S MUTANS?!?!

**Clarification!!! This post is not designed to make mom's paranoid, or tell anyone they are wrong in their ways. It is only to educate so that you can make informed decisions when it comes to your little one.

SO... Ever find your baby's pacifier on the floor?

haha... did I even need to ask that?

Well before I give you some advice let me tell you about a little bacteria called Streptococcus Mutans.

S. Mutans is the main culprit in intiation of caries (cavities). It's a mean little dude that resides in our mouth and feeds on the carbohydrates we consume--producing the acid that starts to form cavities.

S. Mutans is found in different levels in adult mouths. Those with higher incidence of caries have higher level of S. Mutans and vice versa.

There was a study recently done worth mentioning... They took a look at the colonization of S. Mutans in babies and found a couple of interesting things!

1. Frequency of sugar intake (so frequent snacking, eating over long periods of time, sipping from bottles and sippy cups at will) was ranked as the most important factor! (The bacteria can't thrive if you don't keep feeding them :))--so if your babe ate 3 crackers at once it would equal less acid exposure than 3 crackers over 3o minutes!

**This also applies to breast feeding... All carbohydrate intake will affect cavities!

AND

2. At 9 months old, babies with the highest level of S. Mutans were those that "were habitually kissed on the mouth, had food 'pre-tasted,' shared utensils" (and I might add "had mommy suck their binki to 'clean it')!

Here's the thing...

Once your baby erupts teeth--cavities are allowed to form... There is no age exemption if there are teeth in there! Studies show that S. Mutans levels in your little one's mouth truly correlate with caries they will experience!

Let me give you some advice for keeping unwelcome S. Mutans out of your life! (and to keep your baby from getting Early Childhood Caries--{aka Baby Bottle Caries},a discussion for another day)

1. As soon as your child has a tooth, switch from wiping the

gums, to GENTLY brushing those new teeth with a very soft baby toothbrush and water!

2. Limit the amount of "at will" feeding (child eating whenever they decide), and "all day sipping" on juices or sweet drinks... Have them drink their drink at one sitting, because remember, FREQUENCY of sugar intake is most important!!

3. Once that baby has teeth, AVOID dipping a bink in sugary things! (in fact, if you avoid this altogether it would not hurt my feelings :))

4. If you put your baby to bed with a bottle, ONLY WATER should be in that bottle... Because basically, once baby falls asleep, there is a pool of sugar in the mouth ready to feed S. Mutans and give your little love a cavity. *TIP* Give your baby a bottle, and then a drink of water from a sippy cup to help cleanse the mouth, and then place them in bed--it will soon be a habitual part of their routine, and they won't mind one bit!

AND

5. Back to that darn binki that always winds up on the floor!

*If you can help it, keep it out of your mouth (which is full of S. Mutans)... A rinse with water is usually the best way to go if you want to keep the level of S. Mutans under the radar. (This applies to anything in your mouth transferring to theirs)...

However, I'm not saying you shouldn't kiss your kids... You can bet I'll be kissing mine when they come! And after all, who wouldn't want to kiss this?!

Time Spent So Far: 4 hours

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!

hmmm

i need a brilliant plan to find a mock board and board patient.

calling all board worthy patients.

come, come.

Some Dental Hygiene Snaps

I found a few pictures from last semester...

YUMMY

PAY BACK

"Hit the ground running..."

HIT THE GROUND RUNNING

That's been a phrase I've heard from a couple of professors this week.
Monday was my last first day of school.
Weird.
Tuesday I saw a Class IV patient.
First time ever.
Wednesday I had a good morning.
No patient in the afternoon at the VA.
Oh well.
This semester might be crazy.
As it should.
I like dental hygiene.
I feel like I'm really getting it.