kids dental facts

Nighttime Oral Health Care

Keeping your mouth clean isn’t just a day job. It’s just as important to practice nighttime oral care as it is to keep your teeth clean during the day. The (somewhat gross) fact is, when you are sleeping, you are not swallowing your saliva. Eight hours of doing this increases the level of bacteria in your mouth, which can lead to bad breath and plaque buildup. Bad oral hygiene can turn into tooth decay or gum disease, so make sure you follow our steps to keeping your mouth clean at night.

Every night before you go to sleep: brush, floss, and rinse with mouthwash. This is the best routine you can get into to prevent future problems with your mouth. So let’s break it down.

Brushing

We recommend that you brush after dinner and before you go to sleep. Doing so will clean your mouth of any plaque buildup and will give bacteria less to feed on. Using an FDA and ADA approved toothpaste with proper brushing techniques will reduce your chances of tooth decay and gum disease.

The ADA suggests the following brushing technique:

Brush at at 45-degree angle to your gums.
Gently brush back and forth on all outer, inner, and chewing surfaces of your teeth.
Use short strokes as wide as your tooth.
Turn your toothbrush vertical to clean the inside of your front teeth.
Brush your tongue to rid of any leftover bacteria and prevent bad breath.

Flossing

While skipping the floss at night may feel like a shortcut, you’re not doing yourself a favor. Flossing helps clean your mouth in the spots your toothbrush physically cannot reach. If you don’t remove that plaque, bacteria will feed on it while you are sleeping. Also, plaque buildup can turn into tartar, which can only be removed by a dentist or dental hygienist.

The ADA suggest the following flossing technique:

Use an 18-inch piece of floss.
Wind the floss around the middle fingers of each hand.
Tightly hold the floss and insert between your teeth using your thumb and forefinger.
Curve the floss in a C-shape around the side of your tooth.
Gently run the floss up and down against the side of your tooth.
Floss in between every tooth in your mouth, and don’t forget about your back teeth.

Therapeutic Mouthwash

Therapeutic mouthwashes are different from your generic cosmetic mouthwash and do much more than just freshen your breath. They contain certain ingredients that help fight cavities, strengthen the enamel on your teeth, and prevent gum diseases like gingivitis.

Tooth-Harming Habits To Ditch

We can’t stress enough of how important it is to have hardy and strong chompers. There could be some habits you go-about on a daily basis that can harm your teeth more than help them. That being said, we want to bring about some of the most common habits that make your teeth run for the hills!

  1. Ice chewers- beware!: Although ice is frozen water and contains no sugar, it can potentially crack your teeth over time due to the pressure from biting down on the hard surfaces of the ice.
  2. Teeth grinding: Grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw frequently can cause your teeth to wear down. If you happen to have this problem, a mouth guard can help prevent anymore friction from occurring.
  3. The sugary stuff: Common tasty pleasures that are full of sugar such as cough drops and soda can cause cavities or tooth decay from sugar building up over time that can make its way to some of your bacteria-free teeth.
  4. Coffee lovers: Lets face it, some of us need that caffeine kick in the morning to get through the day. But since our helper of the day contains acidic properties that can stain teeth, it is best to have this guy in moderation or look up whitening options to combat any yellow shades that may come about onto your precious pearly whites.
  5. Snacking: The more you snack, the less saliva you produce which can cause more food to be stuck on your teeth for the day. If you decide to snack, snack healthy and try avoiding any foods that are sugary or starchy.

 

If you happen to currently have any of these habits- don’t stress. Its not mandatory to eliminate all of these forever. However, it is crucial to provide the best care for your teeth that you possibly can. By gradually getting rid of any of these habits, you can be on your way to a set of teeth to die for!

What Dentist Appointments And Oil Changes Have In Common

Ever get your teeth cleaned and feel like you’re getting a tune-up on your pearly whites? If so, you’ve made the right correlation. Getting your teeth checked is like getting your tires rotated or having your car serviced. After a certain number of miles, your car will need to be checked, just as you teeth need to be checked after not visiting the dentist after a certain amount of time. This way, you can make sure that there are no cavities, tooth decay, or other problems that may develop down the road for your teeth. Just as your car, you would need a checkup every few months to make sure everything is running smoothly to prevent it from breaking down. Be sure to care for your teeth and visit a dentist at least twice a year. This can avoid hitting any bumps in the road for a smooth ride to a better smile!

Teething: What To Know And How To Take Action

So first thing is first, what is teething? Teething is when your first set of teeth break through the gums. Pressure from the teeth poking through under the gums causes discomfort. This is the culprit for all that constant urge for babies to chew, chew chew! So when does all this chewing start to happen? Teething usually occurs between 6 to 24 months of age. Since each child is different and there is no exact set time on when teething will stop, we have a few suggestions to ease any aches and pains for the time being.

Pressure

Don’t think that your little one can get enough chewing. Let them have at it! This helps them relieve any discomfort and distracts them from the sensation of pain that the teeth are causing. Be sure to provide safe objects for chewing, such as teething rings.

Painkillers

Check with a doctor to see what particular medication is right for your little one. A common pain reliever, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Children’s Motrin), can reduce inflammation in the gums and reduce any pain for babies who are at least six months old. Keep in mind that aspirin is off-limits to anyone under the age of 19.

