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Keep Your Child’s Teeth Cavity-Free With These Easy Dental Hygiene Habits

The old adage that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” has an equivalent for dentists.

The dental version is “keep your teeth cavity-free with healthy dental hygiene habits.” While not quite as catchy, the sentiment is still true. Teaching your child healthy dental hygiene from a young age is essential to preventing dental issues later in life.

Infants generally get their first teeth between 4 to 7 months, although this varies depending on the child. A full set of healthy baby teeth should grow in by age 3.

Baby teeth generally start to fall out between 6 and 12 years of age. Wisdom teeth may not grow in until at least the age of 17, if at all.

Teaching young children that the kids dentist is friendly and helpful goes a long way toward making them happy and excited to visit the dentist. Regular visits can help you to reinforce your dental hygiene routine at home and help children develop a positive relationship with oral care.

Teaching Dental Hygiene Habits at Home

As a parent, you can teach your children important dental hygiene just like you teach them how to avoid injury and eat healthy foods. Even as infants, it’s important that children learn to adhere to a dental hygiene routine and why it’s important to the overall health of their teeth and gums.

Here are a few tips to get your young children familiar with the importance of oral healthcare.

1. Even before your child has teeth, promote positive dental hygiene. Start by wiping their gums after eating with a clean, damp washcloth to reduce the spread of bacteria in the mouth.

2. Once your child’s baby teeth start to grow in, brush them after meals using an infant-size toothbrush and a tiny amount of fluoride toothpaste. Brush lightly and ensure your child doesn’t swallow any of the toothpaste.

3. Flossing can begin once your child’s teeth begin to touch each other. Remember to floss lightly.

4. Avoid putting infants to bed with a bottle, as this habit encourages tooth decay.

5. Speed up the transition from drinking out of a bottle to a cup. Doing so ensures healthier teeth in the future.

6. About 2 years of age, teach your toddler to spit out when brushing. But don’t give them water to rinse with because they may swallow toothpaste still lingering in their mouth.

7. By age 3, increase the amount of toothpaste squeezed onto a toothbrush to resemble a pea size.

8. Supervise children under 6 while they brush to keep them from swallowing toothpaste.

9. After age 8, your child is old enough to have an adult-sized toothbrush. Consult with your dentist to determine the proper size.

10. Use floss sticks to make it easier for young children to handle and manipulate.

11. Switch out your child’s toothbrush whenever bristles start to look worn out.

Make the process fun by keeping your child engaged. Allow them to choose their own toothbrush and toothpaste at the store. Read books or watch videos online related to healthy dental hygiene, and use a timer or a favorite song to show them how long it should take to brush their teeth.

When Should Your Child Start Visiting a Dentist?

Unless you’re concerned there are issues with your child’s baby teeth, a child should first visit the family dentist when they turn one year of age.

Should I Be Using Fluoride-based Toothpaste on my Child’s Teeth?

Fluoride helps harden tooth enamel, which prevents cavities. But use it cautiously. Too much fluoride can stain the teeth and shouldn’t be ingested.

Why Are Children More at Risk to Have Cavities?

Cavities are caused by bacteria that create holes in the enamel of a tooth. Children may be more at risk for cavities because their teeth are harder to brush.

Other risk factors include:

  • Premature birth or low birth-weight
  • Special healthcare needs
  • Infrequent visits to the dentist
  • A diet that’s high in sugar

The Importance of a Healthy Diet to Your Child’s Teeth

A healthy diet helps to promote better overall health, including the mouth and teeth. Children who consume a lot of high-sugar foods and drinks (soda, fruit juices) are at a higher risk to develop cavities. While candy is an obvious source of sugar, the body still considers foods made with honey or other “natural” sweeteners as sugar. Do your best to ensure your child brushes their teeth immediately after consuming any sugar.

A balanced diet made up of healthy foods, such as vegetables, fruits and proteins chock full of vitamins goes a long way in ensuring your child’s overall health is optimal, but also help to establish strong oral health while they’re young and minimize issues with their teeth as they get older.

Promoting healthy oral hygiene to children has a lasting impact on the overall health of their teeth throughout their lives. Making the effort to establishing an oral health care routine at a young age helps young children make an investment in their teeth later in life.

East River Dental has over 30 years of experience providing dental services to children. If you’re seeking a new practitioner, we’re always glad to accept new patients, no matter their age. Reach out today to have your dental care needs are taken care of by our experienced and professional staff at 289-301-5570.

7 Signs You Might Need Emergency Dental Care

Knowing what types of injuries require emergency dental care is critically important to the health of your and your family’s teeth. Accidents can happen any time, and some injuries may require immediate dental care. In some cases, waiting too long after an injury to your mouth or teeth to see a dentist can have severe consequences to the quality of your oral health and even bigger, more expensive dental emergencies later on.

Most common mouth injuries include cracked, broken or knocked out teeth, the result of biting into a piece of food that’s too hard, a sports-related injury or an unfortunate fall. Depending on the severity of the crack in your tooth, it might be necessary to seek out immediate emergency dental care, especially if the tooth is missing a large piece, is knocked out completely or has nerve damage.

But there are a number of other instances where emergency dental care might be necessary. Below, we’ve outlined 7 signs that your teeth might require immediate attention.

Are You Feeling Constant Pain?

