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Pediatric Dentistry: Instill Good Habits and Awareness in Kids

Instill good dental habits in kids early. Visit a pediatric dentistry office. (Image courtesy collusor on Pixabay via CC0 Public Domain license)

Did you know that bananas cause more dental cavities than chocolate and chewing gum? Schedule a pediatric dentistry appointment to know more dental facts or “myth-busters”. A pediatric dentist is the best person to educate you and your child on healthy dental practices. Besides, regular dental check-ups ensure that your child’s teeth develop healthily and that problems are detected promptly and corrected immediately to prevent tooth decay or loss in future.

Surprising Pediatric Dentistry Facts That You Didn’t Know

Halloween is around the corner, and you are probably concerned that your kids will spoil their teeth gorging on chocolates. Well, you should be worried more about the harm some other apparently innocuous foods do to the teeth. For instance, healthy foods like bananas and apples cause more cavities than chocolate, graham crackers, caramels, red licorice, and chewing gum. Even bread, raisins, cereal, and chips do more dental harm than chocolate.

According to research, the culprit is the starch that is present in high amounts in many of these foods. Starch is a complex carbohydrate, but the bacteria present in the mouth reacts similarly to the simple sugars present in chocolates and other “sugary” foods. The bacteria breaks down the sugar which leaves an acidic waste. This acidic substance causes cavities.

The case against starchy foods like bananas rests on the fact that starch dissolves slowly and remains inside the mouth for longer periods of time than simple sugar. Small particles of some starchy foods also get stuck between the teeth and remain in the mouth for as long as two hours, so the bacteria has more time to work on the starch and create more acid.

That being said, banishing apples, bananas, and most other starchy foods from your kid’s diet is not a good idea. After all, the body needs complex carbohydrates too.

So this Halloween, let your kids gorge on chocolates, candies, and cookies. Cocoa, the primary ingredient in chocolate, contains tannin that is as effective as fluoride, the substance present in toothpaste, in preventing tooth decay. Also, encourage them to eat fruits like bananas and apples every day.

For your part, make sure that they don’t miss their pediatric dentistry appointment. Your kid’s dentist can educate you about the foods to be wary of and those to stay away from to keep teeth healthy and cavity-free.

Why Should You Take Your Kid to a Pediatric Dentist?

You should take your kid to a pediatric dentist regularly. During a pediatric dentistry visit, you can get your kid’s teeth cleaned professionally and get him checked for signs of cavities. Regular check-ups ensure the dentist can monitor your child’s dental development closely. A pediatric dentist is also the best person to teach your child the correct way to brush and floss.

Choose a pediatric dental office where your kid feels welcomed, safe and can even enjoy his or herself by playing video games or watching cartoon shows on TV while he waits. This ensures that you don’t have to coax, cajole, or bribe him to visit the dentist anymore. After all, he has to become comfortable around a dentist, be receptive to the suggestions, and take his dental health into his own hands. When he knows what is good for his teeth and what is not, he need not deprive himself of chocolate for fear of cavities!

Why Should You Get an Orthodontics Examination?

Orthodontic Dentistry: For Healthy Teeth and Beautiful Smile (Image courtesy Liz20151222 on Wikimedia Commons via CC BY-SA 4.0 International)

There is more to dental health than brushing and flossing every day. Dental health encompasses a wide array of criteria—are your teeth properly aligned, do your teeth meet normally or do you have a cross-bite, do your jaws shift, and are your teeth and jaw aligned proportionately to one another and to the rest of your face? Just like irregularities in how our body functions can wreak havoc with our systems, dental irregularities too can bring in a host of complications ranging from bad breath, unsightly yellowed teeth, tooth decay and loss, difficulty chewing and swallowing as well as gum problems. Do not ignore an orthodontic examination to detect dental abnormalities early and nip them in the bud. You should not feel shy to flash your brightest smile!

The Benefits of an Orthodontic Examination

Every kid should be taken for an orthodontic examination by age 7. This ensures dental irregularities are detected early and treated immediately before they develop into major problems in adulthood.

For instance, early or late loss of baby teeth can indicate abnormalities that can later cause tooth decay. Habits like sucking fingers can tamper with the alignment of teeth and cause one or more tooth to develop crookedly or overlap on another tooth. Misaligned teeth not only take away from the appeal of the smile but can also hamper brushing and flossing. Not being able to brush or floss properly can cause bad breath, tooth decay, and eventually, tooth loss.

