Sealants

With the eruption of the permanent 6 and 12 year molars, we start discussing dental sealants with parents. Sealants are a relatively easy preventative procedure. It takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. Many parents have researched dental sealants and may be concerned about to introduction of BPA. Our sealants are BPA free. The list of BPA free sealants, compiled by the ADA, is listed below. The brand we use is Clinpro (3m ESPE). We hope this blog helps answer any questions you may have.

http://www.chawisconsin.org/documents/BPA-freedentalsealantlist.pdf

What are Sealants?

                A sealant is a flowable liquid we apply to the chewing surface of molars to aid in the prevention of cavities. It acts as a barrier to food, plaque, and acid. Thus, it protects the decay-prone areas of the teeth. Sealants will not protect your child from getting decay in between the teeth. Therefore, regular brushing and flossing is still strongly recommended.

Here are before and after pictures of a dental sealant

How do Sealants work?

                Ensuring that your child is brushing and flossing properly is a tough job. When their permanent molars begin to erupt, the pits of these teeth are deeper than most. Sometimes, even if your child is brushing and flossing like they should, these deep grooves aren’t getting clean. This is where sealants come into play. They “seal” the biting surface of a molar in order to prevent plaque and food from embedding into the grooves, decreasing the risk of decay.

How are sealants applied?

                We start by “etching” the tooth. This process preps the tooth, allowing it to retain the sealant. Next we bond the tooth. The bond acts as an extra measure to ensure the sealant stays on. Afterwards, the sealant is placed. Similar to having a filling done, a UV light is used to harden the sealant. During this process, we isolate the tooth to prevent your child from swallowing any of the materials.  

How long do they last?

                If cared for properly sealants can last for years. Your dentist should check them at every 6 month visit. Repair and re-application may be recommended if necessary.

Did You Know?

If we were to ask if you think drinking diet sodas is better than drinking regular sodas, we bet that you would answer “yes.”

Now if we were to ask you if you give your child sports drinks during after school activities, we bet again you would answer “yes.”

We are here today to tell you that unfortunately, sports drinks and diet sodas are JUST as bad for your teeth as regular sodas, and even candy!

Recently Melbourne University’s Oral Health Cooperative Research Center “tested a wide range of sugar-free soft drinks, sports drinks and sweets and found that many of them can be just as harmful to teeth as their sugared counterparts due to their chemical composition.” These results showed that diet sodas contain phosphoric acid, and lemon-lime flavored drinks (such as Gatorade or PowerAde) contain citric acid. These acids break down the tooth’s surface enamel, which could lead to a whole host of other problems. Chalkiness, denseness, tooth sensitivity, and decay are just some of the complications that could arise from drinking these drinks. The researchers found that “most soft drinks and sports drinks caused dental enamel to soften by 30% and 50%.

Keeping these facts in mind, swap out those diet sodas and sports drinks for water. Do you or your kids hate the taste of water? Try Dasani or Mio drops in your water bottles.  The ADA lists the top nine food and beverages that damage your teeth. You can also visit http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ where you can figure out the best foods and drinks for your child based on his or her activity levels. 

Conscious Sedation

Every day we have patients come into our office for their normal cleaning and exam and we find decay. This is when we bring up the two words that parents are always concerned about “Conscious Sedation.”

In today’s blog we are going to go over the most common questions we receive from parents in regards to a conscious sedation. We have heard every question under the sun and we are sure parents will have plenty more questions. Hopefully this post will help you guys better understand!!

What is Conscious Sedation?

                Unlike general anesthesia, oral sedations do not make a patient unconscious. Conscious Sedation reduces a child’s anxiety about treatment and helps them cooperate during treatment. In our office, we use two different conscious sedation medications; Demerol and Versed. While they are both used for in office sedations, they do have different effects on children. Both medications are in liquid form and are given orally. The dosage is based on your child’s weight. Every child that we sedate is weighed before we dose out the medication. 

Demerol sedation takes a full hour for it to go into effect, during this time you will be with the child to monitor them. You may or may not notice a difference in your child and this is completely normal. Once the patient is in the restorative rooms for treatment, we do place a nitrous oxide mask on them, which is when they usually begin to relax. For those patients that do not fall asleep, we have TV’s on the ceiling to keep them occupied.

