Children’s Oral Health Month

Children's Oral Health Month

Children’s Oral Health Month

Your child’s general health depends on their teeth. In honor of children’s oral healthy month we are going to break it all down for you. They assist your child with eating and speaking. Strong oral hygiene practices, taught by you and your dentist in St. Petersburg, help your kid develop excellent dental habits as he or she develops. Conversely, infection, illness, and other dental issues may all be caused by poor oral hygiene. It is important to schedule routine visits with the best dentist in St. Petersburg FL regularly.

Make Your Child’s Dental Hygiene Fun

-Allow kids to assist in the selection of their toothbrushes. For example, they may choose one based on their favorite color or character.

-Allow your child to assist in the selection of toothpaste. Then, they are free to choose their preferred taste and will be more willing to use it, explains Brian Leeson.

-Read literature or watch videos about dental hygiene and children’s oral health month.

-Set a timer to ensure that your children brush their teeth for two minutes. To help them keep track of time, play their favorite music.

-Reward kids who take excellent care of their teeth. 

-Plan an activity after your child’s dental appointment with dentist in St. Pete.

A Path to Better Dental Health

Fluoride’s Function

Fluoride is essential for the oral health of your kid. It has been shown to minimize cavities in primary (baby) and permanent (adult) teeth. It also helps to strengthen teeth by hardening the enamel. Fluoride is found in most drinking water. Therefore, fluoride must be added to tap water in several cities. 

Your youngster may need to take an oral fluoride supplement if your water does not contain fluoride. Consult your doctor to see whether your kid needs this treatment. When your kid first visits the dentist, they will get a fluoride varnish or a dental cleaning.

Too much fluoride may discolor your child’s teeth and damage their health. Make sure your youngster isn’t ingesting fluoride toothpaste or mouthwash. Follow all fluoride supplement directions.

Flossing and Brushing

Your child’s dental hygiene should begin when they are a newborn. Between ages one and two starts using a soft child-size toothbrush and clean their teeth twice a day with water. You may also use a tiny amount of fluoride-free toothpaste. This toothpaste is completely safe for your youngster to eat. You may switch to fluoride-containing toothpaste once your youngster is old enough to spit it out. Again, use just a little quantity. Teach your youngster how to distribute it evenly across their teeth, gums, and tongue. Ask your doctor or dentist to teach you how to clean your child’s teeth properly.

Until your kid is 7 or 8 years old, they will most likely require assistance cleaning their teeth. They can start using a bigger toothbrush around this time. Brushes should be replaced every 3 to 6 months. Flossing is an important component of your child’s dental hygiene regimen. At least once a day, teach your youngster to floss. To make things simpler, you may purchase floss with a handle.

Ensure your child brushes their teeth before going to bed; after all, eating and drinking (excluding water) has been completed.

Cavities

Cavities are holes in your teeth that can grow over time. When bacteria (germs) grow up in your mouth, this might happen. Sugar in meals and beverages converts to acid, which erodes your teeth. Cavities are widespread in youngsters because brushing their teeth is more difficult. Everyone in your household should brush and floss their teeth regularly. Cavity-causing bacteria may be passed on to pregnant babies, infants, and children by people who have cavities.

Protection

If your kid participates in sports, they should use a mouthguard.  If you need a custom-fit mouth guard, see your dentist.

There are many different types of teeth, from baby teeth to adult teeth. Baby teeth usually arrive between the ages of 4 and 7 months. The two bottom front teeth are generally the first to come through. By the age of three, children have almost all of their teeth explains Dr. Ari, pediatric dentist Murray Utah.

Baby teeth may fall out between 6 and 12 years old. As baby teeth fall out and adult teeth come through, your kid will have a mixture of teeth. Your dentist will then discuss potential dental issues with you including braces, which are required for certain children. 

When Children Should See a Dentist

Around age one, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) advises that children see a dentist. This allows the dentist to check for early signs of tooth decay in your kid. Pediatric dentists are experts in the care of children’s teeth. In addition, the dentist will discuss good dental hygiene with you.

Taking your kid to the dentist at a young age can make them feel more at ease. It also creates the positive habit of seeing the dentist on a regular basis. Every person should see the dentist at least twice a year.

Want to learn more about children’s oral health month? Be sure to contact our office today!

Why Are My Teeth Sensitive?

Why Are My Teeth Sensitive?

Why Are My Teeth Sensitive?

Have you ever felt pain or discomfort after eating a scoop of hot soup or a piece of ice cream? If that’s the case, you’re not alone. While discomfort from hot or cold meals may indicate a cavity, it’s also typical in individuals who have sensitive teeth, states Brian Leeson, dentist in St. Petersburg. Tooth sensitivity, also known as “dentin hypersensitivity,” is a condition in which the teeth experience pain or discomfort in reaction to particular stimuli, such as hot or cold temperatures. This may leave you wondering, “Why are my teeth sensitive?”

