Time for a Pediatric Dentist FAQ!

MANY OF OUR PATIENTS and our patients’ parents come to us with the same questions about childhood dental health without realizing it. These are some of the questions we hear most often, and we’re sure that more people haven’t spoken up but don’t know the answers either.

1. When should I bring my child in for their first appointment?

As soon as your child has teeth, they need a dentist! It’s a great idea to bring your child in when the first tooth erupts, but no later than their first birthday. At this first appointment, we can give you tips on how to take care of their teeth as they appear and how to help them through painful teething periods.

2. What’s the difference between a general dentist and a pediatric dentist?

Pediatric dentists specialize in working with children. Just like it’s better to take your child to a pediatrician than a general physician, it’s better to bring them to see a pediatric dentist. This is because we undergo an additional two to three years of specialized training beyond dental school to learn better how to treat children’s dental health problems from infancy through adolescence.

3. Is it really that important to keep baby teeth healthy?

Even though baby teeth are temporary, it is critical to keep them as healthy as possible through good oral hygiene habits and regular dental visits. Baby teeth not only help children speak clearly and chew their food, but they also serve as guideposts for the adult teeth to come in where they’re supposed to.

4. What should I do if my child gets a toothache?

Rinsing the area with warm salt water (which they should spit out, not swallow) and using a cold compress on the face (if swollen) are reasonable first steps. Children’s Tylenol can also help (do not apply the pain-relieving medication directly to the painful tooth or gums, though) until you can bring your child in to see us, which you should do as soon as possible.

5. Are thumbsucking and pacifiers bad for my child’s teeth?

Not necessarily. These habits only become an oral health concern if they continue beyond the toddler years. Most children will grow out of them on their own, but if they don’t stop after age three, it’s time to think about ways to discourage the habit, and an oral appliance may be necessary.

6. What is the right amount of toothpaste to use on my child’s teeth?

Fluoride is essential for preventing cavities, but too much can cause white spots (fluorosis) on the incoming adult teeth. A tiny smear of fluoride toothpaste is enough for brushing a baby or toddler’s teeth. By ages 3-6, you can increase the amount to a pea-sized dollop. Past age 6, they usually have enough coordination to brush their teeth, but always encourage them to spit after they brush instead of swallowing the excess toothpaste.

Bring Us Your Questions!

We hope these answers have been eye-opening for you! The more educated you are about your children’s teeth and how to care for them, the better their chances are of maintaining adorable, healthy smiles as they grow. If you have any questions we didn’t cover here, give us a call or stop by our office!

We love our patients!

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

What Is A Pediatric Dentist?

Pediatric dentists, like Dr. Ryan at Sawgrass Pediatric Dentistry, are the pediatricians of dentistry. A dental specialist who focuses on treating infants to adolescents. Keep reading our blog as we explain the differences between pediatric dentists and family dentists.

An additional two to three years of specialized training is required for pediatric dentists versus a family dentist. This additional training provides them leveraged knowledge and aptitude for treating the unique needs of infants, children, and adolescents, including young patients who have special health care needs. 

It is not a requirement for a general dentist to complete the additional training to treat patients of any age. However, there are complex conditions that do require the pediatric dentist expertise making their treatment ability limited in comparison.

With their expert knowledge in childhood dental developmental stages,  a pediatric dentist will monitor the development and growth of your child's teeth and bite. Pediatric dentists are also trained to provide dental sealants and fluoride treatments to children as part of their comprehensive early detection and treatment of cavities. 

Dr. Ryan Smith adds, "One of our mottos at Sawgrass Pediatric Dentistry, is "we strive to offer quality dental care for the pediatric patient in a fun, friendly and positive atmosphere" we understand that children have unique dental needs and that going to the dentist can sometimes be seen as a stressful experience. We have staff and Pediatric dentists who are committed to providing the highest quality pediatric dentistry for infants, children, and adolescents as well as to those with special health care needs or disabilities.

 Dr. Ryan Smith shares, Sawgrass Pediatric Dentistry, was explicitly designed with children in mind. We wanted to create a memorable environment that would bring a feeling of excitement when they would come back to see us.  

There are significant benefits to the experience and service a pediatric dentist has to offer versus the convenience of bringing the whole family to the same dentist. 

Teaching Kids To Take Care Of Their Smiles

BEING A PARENT WITH small children can feel so hectic that there are probably days when it’s hard to find time to brush your own teeth, let alone theirs. That’s why we’re here to help you out with a few tips on how to help your kids develop great oral hygiene habits.

Make Healthy Baby Teeth A Priority

Just because your child’s baby teeth will be replaced with permanent teeth before long doesn’t mean it’s okay to slack off on taking good care of them. Baby teeth are crucial place-holders for adult teeth, and they allow your child to chew, speak, and smile freely. To keep them healthy, it’s important to aim for twice-daily brushing and daily flossing.

