Tips On Keeping Kids’ Teeth Healthy This Halloween

Trick or Treat! The sweet season is almost and here, and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) is giving you some tips on preserving the health of your child’s teeth this Halloween and the entire year.

• Mix in healthy snacks like cheese, fruits, grains and milk along with Halloween treats.
• Avoid chewy treats that stick to teeth.
• Monitor candy consumption: Only allow Halloween treats in moderation.
• Take the fear out of flossing. Teach your child to floss for improved oral health at Halloween. Remember, your child’s teeth can be flossed as soon as two of his teeth touch each other. 
• Make tooth brushing especially fun this Halloween. Seasonal tooth brushes featuring Halloween themes can get your child excited about taking care of his tiny teeth.
• Pass out alternative goodies to ghouls and goblins such as crackers, rice crispy treats, etc.
• With all the sweets being passed around this holiday, Halloween is a great time for parents and caregivers to schedule a pediatric dental appointment for their young ones.

Continue reading here.

He Said, She Said: The Best Dental Quotes

• Every tooth in a man’s head is more valuable than a diamond. —Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote, 1605
• I had very good dentures once. Some magnificent gold work. It’s the only form of jewelry a man can wear that women fully appreciate. —Graham Greene
• The tongue is ever turning to the aching tooth. —Thomas Fuller

See more interesting dental quotes here.

We wish all of you a glorious Eid al-Adha.

Brighter Smiles: Fifty Shades of White

image by AACD

Wearing a whiter and brighter smile is quickly becoming one of the most in demand cosmetic dental ‘needs’. This has given birth to numerous DIY bleaching kits, over-the-counter solutions and in-office professional treatments.

How white should you go?

Read more here.

by UNICEF.

Ingraining the habit of handwashing could save more lives than any single vaccine or medical intervention. Read more here.

Dental Implants: Your Smile Savers

Have you ever had a bad dream of having to show up in school or at work missing a front tooth? 

Losing a tooth (or teeth) can be a devastating blow – emotionally and professionally. It can easily damage one’s self-esteem in immeasurable proportions.

A dental implant is a replacement for the root or roots of a tooth. Implants are fused in the jawbone and are not visible once surgically placed.

With dental implants:

• Patients can eat anything without chewing difficulties.
• Patients can smile without worrying about their teeth.
• Patients can talk and laugh confidently without the fear of missing teeth being noticed, or dentures clicking, slipping or falling out.
• Dental implants look and function like natural teeth, and the patient’s facial structure remains natural.
• With proper care, dental implants have the potential of lasting a lifetime.

View complete article here.

Soft Drinks: Not So Soft On Your Teeth

As the temperature rises and thirst switches to ‘unbearable’ mode, do you reach out for a bottle of soft drink, iced tea or water?

Facts: What do we know about soft drinks?

• A typical 12-ounce can of regular soda contains approximately 10 teaspoons of sugar.

• Sugar-free drinks, which account for only 14% of all soft drink consumption in the US, are less harmful. However, they are acidic and can still cause problems.

• The phosphorus content of soft drinks may reduce calcium absorption and contribute to osteoporosis.

• People who consume sugary drinks regularly—1 to 2 cans a day or more—have a 26% greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes than people who rarely have such drinks.

• A 22-year study of 80,000 women found that those who consumed a can a day of sugary drink had a 75% higher risk of gout than women who rarely had such drinks.

• People who drink sugared drinks do not feel as full as if they had eaten the same calories from solid food and do not compensate by eating less.

• A 20-year study on 120,000 men and women found that people who increased their sugary drink consumption by one 12-ounce serving per day gained more weight over time—on average, an extra pound every 4 years—than people who did not change their intake.

• A study that followed 40,000 men for 20 years found that those who averaged a daily can of a sugary beverage had a 20% higher risk of having a heart attack or dying from a heart attack than men who rarely consumed sugary drinks.

Click here to view complete article.

Chewing Ability Linked To Reduced Dementia Risk

Is it easy for you to take a crunchy bite of an apple? If so, then you are more likely to maintain your mental abilities.

Scientists have always thought that difficulty in chewing (from having few or no teeth) leads to a decrease of blood circulation to the brain. However, there hasn't been a study involving acceptable sample (test representatives) to prove it.

