Caring for your babies new teeth

Baby Teeth Hygiene

They are JUST baby teeth right? WRONG! The care and cleaning of your baby's teeth is important for long-term dental health. Even though the first set of teeth will fall out, tooth decay can hasten this process and leave spaces before the permanent teeth are ready to come in if the primary tooth is extracted. The remaining primary teeth may then crowd together to attempt to fill in the space, which may cause the permanent teeth to come in crooked and out of place. Or, the permanent teeth may not erupt at all due to lack of space. 

Daily dental care should begin even before your baby's first tooth pokes through. Wipe your baby's gums daily with a clean, damp washcloth, or brush them gently with a soft, infant-sized toothbrush and water (no toothpaste!). As soon as the first tooth appears, brush it!!

Toothpaste is OK to use. Only put a smear layer (very very small amount) of toothpaste on the tooth brush for under age 2 and about a pea size for ages about 2. Choose one with fluoride. You are only putting a small amount on the brush anyways. Don't let your child swallow the toothpaste or eat it out of the tube because an overdose of fluoride can be harmful to kids but the little amount on their toothbrush won't harm them. 

By the time all your baby's teeth are in, try to brush them at least twice a day and especially after meals. It's also important to get kids used to flossing early on. A good time to start flossing is when two teeth start to touch. Normally this is the primary molars that begin to touch first. You can also get toddlers interested in the routine by letting them watch and imitate you as you brush and floss. Make brushing time fun. Sing a song! 

Another important tip for preventing tooth decay: Don't let your baby fall asleep with a bottle. The milk or juice will sit in the baby's mouth and cause tooth decay from the sugar that's in these drinks. 

Tips: 

1. See a dentist at age 1

2. Brush twice daily for your child until age 8

3. Limit candy to special occasions

4. NO gummy vitamins, change to a chewable

5. Juice with a meal only and at the most one cup a day

6. Floss ASAP especially those teeth in the back

7. Encourage healthy eating habits

8. Use fluoride toothpaste

9. Use mouth rinse, such as ACT, with the ingredient fluoride in it right before bed. Swish it around, spit and go right to bed. Do not rinse with water after use. If your child doesn't spit yet, put a little on the toothbrush or a q-tip and apply to teeth that way. 

Teething Facts

I figured this may be an appropriate topic right now for both my sisters who have newborn babies at home!!

Teething: the process of growing one's teeth

This time during your child's development can be very frustrating for you and your child! Teething is unavoidable but learning how to manage it can help with the process. 

The teething process:

Tooth buds start to form in the womb. Rarely are teeth erupted at birth but it can happen. The vast majority of babies erupt their first tooth between the age of 4 and 7 months. As early as 3 months, you may see the signs of teeth breaking through the gums. Late bloomers may not erupt a tooth until a year old. By age 3, your child should have 20 baby teeth. 

                                

                                               (Found this gem from another pediatric office)

What to expect during teething:

Teething affects every child differently. Generally these are things to expect:

*drooling

*fever

*irritability

*gum swelling

*eating troubles

*sleeping issues

*grabbing ears

*chewing, biting and/or sucking on items 

*diarrhea 

Tips to help with the teething process:

• Wipe your baby's face often with a cloth to remove the drool and prevent rashes from developing.
• Give your baby something to chew on. Make sure it's big enough so that it can't be swallowed and that it can't break into small pieces. A wet washcloth placed in the freezer for 30 minutes makes a handy teething aid — just be sure to wash it after each use.
  
  
• Rubber teething rings are good, but avoid ones with liquid inside because they may break or leak. If you use a teething ring, be sure to take it out of the freezer before it becomes rock hard — you don't want to bruise those already swollen gums!
• Rub your baby's gums with a clean finger.
• If your baby seems irritable, ask your doctor if it is okay to give a dose of acetaminophen or ibuprofen (for babies older than 6 months) to ease discomfort. Never place an aspirin against the tooth, and don't rub alcohol on your baby's gums!!
• Frozen fruit cut up small--strawberries, melon, cucumber and watermelon cut into spears. Depends on age due to choking hazards. Remember: once your child’s first four teeth come in, he can bite small, chokable pieces off of anything. A great fix to this is to buy a few baby safe feeders – which allow you to put food into a little mesh bag so baby can only eat digestible amounts 
• Buy toys like stuffed animals or blankets with texturized rubber sections or plush “taggies", and small plastic-and-rubber shaped toys that are easy to hold. Also, some small chewable toys vibrate and play music, which can be a good distraction for your teether as well. 

Find what works for you & good luck!!

