Halloween is sneaking up on us, which means it is the time of year for children to collect bags of free candy and build a stockpile of sweets that will last all winter. We enjoy sweets and celebrating holidays with our family too, but we want to provide some helpful hints to get through the sugary Halloween holiday with the healthiest mouth possible.
Save Halloween candy (and other sugary foods) for after mealtimes. This lets our saliva production (that has increased during the meal) rinse away extra food particles and also cancels out the acids produced by bacteria in your mouth.
Most of us are aware that the acidic sugars in sweet snacks can lead to cavities. Parents can help lower the chance of tooth decay by sorting out the candies that are most sticky or slow to dissolve (i.e. licorice, Laffy taffy, suckers) – these types of candy tend to cling to teeth and also cause an acidic oral environment for an extended amount of time. A better example would be chocolate or ones that melt or dissolve easily because they are more readily washed away from teeth by your saliva.
It’s tempting to keep that candy around, but your teeth will thank you if you have a plan to minimize the amount of candy available. One great idea is to have your family pick their favorites and then donate to rest. Operation Gratitude is one example of a wonderful organization that takes donated candy and then sends it overseas to our troops.
Another quick idea is to put excess chocolate in your freezer, where it will keep for up to six months. This helps prevent having candy out in plain-sight where it is tempting to snack on all day long. This candy grazing habit would keep the oral environment too acidic for too long, and your saliva wouldn’t be able to keep up.
Drinking fluoridated water can help prevent tooth decay; if you choose bottled water, look for kinds that are fluoridated. Also, try to minimize sugary beverages consumed throughout the day, this includes sodas, sports drinks, and flavored waters. When teeth are coated by sugary beverages, the risk of tooth decay is increased.
Encouraging all these healthy habits for your family after Halloween candy consumption can help ensure dental health. Remind everyone to be extra diligent with their home-care and take extra precautions to fight dental decay during the holidays.
source:
goddardfamilydental.com
We love our patients and love to help them form healthy dental life that will last them a lifetime. For more information call us today to answer all of your questions so get an appointment.
From the cafeteria to bagged lunches to vending machines, your child has a plethora of options for mid-day meals, and they’re not all good for them. According to the Academy of General Dentistry, children aren’t getting the nutrition they need at school to maintain their oral health. Rather than promoting a healthy smile, school lunches may be contributing to dental caries, or cavities, the most common childhood disease.
A Cavity-Packed Lunch
Cavities are caused when the sugar we eat combines with the bacteria found in our mouths to form an acid that attacks teeth. Eventually, these acid attacks can lead to tooth decay or cavities. Frequently eating a sugar-filled lunch, especially when we’re not able to brush after meals, can wreak havoc on our teeth. Consuming vending machine sweets, packing candy in bagged lunches, and buying sugary desserts from the cafeteria all contribute to the possibility of cavities.
You can’t watch your children while they’re away at school, but you can set them up to make good decisions regarding their oral health. Whether your children are eating a school or bagged lunch, you can help them make healthy choices for a lifetime of dental health.
Types of Lunches:
School Lunches
Many cafeterias and vending machines offer a variety of options, and your child’s choice of food can make or break their oral health. Unfortunately, the sugary snacks and sodas found in many school vending machines can lead to cavities and kids can often purchase desserts in the cafeteria that aren’t good for their dental health, or for their overall health for that matter. In recent years, there’s been an ongoing debate over school vending machines, but you can start your campaign towards excellent dental care by investigating your school’s choices in food supplies.
Understandably, children may be tempted by the sweet treats offered in their school’s cafeteria or vending machines, but you have the power to steer them in the right direction. Discuss the importance of oral health with your child, and talk about appropriate food choices for lunch. When your children come home from school, review what they ate that day. Routinely discussing the importance of a good diet can help your children make correct choices in the future.
Bagged Lunches
Preparing your child’s lunch is a great way to avoid cavity-causing foods. If you do, here are several ways to promote a tooth-healthy meal:
– Pack the right amount of food to meet their nutritional needs. That means including fruit, vegetables, grains and calcium-fortified dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, and milk daily.
– Don’t include sticky foods that can’t easily be washed away, especially if your children aren’t able to brush their teeth after lunch.
– Encourage your children to drink beverages that are low in sugar. Drinking water and other low-sugar liquids can help wash away food particles that might get stuck between teeth.
– You may want to include a travel toothbrush with your child’s lunch. Speak with our dentists about how often your children should be brushing their teeth, and whether lunchtime brushing is appropriate for them.
When you review your child’s day at school, be sure to include what they ate. Ensuring that your child is making the right choices will not only improve his or her dental health but will also help control another childhood epidemic.
We love our patients and love to help them form healthy dental life that will last them a lifetime. For more information call us today to answer all of your questions so get an appointment.
Some kids can’t wait to get braces. Others are a little worried about what it will be like or how they will look. It can help to learn more about braces, which straighten your teeth and make your smile even better looking.
Lots of kids don’t have perfect teeth, so don’t worry if yours aren’t straight. Take a look at most of your classmates. Many of them probably don’t have straight teeth either. Sometimes teeth just don’t grow evenly.
Your teeth might be crooked, or your upper and lower jaws might not be the same size. If your upper jaw is bigger than your lower jaw, that’s called an overbite. If your lower jaw is bigger than your upper jaw, you have an underbite.
Your dentist might notice one of these problems during a regular visit and recommend that you see an orthodontist. This person, who also might be called a braces specialist, can determine whether you need braces.
If your parents had braces, you may have seen pictures of them with their mouths full of metal. Today, braces are much less noticeable. Metal braces are still used, but you might be able to get clear braces or braces that are the same color as your teeth. There are even braces that go behind your teeth where no one can see them.