But it is not just kids who need an orthodontic screening. Adults too should get an orthodontic examination to find out about the state of their dental health and go in for corrections and/or treatments if needed. Dental problems, if neglected, can later spiral out of control and cost you more in terms of expenses, pain, hassles, and downtime.

Book an Orthodontic Appointment and Gift Yourself a Beautiful Smile

An orthodontist can also correct your smile and give you back the confidence you had lost. That is because cosmetic dentistry is also their forte!

Misaligned teeth, a gummy smile, discolored teeth, an incorrect bite, missing teeth, and teeth with cavities mar the attractiveness of your smile. You feel shy about smiling in public, and consequently, come across as a glum and boring person. This perception about you can hinder your chances of forming professional and personal relationships.

But don’t worry, an orthodontist has a host of solutions to conveniently suit your needs. Just be sure to book an appointment.

An orthodontist can straighten crooked teeth with braces or Invisalign® aligners. Nowadays, braces are not as unsightly as they once used to be. They now have more streamlined forms and come in a variety of colors. Invisalign® aligners are made of a clear, sturdy material that don’t show when you smile. Invisalign® aligners can be taken off and put on easily, so you can brush and floss thoroughly and easily.

Having an orthodontic or cosmetic dentistry treatment, nowadays, no longer means taking a day off from work or waiting for months on end for results to show. For instance, the results of tooth whitening can show in as little as 3 days.

You check your blood pressure and keep tabs on your cholesterol and blood sugar levels. You visit a GP for regular health check-ups. So, why should you neglect your dental health? An orthodontist can not only correct dental abnormalities but also beautify your smile. An orthodontic examination is healthy for your teeth and great for your confidence.

Flash Your Beautiful Smile with Invisalign® Aligners or Braces

Choose a teeth-straightening method that works for you and flaunt a beautiful smile. (Image courtesy Greyerbaby on Pixabay via CC0 Public Domain license)

This Halloween, you should be more excited about Invisalign® aligners and braces than candies and costumes! Give yourself a treat by going in for teeth straightening. Choose Invisalign® aligners or braces to give yourself a festival smile makeover that will dazzle others.

Why Should You Consider Teeth-Straightening Options?

Crooked and uneven teeth not only take away from the beauty of your smile but also dampen your self-esteem. You feel shy about smiling in public, which in turn, makes other people perceive you as a glum person or someone who is not fun to be around with.

More importantly, uneven and misaligned teeth pose dental hygiene problems as well. Your toothbrush cannot clean your teeth thoroughly or reach all corners of the mouth. The results are: bad breath, gum problems, and tooth decay.

You may not know this but an incorrect bite or misaligned teeth can trigger headaches and/or pain in the face and neck. Uneven teeth can also cause difficulty while eating, swallowing, and/or speaking.

Now you know that there are multiple reasons to straighten your teeth, so choose Invisalign® aligners or braces.

Braces: Pops of Color When You Smile

Braces are one of the most popular choices for adults, teens, and kids. Braces—metal or ceramic —are placed around the teeth to gently move them into proper alignment. For kids, these braces gently guide the development of the jaw and the teeth that are about to grow. This prevents problems related to misaligned teeth or jaw in future.

Due to the advances in orthodontics, braces are now lighter and sturdier than ever and are comfortable to wear for the duration of your treatment.

If you thought braces are ungainly, think again! Braces can be clear, so they are hardly visible when you talk or smile. Or if you are in a festive mood, you can go in for colorful metallic braces. You can choose the color of the ties that secure the wires. Talk about your personal smile statement!

Invisalign® Aligners: Wear These Without Anyone Knowing

Invisalign® aligners spell comfort and convenience. Made of clear, medical-grade plastic polymer, these invisible braces are sturdy, yet you can remove them and put them back on easily. Remove them when you have to brush and floss, so you can do a thorough job. Also remove them when you dig into Halloween candies; this will keep the aligners clean and easier to maintain.

The greatest benefit of Invisalign® aligners is that they are almost invisible to the naked eye. You can go around wearing them and smile with these fitted to your teeth, and hardly anyone will notice! You needn’t feel self-conscious about smiling in public, nor do you have to stop flashing your brilliant smile because you are wearing braces.

You don’t want your misaligned teeth to slowly chip away at one another and eventually cause a tooth to fall out. You obviously don’t want your overcrowded teeth to trigger gum problems or jaw pain. So this Halloween, fix your smile and keep away dental problems with Invisalign® aligners or braces.