Your Guide to Choosing the Right Toothbrush

  Patients often ask about the type of toothbrush they are using and if it is most effective for their individual mouths. It is important to find a toothbrush that is comfortable and works well to encourage the frequency of brushing for kids and adults alike.
Manual Toothbrushes
Your toothbrush should fit in your mouth comfortably and allow you to easily reach all of your teeth. The head should cover one to two teeth at a time. Larger heads may be difficult to maneuver inside of the mouth to reach difficult areas, especially for those with smaller mouths.
Adults should take over brushing for their child until they feel that their child can brush all surfaces effectively and for two minutes. Toothbrushes for children should have smaller heads, and larger handles to make it easier for their little hands to grasp. If your child is smaller or larger than their peers or has a delayed or advanced dental development, ask your dentist for the appropriate size toothbrush. A large handled toothbrush is also recommended for those individuals with limited dexterity.
Soft-bristled toothbrushes are good at removing plaque and debris to your teeth without causing a great deal of damage to the supporting tooth structures. Medium to hard bristles can cause a condition called recession where the gum tissue can become lowered away from the teeth exposing root surfaces. For increased protection bristles can be purchased with rounded tips.
Powered Toothbrushes
Powered toothbrushes are a great option for those who have limited manual dexterity. Those with braces or intraoral appliances may also benefit from a powered toothbrush. Powered toothbrushes often include a timer and help encourage longer brushing and make it fun for your child.
No matter what toothbrush you choose, make sure that you are brushing at a 45 degree angle in a circular motion for at least two minutes morning and night. Include flossing at least once a day. Your toothbrush should be replaced every three months, or when they show wear. Your toothbrush should also be changed after every illness to prevent reinfection.
Looking for the American Dental Association, seal of approval on your toothbrush can be a good start to picking the right toothbrush. If you have any question about the right toothbrush or brushing technique, be sure to ask your dentist at your next six month check up.

Does My Child Really Need Dental Xrays?

It might be shocking to realize that children often need dental X-rays more often than adults.  Your child is constantly growing and changing, and they are often more susceptible to tooth decay than adults. The enamel on childrens’ teeth is generally thinner allowing decay to spread more rapidly than on adult teeth. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that X-rays are preformed every six months to a year or more depending on their risk for tooth decay.

What Is the Purpose Of X-rays On Children?

Many parents are frustrated that their dentist reports that their child now has cavities, but at their previous check up they were cavity free.  Cavities can form rapidly on children, however the absence of X-rays at a previous visit due to age or behavior may be the cause for the initial under diagnosis. Most parents are shocked to find that their child has cavities because they regularly brush twice a day and limit high consumption of sugars in their child’s diet.

Many parents admit that they have not yet begun flossing due to either lack of child cooperation or failure to realize the importance of flossing at such a young age. X-rays can detect cavities that form in the areas between your child’s teeth that may not be seen on visible inspection. Once cavities are visually seen on areas between the teeth, these areas may be quite large, and actually approach the nerve of the tooth requiring more extensive treatment.
Eruption patterns of teeth can also be diagnosed with X-rays. Many children have delayed or advanced eruption patterns, or may even have permanent teeth that are missing or developing in an incorrect location.  Early detection of these occurrences may help determine if early intervention or orthodontic treatment may be necessary.  Many of these problems are more difficult to treat after the growth process is complete.
Children are known to being highly active and unfortunately prone to injury.  Most commonly the upper front teeth take the brunt of the abuse and can suffer from root fracture, tooth displacement, color change, and mobility.  Your child’s dentist may elect to take regular X-rays of this area to determine if any damage has occurred to the baby teeth or the permanent teeth underneath.


Are X-rays Safe?
Radiation is all around us, from microwaves, to airplanes, and even from the sun. With the amount of radiation we are exposed to with daily activities, the radiation from dental films is very negligible. Different dental offices have different forms of X-ray technology and therefore different levels of radiation from their equipment.
Digital X-rays offer the lowest form of radiation to patients, in some cases up to 80 percent lower than the traditional films most adults had as children. All dental offices are required to have routine inspections of their X-rays equipment by their state. It is also required that a lead apron be placed on your child for additional protection.

Preventing Dental Injuries During your Child’s Active Summer

If you have an extremely active child you may have seen one or two falls in their day. Although it is true that active kids and teens are more prone to dental and other injuries, there are several precautions that can be taken to prevent or manage these occurrences.