Versed sedation has an amnestic effect, meaning it helps with the child not remembering the procedure. It takes only 15 minutes for it to go into effect.  You will notice a change in your child almost immediately. They will be dizzy, unable to stand on their own, and very emotional.  A small percentage of our patients may get irritable, happy, or sad depending on how their body responds to the medicine.  

Who is a good candidate for oral sedation?

                Children who have a heightened apprehension to dental treatment, injections, etc. are prime candidates for sedation.  Sedation also helps with children who also are too young to understand how to behave/cooperate during treatment.

                A lot of times we have children who do perfectly fine during a regular dental check-up, but as soon as they hear the word “treatment” they become afraid. They may be afraid of the situation, because it is unknown territory to them, or they have had a bad experience elsewhere. The sedation will help with this anxiety.

                Sedations are very beneficial for children with special needs.  These patients may not understand that we need them to sit still for 10 minutes to an hour depending on the amount of treatment needed. They also have to have their mouths open for extended periods of time, and this is something that may feel unpleasant, or simply something that they are not typically used to. Sedations allow them to become more relaxed, and less worried about the procedure.  We find these patients are, all around, leaving with a more pleasant experience.

Why Sedation?

                Sedation is for the comfort and safety of your child during a dental procedure. There are different tools that are used during treatment that could potentially harm your child if they are constantly moving around, and trying to grab our hands or instruments. Sedation allows your child to relax and be comfortable in an otherwise unfamiliar environment.

Is it safe?

                Dr. Johnnie Hunt and Dr. Brooke Wood both follow the guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry for sedation. They are Board Certified Pediatric Dentists, meaning they went to school an extra two years, and continue to go to lectures in order to stay up to date with the latest technology.  Your child’s pulse and oxygen levels are noted using a monitor before we dose out any medications in order to establish a baseline.  We also measure these vitals throughout the procedure.  If there were any drastic changes, the necessary steps would be taken. There are also reversals for both of these medications that are always within arm’s reach of the doctors and assistants at all times in the case of an emergency.

                We thoroughly review the child’s medical history before administering the sedative to ensure that there are no medical problems that we should be aware of. For any medical conditions that a child has that are not conducive to sedation, we would then present alternative options to the parent for completing the treatment.  The parent ultimately will decide which route they would feel most comfortable taking.

Pre Op Instructions

                We ask that your child not have anything to eat or drink 4 hours before the appointment. If the patient does not have an empty stomach, he/she could become extremely nauseous to the point of vomiting during the procedure.

                Even though most of our sedated patients are fairly young, they may be aware of their parent’s anxiety. If a parent is afraid or anxious, the child may start to become afraid or anxious. You are more than welcome to call our office with any questions in order to make you feel more comfortable about the sedation process. Dr. Hunt and Dr. Wood will also talk to you, and will answer any questions you may have regarding the procedure.

Post Op Instructions

                Each child reacts to sedations differently, so do not judge your child’s recovery process based on their sibling or other family members who have also been sedated. Each and every experience is specific to each child.  Both medications may stay in their system for up to 8 hours after initial dosing, so they will need adult supervision for the rest of the day. They are not to go back to school, participate in any after school activities, etc. after a sedation.

We hope that this post was helpful and informative. As always we are more than happy to answer any other questions you may have about your children’s dental care!

Benefits of Chewing Gum

Who loves to chew gum? Did you know that there are actual benefits to chewing gum on a regular basis? 

According to the ADA, "Clinical studies have shown that chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes following meals can help prevent tooth decay." 

The simple act of chewing gum increases the flow of saliva in your mouth. If you chew after meals, increased salivary flow can help counteract and get rid of the acids that are formed when food is broken down by the bacteria in plaque on your teeth. Over time, acid can break down tooth enamel, creating the settings for decay. Increased saliva flow also carries with it more calcium and phosphate to help reinforce tooth enamel. (1)

Now obviously, chewing gum does not replace brushing your teeth. Brushing and flossing is the most important, and you should make sure you are doing both 2 times a day!!

The American Dental Association actually has its stamp of approval on a few different brands of gum. But how does the ADA approve these gums? By showing with scientific evidence that the gum is effective for one or more specific signs, such as reducing plaque acids, promoting remineralization of tooth enamel, reducing cavities and/or reducing gingivitis. (1)

Here is a list of gums that the ADA has approved:

1. Dentyne Ice Sugarless gum

2. Ice Breakers Ice Cubes

3. Stride Sugarless gum

4. Trident Sugar Free Gum

5. Extra Sugar Free Gum

6. Orbit for Kids 

7. Orbit Sugar Free Gum (This one is a personal favorite of PDS employees) 

Please head on over to www.ada.org for more information on chewing gum!