The wires that are used in braces today are also smaller and better than they used to be, and they’re made of a space-age material that straightens your teeth faster and easier. The rubber bands that go along with braces come in funky colors now, too. So you could have black and orange ones for Halloween!
Braces straighten teeth by putting steady pressure on your teeth and by staying in place for a certain amount of time. Most kids just need regular braces with wires and rubber bands doing their jobs to keep pressure on the teeth. The wires on your braces help to move your teeth, and the rubber bands help to correct the alignment, which is the way your teeth line up.
If your teeth need a little extra help, you may have to wear head- or neck gear with wires attached to your teeth. If you do have to wear headgear, don’t panic! You probably will only have to wear it while you sleep or when you’re at home in the evening.
Everyone has to wear braces for different lengths of time, but most people usually wear braces for about 2 years. You’ll want to take special care of your teeth after the braces come off. You may need tow ear a retainer, which is a small, hard piece of plastic with metal wires or a thin piece of plastic shaped like a mouthguard. Retainers make sure your teeth don’t go wandering back to their original places. Your retainer will be specially molded to fit your newly straightened teeth.
After you get your retainer, your orthodontist will tell you when you have to wear it and how long – you might have to wear your retainer all day and all night for 2 years; you might have to wear it at night for 6 months, or you might have to wear it every other night for many years. It just depends on your teeth.
Braces act like magnets for food, so you need to keep your teeth especially clean while you have them on. You’ll want to brush after meals and be extra careful to get out any food that gets stuck in your braces.
Your orthodontist also may give you a special flosser you can use to floss in and around your braces. When your orthodontist changes your wires, ask if you can do a quick floss (it’ll be easier without the wires).
You won’t have to go on any special diet when you have braces, but you’ll want to avoid some foods that are problems for braces. Stay away from popcorn, hard and sticky candy, and especially gum. Sugary sodas and juices can cause a problem, too, because the sugar stays on your teeth and may cause tooth decay. You can have these drinks, but be sure to brush afterward.
Because braces put pressure on your teeth, you might feel uncomfortable once in a while, especially right after the orthodontist makes adjustments. If you have pain, ask your mom or dad to give you a pain reliever.
If you ever have a loose wire or bracket, or a wire that is poking you, you should see the orthodontist right away to get it taken care of. If your orthodontist can’t find a problem, he or she may give you some soft wax that you can stick on the bracket that’s bothering you. Then it won’t rub against your mouth.
So braces can be inconvenient, but lots of kids have them and the year worth the trouble. When will you know for sure? On the day your braces are removed and you can see your new and improved smile!
We love our patients and love to help them form healthy dental life that will last them a lifetime. For more information call us today to answer all of your questions so get an appointment.
Orthodontic problems can affect both children and adults — even those who wore braces when they were young. That’s because teeth are more mobile than you might think. In fact, teeth move very gradually all the time in response to the normal forces of biting and chewing. But the teeth can also be pushed out of proper alignment when, for example, young children develop unhealthy habits such as thumb sucking or tongue thrusting. These and other orthodontic problems usually become apparent around age 7, when the permanent teeth have started to come in. That’s why an orthodontic evaluation is recommended for all kids at this age.
Adults often see their teeth begin to crowd toward the center of the mouth. Your bite may also shift into poor alignment due to a missing tooth. But it’s good to know that no matter what your age, orthodontic treatment is available for all of the common orthodontic problems listed below — provided your teeth and gums are healthy. It’s also important to remember that wearing a retainer after any orthodontic treatment will help preserve the results for as long as possible.
Abnormal eruption is when a tooth emerges through the gum in the wrong place. If the tooth is blocked from growing in fully (a situation called impaction), a minor oral surgical procedure may be required to uncover the tooth before orthodontic treatment begins.
Crossbite is when one or more of the upper teeth bite inside the lower teeth rather than outside. This is usually related to the misalignment of the upper and lower jaws. In a child who is still growing, widening the upper jaw with an orthodontic appliance called a palatal expander may solve the problem.
Crowding results from a lack of space for the teeth to fit normally within the jaws, either because the teeth are too big or the jaws are too small. Possible solutions may include removing some teeth and/or making more room in the jaws with a palatal expander or through a surgical procedure.
Excessive spacing may result when one or more teeth fail to grow in, are lost to trauma or disease, or there is a discrepancy between jaw size and tooth size. It’s important to close the gaps because excessive space allows nearby teeth to shift out of position.
Open bite occurs when the upper and lower front teeth do not come together when biting, resulting in an open space between the two. This is often the result of tongue thrusting (also called infantile swallowing pattern) and/or prolonged thumb sucking.
Overbite (deep bite) is when the upper front teeth bite too far down over the lower teeth. Sometimes the bite is so deep that the upper teeth cover the lower teeth completely, forcing the lower teeth to bite into the roof of the mouth (palate). This often results from a discrepancy in jaw size.
Overjet (protrusion) is when the upper front teeth extend too far forward or the lower teeth don’t extend far enough forward. This may be related to genetics, improper jaw development, missing lower teeth and/or improper alignment of molars. Thumb sucking or tongue thrusting can exacerbate the problem.
Underbite occurs when the lower front teeth extend past the upper front teeth. It can be caused by overgrowth of the lower jaw and/or undergrowth of the upper jaw. Depending on the severity, treatment may involve conventional orthodontics and/or jaw (orthognathic) surgery.
We love our patients and love to help them form healthy dental life that will last them a lifetime. For more information call us today to answer all of your questions, so get an appointment today.