Why I Love my job as a Dental Hygienist

I really have an awesome job. I didn't want to be a Dental Hygienist right from High School. Actually it took me several years to figure it out. I went right to a community college to be a teacher...quickly figuring out that wasn't what I wanted to do. Then I transferred to a state college enrolled in the speech language pathology program. I finished that and applied to two graduate programs even though I wasn't 100% sure I loved it but didn't get accepted. 3 months after graduation I got married and 1 month after that we found out we were expecting a baby!! With only a bachelors in Speech, I couldn't get a job. I had to go back for my master's degree in order to practice and quite honestly I didn't want to do that. After speaking with a Dental Hygienist friend about her job, I started researching the program at a local community college. I immediately knew being a Dental Hygienist was for me. And I couldn't be happier with my decision.

I have so many great opportunities that come with being a Dental Hygineist and working at the office(s) that I do. I get to strictly work with children (which I always wanted to do). Every day I have the opportunity to educate children on keeping their teeth and bodies healthy. At an early age, they learn from me so many things: why we brush and floss, how to brush and floss, what foods are good and bad for their teeth, what the germs on their teeth do, what cavities are and how important good oral hygiene care is. 

                                        

                                                             Give Kids A Smile Day 2014

At the place I work, I was trained to be a dental assistant. Occasionally, I get to assist the dentists in fillings and extractions. Although, it's not my favorite thing to do (I enjoy doing hygiene above all) I get to see so much and learn a lot by assisting. My workplace is involved in a lot throughout the community. I am apart of our outreach/marketing program. I get to teach in classrooms about oral hygiene care, screen children in classrooms for cavities, and go throughout the community speaking about my job and educating others. I also help at fairs marketing my workplace. 

My job as a Dental Hygienist is great for all these reasons. Most of all, everything I do, it's all worth it when I get feedback from people. I taught at my daughters preschool a couple weeks ago and I've had parents coming to me or texting me about things their children are doing that they learned from me. The parents are happy with the things that their children learned from my presentation and it has made a positive impact in their homes with their children's oral hygiene care. Making a positive impact on children is the number one reason I love my job as a Dental hygienist. 

Key word: Prevention

This just in...cavities are preventable!! I can't even begin to tell you how many children I see in one day that have cavities, even as early as 1 years old! It's rather frustrating as a hygienist to see so many people getting cavities, especially young children! My job not only is to "clean teeth" and take x-rays, the biggest part of my job is educating my patients and their parents. It's not okay that all these children have mouths full of cavities. It shouldn't be the norm. It shouldn't be brushed off that "they only have one cavity" or it shouldn't be a surprise to parents "they don't have more cavities." Cavities are a bigger deal than that and they are preventable! (I think I may of mentioned that and will say it at least one more time!)) 

I'm not talking about seeing 1 teeny, itty bitty cavity here and there. It's not uncommon to see several cavities in the mouths of these children. Some needing white fillings, some needing silver caps and some cavities so large the tooth needs to be extracted. 

 

Why is this happening?

People aren't taking care of their teeth like they should be: Not brushing long enough or at all, not flossing, not using rinses, poor diet, not seeing their Dentist regularly. No one enjoys getting a cavity and having to get it filled. No one wants to see their Dental Hygienist and Dentist more than twice a year, but many are. 

What is a cavity?

A cavity is a hole in your tooth. The hole can grow bigger and deeper over time. Cavities are also called dental caries and if you have a cavity, it's important to get it fixed by the Dentist ASAP. 

          (Curtesy of kidshealth.org) 

How does a cavity form? PLAQUE. That's that sticky, soft stuff on your teeth that should be brushed off. Plaque is made up mostly of the germs and foods that cause tooth cavities. The bacteria in your mouth make acids and when plaque sticks to your teeth, the acids can eat away at your tooth. If a cavity does not get filled when small, the cavity can get bigger and grow through the layers of the teeth and reach the pulp of the tooth. This is when an extraction or root canal is needed. 

Now I know things happen but did I mention cavities are preventable? :) 

 

Princess Friend Birthday Party

Happy (almost) 5th Birthday Princess Alanna 

Today we celebrated Alanna's 5th Birthday a day early with a friend birthday party. We had 9 of her friends come over our house. The girls were dressed in their finest attire (their favorite princess dress) and were greeted with a princess crown from the birthday girl! (Although most didn't wear it for very long-but they all did leave with one)

After a very emotionally and physically exhausting week, I managed to put together a party fit for my little birthday princess. Seeing her with her friends today, made it all worth it. The girls played, ate snacks and hot dogs, made sundaes, ate cupcakes, opened presents and played even more! 

Here are some of her silly princess guests!

Princess party success! And you better believe there were princess toothbrushes in their goodie bags! Yup, I'm THAT Mom :) Hey, they went with the theme!