 

1. http://www.ada.org/en/science-research/ada-seal-of-acceptance/product-category-information/chewing-gum 

Pacifier Weaning System

Having trouble getting your child to stop sucking a pacifier? Looking for a way to get them to stop without all the tears and drama?

Look no further!!!

A fellow Pediatric Dentist and mom of four has come out with a new pacifier weaning system. Five pacifiers that look identical but each nipple is just a tad different than the other. At your own pace, you switch pacifiers until you get to pacifier number 5. At this point, your child will have lost the need to have a pacifier all together and then it is Bye-Bye Paci!!!!

Here is a picture of what the pacifiers look like! You can see that you start out with a normal paci, but you gradually go down to nothing!! Each child is different and some will take longer than others to get to step 5 but don't be discouraged!! Some children have stopped in as little as 5 days and others in 5 weeks!

This system is available online at ONESTEPAHEAD.COM

Head on over and check them out and give us feedback on how long it took your child to stop! We love to hear from you guys about our posts!!

Disney Magic Timer app

We know that there are PLENTY of parents out there who have a lot of difficulty getting their kids to brush their teeth! And getting them EXCITED about brushing their teeth?? You can forget that!!

Thankfully our friends at Disney have partnered with Crest and Oral-B and created a fun new app that allows your kids to interact with their favorite Disney characters while brushing their teeth!!

Can we just first give a huge THANK YOU to Disney, Crest and Oral-B???

This app is not only a game, but it is also a timer that helps your child to brush for two minutes, while unlocking a secret photo that is stored in their own personal photo album on the app!!

Having kids brushing better could mean better dentist check-ups for them (and your wallet :))!!

Here is how to get started:
Download the FREE app at your Itunes or Goggle play app store
Scan any Pro-Health Stages product
Watch your favorite characters come to life!!!

If you have more than one child with different character toothbrushes?? Have one child scan his/hers and play, then have the others follow suite!! It is so easy and fun!!

Want to see more??? simply click on the link below and watch the tutorial presented by Disney, Crest and Oral-B.
http://www.oralb.com/stages/disney-timer-app

Earth Day 2014

Did you know that if you leave the water running when brushing your teeth you are wasting approximately 5 gallons of water? Sounds small but consider this: If you are brushing twice a day as recommended by your dentist, you are wasting 10 gallons of drinking water in one day; 280 gallons over one month; 3360 gallons over one year! A family of four would use the equivalent of a 24' round above ground swimming pool: 13440 gallons of water just brushing their teeth! (1)

So what are some ways we can conserve energy and water and recycle???

We can start by shutting our water off when we brush our teeth!! This will save (as seen in the above paragraph) an astonishing amount of water!!!

How about those old mouthwash bottles?? We can keep those and take them to the recycling bins in our areas! If you are not sure where your local recycle bins are, ALL Whole Foods Markets have them outside their doors!! You can drop them off there! They even take your old yogurt containers!!

Do you have an electric toothbrush?? Once you see that the toothbrush is fully charged, unplug it to save energy!

Regular toothbrushes? KEEP them!! Parents, you can use these to clean those tiny spaces around your house! such as the grout in your bathroom, the tile in the shower and even your jewelry!!!

Switch to canvas totes for groceries instead of plastic/paper bags! Keep your old yogurt containers as leftover containers (That's what I do :))

These are just a few helpful tips that we found when searching the internet! Do you have any other helpful ideas for us?? Leave your tips in the comment section below!!

Want to celebrate Earth Day?? There is an Earth Day Festival in Downtown Baton Rouge going on Sunday April 27th from 12-5:30 and then live music until 8:30!!!











(1) http://dentistry.about.com/b/2009/04/22/earth-day-dental-care-how-much-water-do-you-waste.htm

April is National Facial Protection Month

Can anyone else believe that it is April already?????

