Our Blog

Tooth enamel is like a shield around teeth that helps protect them from tooth decay and cavities. But, that shield is under attack every day, leaving your teeth vulnerable to unhealthy bacteria. Here’s what you need to know about tooth enamel, and how you can keep your family’s tooth enamel strong.

How Tooth Enamel Works 

Tooth enamel is the first line of defense your teeth have against plaque and cavities. It is the white, visible part of the tooth and it is also the hardest part of the human body. When enamel is damaged, it can appear discolored and leave the affected teeth very sensitive.

Tooth enamel protects teeth from decay and cavities. When it is damaged or destroyed, teeth and gums are more susceptible to oral health issues more serious disease.

What Hurts Tooth Enamel? 

Acid is the primary agent that destroys tooth enamel, and most of the damage is done by the foods and drinks that you consume. Soft drinks are the most frequent source of erosive acids, due to their high acidity and frequency of consumption. Other drinks like fruit juice, sports drinks and energy drinks can also damage your teeth through acidic erosion. Acidic fruits like oranges and grapefruit, and sticky carbohydrates like bread and crackers can also eat away at tooth enamel.

What Strengthens Tooth Enamel?

Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, but it needs your help to keep it strong in the fight against cavities. Luckily, there are certain steps you can take to keep your tooth enamel strong.  

Calcium

Calcium is a dental super mineral. That’s because it neutralizes damaging acids and is a great enamel protector. Try to add at least one dairy product to your meals to get the adequate amount of calcium. If your family does not consume dairy, try introducing some of these other calcium-rich foods: almond milk, canned fish, kale, soy yogurt or soybeans.

Water 

Water is not acidic, and does not harm tooth enamel. It also improves saliva production, which naturally cleans teeth of debris and restores the mouth back to a healthy ph balance. Try giving your family more water instead of sugary drinks to help keep their tooth enamel strong and healthy. 

Regular Brushing and Flossing 

Food debris left on teeth encourages bacteria growth that eats away at enamel and causes cavities. This is why it’s important to brush twice per day, for two minutes at a time, and floss once per day to clean debris from the hard-to-reach areas of teeth. 

Visit Our Office 

Unfortunately, cavities are the most common disease afflicting children in the United States, and almost completely preventable. You can help prevent cavities in your children by keeping their tooth enamel clean and strong.

Visit our office so that we can evaluate your child’s overall oral health. We check and document the state of your child’s tooth enamel as a part of our regular checkups, and we will help give you and your child the knowledge necessary to keep a healthy, lifelong smile. 

Consistency is key to getting a healthy, bright smile. By getting into the perfect oral health routine, you can get a radiant smile that you’re proud to share.  

Brush Regularly 

This one seems like a no brainer – but you must brush twice per day for two minutes at a time. When brushing, be sure to brush behind your teeth and pay attention to your back molars. Brush after you’ve had breakfast in the morning, and after dinner at night. This will help keep your teeth free of any unnecessary food debris that can lead to tooth decay. Rinse your mouth with clean water after lunch, which will also combat food debris build-up.  

Use the Right Toothpaste 

For more than 50 years, the American Dental Association has recommended using toothpaste containing fluoride to prevent cavities. Fluoridated toothpaste does an excellent job of cleaning teeth, but make sure that you spit all of it out and rinse your mouth thoroughly after brushing. When shopping for toothpaste, avoid abrasives, and look for the American Dental Association (ADA) seal of approval on the packaging to ensure that you’re getting the best toothpaste available.  

Floss Daily 

Brushing your teeth only does so much, and you need to clean the sides of teeth, and the areas in between teeth. Make sure to floss below the gum line, where dental plaque can go unseen and unreached by toothbrushes. If left untreated, plaque buildup near the root of teeth can lead to gingivitis and tooth loss. It’s normal for gums to bleed at the beginning of a new flossing routine, but it should subside as flossing continues.

Keep Your Toothbrush Operating Properly 

A fully functional toothbrush is pivotal in the battle against plaque and cavities. If you’re unsure about the state of your toothbrush, check the bristles on the head. If the bristles are flayed outward, then it’s time to get a new toothbrush or replace your toothbrush head. An average toothbrush will last anywhere between 3 to 4 months. 

Schedule a Dental Checkup Every Six Months 

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children visit the pediatric dentist every six months. This helps your child get ahead of any potential oral health concerns, and helps them learn more about maintaining a healthy mouth. 

Schedule an appointment with our office today so that we can evaluate your child’s oral health. A first-visit is always stress-free, which helps us introduce our dental team to your child without worry or anxious feelings. 

There are some tried and true methods to get a healthy smile like avoiding sugar, brushing your teeth twice per day, and visiting your dentist twice per year. But, there are some more subtle actions that you can take to get a healthier smile that you may be ignoring.

