It can be unnerving and even surprising to discover that your pediatric dentist is recommending a crown for your child. Most parents are under the impression that baby or primary teeth aren’t important. Nothing could be further from the truth for your child’s dental health. These ‘starter teeth’ are essential in ensuring that your child’s adult smile is even and healthy. By ensuring they remain in place until they fall out on their own, you’re increasing their chances of a straight and beautiful smile. These teeth serve to ensure that overcrowding, misalignment, and other oral health concerns don’t develop when the adult teeth come in.
After coming to the realization that a dental crown is needed for your child, you need to discuss the options. Multiple materials are available for use in making pediatric crowns. Which one will produce the best results for your child is based on a variety of factors. Each of the available materials has pros and cons that may make them more appropriate for your child. Once you’ve made your choice, your dentist can begin the dental restoration process.
Getting a dental crown involves the following steps:
In many instances, these procedures will be performed using local anesthesia. This is often sufficient to eliminate any discomfort. For patients with dental anxiety, however, another form of sedative may be provided. For children, this is typically nitrous oxide. This gas is harmless and wears off quickly after the procedure.
Once you’ve received your final crown, your child should wait until the anesthesia wears off to eat. If they attempt to eat while the anesthesia is still in effect, it’s possible they may bite their lip, tongue, or cheek.
Following the procedure, your child may experience some discomfort. This is typically treatable with simple over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol. From this point forward, all you have to do is ensure your child keeps up with their daily oral hygiene to keep their new smile looking great.
There’s an ever-growing amount of documentation covering the potential risks of COVID-19 to you and your family. The joint efforts of a worldwide body of public health officials and scientists continue to produce information on the SARS-CoV-2 virus. These efforts have been instrumental in producing effective methods of avoiding and treating the condition. However, the more we learn, the more questions there are to answer. One of the most imminent concerns has been the effect of COVID-19 on children and what steps you can take to ensure your family is protected.
There have been some irregularities in how children appear to respond to COVID-19. Some of these irregularities suggest that children may be less likely to contract COVID-19 than their adult counterparts. While this idea is still the subject of ongoing study, one thing has become clear. Children are more likely to contract and carry COVID-19 without presenting with symptoms. These children are described as being ‘asymptomatic,’ meaning without symptoms. Current knowledge indicates that children with the virus often experience less severe symptoms from the infection. However, even if they aren’t presenting with symptoms, children with COVID-19 are perfectly capable of transmitting their disease to others. You should have your children checked for this disease regularly. You should also follow these tips:
It’s clear to everyone now that COVID-19 has a propensity to mutate rapidly. The constant appearance of new variants, or strains, makes keeping the disease at bay difficult. One concerning part of these variants is their enhanced ability to fit into receptors found on the cell’s surface. This is thought to contribute to their high rate of contagion when compared to earlier strains. While being more contagious, it is worth mentioning that they aren’t any more deadly than previous strains.
Thankfully the vaccines that are available have been shown to be equally effective against the current strains. Additionally, the safety measures of masking and social distancing are still proving effective against these strains. Following the above tips remain an essential part of protecting your loved ones from COVID-19.
As of this article’s release, those over five years of age are able to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Ongoing research suggests that earlier vaccination may be possible in the future.
If you’re concerned about the potential risk of COVID-19 to your children, speak to your physician. They’ll be able to arm you with the latest information about the disease and what to do if they contract it. The good news is that the larger portion of children who contract this disease recover from it without lasting effect. Regardless, it’s essential that you maintain the proper protocols to avoid having your children become infected. Even if they recover, they may pass it to more vulnerable family members.
Growing families need good dental care providers. There’s a great deal to think about when choosing your family’s provider, especially when there are children involved. Most often, families often work between either family dentists or pediatric dentists to provide their dental care, but how do you choose? What’s the difference between family dentists and pediatric dentists? We’re here to help you better understand those differences and help you choose the right dentist for your family.
Your dentist should be the provider you can rely on when it comes to your family’s health, but one of the largest challenges with dental care is understanding all the different sub-specialties out there in the dental field. The three most common types often used by people today are general, family, and pediatric, but other types such as orthodontists, endodontists, and cosmetic dentists have their own niches in the industry. But for families, both family and pediatric dentists tend to be the most popular choices due to their variety of benefits.