 

 Spring is upon us and April is National Facial Protection Month! Research has shown that about 2% of all children who play sports will eventually suffer a severe enough facial injury to require medical attention.(1)

 

The Academy for Sports Dentistry (ASD), American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), American Association of Orthodontists (AAO)and the American Dental Association (ADA) are all working together to promotoe National Facial Protection Month. They are trying to raise awareness and remind parents, coaches and athletes to protect your mouth and play safe while playing sports. (2)

 

We as Pediatric Dentists see so many mouth injuries. Whether it is from kids pushing other kids, kids falling down while playing, or kids getting hit in the face during sports, we have seen it all. And while we cannot prevent kids from being pushed down or make sure they never fall, we can help prevent facial injuries due to sports. According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry's Policy on Prevention of sports related orafacial injuries, sports accidents reportedly account for 10 to 39 percent of all dental injuries in children and are most often caused by direct hits with a hard object, such as a puck or ball, and player-to-player contact[3].

 

Ways to prevent facial injuires are:

1. Wear a mouth guard when playing contact sports. You can buy them at any drug or sports store and you can even special order them. They do tend to get pretty pricey if you are looking into custom made ones. Whatever the price, you will definitely not regret having a mouth guard during sports.

2. Wear a helmet. They act as a shock absorber and will take the brunt of the hit.

3. Wear protective eyewear. As much as we care about teeth, we also care about your eyes and we especially do not want there to be any damage to them. Eyes are very vulnerable to damage during sports.

 4. Wear a face shield. they will help to avoid scratched/bruised skin.

 5. Make protective gear mandatory for ALL sports. Mouth guards are only REQUIRED in football hockey and boxing, but how many times have you seen a child be hit in the face with a baseball and suffer an injury? Too mnay to name. If you are a coach or a parent, make your child wear a mouthguard. Your players/children will thank you in the future when they have beautiful teeth.

 

Now that we have gone over ways to prevent facial injuries we want to help you and fill you in on what to do if there is a facial injury.

Fractured/broken or knocked out tooth:

If the tooth is fractured or broken, find the pieces and place them in a cup of milk. Call your dentist (hopefully us) within 24 hrs and we may be able to reattach the tooth. If not we will certainly do all we can to save it.

If the tooth is knocked out, you must immediately do two things. Place the tooth in a cup of milk and call your dentist!!! Time is ESSENTIAL in this case. If you can get to us within an hr of it happening we may be able to replant the tooth. Facial cuts or cuts inside the mouth:

Rinse with cold water

Apply pressure to the wound.

 If it is inside the mouth have your child bite down on cotton.

Apply an ice pack

Call your dentist (again hopefully us) and we can figure out if child needs stitches or if it is ok without.

 

 If we are your dentist, our office number is (225) 769-1969 and both Dr's numbers are on the answering machine. If your child suffers a facial/oral injury after hours or on weekends etc., feel free to call the office then contact them by their cell numbers and we will do all we can to help you and your child.

 

 

(1) http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Maxillofacial_Trauma.aspx

(2) http://www.aapd.org/april_is_national_facial_protection_month/

(3)SOURCE: Newsome P, Tran D, Cooke M. The role of the mouth-guard in the prevention of sports-related dental injuries: A review. Int J Paediatr Dent 2001;11(6):396-404

Tooth Fairy

Tooth Fairy Season is upon us!!!

As some of you may know, we at Pediatric Dental Specialists have a resident Tooth Fairy!!! Every year starting in January and ending in March (sometimes April), our Tooth Fairy goes to schools in the area to talk to kids about proper oral hygiene! She brings some friends along to help her, along with toothbrushes and a kid friendly information packet on proper brushing and flossing. The information packet also has a page for parents on what they can do to better improve their kids hygiene and prevent cavities!!

Is the Tooth Fairy coming to your kids school this year? If not have your school call us and we would be more than happy to have her come and meet y'all!!!

Our office number is (225) 769-1969!

Oral Hygiene

We know that a lot of parents out there are new parents, and therefore want different opinions for what is right for their child. We have a little set of guidelines that we like to go over with all of our new patient's and their parents, and we thought we would share that with you today on our blog!

