O'Fallon Family & Cosmetic Dentist

We are frequently asked “When should I bring my child to the dentist for the first time?” The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends a child should see the dentist soon after the first tooth has erupted, but no later than the first birthday. These earliest appointments will primarily involve an exam and instruction on proper dental hygiene for these young teeth. Here is a link to a fact sheet on baby’s teeth written by the ADA:

http://www.ada.org/prof/resources/pubs/jada/patient/patient_11.pdf

Basic Tips for Dental Hygiene for Little Ones:
1) Begin washing teeth with a washcloth or Nuk brush as soon as the first tooth erupts.
2) Begin gentle flossing whenever two teeth touch. This isn’t an easy job with little ones so try to make it fun by singing, looking in the mirror, making funny sounds, etc. Small dental floss picks might be easier to use at this time. Even if you don’t have great success with flossing, don’t give up. Every little bit helps.
3) Do not use fluoride toothpaste prior to age 2. Make sure the child knows to spit the toothpaste out instead of swallowing it.
4) NEVER put your child to sleep with a bottle.
5) Remember candy and sweets aren’t the only foods that can cause decay. Limit the use of fruit juices and sticky foods such as cereal bars which can stay on teeth for long periods of time.
6) Children will need help brushing their teeth for the first several years and may need reminders to brush and floss throughout their childhoods.
7) Try having an older child brush or floss at the same time you are helping your younger child to do the same. This positive modeling may help to keep the child interested.
Prolonged use of sippy cups can cause damage to the front teeth. Try using no-spill cups with straws when your child is not ready for an open cup. This will allow the liquid to go back further into the mouth instead of first hitting the front teeth with every sip.

My business manager is hijacking my blog to add a link to more pumpkin recipes. My last blog entry showed the positive health contributions of pumpkin.

Here is a link to Cooking Light Magazine’s latest recipes using pumpkin: www.cookinglight.com/food/in-season/in-season-pumpkin-00400000001273/. Check out the Pumpkin Recipes box on the left which includes a great lighter recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread. It has 33% less calories and fat than traditional Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread because it uses fat free pudding to replace some of the oil. This recipe works great for making two big loaves or you can reduce the cooking time and make several mini-loaves to give out to co-workers,neighbors, or the friendly staff at your dentist’s office.

It’s pumpkin carving time so make sure to take advantage of the health benefits of pumpkin seeds. One quarter cup of pumpkin seeds provides around 50% of your daily need for magnesium, phosphorous, and manganese. Pumpkin seeds are also a great source of iron, protein, vitamin K, and zinc. Pumpkin seeds have been touted for their beneficial effects on cholesterol, prostate health, and arthritis as well.

Using olive oil and natural spices to flavor pumpkin seeds helps to increase their health benefits. Allrecipes.com has several variations on flavoring for pumpkin seeds. Here is a link to their recipes. http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Roasting-Pumpkin-Seeds/Detail.aspx. Their recipes don’t mention boiling the seeds beforehand, but if you like them crunchy try boiling them for 10 minutes before you bake them.

photo credit: sk8geek

With the recent increase in illnesses this fall, several patients have asked me if they need to throw away their toothbrushes after every illness. This helpful article outlines several ways to go about washing and sterilizing toothbrushes. However, as the article points out the safest way to ensure your toothbrush is not harboring germs is to replace it after every illness and at least as often as every 3 months.

Toothbrushes should be stored in an upright position. Bathroom toothbrush caddies make this easy, but make sure that there is enough room between toothbrushes so that their bristles are not touching. Also, cleaning out the bottom of these caddies should be part of your bathroom cleaning activity. This task is easier if you choose ones that are dishwasher safe.

It is a good idea to keep extra toothbrushes on hand to be able to quickly replace a toothbrush after illness.

Parents often dread preparing their children for the first trip to the dentist. This dread can become quite apparent to young children creating fear in them before they even step into the dentist’s office. With advancements in dental care and pain management, today’s dental office does not have to elicit fear and negativity in children.

Here are some tips for helping to prepare your child for their visit to the dentist:
1) Positively talk through what will happen at the dentist’s office. Make a verbal picture story of what your child will see and hear when visiting the dentist.
2) If your dentist has a website with friendly pictures of the staff and office, take the opportunity to show your child these pictures while naming the people who will help your child.
3) Visit the library to look at positive books about going to the dentist. Many of the popular TV characters have short books about “My first trip to the dentist.”
4) Tell your children why it is important to see the dentist regularly and how smooth and shiny their teeth will feel when they are cleaned.
5) If the child is particularly young, bring along a favorite stuffed animal or blanket to hold during the cleaning.
6) Bring along a book, toy, or coloring pages for your children to do while waiting to distract them from the fears they may have while they wait.
7) After the appointment, maintain positive talk about the dentist. Ask positive questions like “Don’t your teeth feel great? Isn’t it great to know those cavity creeps are gone? Wasn’t the hygienist nice?” rather than negative questions like “Did it hurt? Were you really scared?”

The increased stress levels of our fast-paced lives has led to a growing concern in dentistry: damage to teeth caused by nighttime grinding. Many people are unaware of this habit which can cause premature wear of their back teeth. When this problem matures, the front teeth may even begin to chip and crack. If left untreated, tooth wear and grinding can lead to broken fillings, broken teeth, and premature tooth loss necessitating crowns. Other symptoms of nighttime grinding include a dull morning headache and jaw tenderness. I feel so strongly about the need for Dental Nightguards, that I have found a new high quality nightguard material that is much more cost-effective for my patients. The simple step of wearing a Dental Nightguard can help insure against possible high dental costs in the future and help protect your teeth for a lifetime.

What’s Halloween without the candy? You can enjoy your Halloween while not destroying your teeth. Plan to be extra vigilant about your family’s tooth care routine during the Halloween candy eating season. Make sure to floss and use an age appropriate dental fluoride rinse like Act during this time. The worst candy offenders to your teeth are sticky candies like caramel, candy corn, and taffy. Saliva is not able to wash these candies away as they stick tightly to your teeth. Another tip is to offer your children (and yourself) sugarless gum in place of some of the candy they wish to consume. Sugarless gum, especially those containing Xylitol, can be beneficial to your teeth by decreasing the amount of decay-causing bacteria in your mouth.

If you end up with a large amount of candy this year, consider donating some of it to your school or a local charity to use as treats throughout the year. Another idea for extra candy is to partner with several families and ship extra candy along with a care package to a soldier overseas (just don’t send chocolates or anything that would melt).