Healthy Teeth

It can be difficult to communicate the importance of oral health to your young child, and get them excited about visiting the dentist. But, some of our favorite books about teeth will help ease your child’s oral health anxiety, and just so happen to make excellent holiday gifts for children.

1 - What to Expect When You Go to the Dentist     

A lot of children experience quite a bit of anxiety when they first visit the dentist, and this books seeks to help with that. “What to Expect When You Go to the Dentist” teaches children about the dentist’s job, and helps children overcome their fear of visiting the dentist. This book does a great job of explaining dental tools, and the importance of regular dental checkups.

2 - Brush Your Teeth, Please  

This fun book teaches children about proper dental hygiene through beautiful, animal popups. The book features a lion brushing his teeth, a shark flossing, and has interactive, moving elements that kids love. Your child will enjoy reading this popup book, and learning about proper oral care from some of their favorite animals.

3 - Bear’s Loose Tooth

Losing a tooth can be a hard experience for a child, but “Bear’s Loose Tooth” teaches children that losing a tooth isn’t all that bad. This book is easy to read for children, and is written in an extended nursery rhyme – making it fun for parents to read aloud with their kids.

4 - Sugar Bugs 

Sugar Bugs is a fantastic, educational book that teaches kids about how sugar can harm teeth, and how to avoid the nasty sugar bugs! This book covers the importance of a healthy diet, and how a dentist can help keep sugar bugs away! It’s a light-hearted and fun way to introduce children to cavities and proper oral health. 

Give Oral Health This Season

The holidays can be hectic, but the break offers families a perfect time to visit the pediatric dentist. Schedule an appointment with our office so that we can evaluate your child’s oral health, and help give them a healthy mouth this holiday season.

Your children have probably made their winter holiday wish list very well known to you, but they probably haven’t asked for gifts that can improve their oral health. With that in mind, here are our favorite holiday gifts for healthy teeth. 

An Electric Toothbrush 

Electric toothbrushes are handy tools for teeth of all ages, and can make brushing fun for young children. Most electric toothbrushes also feature timers, which can help ensure that children brush for the recommended two minutes per session. Additionally, many electric toothbrushes feature a pressure sensor that helps kids limit how hard they are brushing to prevent upsetting or damaging their gums. An electric toothbrush is an excellent Christmas gift for young brushers that can help take their brushing to the next level. 

A Mouth Guard for Spring Sports 

Mouth guards – sometimes called mouth protectors – work by helping cushion a blow to the face, and minimizing the risk of breaking teeth, or lacerating a lip, tongue or cheek. The CDC estimates that more than 3 million teeth are knocked out at youth sporting events. Mouth guards work to prevent tooth loss and other facial injuries. Mouth guards come in all shapes and sizes, so visit our office and ask which type of mouth guard works best for your young athlete. Mouth guards make great stocking stuffers, and most are adequate for any sport your child can play. 

Oral Health Travel Kit 

Is your family traveling this winter holiday? If so, it’s important to prepare your family with individual oral health travel kits. A travel-sized mouth care kit will encourage your children to keep taking care of their teeth while away from home and the familiarity of their bathroom. We suggest buying a small toothpaste, mouthwash, and floss for each family member on the trip. You can pack your dental travel kit on top of your clothes so that it’s the first thing you see when you get to your destination. We also suggest making sure you make time for your family to take care of their teeth while on vacation.

Fun Oral Health Book For Kids:  What to Expect When You Go to the Dentist 

A lot of children experience quite a bit of anxiety when they first visit the dentist, and this book seeks to help with that. “What to Expect When You Go to the Dentist” teaches children about the dentist’s job, and helps children overcome their fear of visiting the dentist. This book does a great job of explaining dental tools, and the importance of regular dental checkups, and makes for an excellent Christmas gift or stocking stuffer.

Visit Our Office This Holiday Break 

The winter holiday break is a great time to schedule your child for a routine checkup in our office. Visiting our office during the holidays is a great way to get their appointment in without interfering during their busy school schedule.  

Oral appliances are vital tools in helping someone get a healthy smile. It’s important, then, that someone wearing an oral appliance cares for it properly to ensure its long-term effectiveness. Here’s how to care for two of the most popular oral appliances – braces and retainers.

Caring for a Retainer 

Retainer care is all about keeping it bacteria-free, and in good shape so that teeth can go to their intended destination. 

You can clean your retainer with a gentle, unscented hand soap and warm water. Or, you can use a non-abrasive toothpaste to gently scrub your retainer to clean it. Usually, whitening toothpastes have abrasives, so stay away from those when cleaning your retainer. Be sure to thoroughly rinse your retainer with cool water after scrubbing it. And NEVER use soap with bleach or bleaching agents on your retainer. 

Use a Separate Toothbrush 

When cleaning your retainer, use a clean toothbrush that you don’t use on your teeth. This helps ensure that your appliance gets as clean as possible, and keeps it bacteria-free.

Don’t Use Mouthwash or Boil Your Retainer 

Never rinse your mouth with mouthwash while wearing your retainer or oral appliance, nor should you attempt to clean your retainer with mouthwash. Mouthwash, particularly flavored mouthwash that is colored, can stain and weaken oral appliances and retainers. Additionally, never boil your retainer to clean it, which can alter its shape and render it useless, which will cost you time and money to replace. 

After cleaning your retainer, store it in its case or in a clean glass of water overnight. 