• Children need to have their first dental visit by age 1. This can just be a consult, a meet and greet, whatever you need it to be in order for you to get a better understanding of how to help your child's teeth progress in a healthy way.
• Once you have met some dentists and felt comfortable with one of them, establish a "dental home." This way your child is not being shuffled from one dentist to another and can grow comfortable with the dentist. A lot of children are afraid of the dentist and this is normal. Developing that relationship with a dentist will help your child to not only become unafraid of the dentist, but also actually like to go to the dentist.
• Once you have established a "dental home," start making routine visits to your dentist twice a year.
• As soon as your child's first tooth appears, immediately begin brushing with just a smear of toothpaste. This will not only aid in the growth and development, but also start getting them in the habit of brushing at an early age.
• Don't put your child to bed with milk, or sugary drinks. The milk or sugary drinks will stay on your child's teeth over night and therefore cause those cavities that we are trying to prevent by brushing their teeth.
• When you start potty training, we know it is easier to bribe them with candy. AVOID ALL STICKY CANDIES. These include but are not limited to: Starbursts, fruit roll-ups, skittles, and gummy bears. these sticky candies can sit on your chiuld's teeth and cause cavities. If candy is your way to bribe them, try M&M's. Chocolate melts and does not sit on your child's teeth.
• Around the age of 2 start using a fluoride toothpaste. There is no fluoride in our water here in Baton Rouge so the only fluoride they are getting is from toothpaste and the fluoride treatments your dentist uses.

These are our basic guidlines for all of our new patients. If you have any other questions or just want to come by and check us out, call us at (225) 769-1969. We would love to meet you and have you choose us for your "dental home."

Chocolate Toothpaste

We recently came across an article that we thought our patient's would be interested in hearing! We know that a lot of moms out there are looking for products that have more natural ingredients and here is one!

About 30 years ago,  a New Orleans Lab discovered a substance that challenges fluoride.Dr. Tetsuo Nakamoto discovered "Theobromine" in chocolate and has since then worked to put that in toothpaste. The substance is safer for children to swallow because it is made from chocolate and is all natural.

 The substance is now available in "Theodent" toothpaste. according to Theodent CEO, Dr. Aman Sadeghpour, "Theodent is a fluoride free toothpaste. Rennou, our active ingedient works better to re-mineralize the surface of human teeth." Sadeghpour is also quoted in the article as saying "Fluoride has been the gold standard in oral care for 100 years. there hasn't been any substance to challenge fluoride in a century. That's crazy. In all other aspects of technology you constantly see innovation, a new Iphone every two or three years, but in toothpaste it has been the same."

The toothpaste is available at Theodent.com or at Whole Foods Market, and the children's flavor is chocolate. I know a lot of our patient's that will be thrilled to have chocolate toothpaste :)! And for those adults out there who would like to try it, it is available in Mint for the grown-ups!

You can find the original article at www.wbrz.com/news.

What do you think about this new substance? Do you think you will try this product out as an alternative instead of fluoride?

It is important that the children in the Baton Rouge area are getting fluoride from their toothpaste because we do not have it in our water. And remember only use a pea size amount!

Permanent tooth or Baby tooth??

I was calling a patient back at work a couple days ago and the parent entered our consult room with the child and seemed terribly concerned. The parent mentioned the child sucked her thumb and it was ruining her permanent teeth. Looking at the patient's information, I noticed the patient had just made five years old. Although it is possible, most kids her age don't completely have their upper permanent teeth in the front. I explained to the parent to not worry and that it all could be fixed. After taking the patient to the back and sitting her in the exam chair I immediately looked and saw the patient had all primary (baby) teeth. Then, I got to thinking, most parents don't know the development of their child's teeth. I didn't know the development of teeth until I started studying the world of dentistry. So today, I am going to have a quick overview of when children's teeth begin to erupt, how many teeth they get, when they begin to exfoliate and how many permanent teeth they get to replace the primary teeth.

On average your child's first tooth should erupt between 6-8 months of age. There are cases where children are born with teeth, also called neonatal teeth. Some children don't get their first tooth until after a year old. Although that may not be the average it is not abnormal. I always remind parents, boys tend to develop slower than girls. The first teeth to come in are the lower central incisors (front two teeth in the middle, see charts below) or the upper central incisors. Then, the lateral incisors (upper or lower). There are rare cases where we see teeth erupting out of sequence, meaing the canines erupt before the laterals. Once again although this is not within the average of most children it is not abnormal or mean there is a problem. After the front four (top and bottom) are in, the 1st molars will erupt, canines and the 2nd molars will follow. Your child should get 20 teeth total by the age of three.

