Leave It to the Kids!

Maybe you are familiar with what happens to some unsupervised children and food:  it becomes a war!  Amazingly enough, it is easy to let kids decide how clean their teeth will be.  It just seems easier to let them brush their own teeth, especially those strong-willed-independent-types.  Besides keeping the kids from hosing $5 in toothpaste into the sink to make it look  like in the commercials, kids need supervision to help them brush correctly until they are about 8 years old.  Each parent will need to make the decision as to when they think their child is ready to brush solo.  Preventing cavities is vital both to prevent spending a lot of money on baby tooth fillings, and to prevent the fear that some children may develop if they have to have cavities filled at a young age.  Talk to your dentist about when your child is ready to brush their own teeth, and how they are doing brushing their own teeth.  Two other posts that may be helpful are:  No Bottles for Bed and Remember!.

Trauma!

Infants like to head-butt, and as they get older they can knock out their teeth in too many ways to name here.  If a tooth is banged or knocked out, you should see a dentist about it as soon as possible.  It is okay to rinse with milk a tooth that has been knocked, but don't scrub it, even if it looks dirty.  There are healing parts of the tooth that will be lost if you scrub it.  So, just rinse it off with milk, and then store it in milk until you get to the dentist's office.  You need to have the tooth re-inserted within 24 hours, and really as soon as possible for there to be a chance to save the tooth.  And remember, most dentists hesitate to see a stranger, a brand new patient, for an emergency like this on a weekend or in the middle of the night, so start building a relationship with your oral health physician before an emergency.

The Wonder of Electric!

There is nothing wrong with using a manual toothbrush.  We recommend brushing your teeth for 2 minutes to ensure sufficient time to remove plaque and give the fluoride time to remineralize your teeth.  Also, we need to use circular, light motions to make the most of the time we spend brushing.  If either of these two requirements is difficult to achieve, we recommend getting an electric toothbrush.  The price ranges from $6 to over $200, and even the least expensive can give some benefit in doing more brushing work within the period of time you brush.  Just remember to still brush lightly, as the mechanical action of electric toothbrushes increases the chances of doing damage to your teeth or gums. (See previous post 'Ye Olde Washboarde')  If you have questions about what electric toothbrush to buy, talk to your oral health doctor about the options.

What Does This Have To Do With My Mouth?

When you go to the physician's or dentist's office, you are frequently asked to fill out a health history form.  You may wonder why your dentist needs to know about your surgeries or any medications you take.  In fact, this information is very important to your dentist.  Many times, sickness manifests itself in some way in your mouth, to begin with, but also, having some work done in your mouth may stress your body's systems too much.  Your dentist wants to help you gain the best oral health you can, and this is unavoidably connected to your overall health.  So, next time you feel like grumbling about those health histories, remember that this information will help to avoid any complications and may help in the diagnosis of your oral health.

One Piece of the Puzzle...

Having a healthy mouth is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to overall health, but it is just as vital a piece!  Our mouth is connected to the rest of our body.  Our mouths have a great capacity to heal when they are healthy, and sometimes this can mean that your mouth is easy to ignore when it comes to prioritizing your health.  You may be tempted to say that the gum disease or cavities are not hurting right now, so they can wait for treatment.  As far as gum disease is concerned, oral health physicians are still unable to predictably re-grow the bone you lose, so at this point, any bone you lose to gum disease is lost forever.  Also, once a tooth is drilled to remove a cavity, only a filling or other non-tooth material can be used to fill the space.  Let's face it, no dental material is as good as what your body formed to begin with.  And even though our parents or grandparents got by fine with dentures, they had resigned themselves to it.  If we ask them whether they prefer real teeth and tasting their food, or getting dentures, they would probably say they wished they could go back and take better care of their mouths.  All of this is why our attitude toward our mouths today should be one of prevention and pro-activity.  This is our health after all!