How To Prevent Dental Injuries?
Infants should not run with a bottle, sippy cup or other objects in their mouth.  Children should be discouraged from climbing or jumping from high surfaces such as a tabletop or bed in the home and definitely not left unattended. Getting your baby or toddler to eat can sometimes be a challenge.  If food is forced into the mouth with a bottle or spoon it is possible to cause damage to the soft developing oral tissues in the mouth.  Foods with pointy surfaces such as chips can also cause injury to these tissues if not chewed carefully.
For older children, mouth guards should be worn while participating in sports.  These can be picked up at your local drug store or your dentist can make a custom fit mouth guard. Kids should wear a helmet during active sports such as football, or high-speed activities such as skateboarding or bike riding. Children and adults should be careful wearing socks without grips on hardwood floor as these surfaces can often be slippery and lack of traction can cause a possible injury.


What To Do If You Child Has A Dental Injury?
Dizziness, vomiting, bleeding from the nose or ears, lapse of memory, disorientation, or signs of fatigue may be an indication that a concussion has occurred.  Patients with significant head, neck or facial trauma should be immediately taken to the emergency room to be evaluated. If your child has extensive bleeding to the lip, gums or cheek area use gauze or a paper towel to apply pressure until the bleeding stops.   A cold compress or ice cubes can be placed on the affected area to reduce swelling and relieve pain in some cases. If a tooth is fractured, check to see if blood is coming from the inside of the tooth.  This may indicate nerve exposure and you will need to see your dentist as soon as possible.   If a permanent tooth is completely knocked out it should be reimplanted within one hour. If possible rinse off the tooth with clean water or milk and place it back into the socket. Make sure you only touch the crown (visible part) of the tooth and not the root. If you are unable to reimplant due to pain or blockage store the tooth in milk or cheeks and bring it to the dental office as soon as possible.  Your local dentist should evaluate dental injury without significant head or neck trauma.  Make sure your child has a dental home facilitate easy of evaluation during a potentially difficult and traumatic time for you and your child.

Should I Replace My Old Silver Fillings?

Dental technology has changed dramatically over the last few decades and no doubt will continue to improve in the future.  At Lifetime Dental Care we do not use Amalgam “Silver” Fillings because of the harm done to the environment by the material, and the recent improvement in Composite “White” Fillings.  Many of our patients are concerned about their silver fillings that they have had for years.  

The current position of the ADA and FDA is that amalgam is a safe restorative material and should not be removed due to health concerns regarding mercury content.  In fact the highest exposure of mercury to patients is due to amalgam placement and removal. High-speed suction should be used when removing mercury-containing fillings to reduce excess mercury inhalation by the patient.  

Patients should consult with our office before replacing a long-term silver filling for sole cosmetic reasons or health concerns.  Although these fillings have been deemed safe there are several reasons to replace a silver filling.

When should you Replace a Silver Filling?

• Decay is present under filling: If decay is left untreated long term it could lead to further complications such as fracture or potentially infection.
• Filling is fractured or leaking: A chipped or fractured filling can lead to further breakage of the filling or of surrounding natural tooth structure.
• It was placed in a high cosmetic zone:  Let’s face it in 2014 no one wants to see silver in their front teeth.  If you have a silver filling that is seen in anterior region replacement may be an option.

Bottled Water vs. Tap Water

   Staying well hydrated is one of the best things you can do for your oral and overall health. Although bottled water is commonly perceived as being the “cleaner” alternative to tap, it is missing one vital component, fluoride.   Many experts attribute the recent rise in cavities to be linked to the surge of bottle water consumption.   In an effort to decrease the risk for dental cavities the vast majority of public water systems have added a salt formed from the combination of fluorine, soil and rock minerals, otherwise known as fluoride.  Fluoridation does not affect the taste, smell or appearance of the drinking water.

What are the benefits of tap water? 

   Fluoride can slow the rate at which tooth enamel demineralizes and also encourage remineralization of an area that has the early stages (white spots) of a cavity.  According to the American Dental Association, “studies prove water fluoridation continues to be effective in reducing tooth decay by 20 – 40%, even in an era with widespread availability of fluoride from other sources, such as fluoride toothpaste.” “Fluoridation is one public health program that actually saves money. An individual can have a lifetime of fluoridated water for less than the cost of one dental filling.”  Tap water also contains calcium and magnesium.  There have been studies that show that communities that have tap water containing higher levels of calcium and magnesium have lower death rates since they can help protect against heart disturbances.

Is tap water safe?

   Although water fluoridation is safe and beneficial for our oral health, over exposure to fluoride can cause dental fluorosis. Fluorosis in most cases is generally mild, but may cause some whitish spots on the permanent teeth.  For infants who are on formula that already contains fluoride, parents should take caution when reconstituting with fluorinated water.  Talk to your pediatrician before altering the diet for your infant. Fluoride toothpaste and rinses should also not be consumed, since it contains a dangerous level of fluoride if ingested in large amounts.