Around age 6 children began to lose and gain teeth. The central lower incisors (see chart below) are usually the first to fall out. Most of the time children's teeth will fall out in the order they erupt. Children tend to lose all the incisors (front teeth) and then their development takes a 1-2 year hiatus and the molars/canines will exfoliate. But noticed I mentioned that children also gain teeth at this age. A child's 1st secondary molars begin to erupt around age 6, commonly known as 6 year molars. Children do not lose any teeth in replacement of the teeth erupting. They erupt in the very back of the mouth, 1 tooth in each quadrant. We get several calls a day from parents concerned because their child is in pain or they see "half" of a tooth in the back of their mouth. All of these symptoms are normal, it is as if the child is going through teething all over again. You can administer motrin/advil, etc. to help with your child's discomfort. Around age 9, your child should begin to exfoliate the remainder of the primary teeth and should be finished losing teeth around age 13. Around age 12, another set of molars erupt behind the 6 year molars called the 2nd molars. This gives your child 28 teeth total. Most commonly known as wisdom teeth, the 3rd molars can erupt around the age of 17 but are usually extracted surgically because our jaws do not accomodate the space needed. Your dentist should evaluate the wisdom teeth around age 17. If the wisdom teeth do erupt and remain on will have 32 teeth total.

There are several cases where some are congentially missing teeth whether baby or permanent. Most orthodontist can adjust to this happening and still make your remaining teeth natural and symetrical. For any other questions about development of teeth you can check out ada.org or call us at 225-769-1969.

This chart depicts the dentition of permanent teeth.

This chart depicts the dentition of the primary (baby) teeth.

Saying Bye-Bye to that Pacifier and Finger Habit!

A Pacifier can be your child's first love. Your child's thumb or fingers can make any rough situation better. As parents we all know this and dislike the actual habit, but use it to our advantage as it soothes our kids and us! A five minute break from crying or screaming can make our lives so much more peaceful. This topic is something parents debate often before their child is even born.

Introducing a pacifier can lead to a quick solution for having a quiet, mellow household or shopping trip, but breaking the habit could be harder than expected.  Richard Powell, PhD, a pediatric neuropsychologist says babies are born with an innate need to suck.  Newborns rely on this "suck reflex" not only for sustenance but also for soothing. At this age, babies have no other mechanism to control their discomfort. Therefore, babies will suck and if not on a pacifier, then they tend to suck on fingers, thumb, bottles, etc. It is recommended for breastfeeing moms to introduce breast feeding first and make sure your baby has the hang of it then if needed he/she can be introduced to a pacifier. Though there are many opinions on whether to even start using a pacifier, experts agree that the use of pacifiers are suitable for soothing your baby.  However, it is recommended by most pediatric dentist to reduce pacifier time by age one and eliminate pacifier use by age two. Although there haven't been many proven pros to using pacifiers, one well known reason is it has been found in some studies that using a pacifier can reduce the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). One con is the increased risk for ear infections. Researchers have linked pacifiers to this illness, however some researchers believe the ear infections can be linked to children using unclean pacifiers which leads to colds/congestion that can cause fluid in the ear. The con pediatric dentist see is the abnormality in a patient's bite. Pacifer use can cause a child to have an open bite (when the upper front teeth and lower front teeth do not touch) or cross bite (when the back top teeth don't extend out further than the lower back teeth when biting). There are pre-orthodontic appliances to correct the cross bite, but the only way to cprrect the open bite is to kick the habit early.  Problems, such as speech, chewing, appearance, can occur if the habit is not gone early (mostly by age 2-3). Here are some options to help get rid of the pacifier:

1) Cold turkey- pick a week or weekend that you as a parent can spare some extra sleep. Simply take away the pacifier. Your child may cry and demand the pacifier but stay strong and find other ways to sooth your child, a stuffed animal, blanket, etc.

2) Cut the end of the tip. This will create a diversion for the child trying to suck the nipple. If all pacifiers are cut, the child may forget about it and move on.

3) During a holiday let a special someone (Santa, Easter Bunny) take the pacifiers to give to other children that need them, or if a friend/relative is having a baby he/she can "pass" them down to the other child. Children tend to be giving!

If you notice your child beginning to suck their finger/thumb in place of the pacifier, it may be better to give them their pacifier back. It is easier to take away a pacifer then a thumb!!

