It's A Good Time To Add New Dental Hygiene Routine For Kids And Teens

A New Year is a great time to put in place a new dental hygiene routine with your kids and teens. 

The energy and comments of everyone around will help make the change seem natural and positive for your kids. Instead of one more unreasonable parent demand, your new habits can be a new years resolution that is actually easy to keep.

A great component to add to their dental hygiene routine is the "parent quality time" aspect we have discussed in some other articles.

For small children and toddlers you can add in hands on effects like hugs and helping them with the flossing. Throwing in the fun parts like a brushing song to mark the minimum 2 minutes mark or a bright smile story while they brush makes your attention fun and positive rather than stern parental.

For school age children you can still have a before and/or after hug to look forward too. Take the moments they are brushing to tell them something you like about them or that you liked about their day. This reinforces hygiene time as a time of positive strokes. Also good to add, is to say to them afterward, "Let me see your beautiful bright smile". So that again, you are not a stern parent making them do a chore but a caring parent admiring their happiness and appearance.

Teens especially can benefit from a re-vamping of their hygiene routine. Now that social interaction has become much more important in their lives, and often orthodontia and braces are on the horizon or exist, hygiene needs have changed too.

For breath, introducing teens to a tongue scrapper can be one of the biggest favors you can do for them -- and their social life. Good breath begins with controlling bacteria, and the tongue is a place bodies will use to rid itself of waste that can heavily contribute to bad breath.

Adding tongue scraping into their morning routine can make a big difference to the success of  your teens interactions with their peers and teachers during the day.

Especially, teens with braces and other devices need to be more aware of the importance of irrigation with water to the success of their hygiene. Since food particles and chemicals can get easily trapped, irrigating with water (even just swishing, though an electric water irrigation device is best)can make a huge difference in the ultimate state of their teeth after orthodontia. And, of course, will help keep  breath fresher.

I would still recommend asking to see their beautiful smile afterward. Even as they groan and complain and roll their eyes at that silly routine, on an underlying level it will give them the feeling of love and approval from you as parents, that can't be found anywhere else.

So Happy New Year ALL...
And happy new dental hygiene routines, too!


 
Karen Chu DMD

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Fun How To - Preparing Your Young Child For The Dentist Visit - Storytime!

Helping your younger children prepare for their dentist visit is easier and more fun than you might imagine!

Much of the fear and upset young children experience on those 1st appointments come from having no "frame of reference" for  the strange environment, strange people and even stranger actions happening to and around them.

Toddlers Dental Visit Story Karen Chu Dmd

There are several ways to help prepare our toddler and young child to go to the dentist. One of the most fun, though, is adding a personalized dentist adventure story to your nightly cuddle and quality time with your kids.

Above is a presentation to help give you some "how to" ideas to  make nightly storytime fun and pleasurable preparation time with your kids.

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All About Baby Bottle Decay

 
How many anxious parents out there have despaired when noticing their young child's teeth turning black? 


Or, when many or all their teeth appear eaten up or broken down?

 Hang on, take heart. It is not as mysterious or impossible to deal with as it might seem.

Modern pediatric dentistry can and does come to the rescue for your baby.

What has been just been described is a classic example of nursing bottle caries, also referred to as baby bottle decay or Early childhood caries (cavities). And, there are ways to treat and to prevent the condition.
   

   So, What IS Baby Bottle Decay?

   Essential Factors

For decay to occur on any tooth - whether in children or adults - the following factors are essential:

        1) The tooth surface itself! So, the strength and hardness of the surface plays a major role.

2) Bacteria. There are only a few types of bacteria that specifically cause decay -so if your saliva has more of those ,then ,well , its like you drew a bad hand in a game of cards - you're stuck with it - so you will have to just be extra careful and vigilant with your child about dental hygiene and good habits.             

 

3) Food Substrates. If there are food particles (even too tiny to be seen by the naked eye such as those in formula and juices) left behind on the tooth surface  to rot - especially fermentable carbohydrates - then they will act like adding fuel to a fire. They consume the fuel and leave a gaping  hole in the tooth in the process. 