Start Building Life-Long Habits Early On

Teaching a young child important skills isn’t always easy. They have seemingly endless energy and very short attention spans, and a toothbrushing session won’t always go as planned. Here are a few things we recommend as you’re working on your child’s dental health skills:

• Make brushing a priority. If you act like brushing your child’s teeth is an inconvenient chore, that’s how they’ll view their dental hygiene routine. Show them that this is an important, unskippable part of every morning and evening.
• Brushing doesn’t have to happen in the bathroom. As long as you have a toothbrush, you can brush your child’s teeth anywhere. On a difficult day, brushing their teeth right where they are you could save both of you a lot of frustration.
• Toothpaste isn’t as crucial as brushing. Whether you ran out of toothpaste, can’t find it, or your child has been using it to practice their finger-painting skills, it’s fine to brush without the toothpaste until you can get more.
• Let them pick out their toothbrush. This will make feel more in control, and they’ll be happier to use it.
• Brush in front of the mirror. When they start brushing their own teeth, they’ll do it in front of the mirror, so this is the best place for you to brush their teeth for them at first. It will help them feel involved.
• Make it fun! The more you act like brushing is fun, the happier your child will be to cooperate. Keep up a good attitude about it and help them enjoy it by playing fun music to time their two minutes of brushing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1MVn-uYkcM

Take Advantage Of Our Expertise

We’d love to hear about your brushing routine with your child. Are our tips helping you out? Do you have your own strategy that’s working really well? Give us a call to let us know, or tell us about it at your child’s next appointment! And if you’re still having trouble helping your child learn how to brush, we can help with that too!

We love seeing your child’s healthy smile!

Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth The Healthy Way

EVERYONE LOVES A good sweet snack once in a while, but unfortunately, that includes the bacteria in our mouths. Those little germs’ favorite food in the world is sugary treats, and the more sugar they get, the more they put our teeth at risk of tooth decay. So how can you satisfy your sweet tooth without giving your harmful oral bacteria a treat? By snacking healthy!
 

A Few Healthy Treats To Enjoy

Sometimes it seems like the healthy snacks are the ones that take longer to make or cost more, but that isn’t always true! So before you reach for that jelly-filled doughnut or bowl of ice cream, take a look at some of these quick, affordable, tasty options that are better for your teeth:

• Coconut whipped cream with strawberries. Coconuts are exceptional bacteria killers and they can also reduce the amount of plaque build up, and strawberries are great for scrubbing away plaque too! Coconut whipped cream is a great substitute for dairy whipped cream because it’s low in sugar and high in healthy fats.
• Frozen dark chocolate bananas. This treat is great because bananas are full of important nutrients that help keep teeth and gums strong, and dark chocolate is good for your teeth too. (You could also switch things up and put the coconut whipped cream on the bananas and the dark chocolate on the strawberries!)
• Fruit smoothies with yogurt and applesauce. Toss your favorite fruits in a blender, but instead of adding sugar or ice cream, use unsweetened applesauce and frozen yogurt for a refreshing smoothie that is low in sugar!
• Yogurt and granola. Yogurt is one of the best sources of probiotics. Crowd out that harmful bacteria in your mouth with the good bacteria in yogurt. Yogurt is also a great source of calcium for building strong teeth.
• Fruit Bowls. You can never go wrong by throwing together a bowl of berries and sliced fruit. While fruit does contain natural sugar, eating it whole is much healthier than drinking fruit juice (which isn’t much better for your teeth than soda). The fiber in the whole fruit makes it harder for the sugar to reach your teeth (or your digestive system!), and you get all the great vitamins too!

Check out this video for a brownie recipe that leaves out the refined sugar!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq-8gOCdJGo

Want More Healthy Snack Ideas?

If you like these healthy treats and want more, we can help you find them! From sugar substitutes in baking to easy on-the-go snacks, we have you covered! And don’t forget to keep up your other good oral health habits, such as brushing twice daily for two minutes, flossing, and scheduling those regular dental appointments!

And don’t worry, we have sweet teeth too!

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Taking Care Of Your Pet’s Teeth

IT’S EASY TO ASSUME that our pets don’t need dental care like we do. After all, wild animals can’t exactly brush their teeth, and that doesn’t seem to be a problem for them. However, it turns out that our pets’ teeth have a very different situation than the teeth of wild animals, and they do need our help to stay healthy.

Animal Teeth In The Wild

There are two main reasons wild animals don’t need dental care. The first is diet. Unlike us and our pets (particularly cats and dogs), wild animals don’t consume a lot of sugar or carbs, which is what feeds the bacteria that causes tooth decay. Wild animals are more likely to wear their teeth down than they are to get cavities.

The second reason wild animals don’t seem to get tooth decay as often is that their teeth essentially outlive them. Their lifespans aren’t long enough for their teeth to rot before they die. If an animal’s teeth do rot, it won’t survive much longer in the wild, because unlike domesticated animals, it doesn’t have a friendly human to feed it after it can no longer eat its usual food.

What Dental Problems Are Pets At Risk For?

Our puppies and kitties might have teeth that look a lot different from ours, but they can get cavities and gum disease just like we can. In fact, a whopping 85 percent of dogs and cats get gum disease by age three.Keep an eye out for symptoms like difficulty chewing, tooth loss, and bad breath, as well as loose teeth, swollen or bleeding gums, and loss of appetite.