Both family and pediatric dentists specialize in treating children, and both work to emphasize preventative care, focusing on longer-lasting efforts for healthy smiles. However, there are some key differences that all come down to credentials and their areas of work:
Both of these specialties stand out in their own ways and have their own goals when treating children and their families. While family dentists can provide more generalized care, pediatric dentists can offer specialized care with a unique focus on children’s dental health. This choice all depends on what you’re looking for when searching for a dentist, and one of the best ways to choose is to consult with your insurance provider about your available dentists.
Speaking with your insurance provider can be an excellent start towards finding the right dentist for your family, and one of the best things you can do to speed things up is by scheduling an appointment with local dentists in your area. Speaking with them can give you a better perspective about their services, bedside manner, how they work with children, and more.
Recent studies have demonstrated a strong correlation between those who experience poor oral health and having a familial history of poor oral health. Genetics have been shown to be tied to a wide range of oral health concerns. Genetics can impact how our teeth develop and how our jawbones form. They can also impact the shape and placement of these teeth and their ability to fight off bacteria. While our family history may impact our oral health, there is still hope for those with a troubled genetic past.
Nearly every part of our oral health can be said to have a genetic component. Our bone structure is determined by genetic history, as is the size and shape of our oral cavity. Misalignments can directly result from our familial past, as can an issue with our joints. However, one area of our oral health that is firmly in our control is our oral hygiene practices. Our genetics can affect certain aspects of our oral hygiene practice. However, we can always find ways to protect our teeth with daily care.
These elements of oral health can be influenced by genetic history:
These three conditions represent the most commonly encountered oral health concerns with a genetic element. However, there are others. Our risk of developing oral cancer has been shown to be genetic in origin. Misalignments and discoloration in teeth can also be the result of our family heritage.
The good news is that you don’t have to throw up your hands and give in when concerns like this are present. Dental technology has provided a number of effective treatment methods for many of these concerns. From orthodontic care to cosmetic dentistry options, there’s sure to be an answer for oral health concerns caused by genetic elements. Speak to our dentist to learn more.
To provide our children a great chance of a future with good oral health, we have to start developing their habits early. There is more to teaching oral health than simply keeping them on a regular schedule of flossing and brushing. We have to be certain that they are doing it properly so that their teeth are as protected as they can be. To get these habits established properly, we have to ensure that our children are engaged and excited about caring for their teeth.
Successfully getting your children invested in their oral health can be challenging. There are a lot of things to take into consideration to make this as successful as possible. Some of the common concerns that caretakers have about teaching their children to care for their teeth include:
The first part is simple; you should start teaching children about their oral health as soon as possible. Their first dental appointment should happen no later than after the appearance of their first tooth. However, often parents choose to take their child to the dentist before this. This helps establish an ongoing relationship with oral health and their dentist.
Children can be very impressionable, adjusting to new information and learning new concepts quickly. This makes getting started early a great way of helping this information sink in. Many children are driven by things that make them feel like ‘big kids, so emphasizing that while sharing this concept with them. This can help your children eager to incorporate this practice as a natural part of their day.
It’s essential to know that you can’t expose them to too much information about oral health. Their propensity to learn works best when practice and repetition are primary parts of teaching them new concepts. The best guide for what to share with them is what they ask. Once you start talking with them about oral health, answer any questions they have. Start simple, and get more thorough. When they start losing focus, you may be sharing information that would best wait for a later time.
It all begins with sharing why taking care of their teeth is important. They need to understand that these habits will help protect their teeth, even their baby teeth. Further, they need to know that their adult teeth will be with them for a lifetime. You should share each step of the hygiene process individually. Teach them about toothpaste, what it’s for, and how it works. Show them the effective way to brush their teeth to ensure they get all areas.
Then show them the basic steps involved with flossing their teeth and how to safely use mouthwash. Be sure to pick out a mouthwash that is alcohol-free and safe for children. If you have more questions, consult with your dentist to get more guidance!
Whether you’re new to parenthood, have recently moved to a new area, or tend to struggle with the stress of caring for your children, finding the right doctors for them can tremendously help them receive the care they need for a happier life ahead. So once their new set of teeth starts to come in, it’s often time to start searching for a friendly dentist that can work with your children. Finding a dentist that you like and trust matters, and it is especially true for children who have dental anxiety or other conditions that may make their appointments stressful. So if you are not sure how to find the right dentist for your child, then here are some ideas to consider and use when looking for dental care for your children.