 

   Fementable Carbohydrates What??

 It is here that the bottle formula for children becomes the main culprit of baby bottle decay.

You see, any fermentable  carbohydrates - whether from milk or other sweetened formulations or from fruit juices or sodas - can be deadly for teeth. The former because bacteria act on them to produce acids and the latter because they are a direct source of  the acids themselves!

This acid then removes all the calcium and minerals from baby's tooth structure -- leaving it extremely softened  and vulnerable (in other words, decayed).

 What compounds the issue is a child being allowed to sleep with the bottle. This leaves the sugar just sitting on the teeth for a long time and causes extensive damage of the child's teeth. 

   Can Baby Bottle Decay Be Treated Effectively?

Luckily for children today, pediatric dentistry now offers effective treatment options for baby bottle decay.

Teeth can be filled, capped or extracted as need be. And there is a choice of appliances that children can wear comfortably  to maintain teeth positions until their permanent teeth are ready to come in.

These procedures can be very scary for and wearing on the tiny children who get this condition. Small children at best don;t like sitting for long periods and less having their mouths held in one spot. 

Modern pediatric dentistry has developed some tools to aid in  keeping them quiet and less uncomfortable - from papoose boards to to cocood and prevent injury due to squirming to modern anesthesia with less risks (though never risk free). 

Still, the BEST treatment is always prevention.

   How Can You Prevent It?

The best place to start can be derived from it's name -- simply put, stop feeding with a bottle! ;-) Smiles, If only, it truly was that easy!

  

   But what you CAN DO, jokes apart, is make sure to:

         

a) Remove the bottle immediately after feeding
         

b) Wipe/clean your baby's/child's mouth after Every feeding. ***more so after even one tooth has come in-  which is usually by 6-7 months. This tip applies to after drinking any juices, too.
       

c ) Encourage healthy eating habits in the child one solid food eating starts - get them to chew well rather than be soft eaters.
           

d) In some instances, substituting sugar with xylitol may be beneficial. * Be sure to get your specialists go ahead before doing this.
         

e) Schedule regular dental appointments for your little one with a children's dentist - they are trained to look out and prevent such problems at an early stage.

Remember that, started early, your child grows up thinking of  dental appointments as a routine, necessary , and not unpleasant experience rather than something to be terrified about.

If you delay until the signs of baby bottle decay are already present, the unpleasantness of treatment could affect not only your wallet but your kids lifelong attitudes about dental care - something that has a large impact on over all health.

So let's use these tips to understand, prevent and stamp out baby bottle decay before it can take root in our kids teeth.

Karen Chu DMD
  

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Thanksgiving Can Be Traditional AND More Tooth Friendly

Thanksgiving dinner -- that time of the year where family and/or friends all get together to share good food and good drink and gratitude for the blessings in our lives -- is a time that can be a little tough on our teeth.

There are more likely to be multiple desserts offered. And, even some of the 'traditional' side dishes use large amounts of sugar along with the spice to create special holiday recipes.

The funny thing about it is, that at the original Thanksgiving meal of the Pilgrims, they did not have any desserts at all. By that autumn of 1691, all of the Mayflower’s sugar supply was almost gone.

As a matter of fact, the only available sweetener they had at all, was maple sap. They only had that because the native Squanto had taught them to extract from the trees of the area in March of that year.

  So how can we be traditional and more tooth friendly this Thanksgiving?

•  Take a leaf from the early settlers. Use less sweeteners in side dishes and desserts. Most of the time, you can reduce sugar significantly without people noticing. Maybe it would make a great NEW family tradition to all get together and experiment reducing or replacing sugar on 1 family recipe a year?

• Make sure you showcase the tooth friendly traditional foods like sweet potatoes and cranberries. Sweet potatoes are filled with antioxidants to boost immunity. Cranberries keep cavity-forming bacteria from sticking to your teeth.