Pain is a signal from the body that something is wrong. Similar to chronic pain elsewhere in the body, pain in your gums or teeth is a signal that you should seek out immediate dental care. Common causes include tooth decay, especially through the root of the tooth that’s made its way into your gums. In these cases, your dentist will likely suggest a root canal to remove the decay and alleviate any pain.

Do You Have a Loose Tooth?

Adults should never have to experience loose teeth. If any of your adult teeth are starting to feel loose, a few things could be at play. First, a loose tooth can indicate a tooth injury, which can be incredibly painful for some patients and in many cases requires immediate care. If you’ve been in a car accident or an unfortunate sport-related incident, you should visit a dentist immediately even if the tooth appears to be OK to assess if there’s been any nerve or jaw damage. If you have a loose tooth, it’s always better to be safe than sorry: visit a dentist immediately to assess any potential damage even if you aren’t experiencing any symptoms related to infection or pain.

A loose tooth can also indicate a localized infection. Visiting a dentist immediately to identify the type of infection and necessary treatments is critical to ensuring the tooth heals properly and avoid any other issues related to the infection, which could spread throughout other parts of your body and keep the problem tooth from having to be extracted.

Is One of Your Teeth Cracked?

Fortunately, cracked teeth can be saved if they’re tended to quickly enough. It’s important that you see a dentist as soon as possible to assess any damage and prescribe a solution.

Do You Have a Constant Headache?

While dental issues aren’t the only reason you might be suffering from a constant headache, a tooth injury could be the cause. Your headache could be the result of tooth decay or tooth grinding while you sleep. You may also have an infection from previous dental work that will need to be diagnosed.

If you believe the cause of your headache might be the result of grinding your teeth throughout the night, which is known as bruxism, treatment might be as simple as wearing a mouthguard while you sleep. Speak to your dentist immediately if you’ve noticed that your teeth are showing signs of worn down enamel or sensitivity.

Is Your Jaw Swollen?

A swollen jaw can be caused by an infection or injury to the affected area. If the swollen jaw is coupled with a funny taste in your mouth or breathing difficulties, it’s best to seek out immediate dental care to diagnose the issue as quickly as possible.

Do Your Gums Bleed Regularly and Excessively?

While blood-stained floss isn’t necessary an emergency, regular bleeding from the gums often requires immediate attention and can indicate signs of early gum disease or gingivitis. Excessive and regular bleeding and aches are warning signs there’s an issue with your gums that needs tending to. Catching gum-related issues early is critical to keeping your gums and teeth healthy and intact, especially considering untreated symptoms can reach a point of no return and result in the loss of your teeth.

Does Your Mouth Taste Like Metal?

If so, a previous filling may have cracked or become loose. Seeking immediate care is important if you’ve noticed these symptoms because an open filling can become a cesspool for bacteria and result in new infections or cavities. Don’t leave these to chance: you’ll likely suffer from toothaches, cavities or, in extreme cases, a root canal. Your dentist will prescribe you with a new filling, clearing out any infection or bacteria left behind.

Don’t Wait to Call

Don’t wait until your next scheduled visit to your dentist if any of these issues arise. Doing so can have severe consequences to the overall quality of your oral health and cause more significant issues in the future. If you’re suffering from any of the symptoms outlined above, don’t hesitate to reach out to East River Dental at 289-301-5570.

How East River Dental Takes Care of Your Entire Family’s Dentistry Needs

Staying on top of your entire family’s dental care can be difficult to manage. It might not be convenient to bring each member of the family in for regular check-ups separately due to time restraints or financial concerns. At East River Dental we do our best to accommodate your entire family by making sure everyone can come in at the same time, make it easy for your children to get comfortable with our dentists and procedures, and make sure the entire process is as affordable as possible to make sure everyone’s receiving the dental care they need to maintain optimal oral health.

Your One-Stop-Shop for All of Your Family Dentistry Services

East River Dental is a one-stop-shop for family dentistry services. One of our favorite capacities as a dental office is providing our expert services to entire families who attend dental appointments together. We’re proud to provide:

Convenient hours designed to accommodate busy families. We have multiple dental hygienists on staff, working throughout the day to ensure our patient’s appointments are handled efficiently and effectively. Unlike many dental offices, we’re open on weekends and later into the evening during the week.

We also have a number of payment options that keep families with multiple children in mind to ease any financial stresses related to dental care. We’re also happy to handle any insurance claims on your behalf while your family is at their appointment.

We make every effort to keep your child engaged while undergoing exams and treatments. One of the techniques we use is to keep your child distracted at all times during the visit. Our office is outfitted with toys, video games and TV shows to keep your child relaxed and distracted.

Your family visit will rarely exceed one hour, and will only be required in cases where extensive care is necessary, such as root canals or surgical removals. During your family’s visit, your dentist will explains any details you need to know and devise a treatment plan that outlines how your entire family can maintain optimal oral health.

If your family is not insured, East River offers a 10% discount on your family services account total.

We’re proud to have over 30 years experience providing the highest-quality dental care by using the latest technologies and most advanced dental processes. We keep your family’s oral health at top of mind, and help you develop a plan that gets your children into a regular dental care routine that keeps visits to our offices quick, efficient and affordable.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to East River Dental to schedule appointments for your entire family today.