Recently, a team of researchers from the Department of Dental Medicine and the Aging Research Center (ARC) at Karolinska Institutet and from Karlstad University in Sweden found that people with difficulty chewing on hard food like apples.

Working with a random nationwide sample of 557 people aged 77 and above, the researchers look at tooth loss, chewing ability and cognitive function.

The results are published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS).

View complete story here.

Fruit Juices, Tooth Decay & your Child’s Teeth

Most parents would think that fruit juices are healthier “alternatives” to water. But the truth is, while most of them do contain high levels of Vitamin C, they are also pumped with high volumes of sugar.

Is it OK to give my child fruit juice?

The combination of fruit juices’ acidity and high sugar content definitely has an impact on teeth, says Rhea Haugseth, DDS, spokesperson & former president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD).

If your child is taking sips of juice frequently, and through sippy cups, throughout the day, his or her teeth are constantly being bathed in acid and sugar.

This does not mean that parents should stop giving their children. Here are recommendations from the AAPD:

• Do not give infants juice from bottles, sippy cups or juice boxes. 
• Intake of fruit juice should be limited to 4 to 6 ounces for children 1 to 6 years old. About 4 ounces (118 milliliters) of 100% fruit juice is equal to one serving of fruit.
• Limit the consumption of juice to meal times only. Allowing kids to consume juice throughout the day encourages bacteria to develop. 
• Replace juice drinks with water or milk.
• Teach children to rinse their mouth with water after meals to remove acidic plaque.
• Show children how to brush their teeth after meals and let them know what clean teeth feel like.

To ensure that your child isn't drinking too much juice, The AAPD and the American Heart Association both recommend limiting children's intake of fruit juice to:

Birth to 6 months:       No fruit juice, unless it's used to relieve constipation
6 months to 6 years:   4 to 6 ounces (118 to 177 milliliters) a day
7 years and older:       8 to 12 ounces (237 to 355 milliliters) a day

Fruit juices lack the fiber and other nutrients of found in whole fruits. Though a sensible amount of juice a day is okay for most children be sure to offer your child whole fruits as well.

We encourage parents to present water to their children at an early age. Let water be their drink of choice throughout their lives.

See original article here.

Tongue Scraper: Dental Tool of the Day

The word scrape may actually sound harsh, and perhaps a softer-sounding moniker would make people fonder of it.

Tongue scrapers are oral devices used to eliminate fungi, bacterial build-up, food debris and dead cells from the tongue’s surface. 

Tongue scraping has been practiced for hundreds of years but are still little appreciated or used by many.

If you give tongue scrapers a shot, you’ll never go without them again. 

Tongue scrapers collect a dense, milky, yellowish or even grayish film. This film called plaque harbors bacteria and causes bad breath. By cleaning your tongue daily, you’ll leave your mouth cleaner and your breath a lot fresher. 

Our dental hygienist, Beverley Watson, suggests these easy steps of tongue cleansing:

• Draw the tongue scraper down from as far back as comfortable.
• 3 strokes right side, middle and left side from back to front.
• You may need to start at the tip of the tongue for a few days till you condition your body to the sensation.
• This is more effective than a tooth brush, even the ones with tongue cleaning parts to them. And remember, breathe.

Try not to go so far back that you gag yourself but far enough to remove the plaque that have been sitting at the back. You’ll be surprised by the amount of (stinky, too) film tongue scrapers can remove.

Just like your handy toothbrush, you should also rinse your tongue scraper clean when you’re done. 

Give it a try! It’s an inexpensive yet great investment for your oral health.

See original article here.

SIPPY CUPS and PLAQUE ATTACKS

Today, parents are more particular in taking care of their children’s teeth. Still, it comes as a surprise when they find out that their toddlers actually have cavities during their dental checkups.

Cavities and rotten teeth are on the rise. Experts and current researches suggest that sippy cups containing sweet, sugary drinks are to be blamed.

Misconception about Sippy Cups
"Sippy cups were created to help children transition from a bottle to drinking from a regular cup, but they’re too often used for convenience," says American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry’s (AAPD) former President Philip H. Hunke, D.D.S.