• Berry Pies are another good choice. Blueberries, cherries, blackberries, and black raspberries are as beneficial as cranberries. Rich in Vitamins A and K, manganese (an essential mineral) and may even contain compounds that help lower bad cholesterol.

• Play up the fiber foods. Fiber foods can actually scrub your teeth as you eat. They also promote saliva flow-- important to help neutralize the acids (especially those caused by sugar!) and enzymes attacking tooth enamel. Some good fiber foods for a family pre-feast or feat are broccoli, artichokes, raw carrots, avacados, asparagus and apples.

What about after the meal?

SURPRISE!

It is important that you have your kids just rinse with water after the meal-- NOT BRUSH.

Thanksgiving dinner has a lot of acid causing foods. And acids in foods and beverages soften enamel during and after eating for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour!

This leaves  teeth more vulnerable to damage when brushed with toothpaste. So regularly brushing right after eating can make your kids (and your) teeth become sensitive over time.

It IS important that they brush and floss today between meals -- just make sure it is after the 60 minute mark.

Here is wishing all of you and your families a delightful, satisfying and tooth friendlier Thanksgiving!

Smiles

Dr Karen Chu


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Help Your Grade-Schooler Overcome Fear of Dentist

Is this your home? ‘Your grade-schooler throws tantrums, screams, complains or  even cries every time you bring up the thought of visiting a dentist.’ Or, maybe he or she retreats into a sullen smoldering.

With the relative sophistication of today's kids, we forget sometimes that they are still -- little kids.

And, at their age, it is STILL normal for them to be a little frightened about the bright lights, the hats and gloves and that big dental chair they not normally part of their day-to-day life. 

As a matter of fact, a large percentage of school-aged children round-the-globe share the same fear.  Come to think of it, a lot of adults still do too!

However, as a parent, you know how important it is for your grade-schoolers to regularly visit a dentist--especially, to keep those smiles bright and happy. So how do you live up to that responsibility to help your kids overcome that fear? You can’t just give up on them. You want the best for them. But, you are also busy and a little unsure of how to help them.

To help parents deal with this, here are a few reliable tips to help overcome the dentist 'tantrum attack' or doldrums:

Start Early

Start introducing dentists to your kids as early as two years old. Make it an adventure to go with stories and songs and plenty of hugs and kisses

. Starting with the right attitude early prevents a LOT of later upset.

However, if it is already too late for that strategy, and your child is already school age-- don’t think that it’s too late. In that situation, bringing them to a Dental Center won't be as easy to sell to them as to a child of two. 

Yet, you CAN still start preparing them for a visit day without trauma or fuss... it is all about re-framing the experience.

Use WIFM (What's In It For Me)

Introduce the topic of dentists as something that they will get an immediate benefit from. cavities or oral health are not really something that affects what is important to them - their friends, school, other kids, acceptance and a loving environment.

Discuss with them what IS relevant and 'in it for them' by the visit (other than no cavities). Something like:

• How kids are nicer to kids with good smiles.

• How getting cavities would be very painful and a sealant will help protect them.

• How the dentist visit is their first line of defense against bad breath and teasing.

Read Them Stories

For early grade-schoolers, stories and fantasy are still very impactful. Reading them bedtime stories like the story of the tooth fairy is one effective way to help them overcome the fear.

Today, there are plenty of books telling stories about visiting a dentist and take note -- they are all fun to read. So invest in a storybook or three and you’ll see you kids not only learn from them, but also enjoy the extra bonding time with you!

Bring Them With You

If you are going to your dentist for checkups, allow them to watch you while you are in a short procedure.

Talk to your dentist about the situation and set this up in advance. Most dentists will be fine with helping you show them that getting in and being checked by a dentist is never as scary as he thought it will be. 

* However, make sure that you only bring your grade-schooler to watch you only during your check-ups and not in any other complicated dental procedures.

See A Children’s Dentist

Giving them a dentist who specializes in a pediatric practice is important to make the dentist visit live up to your preparation. The best thing to do is to consider a pediatric dentist or a children’s only dental center.