Now, to tackle those with thumb/finger habits! As mentioned above it is very natural for a baby to suck their thumb, toes, pacifier, bottle, etc. This is a soothing habit. Unfortunately some children become very attached to the habit and it becomes extremely hard to quit. Most thumb/finger habit children that continue the habit after infancy tend to be aware of their habit and use it most during stessful times, when they are sleepy, or sometimes don't even know they are doing it all! One of the most common statements we get from parents is that their child has quit the habit except when they sleep. Parents say that their child is subconsciously sucking their thumb or fingers at night.  Most children do stop the habit on their own, but there are still several children that need assistance. Finger/thumb habits can cause the same tooth abnormalities as pacifiers (open bite, cross bite), but it can sometimes cause damage to the child's hands. There have been numerous reports of children developing calluses or sores on the fingers they are sucking. Some of these sores have led to staph or yeast infections, in one case a child had to have their thumb amputated. For those chldren who are still sucking their fingers at night while sleeping we recommend to parents to put a sock around the child's hand(s) and lightly tape it (or use an apparatus to keep the sock from being pulled off) around their wrist to see if that keeps the child from putting their fingers in their mouth. For children who suck their fingers/thumb during the day there are few recommendations. One is to try a reward system. Everytime the child is happy and calm and not sucking their fingers/thumb reward them with a small prize (ice cream, stickers, book). Try not to fuss child for sucking their fingers/thumb becausing causing stress or discomfort will cause the child to revert to sucking their thumb/finger. Next, you can buy Mavala Stop on amazon.com. It is a topical spray that leaves a horrible taste in the child's mouth therefore reminding the child not to put their fingers/thumb in their mouth. A last resort is a finger habit appliance from the dentist. It is a more expensive option and is only a reminder to children to stop sucking their thumb or fingers. It has guards that are suspended from a wire that fits into their mouth like a retainer. The guards help to create a barrier so the child cannot form a suction with their fingers or thumb in their mouth.

Whatever method you choose to kick either habits just remember to stay strong and weather the storm. It will most likely be bad for a few nights but it will get better. Giving in to negative behavior and demands will only encourage that kind of behavior. For questions/concerns remember you can always call PDS at 225-769-1969.

Juvenile Grinding

One of the most common complaints we get from parents is their child grinds their teeth. This habit, known as bruxism, is actually very common in children. Yes, it can be very aggrevating and the noise grinding prooduces can make one want to clinch their own teeth. However, the best thing to do is let it go and let your child sleep. At each dental visit we evaluate the structure of the teeth to ensure grinding is not affecting the child's bite. Whenever we do notice "wear" on the teeth we always note it in the chart to re-evaluate the grinding at the patient's next visit. Some think stress can induce a child grinding their teeth.  Although it has not been proven or clear as to why grinding occurs in children we do our best to remind parents that it is okay and to not worry. Here is an article about buxism and some routines to help reduce grinding. If you or your child has any questions or concerns about grinding, you can always call our office, 225-769-1969.

Buxism (Teeth Grinding)

New Molecule to Keep Away Cavities!

We recently came across an article that definitely caught our eye. The article discusses a new molecule researchers have created cleverly named "Keep 32" for the 32 adult teeth people have. This molecule, if used properly, is supposed to kill the bacteria in your mouth that causes cavities. How great would it be to never have a cavity!! The molecule is still undergoing testing, but until here are some tips to help keep your teeth healthy and sparkling:

• Brush your teeth twice daily (in the morning and at night) with a small amount of fluoridated toothpaste and spit but don't rinse out, do not have anything else to eat or drink after brushing at night.
• Floss daily to remove any impacted food/sugars.
• Try to make water your main source of hydration and cut back on carbonated beverages (regular and diet), juices, and milk. These beverages contain high amounts of sugars and continuous exposure can cause cavities.
• Stay away from sticky candy (starburst, laffy taffy, skittles, etc.) and if you are looking for a sweet treat stick to chocolate because it melts.
• Visit your dentist every 6 months for regular cleanings and exams to catch cavities before they are too large.

Until then here is a link to the article about "Keep 32". Everyone enjoy their week! Happy brushing.
Article on "Keep 32"

Welcome to our blog! Here at Pediatric Dental Specialist, we are excited to venture into a new idea created to assist our patients, family, and friends in staying up-to-date with our office as well as information/research dedicated to pediatric dentistry. Our goal with this blog is to provide our readers with topics that are commonly discussed in our office and the media so they feel confident with us, as their dentist, and their dental routines at home. Technology has the medical field always changing and evolving and we want to stay as accurate as possible. We have our office website (http://www.pdsbr.com/) and a facebook (www.facebook.com/pediatricdentalspecialist225) to allow you access to see pictures of our office, activities our office participates in, contest we have throughout the year, and frequently asked questions. Once again, welcome to our blog and we hope you find the information we share helpful!