Reasons for Tooth Sensitivity

It may be a momentary or long-term issue, and it can affect one tooth, several teeth, or all of a person’s teeth. Various factors may cause it, but most instances of sensitive teeth can be resolved with a simple modification in your dental hygiene routine as instructed by dentist in St. Pete.

Symptoms

As a result of specific triggers, people with sensitive teeth may suffer pain or discomfort. This discomfort may be felt at the roots of the impacted teeth. The following are some of the most prevalent triggers:

  • Meals and drinks that are heated
  • Drinks and meals that are cold
  • Acidic foods and beverages chilly air sweet foods and drinks
  • Alcohol-based mouth rinses after brushing or flossing teeth

Your symptoms may come and go for no apparent cause over time. They might vary in severity from minor to severe. If they become unbearable it is important to give your emergency dentist St. Pete a call.

Causes

Because their enamel is thinner, some individuals have more sensitive teeth than others. The enamel is the protective outer covering of the tooth. The enamel of a tooth may be worn away in several ways, including:

  • Toothbrushing too vigorously
  • Using a harsh toothbrush
  • Eating or drinking acidic foods

A variety of factors may cause tooth sensitivity. Acid reflux, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), may cause acid to rise from the stomach and esophagus, wearing down teeth over time. In addition, the acid may wear away the enamel in conditions like gastroparesis and bulimia, which induce recurrent vomiting.

Gum recession may expose unprotected parts of the tooth, resulting in insensitivity.

Tooth decay, fractured teeth, chipped teeth, and worn-down fillings or crowns may expose the tooth’s dentin, resulting in insensitivity. If this is the case, you will most likely just have sensitivity in one tooth or area of the mouth rather than the whole mouth.

Following dental procedures such as fillings, crowns, or teeth whitening, your teeth may be momentarily sensitive. Sensitivity will be limited to one tooth or the teeth around the tooth that got dental treatment in this situation. This should go away in a few days.

Diagnosis

Make an appointment with 4th Street Family Dentistry if you are experiencing tooth sensitivity for the first time. Using our Healthline FindCare service, you may schedule an appointment with a dentist in your region. They may examine the condition of your teeth and search for issues such as cavities, loose fillings, or receding gums that might be causing the discomfort.

This is something your dentist can accomplish during a basic dental cleaning. First, they’ll clean your teeth and examine them visually. They may use dental equipment to feel your teeth for sensitivity, and they may also order an X-ray to rule out reasons such as cavities.

Treatment

You may attempt over-the-counter dental remedies if your tooth sensitivity is minor.

Select toothpaste that is particularly formulated for sensitive teeth. This toothpaste will not have any irritating components and may contain desensitizing compounds that prevent pain from reaching the tooth’s nerve.

Alcohol-free mouthwash is preferable since it is less irritating to sensitive teeth when it comes mouthwash.

Brushing softly and with softer toothbrushes might also help. Soft toothbrushes will be marked.

These cures usually need multiple applications to be practical. But, within a week, you should see a difference.

If non-prescription toothpaste and mouthwash don’t work, speak to your dentist about prescription toothpaste and mouthwash. In-office fluoride gel or prescription-grade desensitizing medications may also be used. These may assist in safeguarding your teeth by strengthening the enamel.

Treating Medical Conditions

Our friend Dr. Ben Kacos, Shreveport dentist, states that if underlying issues are causing your tooth sensitivity, you should address them before the enamel wears away and the teeth become damaged.

Brushing more gently and maintaining proper dental hygiene might help heal receding gums. In addition, your dentist may propose a gum transplant in situations of extreme sensitivity and pain caused by significant gum recession. This technique involves removing tissue from the palate and putting it over the tooth’s root to protect it.

By being conscious of not clenching or grinding your teeth throughout the day, you may learn to cease doing so. Reduced stress and caffeine use before bedtime may also help you avoid nighttime teeth grinding. If this doesn’t work, you may wear a mouthguard at night to protect your teeth from grinding.

Will It Go Away?

Talk to your dentist about a remedy if your tooth sensitivity is making it difficult to eat. Over-the-counter toothpaste and mouthwashes for sensitive teeth are widely available.

Consult your dentist about prescription toothpaste and mouthwash if they don’t work. If you have signs of cavities or possible root damage, you should schedule an appointment with your dentist right away so that you may obtain treatment and avoid consequences. These signs and symptoms might include:

  • A toothache out of nowhere
  • Localized sensitivity
  • Sharp pain
  • Staining of teeth
  • Pain when biting or chewing

If any of these symptoms occur be sure to contact our office as soon as possible.