“Just like you, children need dental treatments and care for them to have those healthy smiles and not affect their school performances. Taking your school age children to a dentist who specializes in a good experience for children will not only help them maintain those smiles -- but also help you relieve any dentist visit anxiety”

You CAN eliminate pre-dentist visit trauma and tantrums ...

even if your child is already in grade school and past 1st visit. It just takes a little preparation and careful selection of a dental practice focused on your child’s positive experience.

Dr Karen Chu DMD

I would love to hear about YOUR creative solutions to avoiding pre-dental-visit blues! Please leave a comment and share what has worked for your family.

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Tricks For A Tooth Friendly Halloween

 For those of you who have not visited my parent help articles blog http://phoenixsmallsmiles.blogspot.com this is a repeat of the post there for Halloween. These are tricks too good to miss when you have small smiles to shepherd through the holiday safely.

Halloween is one of our most fun holidays. Who doesn't like to play dress up, do startling jokes and get together with friends around a theme? For our kids especially, it is a time to indulge in imagination and delicious yet safe scariness.

It is NOT so great for small teeth. In the days before during and after there is an unusual amount of sugars eaten at odd times which can lead to some danger for small teeth. And, it is a time for potluck parties and home treats that sometimes have less than professional chefs. Caramel and toffee gone hard can lead to tooth shattering experiences.

So, here are some simple tricks to make sure your child's treats are tooth friendly:

1.  Extra brushing. Between friends and parties and pocketed treats, twice a day may not be enough. Check in another time or two and send them to do a quick "treat brush" during the day.
2. Show them how to savor a candy apple or caramel treat. Shoe them to give it a lick fort (so they can get a warning if it is a rock) and then a nibble ( a scraping of teeth against outside of the treat) and then to slooowwwly sink their teeth in. Let them know that if the teeth don't sink in then that this is a licking treat like a tootsie pop -- not a biting treat.
3. Remove home made treats from the Halloween candy bag unless you know the house they came from. As sad as it is to waste a treat made with love, you cannot know what has come out of a stranger's kitchen. Although many urban myth sites claim the razor blade in the food story never happened, there can be honest mistakes that can occur such as a splintered stick end or nuts that are just not shelled well that can hurt tender gums.
4. Above all, keep track of how much candy came home in the bag and the rate it is eaten. You will want to continue to check for extra better flossing (caramel and toffee can cling) and add in some extra brushes until it is ALL gone.

Wishing  you all have a  spine tingling fun and safe Halloween!

Karen Chu DMD

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What Is Dentistry?

Is it just the treatment  of mistaken lifestyle or unfortunate genetics?

Is it another branch of  the beauty industry?

 Or is it something much more...

The public seems to have a split idea of our role. On the one hand we are seen as a necessary evil.  On the other our role is as creators of beauty through a mix of scientific magic.

It is interesting to notice that we are rarely seen in one of our most vital roles -- educators and the prevention of pain and suffering.

We are the first to discuss with a parent how and when to start the dental hygiene routines that will affect a person's health for life. Without the orientation and encouragement to establish these habits correctly and early, most children and many adults will skimp on their oral care. 

When that happens we do become the necessary evil -- since even with all the wonderful advances in anesthesia and treatment tools, there is just no way to consider having your mouth worked on at length comfortable.

The Saving Grace Of Vanity

Thank goodness for sex appeal! 

We get another chance to orient and guide our patients into habits that will save them from a growing number of health issues being connected to poor dental health. From orthodontia to whitening, the desire for a beautiful smile is saving the American mouth.

How we utilize this opportunity will ultimately affect not only our patient's health but will define who we are as dentists and human beings. Do we simply treat as a necessary evil? Are we the magic smile genies? OR do we take this chance with both hands to remind and teach the dental habits that will affect our clients for the rest of their lifetimes?

So what IS dentistry to you?

Dentist or Public... I would love to know what it is to you .... and what you hope that it can be. 

  

Please share your views in the comments below.

Dr Karen Chu DMD

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