternatives to sweets that won’t pose harm to those precious smiles!
Could Sugar-Free Gum Help Protect Your Kids’ Smiles?
Every parent wants to help his or her children keep their teeth and gums as healthy as possible. It’s why great parents teach their kids how long to brush their teeth, and how to properly floss between each tooth. They also take their kids for regular preventive dental checkups, and even attend cleanings, themselves, to set a good example. But according to a recent study, there is something else parents could be doing to help their kids keep their smiles in great shape, and it’s something most kids will even enjoy! It’s chewing sugar-free gum, as an extra step of preventive care! (more…)
Oral Health and Its Connection to the Body: Part Two
Now that you know oral health is important to the entire body, are you curious what more you could be doing to help keep your kids’ smiles and the rest of their bodies healthy? Well preventive dental care is key, both through daily hygiene, at-home, and also regular dental checkups and cleanings. Combined, these are the best line of defense against dental problems, and the subsequent risks to a person’s overall health, that could potentially be caused by issues like gum disease. So, if you want to keep your kids’ smiles looking their best, and just as importantly, help them take better care of their entire well-being, here are a few more tips preventive dentists think people should know! (more…)
Oral Health and Its Connection to the Body: Part One
You already know that you need to help teach your kids the importance of oral care, so they can enjoy beautiful and healthy smiles as they grow up. But many parents don’t realize that a child’s dental health affects much more than just his or her smile. Because bacteria in your gum tissue can be carried to other parts of the body, through the bloodstream, inflammation or infection in your mouth can affect your entire well-being, not just your oral health. So as you strive to teach your kids about the importance of dental hygiene and preventive dental checkups, you should also consider teaching them how every aspect of their self-care affects their overall health. That way they can understand, from an early age, that in order to stay healthy, a person needs to take care of his or her whole body, including the smile! (more…)
Keep Those Precious Smiles Healthy with Preventive Care
You probably fell in love with your kids’ smile the first time they made a toothless grin, and you have likely loved seeing every new development since. As teeth come in and fall out, you only love those precious smiles more. So of course you want to make sure that your kids have healthy teeth and gums as they grow up! Fortunately, preventive dental care is simpler than many parents think. With some diligence, you can teach your kids how to best care for their smiles at home, and that dental checkups are an essential part of maintaining great oral health. That way they can spend their lives showing off those same great smiles you have always loved! (more…)
Prevent Trauma to Their Teeth with Custom Mouthguards
Is your son or daughter excited to start a new sport this year, but one that has you nervous? Sports can be great for kids’ esteem, coordination, physical health and team-building skills. Unfortunately, some sports can also be dangerous for their smiles. Full-contact sports are somewhat notorious for damaging kids’ teeth. Fortunately, your pediatric dentist can offer a simple solution, in the form of custom mouthguards! (more…)
Avoid Cavities This Year with Simple Preventive Care: Part Two
Sugar, and simple starches that convert into sugar, are one of the biggest contributors to cavities. That’s because the plaque bacteria responsible for acidic erosion, feeds on sugars. When your kids eat too much sugar, the plaque is feasting on it, and able to multiply much more quickly, leading to further plaque growth, which calcifies into tartar buildup. Since tartar can only be removed through a professional dental cleaning, preventing tartar is a key step in preventive care. This is also an excellent example why regular dental checkups are essential to healthy smiles. It should also be a compelling reason to make sure your kids are getting well-balanced meals, which can help keep their young smiles looking great for many years to come. (more…)