Brush And Floss

and yet another!

Oral Hygiene

Here's another!

Tooth Brushing for Kids - Crawford the Cat - Educational

This was a cute little cartoon to show your kids to persuade them to brush & floss!

Let's Talk About Fluoride

Okay first of all, fluoride is a controversial subject and everyone is entitled to their own opinion regarding fluoride... And this is mine...

IT'S A VERY GOOD THING!!!

Especially for kids, fluoride is one of the best ways to ensure strong teeth, and later, fewer cavities! When fluoride is combined with tooth structure, a substance known as fluorapitite is formed, which is stronger than the original structure (hydroxyapitite). The new fluorapitite is made of bigger molecules allowing less absorption.

You don't have to take my word for it though because here is what the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (a non profit org dedicated to children's dental health) has to say about fluoride.

* Using small amounts of fluoride on a routine basis can help prevent tooth decay

* Research shows that community water fluoridation has lowered decay rates by over 50 percent, which means that fewer children grow up with cavities.

* Using fluoride for the prevention and control of decay is proven to be both safe and effective. Nevertheless, products containing fluoride should be stored out of the reach of young children.

* Too much fluoride could cause fluorosis of developing permanent teeth. Fluorosis usually is mild, with tiny white specks or streaks that often are unnoticeable. In severe cases of fluorosis, the enamel may be pitted with brown discoloration. Development of fluorosis depends on the amount, duration and timing of excessive fluoride intake.

* Your child should use toothpaste with fluoride when they can expectorate (spit).

* Brushing twice a day (after breakfast and before bedtime) provides greater benefits than brushing once daily. Parents should dispense toothpaste to prevent their young children from swallowing too much.

* For children under 2-years-old, use a smear of fluoridated toothpaste. For those aged 2 to 5 years, a pea

* Fluoride can be found as an active ingredient in many dental products such as toothpaste, mouth rinses, gels and varnish.

Okay back to my words... Systemic (in body, not just mouth) fluoride is recommended starting at 6 months old because fluoride that is ingested can reach developing teeth and help them mineralize to their full capicity. This way when they erupt and are attacked by acid, they are better able to hold strong resulting in fewer cavities! This is why fluoridated water can be such a good thing--as not everyone has access to supplements and tablets.
According to the USPharmacist site on fluoride recommendations, "It is speculated that systemic fluoride supplements may decrease caries rates by 60% and that topical application may decrease caries activity by up to 40%."

Now back to the AAPD:
"The pediatric dentist considers many factors before recommending a fluoride supplement. Your child’s age, risk of developing dental decay and dietary sources of fluoride are important considerations. Infant formulas contain different amounts of fluoride. Bottled, filtered and well waters also vary in the amount of fluoride they contain. Your pediatric dentist can help determine if your child is receiving -- and not exceeding -- the recommended amount."

Here is a chart of the recommended dosage by age and according to how much fluoride is already in the water! This way, if you know how much fluoride (in parts per million) is in your water, you can calculate the difference!

Time Spent So Far: 11 hours

Tricks & Tips for the Toddler!

First, a few facts from SaveYourSmile!

• "One in three children are not brushing their teeth before bed. Children should be brushing their teeth at least twice a day, with the optimal times being before bed and after breakfast. Despite the AAPD's recommendations, parents surveyed report that only 67 percent of children brush before bed and a mere 57 percent brush after breakfast.
  
• Parents should be supervising their child's brushing!
• A good rule of thumb is if children can completely dress themselves, including tying their shoes without any help, then they can brush on their own. Children shouldn't be allowed to floss unsupervised until the age of 10, as flossing is a much more difficult task to master than brushing."

Now, some things I found in various places to try when it is a struggle to get that toddler to brush... Hope something works for you!!

* Let them choose their toothbrush and toothpaste at the store. You might even let them pick more than one so that they can choose each night which toothbrush (giving them a sense of control over the situation--a little "controlled" independence goes a long way!)

* Try a tooth brushing chart with a reward system (OTHER THAN A TREAT/CANDY).. Here is a cute one, or here is another one

* Take turns... You brush their teeth, then let them brush yours!

* Even just watching mommy or daddy brush goes far in motivating a little parrot to brush!

* Electric toothbrushes work really well! Especially fun characters--My nephew LOVED his Elmo and now his Firetruck toothbrush, plus, the spinning motion does a better job than any of us could do in a little mouth!

* Pretend you are "tickling their teeth" --generally, asking, "Can I tickle your teeth?" yields a pretty willing subject.. (at least with my nanny girls it did!)

(don't forget to laugh with them! this can be fun!)

* Have a puppet hold the toothbrush. If you have a variety of puppets, let your child pick "who they would like to brush their teeth" (you could even make some sock puppets just to help with teeth :))

* Buy some children's books about brushing and flossing and read them before heading to "do the dirty work."

