Tooth Whitening

After an extraction, it’s important for a blood clot to form to stop the bleeding and begin the healing process. That’s why your dentist will ask you to bite on a gauze pad for 30 to 45 minutes after an extraction. If bleeding or oozing continues after you remove the gauze pad, place another gauze pad on the area and bite firmly for another 30 minutes. You may have to do this several times.

After the blood clot forms, it’s important to protect it, especially for the next 24 hours. It’s important to not:

• smoke and chew tobacco

• drinking alcohol

• suck through a straw

• rinse your mouth vigorously

• clean the teeth next to the extraction site

These activities could dislodge the clot and slow down healing.

Limit yourself to calm activities for the first 24 hours. This keeps your blood pressure lower, reduces bleeding, and helps the healing process.

After the tooth is extracted, you may feel some pain and have (more…)

When searching for a dentist, the American Dental Association (ADA) offers these suggestions:

Ask family, friends, neighbors or co-workers for their recommendations.
Ask your family doctor or local pharmacist.
If you’re moving, ask your current dentist to make a recommendation.
Call or write your local or state dental society. The ADA provides a list of local and state dental societies at their web site, www.ada.org. Your local and state dental societies also may be listed in the telephone directory under “dentists” or “associations.”
The ADA suggests calling or visiting more than one dentist before selecting one you feel you can build a good long-term relationship with. (more…)

What your child eats affects his or her teeth. Too many carbohydrates, both sugars (for example, from cake, cookies, candies, milk, and other sugary foods and beverages) and starches (for example, pretzels and potato chips) can cause tooth decay. How long carbohydrates remain on the teeth is the main culprit that leads to tooth decay.

The best thing you can do as a parent is to teach your child to make healthy food choices. Here are some tooth-friendly foods to serve your children along with some other tips: (more…)

Teeth should be cleaned as soon as they emerge. By starting early, your baby gets used to the daily routine. A soft washcloth wrapped around your finger can substitute for a brush when teeth first appear. Ask your dentist when you should switch to a toothbrush. Some dentists suggest waiting until four teeth in a row have come out; others recommend waiting until the child is 2 or 3 years old. (more…)

The following chart shows when primary teeth (also called baby teeth or deciduous teeth) erupt and shed. Please note that eruption times can vary from child to child.

As seen from the chart, the first teeth begin to break through the gums at about 6 months of age. Usually, the first two teeth to erupt are the two bottom central incisors (the two bottom front teeth). Next, the top four front teeth emerge. After that, other teeth slowly begin to fill in, usually in pairs – one each side of the upper or lower jaw – until all 20 teeth (10 in the upper jaw and 10 in the lower jaw) have come in by the time the child is 2 ½ to 3 years old. The complete set of primary teeth is in the mouth from the age of 2 ½ to 3 years of age to 6 to 7 years of age.

Primary Teeth Development Chart (more…)

Parents and dentists each play an important role in making the first dental appointment a positive experience. Any anxiety displayed by parents will be “picked up” by the child. And, an unfriendly dentist can cause unnecessary fear in the child.

Parent’s Role (more…)

Tooth decay is the destruction of tooth structure and can affect both the enamel (the outer coating of the tooth) and the dentin layer of the tooth.

Tooth decay occurs when foods containing carbohydrates (sugars and starches) such as breads, cereals, milk, soda, fruits, cakes, or candy are left on the teeth. Bacteria that live in the mouth digest these foods, turning them into acids. The bacteria, acid, food debris, and saliva combine to form plaque, which clings to the teeth. The acids in plaque dissolve the enamel surface of the teeth, creating holes in the teeth called cavities, or caries (more…)

Baby teeth are important because they allow an infant to eat a good diet, allow for proper jaw growth, give the face its form and appearance, assist in the formation of proper speech, and most important, act as “space savers” for adult teeth. Tooth decay in babies can lead to pain, infection, malnutrition, poor weight gain, and premature loss of teeth – which can affect the development of permanent teeth. In addition, oral health problems in an infant’s mouth, such as bleeding gums and cavities, increase the chance for these problems in permanent teeth. Good oral health habits – started at an early age at home – increase the chance for a healthy mouth during your child’s young life and carry on through adulthood. (more…)

Tooth Eruption Patterns

Usually the first baby teeth to come into the mouth are the two bottom front teeth. They begin to appear when your child is about 6 to 8 months old. They are followed by the 4 upper front teeth. The remainder of your baby?s teeth will appear periodically, usually in pairs on each side of the jaw, until the child is about 2 1/2 years old. (more…)

It is generally recommended that an infant be seen by a dentist by the age of 1 or within 6 months after his or her first tooth comes in.

What Happens at the First Dental Visit? (more…)