Dentists are all doctors of oral health, and with so many specializations out there, it can be not easy to choose. However, for you and your family, the most optimal solutions to consider are either family dentists or pediatric dentists. Both of these specialties treat children as part of their dental care plans and help encourage an all-around focus on preventative care at home to make sure that their patients are caring for their teeth long-term. However, there are also many noticeable differences between these two types of practices:
When it comes to which one to choose, it all depends on your personal needs, what resources are available to you, and your overall goals for your child’s dental care. The best way to begin searching for your dentist is to look at your insurance provider’s directory, read up reviews on the practices in your area, see their community involvement, and most of all, get opinions from other parents in your area about who to trust most with your child’s oral health. Whether you decide to choose a family dentist or pediatric dentist, they’ll both be great options for you and your family.
Taking part in normal dental care can provide your mouth with so many benefits, including having healthy enamel, light pink gums, and overall just a more beautiful smile. Even taking regular visits to your dentist, which we highly recommend, is a great way to keep up your oral hygiene and protect yourself from cavities, gum disease, and other oral diseases. However, what you eat every day also plays an important part in your oral health. Your diet, what you eat and drink every day, matters when it comes to caring for your teeth and gums because your oral health is most often directly affected by what you eat more than you’d think.
Our mouths act as the first mechanism against disease and illness, not necessarily because of our tastebuds, but more so because of the hosts of healthy gut and mouth bacteria throughout our bodies. Our bodies have a gut microbiome, which is an ecosystem of proteins, cells, and bacteria that aids our digestive system in absorbing nutrients into our bodies. This microbiome helps regulate our digestive tract and works with us to metabolize our food into energy. But when it comes to our mouths, our mouths also contain a host of bacteria in combination with saliva that helps maintain our body’s state of homeostasis.
However, once we introduce more harmful strains of bacteria into our bodies, our bodies have to work hard to develop antibodies to fight off the proteins that make up these strains. Our mouths are also intricately connected with our immune system, and so when strains of cavity-causing bacteria begin to develop plaque along our gums and teeth, unhealthy diets often increase the risk of health problems overall, including our bodies ability to fight off strains of bacteria that cause cavities and gum disease.
Changing your diet for the better can benefit your health in many ways, especially for your teeth. This means learning about the foods you eat, sticking to meal schedules, avoiding those midnight snacks, and combining your diet with exercise for an all-around healthier body. When it comes to eating foods for your teeth, we recommend the following diet tips:
For more information about maintaining your oral health through changing your diet, make a visit and schedule your appointment with your local dentist to learn more!
Until 1994 occurrence of dental cavities had been experiencing a 24-year decline in frequency. This was the result of improving oral hygiene standards established by the American Dental Association and the National Institute of Health. Recent studies by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research show that dental cavities are starting to appear more and more frequently. Unfortunately, there’s more to it than just an increase in cavities. The severity of decay has also been shown to increase. Together this means more cavities and worse cavities are occurring than they have in years.
Needless to say, the most important part of preventing cavities is a consistent oral health routine. This means regular brushing, consistent flossing, and using mouthwash every time you brush. Together these three things can do an immense amount to reduce the occurrence of cavities. The VA Office of Dentistry took steps to limit the rise of cavities in the US by providing additional fluoride treatment options to veterans between 2009 and 2012. Access to these treatments was a primary part of making these efforts effective.
Follow-ups on these efforts have shown that those who received these treatments were 10% less likely to need dental restoration work than those who did not. This proved that fluoride treatments were helpful at all stages of life. These efforts, combined with improved awareness of the way that cavities develop and greater accessibility of effective treatments, are helping turn the tide.
Fluoride represents one of the longest-standing and most effective tools used in limiting the occurrence of cavities. However, there are additional ways that the occurrence of tooth decay can be reduced. Brushing and fluoride use is just the beginning:
These are just a limited sample of the new protections for your oral health that are coming out of the dental industry. Each of them represents one more way you can ensure you aren’t faced with tooth decay. Talk to your dentist to get additional oral health tips that can reduce the rising trend of cavities.
