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.