My wife discovered the Justin Bieber singing toothbrush last week. The toothbrush plays a Justin Bieber song for two minutes which is the amount of time that is typically recommended for brushing your teeth. Each brush has two buttons, one for the morning brushing and one for a bedtime brushing. The Justin Beiber toothbrush can be purchased at Walgreens or online.
I like the idea of having a two minute timer to remind children to keep brushing their teeth. Often, children will brush for just a few seconds which isn’t enough to hit every surface of every tooth. If your child is not a fan of the Biebs, or if you don’t want to buy a singing toothbrush, a simple watch or oven timer set to two minutes could help remind your child to keep brushing long enough.
photo credit: flash.pro
Parents frequently ask me when their young child should first see the dentist. The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends that children be seen shortly after their first tooth erupts and no later than their first birthday. As any parent knows, many babies and toddlers are not ready to cooperate with a full dental exam at this young age.
Our O’Fallon dental office may perform visual exams on children who are very young while the child sits comfortably in the parent’s lap. In the first couple years, the mouth is so small and the teeth are so few that a quick visual exam may be able to tell us what we need to know without having to perform a full exam with tools. At this age, we find it most helpful to have a discussion with the parents on proper dental care for young teeth and how to avoid any major problems, like baby bottle tooth decay.
In our office we try to keep these first few dental appointments calm and fun so that the child can associate the dentist with a positive experience. We don’t force young children to cooperate in ways that make them fearful because dentistry is often associated with anxiety anyway. I have treated many adult patients who still have dental anxiety due to unpleasant childhood experiences at the dentist.
As a team, parents and the dental office can work together to make going to the dentist an enjoyable and fear free experience for their children.
Video of O’Fallon, MO dentist Dr. Edward Logan answering the question, “When is it too early to lose a baby tooth?” This video was taken at a MOPS meeting with some active children in the background. If you have difficulty hearing Dr. Logan on the video, a summary of his answer appears below.
Many parents wonder when is too early for their children to lose a baby tooth and whether it even matters since it is going to be replaced by a permanent tooth eventually. While there are general time frames in which baby tooth loss and permanent tooth eruption typically occur, there remains quite a bit of variance in timing of eruption for each individual child. Premature tooth loss due to trauma typically occurs in the front teeth since that part of the mouth and face are more likely to be involved in accidents. Back teeth (also known as posterior teeth) are sometimes lost early due to decay. Due to the small size of baby teeth, decay can spread rapidly resulting in the loss of the tooth.
Whether the tooth loss occurs in the front or the back teeth makes a big difference as to treatment. Front teeth typically maintain adequate space for the eruption of permanent teeth, even when they are lost prematurely. Also, front teeth erupt years earlier than back teeth (often as early as age 6) so there is less time to be concerned about crowding development.
When a posterior tooth is lost, it is important for a dentist to closely monitor when eruption may occur by examining x-rays. Depending on when the permanent teeth will be erupting, a temporary space maintainer may be necessary to preserve spacing and give room for the permanent tooth to erupt.
Due to the variability of tooth eruption times, it is difficult to give an exact age at which it is too early to lose a baby tooth, but close monitoring by a dentist can lead to the best results for your child.
What Should I Expect at My Child’s First Dental Appointment?
The answer to this question greatly depends on the age of your child. Most dentists recommend a child begin seeing a dentist for regular check-ups around the age of two. At this age there is very little dental practitioners can do. The appointment will mainly consist of the child, parent and dental practitioner (dentist, dental hygienist and/or dental assistant) getting to know each other. The child will usually get to sit in the dental chair while the practitioner shows the child how to properly brush his/her teeth. Also, depending on how well the child is cooperating, we may show him/her some of the equipment that will be used in the future such as the x-ray machine, overhead light, reclining dental chair and other instruments used while performing a cleaning or exam.
The practitioner will give the parent information about how diet and home care can affect the long term dental health of their child. If the patient is willing, the dentist may perform a very short intraoral exam. This will consist of counting the teeth and visually examining the teeth for decay or heavy plaque. Then, your child will receive a new toothbrush and/or a toy for being such a good sport.