Kids these days are more aware of what’s going on in the world and with our planet than ever. This has led to many urging their families to find ways to be more environmentally sustainable. One place that you can start is in your medicine cabinet and your dental supplies. Within your medicine cabinet can be found an extensive range of products packaged in plastic. Once the contents are wrapped up and thrown into the garbage, an immense amount of waste is produced. Think about how many times you replace the toothpaste each year, or buy new bottles of mouthwash, or need another box of floss. All of these containers will be slowly degrading over decades or centuries in a landfill. A little attention to what we use to take care of our teeth can have a huge impact on the world.
Some decades ago, the American Dental Association released an effective set of guidelines for oral hygiene. This guide provided very effective techniques for keeping our smiles beautiful. Unfortunately, some of the tips also had the unintended consequence of increasing waste plastic. While these rules for good oral health should still be adhered to, you and your family can make decisions that lessen the impact on the environment. Being more sustainable with oral hygiene means paying a little extra attention to our water habits:
Each of these steps will take as much as 4 gallons of water out of how much you use while brushing. Twice each day, this amounts to a total of 8 gallons per person per day. This can amount to over a thousand gallons a month of water use for each member of your household. In addition to reducing water waste, you’ll also be saving money if you are on the city water system.
Eliminating plastic is almost as easy. You just have to note the products that you use for oral hygiene. Most dental products contain or are packaged in a significant amount of plastic. The floss itself is made from a plastic called nylon and comes in a plastic container. Toothbrushes alone amount to nearly 50 million tons of plastic waste annually. That number doesn’t account for mouthwash containers, floss, and its container, or other dental care products. Thankfully you can reduce your plastic output with just a little thought:
Electric toothbrushes were thought to be a good way to avoid waste for a while. However, it became clear that the batteries themselves were an environmental problem. The replaceable heads also account for a significant amount of waste.
Dentists know a lot about the various dental products on the market today. They can serve as an excellent source of guidance and can ensure your teeth are protected as well. If you haven’t already, schedule your next visit today. Scribble down a list of questions and concerns to take to them during your visit.
In the first hours of the morning, millions of Americans head to their bathrooms for a morning ritual. With eyes still weary from sleep, they squeeze out toothpaste on their brush and start cleaning their teeth. For some of these early risers, there’s a desire to ensure the products they use are as safe and natural as possible. There are plenty of products that say they’re all-natural. However, it’s only by knowing what ingredients they hold and what purpose they serve that you can be sure. While an ADA designation can tell you that the product is safe, it doesn’t guarantee efficacy. We will introduce some common ingredients in natural oral hygiene products and what they do for you.
One of the benefits of using natural oral hygiene products is how easy it can be to read the ingredient list. Most of these products take steps to avoid using chemicals with complex names, sticking instead to plant extracts. A number of ingredients you may find in these oral hygiene products include:
You’ll frequently find tea tree oil in natural oral hygiene products as a replacement for triclosan. Triclosan was a chemical included in toothpaste due to its ability to reduce contamination from bacteria. A number of studies were done that produced evidence that there are concerns with its use in bar soap and shampoo. In addition to battling bacteria, it also was shown to cause health concerns in the endocrine system, as well as producing antibiotic-resistant bacteria. It has since been banned from being used in soap and body wash. However, the ban did not impede its use in toothpaste products.
Thankfully natural oral hygiene companies discovered that tea tree oil shared many of the same properties, without the drawbacks. This natural antifungal and antibacterial makes a wonderful oral antiseptic. It’s also been shown to strengthen enamel and reduce gum inflammation.
Halitosis, or unpleasant breath, is a concern faced by many people. Even those with excellent oral hygiene can experience episodes of bad breath. Magnolia bark is a popular ingredient in natural oral hygiene products due to its ability to battle halitosis. In addition to freshening your breath, it also does an excellent job of reducing tooth decay. Needless to say, it’s a popular addition to sugar-free chewing gum and natural toothpaste.
Xylitol has been finding its way into a growing number of natural oral hygiene products, including chewing gum. Xylitol is an extract of a plant that has a wonderful ability to reduce the presence of bacteria in the mouth. It’s also capable of reducing the ability of bacteria to stick to your teeth, further slowing decay. A benefit of including this in chewing gum is that the gum itself serves to get debris, bacteria, and plaque off your teeth.
These three ingredients are an important part of any effective natural oral hygiene product.
You’ll gain a lot of insight into the products you use by speaking to your dentist. They’re experienced with many different oral hygiene care techniques and the latest news on their efficacy. Call them today to schedule your next bi-annual appointment.