1 – Floss Regularly 

The fact is that brushing doesn’t completely clean teeth, and flossing helps remove food debris from the hard-to-reach areas in between teeth and below the gum line. Try to floss once per day, and thoroughly clean each side of every tooth, and just below your gum line. There are a number of types of floss, and flossing devices that can help you get into a better flossing routine. Try to buy floss with the ADA seal of approval, so you know that you’re getting a thoroughly tested product.

When beginning a flossing routine, be gentle on your teeth and gums. If you haven’t flossed in a while, then your gums could be sensitive to a new flossing routine.

2 – Have Water Handy 

Water promotes a healthy body, and it is the perfect drink for oral health! Water helps keep the mouth clean in a couple of important ways. First, it helps remove food debris from teeth, which helps prevent cavities and unhealthy plaque build-up. Water also stimulates saliva production, which naturally cleans teeth of damaging acids, and helps keep the mouth at a healthy ph level. 

Try keeping a bottle of water handy so that you can rinse after meals, and prevent your mouth from becoming dry. This will help your teeth stay cleaner while away from your house, and keep you properly hydrated! 

3 – Drop the Late-Night Snack 

We all love late-night snacks, but eating right before bed can harm your teeth – especially if you eat starchy or sugary snacks. Food adheres to the surface of teeth, and provides fuel for bad bacteria that cause cavities. If you after you’ve brushed your teeth, then you risk sleeping with food stuck to your teeth for an extended period of time. This can lead to unhealthy plaque buildup, and even tooth decay. 

Try not to eat any food after you have brushed your teeth before bed. If you must have something, then stick to water so you can keep your teeth free of debris and sugar while you sleep.

Is Your Family Mouth-Healthy? 

As an adult, it can be easy to get a healthy smile with dedication and some time management. But, it can be more difficult for children to care for their teeth and get a healthy mouth without help, and that’s where we come in. Our office will help your child get the smile they deserve by evaluating the state of their mouth, and teaching them about proper oral health practices.  

Visit us today for a stress-free first visit, and begin your child down the path to a healthier smile today.  

New and expecting parents have a million things on their mind, all aimed at creating the healthiest environment possible for their young child. Today, we discuss how parents can baby-proof their house to prevent potential injuries to their babies and toddlers.

First: Get on Their Level to Identify Problems 

Before beginning, identify potential problems by getting on your hands and knees, and crawling around your house to observe it from your child’s perspective. Look for things that are within reach and look appealing to children. What looks tempting for babies? How could they use their surroundings to injure themselves? This exercise will help you identify areas in your home where you need to focus extra effort, like cabinets, drawers and other spaces that may house hazardous material. 

Protect Outlets 

Outlet covers help prevent children from shocking themselves by sticking a foreign object in the outlet. Unfortunately, a lot of outlet covers are small and easily swallowed by a toddler. Instead of outlet covers, we suggest replacing electrical outlet covers that have a sliding safety latch, which is far more difficult for a toddler to access. 

Secure Heavy Furniture and Fixtures 

According to the U.S. Product Safety Commission (CPSC), more than 16,000 children under the age of 5 are injured each year by television sets, bookcases, and other heavy pieces of furniture. To prevent this, we suggest securing your heavy furniture to the wall with bolts to prevent it from falling over. Also, move heavy items away from the edges of furniture pieces so that your toddler doesn’t pull something down on herself. Additionally, always put heavier things in the bottom shelves or drawers to make your furniture less top-heavy.

Prevent Poisoning 

According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, more than 1.2 million possible poisonings of children under age 5 were reported in 2009. This makes it imperative that parents store all of their hazardous chemicals out of reach of their children in a secure area. Additionally, parents should keep medications well out of reach of their young children, and dispose of any old medication. Also, watch out for carbon monoxide by installing carbon detectors, which will alert you if your home has unsafe carbon monoxide levels. 

Be prepared for a potential poisoning by having the National Poison Control Center’s number accessible: 800.222.1222.

Practice Water Safety 

Accidental drowning is the number one cause of death of children between the ages of 1 – 4, and most of these unfortunate accidents occur inside the home, not at the pool.  Most in-house accidents involve babies and bathtubs, which make it critical that parents monitor supervise their children in the bathroom, and NEVER leave them unattended near a pool of water. Buckets, bathtubs, and even toilets are dangerous to toddlers, so parents must closely supervise their children around water. 

Protect Their Teeth 

It’s important that parents establish a dental home for their child by their first birthday. This way, a pediatric dentist can help guide your family to oral health success, and offer strategies for protecting your young child’s teeth. 

We would love to be your dental home! Schedule a visit with our office today so that we can evaluate the state of your child’s teeth, and begin them down the path to a healthy smile.