Sippy cups prevent spills – that means lesser change of clothes and lesser spills on beds and mess on sofas. That’s why parents would often let their children use them over extended periods of time (or worse, for years), rather than the purpose for which they’re intended.

Don’t let your toddler walk around the whole day with a sippy cup, unless they only contain water. When kids take sips of fruit juices and other sweetened fluids for longer periods of time, they’re exposed to a higher risk of decay.

These are several guidelines on sippy cup use from the AAPD:

• Use sippy cups to help children switch from a bottle to a cup. It shouldn't be used for a long period of time - it’s neither a feeding bottle nor a pacifier.
• Unless being used at mealtime, the sippy cup should only be filled with water. Frequent drinking of any other liquid, even if diluted, from a bottle or no-spill training cup should be avoided.
• If your child still uses a sippy cup to help him go to sleep, fill it only with water.

It’s advised that children be weaned off the bottle as soon as they turn one year old. After that, parents should offer their child a cup instead.

It’s important that parents instill proper oral hygiene early. True, it’s difficult to see our children get uneasy with avoiding sippy cups or unhealthy snacks. But seeing them suffer from painful tooth decays and gum diseases is surely a lot harder.

Another quick tip: Brush kids' teeth for 2 minutes, 2 times a day.
View original article from Dr. Michael's Dental Blog here.

The Whole Tooth: Fun Dental Trivia

Ever wondered what the Tooth Fairy does with all the teeth she collects? See the answers from the K-1 students at Normandy Park School in New Jersey.Until we get down to the truth about the Tooth Fairy & her fetish for teeth, here are some interesting facts to chew on about teeth and dental care.

• Sharks have unlimited number of teeth. If a tooth falls out, a tooth from another layer takes its place.

• The average man produces 25,000 quarts of saliva in a lifetime. That's enough saliva to fill two swimming pools.

In 1873, Colgate introduced toothpaste in jars.

• If you don’t floss, you miss cleaning 35% of your tooth surfaces.

• It was the French dentist Pierre Fauchard, credited father of modern dentistry, who recommended using one’s own urine in the treatment of early stages of dental caries.

• Prehistoric fishes called conodonts had no other skeleton than the teeth (the sharpest that have ever been recorded) in their mouths. Their teeth came together like scissors to slice up food.

• A mosquito has 47 teeth used as piercing tools and not to bite or chew anything as human teeth do. 

• More than 90% of systemic diseases have oral manifestations.

• Early toothpaste ingredients included powdered fruit, burnt or ground shells, talc, honey and dried flowers. Less agreeable ingredients included mice, rabbit heads and lizard livers. 

• Horace Wells was the first dentist to use nitrous oxide "laughing gas" as an anesthetic for dental work in 1844.  

• It wasn't until 1774 that two Frenchmen, a pharmacist and a dentist, designed the first set of porcelain teeth.

• The ‘Yaeba’ Look - crowded, crooked-toothed smile with accentuated canine teeth, is a trend among Japanese women. 

• Wood is not a promising material for false teeth. The corrosive effects of saliva would turn them into mushy pulp.

• William Morrison invented the machine that makes cotton candy in 1897 and unveiled at the World's Fair in 1904 in St. Louis. He was called "Fairy Floss”.

• The Statue of Liberty's mouth is 3 feet wide.

• A sneeze zooms out of your mouth at over 600 mph!

• Children begin to develop their primary teeth 6 weeks after conception while in their mother’s womb.

• In the middle ages, people believed that dogs teeth boiled in wine made an exceptional mouth rinse for cavity prevention.

Japan’s Yaeba (meaning 'double tooth') look is an attempt at making a smile more child-like.

• The first nylon bristled toothbrush with a plastic handle was invented in 1938. Natural bristles were the only source of bristles until Du Pont invented nylon.

• Egyptians used a form of toothpaste over 5000 years ago using a concoction of powdered ashes of hooves of oxen, myrrh, powdered and burned egg shells and pumice.

• According to "Consumer's Report", Dentists are among the 5 most trusted professionals in the U.S. 

• Adults have 32 teeth, children have 20. Depending on their age, kids may have fewer because they lose baby teeth as adult teeth grow.

See original article from Dr. Michael's Dental Clinic here.