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