In a way, dental problems are even more serious for our pets than they are for us. We can take care of our own teeth, and we can describe what our teeth and gums feel like to our dentists. Our pets can’t do any of that, so when a problem happens, it’s more likely to get worse.

Tips For Pet Dental Care

Don’t wait for your pet to start showing symptoms of dental problems to begin a dental hygiene routine for them. Whether you’re keeping their teeth healthy or helping fight back against existing problems, you’ll be making your furry friend’s life so much better. Here are a few things you can do:

• Brush their teeth daily.
• Only use veterinary toothpaste, if any. (Your toothpaste will make them sick.)
• Give them vet-approved dental treats to help clean their teeth.
• Get their teeth professionally cleaned! Some vets offer dental services, but if your vet doesn’t, they can probably recommend a veterinary dental specialist in the area.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE0hTlByhYI

Do It For Those Happy Doggy And Kitty Smiles!

As a pet owner, there’s nothing better than seeing them happy and full of life, and taking good care of their teeth is a great way to make that happen. If you have any questions about what to do for your pet’s teeth or if you’re having trouble getting them used to a dental hygiene routine, make use of resources like our practice and your veterinarian.

We look forward to seeing you at our practice!

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Protecting Your Child’s Teeth From Injury

WE ALL REMEMBER WHAT it was like to be a kid. Running around, playing outside, discovering the world around us, and making great friends. We also remember the scraped knees and bumps and bruises that came along with all of that. As parents, we want our kids to have all the same great experiences we did, but hopefully without some of the injuries — particularly tooth injuries.
 

Tips For Tooth Safety

There are a few simple things we can do to keep our kids’ teeth safe, whether they’re at home or playing with friends.

• The most common cause of tooth injuries in babies and toddlers is the bathtub. All that slippery porcelain makes it easy for them to fall and hurt their teeth. To minimize this risk, never leave a baby or toddler unattended in the bathtub.
• Frisbees, balls, and other things meant for throwing can easily cause tooth injuries. Before your child goes out to play, talk to them about safety and stress the importance of not aiming for each other’s heads.
• Playground equipment such as swings, a jungle gym, or monkey barsare not kind to teeth if a child falls on them face-first. Make sure your child knows to be careful before going on the playground.

Plan Ahead

Sometimes accidents happen even under careful adult supervision and when the children understand potential hazards and use caution. Don’t panic if your child loses or injures a tooth. If it’s an adult tooth or if it’s a baby tooth that wasn’t already loose, try to put it back in place, then come straight to the dentist. Reattachment isn’t always possible, but this will give it the best chance.

If you can’t easily put the tooth back in place, store it in a glass of milk to keep the root alive while you’re on your way to the dentist. The faster you get to us, the better chances the tooth will have of being saved. Make sure you don’t try to clean the tooth or put it in water, though, because this will kill the root!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KyR4ULIEQw

Keep Those Teeth Healthy

Another important way to protect your child’s teeth from injury is to keep them healthy with twice-daily brushing and daily flossing, as well as regular dental appointments. Healthy teeth are stronger and more resistant to injury!

We love to see those healthy smiles!

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

The First Loose Tooth: A Rite Of Passage

DO YOU REMEMBER losing your first tooth? Maybe it happened later than for your classmates, or maybe you fell down on the playground and it came out before you knew it was loose. However it happens, losing that first tooth is a big deal for every kid. As parents, we want to make sure it’s a positive experience.
 

The Right Mindset Is Key

Even though losing our baby teeth is a perfectly normal part of growing up, it can be scary for a little kid, especially when it’s their first loose tooth and they aren’t used to the process yet. We can make it easier by helping them get in the right mindset: losing a tooth means they’re a big kid now! If you can help your child focus on how cool and impressive it is to lose a baby tooth, rather than how it might hurt a little bit, they’ll hopefully be less afraid and more excited.

How Parents Can Help With A Loose Tooth

Helping with a loose tooth isn’t just about mindset, it’s also about technique. Chasing your child around with pliers is not the best way to handle the situation, and neither is that old “I just want to feel it!” trick where you pull the tooth instead. A couple of good things to do are to encourage your child to gently wiggle the tooth on their own with a clean finger, their tongue, or a tissue. It’s also a good idea to let them set the pace and only help them pull the tooth if they ask you to.

Another way to make it fun is to think of an interesting way to pull the tooth!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az0l311rBok

Find Creative Ways To Reward Success

The Tooth Fairy is the standard way of giving a child a good incentive to take care of those loose teeth, but there’s no reason to reward them the same way everyone else does. Maybe your child would be more motivated by the promise of a trip to the ice cream shop or getting a new toy. Think of something your child would really appreciate.

Still Have Concerns? Bring Them To Us!

If your child is still afraid of losing a tooth after you’ve done everything you can to make it a fun and exciting rite of passage for them, then leave it to us! As a pediatric dental practice, we specialize in working with children. You can also bring them to us if their teeth aren’t becoming loose when they should or if a loose tooth doesn’t seem to want to come out.

We can’t wait to hear about your child’s loose tooth adventures!

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.