Caring for Braces 

Braces are meant to be clean and free of food-debris so that teeth can remain healthy while the braces are worn. Food buildup can expose teeth to acid assaults that destroy tooth enamel and lead to cavities. The best way to keep braces clean is by brushing after each major meal per day for two minutes at a time. By keeping braces clean and free of debris, you can protect the surface and health of your teeth, and keep your brackets and wires in working order.

Try using braces-specific cleaning tools like Waterpiks and floss-threaders, which help flossing around brackets, and getting food debris out from the hard-to-reach areas.

ALWAYS Avoid Oral Piercings 

Oral piercings are popular among teenagers, and are surprisingly common with people that wear oral appliances. Surveys of adolescents and young adults (age 13 – 29) report that 25% to 35% have a body piercing at a site other than the ear lobe. Oral piercings are mostly made of metal, and they can do real damage to oral appliances like braces or retainers. An oral piercing of any sort can dislodge wires, break brackets and get caught in an appliance, which can lead to bleeding. If you have an oral appliance, we advise you to stay away from any oral piercing until it is removed.

Ask Us!

If you’re concerned about how to care for your oral appliance, or your child’s oral appliance, then visit our office. We can offer tips on how to keep your appliance in working order, and save you money on potential costly repairs.  

There’s much more to oral health than simply brushing and flossing. In fact, the food you eat plays a large role in getting a healthy mouth. Here’s some of the most important vitamins and minerals that contribute to optimum oral health.  

Vitamin A 

One of the absolute best vitamins for overall oral health is vitamin A. That’s because it helps keep saliva flowing, which naturally cleans teeth of damaging acids and prevents dry mouth. Vitamin A also promotes the healthy mucous in the mouth that coats cheeks and gums, which makes them less susceptible to infection and disease. Foods that are rich in vitamin A are carrots, eggs, sweet potatoes and fish. 

Calcium 

Calcium is one of the most abundant minerals in the body and it aids in a number of processes, including building and maintaining strong teeth and bones. Calcium can be found in dairy products like milk and cheese, and we strongly suggest getting calcium from cheese. That’s because cheese has a protein called casein, which is vital for building strong tooth enamel. 

Vitamin C 

Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant that helps heal gums, and fight gum inflammation. It does this by helping the body produce more collagen, which aids in cell repair and expedites the healing process. You can find vitamin C in citrus fruit like oranges, grapefruit and kiwi. However, all of the fruits are very acidic, so be sure to rinse your mouth out with water after enjoying them.

Vitamin D

Without adequate vitamin D, the healthy power of calcium is severely diminished. Vitamin D acts as a communicator, and signals the intestines to absorb calcium into the bloodstream. Adequate vitamin D and calcium make bones and teeth denser and far stronger, which helps prevent fractures and cracks. You can find vitamin D in eggs, fish and dairy products like cheese and fortified milk. 

Magnesium 

Magnesium is a fantastic mineral for overall health, and it plays a critical role in building strong teeth and bones. Magnesium helps the body absorb calcium, which is critical to building strong teeth and tooth enamel. You can find magnesium in nuts, whole grains, beans, seeds and dark leafy vegetables. 

Is Your Family’s Diet Mouth-Healthy? 

It can be overwhelming to map out a new diet for your family, but we can help! Schedule an appointment with our office today and we can discuss some mouth-healthy options that your mouth – and family – will love.  

Family life can be hectic, and it’s tough to gather the entire family around the table for a meal together. But, a family dinner can be a great tool for parents to help their children get healthier smiles.

Parents can Serve Mouth-Healthy Food

Dietary choices have a huge influence on your child’s mouth health, and food impacts their overall well-being. Parents can use a family dinner to feed their kids food that they will savor, and their mouths will love. Try adding more mouth-healthy items to dinner. Incorporate leafy greens that are high in fiber, and help scrub teeth as they are consumed. Also, add calcium to their meal, which strengthens teeth and fortifies enamel.

A Good Chance to Catch Up

Sitting around the table with everyone gives parents a chance to catch up with their kids, and can be a great time to ask them about their oral health. Parents can use this time to ask how their teeth are feeling, to make sure that they’re properly brushing and flossing everyday, and to get an overall feel for their mouth-health. Usually, children will go to their parents directly with health complaints. However, as children age and schedules become more hectic, dinner time can be a sacred space for you and your family to recharge, hangout, and checkup on one another.

A Place to Serve Water

Water is one the healthiest – if not THE healthiest – substance for the human body. It is also GREAT for mouth and tooth health! Water stimulates saliva production, which naturally cleans teeth free of food debris and bad oral bacteria. Additionally, sugary drinks like soda and juice harm teeth by feeding bad bacteria on teeth that can lead to cavities and tooth decay. When gathering around the table for a family dinner, make sure there’s plenty of water for everyone to drink.

The Final Meal Before Bed

A family meal gives parents a chance to have “the last say” in their children’s food consumption before bed. Since dinner is the last meal of the day, it’s important that parents use this mealtime as a final window for their children to eat before brushing and going to bed. Be certain that your child waits around 30minutes until after they eat before they brush their teeth, then make sure that they don’t eat for the rest of the night. Going to bed with food particles left on teeth leaves teeth vulnerable to acidic attacks that can lead to tooth decay and cavities.

Is Your Family's Diet Mouth-Healthy?

A mouth-healthy diet is a great way to keep healthy teeth strong, and a poor diet can really leave teeth aching. IF you’re concerned about how your child’s diet may be affecting their teeth, then visit our office. We’ll give you mouth-healthy dietary tips that you can use at home to help your children earn a healthy, bright smile.