NEWBORN!!

**All of the darling photos are courtesy of my talented sister, Amy Blake at amylynnblake.com

Here's the scoop mom & dad:

Your have this new little one in your home, and this baby doesn't have teeth right?! (or at least they shouldn't). So we're thinking, "What's the big deal?"

Well, in some ways, we're right! There is not much that can go terribly wrong for the infant as far as disease and decay, BUT one of the best things you can do at this stage is establish the habit of care in the mouth.

ADVICE

For the infant with no erupted teeth, simply take a damp, warm washcloth--put it around your index finger and GENTLY (I repeat GENTLY) wipe the gums! OR Using a baby toothbrush, gently brush the gums. (I emphasize gently because this is not supposed to be unpleasant! The point right now is to get the baby used to having something in their mouth from an outside source. You shouldn't ever have to push hard.)

The only other thing to think about at this point is fluoride. Fluoride offers strength to teeth that are developing and teeth that are already in the mouth. It can be SUCH a good thing! However, it can be unsafe if above recommended dosage. The good news for new moms trying to remember everything is that from birth to six months, NO fluoride is recommended by the ADA.

That's the advice for the newest babes. Here's to HABIT :)

**Sources: American Dental Associaton Website & BabyCenter.com

**Time Spent on Project so Far: 2 hours 15 minutes

And so begins the journey of the

MOMMY DENTAL IQ

dental education project!

This project will be for on upper division credit in Dental Hygiene. I will be reading current studies and articles on baby oral hygiene, & reviewing the latest and greatest in products for oral care for tots. I hope some new mommy readers (or some seasoned mommy readers) will be able to learn from this project!

Okay mom, let's start with the basics... You're going to want to know these terms mean so that reading my commentary makes sense.

DENTAL IQ BASICS

Enamel: The outermost layer of the tooth. The white section you see when you look at your teeth. (did you know enamel is the hardest substance in your body?! Yep, harder than your bones.)

Dentin: In simple terms, this is the layer underneath the enamel. It is more yellow in color and surrounds the pulp.

Pulp: The innermost section of the tooth that provides blood & nervy supply to the tooth. This is why teeth can be sensitive... There are nerves in each tooth.

Demineralization: When we eat sugar, bacteria in the mouth produce acid waste. This acid starts to break down calcium, phosphorus, and other important minerals in our teeth. When a tooth is demineralized it is on it's way to "a cavity" but it can me reversed (or remineralized with minerals like fluoride, calcium, phosphorus, etc..)

Caries: AKA cavities... Cavities are basically found when acid (produced by bacteria in the mouth) demineralizes (or break down the good stuff--calcium & phosphorus) the enamel. With enough demineralization, the surface will literally cavitate (leaving an actual break or hole in the enamel).

Gingiva: AKA gums (and will probably be referred to as "gums"). The softer pink tissue covering the bones of the skull & portions of the teeth.

That should give us enough information to run with! If things get technical--I'll explain as we go!

Project time thus far: 45 minutes

MOCKBOARD

WOW!

SO much improvement since October!

Not only did I score much better, I actually noticed a huge difference while cleaning the patient!

Thank goodness I've had mostly class III's & IV's so far this semester because I think that's what has helped...

Actually PRACTICING removing good calculus!!

I didn't have calculus errors

But I did forget to fill in half of my recession boxes :) haha

So I passed!

Now... If only I can do that in MARCH!