Hard Foods

Gnawing on hard food can soothe any pain temporarily. Be sure to keep an eye out for any choking hazards from consuming larger pieces of food!

Cold Objects or Foods

Cold water in a bottle or cold purees can do the trick for relieving any soreness; just make sure nothing is too cold or coming from the freezer which can cause more aggravation for the gums.

Gum Massages

Gently rubbing a clean finger over the sore gums can provide the same relief and distraction as chewing on objects for teething by counteracting the pressure from the gums.

Are You Brushing Too Much?

All you smile lovers out there strive to keep your teeth healthy and bacteria-free, am I right? But how much cleaning is too much cleaning? We have the answers on when to clean, how much to clean, and if you need to lessen your teeth cleaning schedules.

First, lets establish some downfalls of brushing too much:

  1. Over-brushing can cause tooth enamel to wear down, which can cause higher risks of tooth decay
  2. It can cause damage to your gums, exposing the root area
  3. Teeth become more sensitive and prone to cavities when being brushed more than they should

 

So now to avoid these problems, how often should you brush every day? The answer: Two times a day for two minutes each time. Preferably one time in the morning and one time before heading to bed. That’s it! Simple as that. Be sure to use gentle strokes and not vigorously brush off the enamel that acts as a shield for tooth decay. So no worries, you and your smile will have brighter and brighter days yet to come!

What Are Tooth Mamelons All About?

Ever take notice of how some of your teeth may have some bumps or ridges on the ends of them? If so, there’s no need to worry! These are completely normal and will eventually fade away as you get older. These bumps or ridges are called mamelons that helped push your new, permanent teeth through your gums as your baby teeth started falling out.

Should mamelons be removed? Not necessarily! These guys wont affect the health of your teeth in any sort of way. The main reason for filing the mamelons down, if at all, is due to alignment or for a better appearance of your teeth. So smile big and rest assure, you and your teeth are doing great for the world to see!

Animals Have Chompers, Too

Ever wonder how many teeth certain animals have? How they use them? If they’re any different from ours? Well we have some answers! Let’s take a walk through the wild and discover some fun facts about our animal friends and their pearly whites.

Giraffes: These guys have the same amount of teeth as humans do!- 32 to be precise. The only difference is they have no upper front teeth; most of their teeth are located towards the back of their mouth.

Rabbits: These little fella’s teeth never stop growing! An adult rabbit has about 28 teeth and must chew on tough foods to file their teeth down from getting too long.

Elephants: Their teeth are considered to be their tusks. Like rabbits, their extra long incisors never stop growing.

Sharks: How do you think it would feel to constantly lose teeth? Sharks would know! Each week they lose at least one tooth. Next time you hit the beach, keep an eye out for any shark teeth that wash ashore!

Hippopotamuses: Want to know who has the longest canine teeth of any animal? Look no further. These guys have incisors up to 3 feet long that can cut through the toughest objects!

Mosquitos: Our microscopic friends have microscopic teeth as well. Surprisingly, they have about 15 more teeth than adult humans, making them have a whopping 47 teeth.

Snails: Do you think mosquitos had a lot of teeth? Try 25,000 on these guys! Their microscopic teeth are located not on the top or bottom of their mouth, but on their tongue.

The one thing that most animals have in common? They’re cavity-free! Unlike humans, their diets aren’t high in sugar and they chew on tougher materials than humans do to consistently keep their teeth clean.

 

 

Sugarless Gum is a Tooth’s Bestfriend

Having a munch on some sugarless gum can have some benefits for keeping your smile spotless! Not only does it remove any food particles from the surfaces of your teeth, but also stimulates saliva production which can promote healthier, stronger teeth and reduce acid levels in your mouth that can cause tooth decay. It even aids any tooth sensitivity! So why only sugarless gum, you ask? Studies have shown that the sugar substitute in sugarless gum, Xylitol, fights against any bacteria that forms in your mouth. With that being said, Xylitol is a great cavity-fighter to keep your mouth a happy and healthy place for your pearly whites!

The Psychological Consequences of Bad Teeth

It’s easy to see the physical benefits of good teeth – proper chewing (which allows for a good diet), sleeping well (without chronic pain from toothaches), and speaking properly (without any mouth deformities that cause speech impediments).

Happy-Kids

But have you ever thought about the social and psychological benefits?  If you have nice, straight teeth, probably not. But if you’re unhappy with your smile, it probably haunts you almost every day of your life.

Nearly 70% of survey respondents said their oral health affected their quality of life.  Those with bad teeth reported emotional anxiety, avoidance of close relationships, and fear of rejection.

In another study, 31.2% of children were ashamed to smile because of their teeth. For someone who, on average, should smile about 400 times a day, that’s a lot of missed grins. Ten percent of kids even said they stopped playing with other children because they were ashamed.

While we do our best to teach kids not to “judge a book by its cover,” research indicates that almost everyone does – kids and adults alike.  Bad teeth are associated with defects in character, intelligence, and morals. Because of these quick judgments, people with bad teeth are less likely to be successful in their careers and personal relationships.

Over the long term, smiling benefits your perception at work, social life, romantic status, and overall happiness. With that much at stake, it makes skipping a few nights of brushing seem like a much bigger deal.