    If you are on well water or are unsure of the fluoride levels in your community you may consider getting your water tested.  Every water supply is different and it is important to be informed about the water in your community.  If you have concerns about water quality and  live in the Prince William County, VA area please contact the Service Authority of Prince William County.  For those individuals concerned with impurities in their tap water, there are a variety of filtration systems on the market. Chlorine is a product that is added to water during the filtration process that helps get rid of bacteria.  Refrigerating your tap water overnight and using a water filtration system such as Brita, can help rid of that chlorinated taste and give your tap water the crisp clean taste you expect from bottled water.  You find that there is no fluoride in your community water please stop by our office and we will determine if your child may be in need of a fluoride supplement. 

The Common Cold and Your Oral Health

 

   It's winter time again, and along with that much anticipated holiday cheer comes the inevitable cold and flu season. Children in the United States miss about 22 million days of school every year due to the common cold. The average child alone gets between 6-12 colds every year and are two to three times more likely to come down with the flu. Although children are most susceptible to the cold and flu they easily spread their aliments to their caregivers and schoolmates. When you are feeling down and out the last thing many people want to do is worry about their teeth.  However, a few key tips during those down and sick days can help lead you and your family to a speedy recovery without devastation to your oral cavity.

Stay Hydrated: Being made mostly of water, it is nature’s cure for a variety of conditions.  A stuffy and congested nose may cause you to breath through your mouth. Excessive mouth breathing can slow saliva production and make our mouths susceptible to harmful bacteria. Drinking water during a cold also thins mucus and prevents dehydration.  If your child refuses to drink try soups, sugar-free pop cycles or jello.

Use Sugar-free Cough Drops: Many cough syrups and cough drops contain excessive amounts of sugar to make them taste great.  If you are using sugary cough medicines make sure you rinse the residue off your teeth with water and brush before going to bed.  There are xylitol candies and nasal sprays that help fight cavities as well as alleviate sore throat and post nasal drip.

Minimize Sugar Intake:  Refined sugars such as fruit juices and white flour can depress your immune system, which weakens your body’s ability to fight infection on it’s own.

Don't Forget to Brush:  When we are sick we tend to take several naps throughout the day.  Although you are often more tired try to do not forget to before laying down.  Saliva production decreases whir you are sleeping, decreasing the bodies ability to cleanse itself.

Replace your Toothbrush:  Bacteria and viruses can live on your toothbrush for hours or even days on hard surfaces.  The last thing you want to do is reinfect yourself after just getting over an ailment.  Make sure you do not store your toothbrush next to your family members. This could lead to cross-contamination of the new toothbrush and further spread the illness.

Teething and Those Restless Nights

    Teething can be a difficult time for infants and their parents. You may find your baby drooling, chewing on toys or fingers, avoiding certain foods, and unusually cranky or irritable. No parent wants to see their child crying in pain.  
    Teething, however, is a natural part of life.  The greatest discomfort from teething pain occurs in the first 2-3 days that a tooth is erupting. The pain should start to decrease or subside at this time, that is until the next tooth begins to erupt.  
   Although 2-3 days is a short period of time, your baby has 20 teeth to erupt, which could lead to a lot of restless nights.  Luckily, parents have discovered home remedies that can provide your baby with some pain relief during this difficult time.  

• Massage their  Gums: With a clean finger gently massage their gums to help soften gum tissue. Be careful of surrounding teeth to avoid injuring your finger. Avoid medicines or alcohol on the gums, although it may provide temporary relief, your baby may end up swallowing an unsafe amount. 

• Introduce Hard Foods:  Gnawing and chewing can help ease teething pain.  Chunks of apple, carrots and frozen bagels or bananas can provide additional stimulation to sooth those sore gums. Be careful to ensure that no foods present a choking hazard for your child.

• Teething Aids: Many parents have told me their child does not care for teething rings.  An alternative could be soaking a clean washcloth in chamomile tea and placing it in the freezer for approximately 45 minutes until it's slightly crunchy yet soft. 

• Try Grandma's Method: Older generations would often rub clove oil, peeled ginger root or vanilla extract on their baby's gums.  Although this has not been proven by science, many infants have found great relief with this method. Try this on yourself to make sure the taste is tolerable.

• Teething Tablets:  Teething tablets such as Hyland's Tablets, can provide temporary relief by reducing redness and teething discomfort.  These all natural tablets can be found at your local drug store or pharmacy. 

• Pain Medication:  If you child is experiencing a great deal of pain an infant dose of Tylenol may be the only thing to provide your baby the relief they need to go to sleep.  Tylenol will help with fevers as well. Pain medication should only be given for a few days, if severe pain or fevers still persist for over a week in the same area please call your pediatrician or pediatric dentist. 

• When to Call the Doctor: If your baby has an extended duration of pain, has substantial swelling or discoloration of the gums, has drastically decreased their food and liquid intake or developed a fever greater than 101, please visit your child's pediatrician or visit our office to be examined by our pediatric dentist.