* Asking an older sibling to "teach" the younger one to brush might do wonders for both the teacher and the teachee :)



* One mom gave this fun suggestion, "I waited until she was in the bath. I told her we needed to brush everyone in the tubs teeth. I would turn the bristles away, brush both duckies then elmo then her teeth. She thought it was hilarious. I made her understand, though, that I wouldn't brush the toys until I got her. This way, I did sections at a time so she wouldn't have a chance to get upset. Front, brush the toys, upper one side, toys, lower one side, toys, etc!"

* Try singing a song to your toddler while brushing their teeth! There is even a "Brush Your Teeth" song you could turn on while brushing... I've seen babies open up when they hear this song!

* Hold something for ransom! (ie If your child loves their bedtime story, make sure he or she knows that there will be no story until their teeth are brushed well!

Ultimately, every child will want/like something different. The main goal is to brush their teeth, so even if you have to use a little restraint, they will thank you later when they don't need a "shot" to get a cavity filled!

Time Spent So Far: 9.5 hours

This might cover one of the most asked questions in dentistry...
Since you probably can't read it, I'll tell you what the key says

white=6-10 months
yellow=8-13 months
blue=16-23 months
maroon 23-33 months

REMEMBER... Every child is SO different and these are just guidelines. If your child doesn't fall into these guidelines, don't worry! If you are really worried, an x-ray will be the best way to tell. (on an older child)

*as part of my project today I went to a daycare & instructed children & caregivers on proper oral hygiene

Time spent so far: 7 hrs

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay/ Early Childhood Caries

I remember when I was helping out as a dental assistant at an office in Heber I came across a pamphlet for something called "BABY BOTTLE CARIES"... I remember it really intrigued me so on the way out the door I grabbed one for some off the job reading.

What I read was actually very interesting, and something that I think all moms should know about!

Since reading that pamphlet I've learned lots more in school... I found a good article that breaks it down well... And if you don't have time to read it, I'll summarize it for you below!

Basically Baby Bottle Tooth Decay (Commonly referred to in dentistry as Early Childhood Caries--which is what I will use) AKA nursing bottle caries, nursing caries, bottle caries, infant caries, early childhood caries, etc… is caries resulting from improper feeding habits in babies and toddlers!

This is what it looks like in different stages: First you will see white spots along the gumline. *If you see these, get to the dentist because it may be reversible with a remineralization treatment! Then as you can see it advances...

The primary teeth involved in ECC (Early Childhood Caries) are the top teeth (because when liquid pools the bottom teeth are usually covered by the tongue.

Eventually, the result would be this...

Essentially, there are 4 things required for cavities to form:

1. TEETH

2. BACTERIA (check out the S. Mutans post below)

3. FOOD for the bacteria (fermentable carbs)

4. TIME!

With ECC (which can also occur with nursing & sippy cups), the liquid p

rovides the FOOD for the bacteria.

There are a couple of ways that caries result from inappropriate feeding--

1. The baby is allowed to go to bed with a bottle. --This allows the milk, formula, juice, etc to pool in the mouth (sometimes for hours) allowing the bacteria a constant food source (hence a constant acid attack on the teeth)

2. The child is allowed to sip freely all day on a juice or other sugary substrate allowing frequent acid attacks

.--This principle is KEY to avoiding cavities... EVERY TIME A CARBOHYDRATE IS CONSUMED, ACID (that cause cavities) IS PRODUCED BY BACTERIA. THESE "ACID ATTACKS" (as we'll refer to them) CAN LAST ANYWHERE FROM 20-40 MINUTES DEPENDING ON THE FOOD.

SO, the more frequently a child eats or drinks fermentable carbohydrates, the more frequently an "acid attack" is initiated on their teeth! (ie If a baby drinks apple juice from a sippy cup from 9:00am to 9:10am there will be only one, shorter "acid attack" if you will... Whereas a baby that takes a sip at 9:00 and then a sip at 9:15 and then a sip at 9:40 and finishes at 10:00 will produce 4 separate, (but equally as long) attacks on their teeth.

HERE ARE SOME GUIDELINES FROM THE ARTICLE REGARDING EARLY CHILDHOOD CARIES:

• infants should not be put to sleep with a bottle containing a liquid other than water
• infants should be encouraged to drink from a cup prior to their first birthday
• infants should be weaned from the bottle at 12-14 months of age
• juices should only be offered from a cup, and should be consumed at one sitting
• oral hygiene should be started with eruption of the first primary tooth

I hope this helps someone understand the principles of cavities so that you will be able to better help prevent caries in your own little loves!

Stay tuned for the normal pattern of tooth eruption dates!!

Time Spent So far 5.5 hours