The whole point of this introductory dental visit is to make sure the parent is aware of what needs to be done to ensure optimal dental health for the child. It’s also a good time for the parent to make sure they feel comfortable with the dentist they have chosen. Hopefully, the visit is fun for the child so that with each subsequent visit, the practitioners are able to perform more treatment. These preventative treatments will eventually include x-rays, cleaning, exam, fluoride and sealant placements.
Many parents fear their child’s first trip to the dentist, but going to the dentist is fun for most children when they start going early enough to only need preventative treatment. Not only does this treatment prevent more serious needs in the future, it also instills good dental hygiene from an early age.
We had a great time at our first annual Halloween Candy Buy Back Event on November 2nd. Several area news stations had highlighted the efforts of the national organization and where to find information about local participating dentists. This allowed us to see many new people who came to donate candy, along with many of our current patients. Children brought in big bags full of candy and decorated cards to be sent along with the candy to United States’ military personnel serving overseas.
Making cards for the troops at the O’Fallon dental office Halloween Candy Buy Back event
Not surprisingly, many of the participants had family members who were currently serving in the United States’ military. We heard stories of a brother returning from active duty this week and an uncle who is leaving later this month to begin serving in another country. Everyone recounted that letters from home and care packages really serve as great encouragement to those members of the military who are serving overseas. A couple of the children demonstrated an extra dose of care by deciding to donate their candy instead of take the monetary reward.
Children holding goody bags at Dr. Edward Logan’s Halloween Candy Buy Back Event
If you would like more information about the wonderful organization who will be receiving all of the candy we purchased, you can visit Operation Gratitude’s website.
Limit of five pounds per child and child must be present to collect.
Why: In an effort to support our troops and protect children from tooth decay, we are buying back extra Halloween candy. Children can enjoy their favorite treats and choose some items to keep. Then, on November 2nd, they can trade in their extra candy for money and giveaways. Children will have a chance to decorate a card to be sent along with their candy. The candy will be donated, along with toothbrushes, to Operation Gratitude, an organization that provides care packages to United States’ military personnel.
We will also be collecting new or gently used coats, gloves and scarves to be donated to local charities. For more information, call 636-561-5445.
I am often reminded of a lecture I attended in dental school in which the instructor offered, “If you put a tooth in a glass of soda, the tooth will be gone in three weeks!” Though I have never attempted this experiment, it sounds like a nice science project for a young child. The earlier kids learn about the harmful effects of soda, pop, Coke or whatever it is called in your area of the country, the less likely they might be to subject their teeth to overexposure to these beverages.
Despite the popular thinking that sugar is the enemy in soda, the key ingredient responsible for the majority of tooth destruction is the acid in these drinks. This fact supports the line of reasoning that diet soft drinks can be just as harmful to the oral environment as sugar-laden beverages. The introduction of energy drinks to the market and the overwhelming number of teens enjoying them have led to the increased incidence of decay in this demographic.
Adults would be wise to follow the same advice and limit the intake of these beverages. Diligent oral hygiene practice and rinsing with water after drinking soda or energy drinks can help to reduce potential damage to tooth structure. As always, be sure to maintain regular dental check-ups for diagnosis and cleaning. These things all assist in the relegation of the dental drill to the mouths of other people, a principle desired by the overwhelming majority of my patient population!
Seventy-five percent of all broken, lost, loosened, or chipped teeth occur in children under 15 years of age. Luckily, recent advances in dentistry make it more likely that these teeth can be repaired or saved. However, for the best results, parents must act quickly. Even if no visible tooth damage has occurred, when a child falls or receives a hit to the mouth, soft tissue inside the tooth may be damaged.
Here are some quick tips for dealing with a tooth that has been chipped or knocked out:
Have your dentist’s number readily available. Add your dentist’s office as a contact in your cell phone.
Try to find all parts of the tooth.
Handle the tooth by the top, not the root.
Gently rinse the tooth root if it is dirty.
Apply sterile gauze to stop any bleeding.
Reinsert the tooth if possible. If not, store the tooth in a cup of water or milk
See the dentist as soon as possible. The sooner a dentist can return the tooth to its socket, the greater chance the tooth has of being saved.
If braces or wires have broken, cover the sharp edges with gauze, cotton, or gum, but do not try to remove any wires that are stuck in the gums, cheek, or tongue.
Apply a cold compress to the outside of the mouth to reduce swelling and discomfort.
