Make sure your child brushes their teeth at least twice a day for two minutes with a soft-bristled toothbrush. Be sure to brush the top surface of your child’s tongue; this will remove any extra plaque-causing food particles and help keep their breath fresh!
Toothpaste containing fluoride is recommneded for children of all ages. For children under 3 years old, use a rice grain size amount of toothpaste. For children 3 years and older use a pea sized amount of toothpaste.
Make sure your child cleans between their teeth by flossing at least once a day. Decay-causing bacteria can linger between teeth where toothbrush bristles can’t reach. Floss will help remove plaque and food particles from between the teeth and under the gum line.
Never put your child to bed with a bottle or sippy cup, limit breastfeeding to day time only after 9 months of age and don’t allow your child to snack or sip throughout the day.
No, we do not accept the medical card.
Ideally, you should take your child to see the dentist every six months. Frequent visits are essential to the health of your child’s developing teeth, and these visits allow your child’s dentist to detect early signs of dental disease and decay. You may take excellent care of your child’s teeth but still have problems for which you cannot see symptoms. A dentist can catch these early and treat the issue before it becomes a larger problem.
Many of the baby teeth stay in kids’ mouths up until 12 years old. Children with severe cavities have pain that prevents them from eating well, focusing in school, sleeping well at night, etc. Baby teeth are the placeholders for the permanent teeth. Lose them early, and you could be looking at delayed eruption of permanent teeth and migration of teeth. This means permanent teeth have a higher chance of coming in in the wrong place, and are more costly to treat down the road with orthodontics. When there is decay in the mouth, the bacteria are present in high numbers. As the permanent teeth erupt, they are bombarded by that bacteria, and quickly become decayed. Treating cavities in baby teeth will lower the risk of getting cavities in permanent teeth. In fact, the #1 risk factor for cavities is previous decay.
First clean the area that your child is complaining of by having them rinse vigorously with warm water. If they are not old enough to rinse you may use a toothbrush and/or floss to dislodge any impacted food or debris. If the area is swollen you may place a cold compress on the face. Give your child acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Contact us as soon as possible.
Swelling is usually a sign of infection associated with a tooth that is badly decayed or traumatized. Place a cold compress and contact our office immediately so that we can help you obtain antibiotic or other treatment for the infection. If the swelling of the face is large and closing the eye or if the swelling is traveling into the neck take your child directly to the emergency room.
If the chip is minor you may visit us at your convenience. If however, there is a large piece of tooth missing rinse the mouth with water. If there is any swelling place a cold compress. Contact us immediately because early, effective treatment may prevent infection, reduce pain and expense associated with more extensive treatments required if the tooth is not treated right away. If you find the fragment of tooth that was knocked off bring it with you to the dentist.
If it is a baby tooth do not try to put it back in. Give the tooth to the tooth fairy and schedule a visit at our office to insure the entire tooth and not just a piece was knocked out.If it is a permanent tooth it is important that you find it right away and hold it by the crown, not the root. If you feel confident, rinse the tooth very lightly in water (Do not scrub or wipe it) and place it back into position within the mouth. Hold it in position with a clean wash cloth until you get to the office. If you do not feel confident to put it in place then put it in a cup of milk (If you don’t have milk use a cup of saliva or water) and get immediately to the office. Time is of the essence, you must have the tooth implanted by the dentist within 3 hours.
It is not unusual for a child to bite his or her lip while numb following a dental procedure. The day after the procedure the lip may be noticeably swollen with a yellow or grey colored film on the inside. If this occurs you may place a cold compress to help with swelling. Administer acetaminophen or ibuprofen to help with the discomfort. Do not allow your child to eat or drink salty or acidic food for the next few days as this will cause the area to burn. The lip will heal completely within ten days.
See us at regular intervals to prevent and treat dental disease and learn more about how you can protect your child’s teeth with the use of mouth guards, seat belts and other home safety tips.