Category: Blog

When your baby goes from gummy grins to toothy smiles, they’ve reached a significant babyhood milestone. Those newly erupting baby teeth serve an essential role in the development of your baby’s teeth and mouth.

Why are baby teeth important?

Baby teeth, also called primary teeth, get your baby’s mouth ready for their permanent teeth. Although baby teeth are great for sweet smiles and cuteness, they have other functions.

1. They help with proper chewing and eating. During the chewing process, food is broken down into small pieces that are easily digested.
2. They are necessary for your child to learn to speak. When primary teeth are healthy, well-spaced and aligned, your child is better able to form words and speak clearly.
3. They serve as placeholders for permanent teeth and help guide them onto place as they start coming in.

We all hope for good health and a lifetime of smiles for our children. Here are some important facts and tips to keep those baby teeth healthy and prevent harmful dental problems for years to come.

Best child dentist in Jabalpur – Dr.Shilpi Dadarya -Dentist for kids

Baby Tooth Eruption Timeline

Teething, also known as primary tooth eruption, is when your baby’s first set of teeth breaks through their gums. Teething usually begins around six months of age. However, it’s entirely normal for teething to start at any time between three to 12 months of age.

Tooth eruption timeline

Baby teeth start forming before babies are born. Tooth buds begin growing during the second trimester. Once babies are born, the roots grow, and the teeth are pushed up until they break through the gums.

By the time they are three years old, most babies will have all their baby teeth, 20 in all.

Best child dentist in Jabalpur – Dr.Shilpi Dadarya -Dentist for kids

Signs of Teething

Every baby experiences teething differently. Some babies have no symptoms, while others seem to go through a lot of pain. Some common teething symptoms your baby might experience include:

• Drooling
• Irritability
• Swelling or redness of gums
• Ear rubbing
• Facial rash
• Mild temperature
• Sucking or biting

 

If your little one is having a difficult time during teething, there are some things you can try to help ease their discomfort and pain. Give them something to chew on, like a firm rubber teething ring or a cold washcloth that you’ve chilled in the refrigerator (not the freezer). Chewing helps by relieving the pressure of the new teeth pressing up. You can gently rub your baby’s gums with a clean finger or a wet gauze pad. If your child is eating solids, offer chilled foods, like applesauce, pureed peaches or yogurt. Make sure to give lots of extra snuggles and kisses to help reassure and distract them.

If your baby exhibits these symptoms and they don’t go away or seem to worsen, please contact your pediatrician. There might be something else going on.

Fearing dental visits is a common problem affecting approximately 30 percent of the global population. Dentists treating patients have discovered appropriate techniques to make patients feel entirely relaxed and comfortable during their appointment for essential care or intensive therapies.

Dentists accept people don’t like the noises and sounds in the dental practice or the smells. It is a challenge they happily accept and dedicate themselves to changing their patient’s perceptions of what it indicates to visit a dentist. This article explains how to get over your fear of the dentist and avoid compromising your mouth’s health besides your overall health. Kindly continue reading to learn more on to make dental visits comfortable.

Best child dentist in Jabalpur – Dr.Shilpi Dadarya -Dentist for kids

Why do People Fear Going to the Dentist?

What is the first thing you do when something scares you? You try to avoid it in every way possible. For example, people with dental phobia avoid visiting dentists because of anxiety, little realizing they are simultaneously compromising their dental health and overall health.

Visiting dentists to receive preventive care to address dental issues is crucial to prevent untoward problems like chipping, breaking, or cracked teeth, gum disease, gum recession, tooth decay and cavities, oral pain, and even tooth loss.

Dental issues can also make you a victim of other problems like TMJ disorders, sleep apnea, and the most dangerous among them, oral cancer, which remains untreated unless the dentist detects it.

Therefore, keeping up with dental visits benefits your health, and you must make every effort to keep this reality on top of mind if you intend to overcome your dental fears.

How Can You Overcome These Fears?

Before overcoming dental anxiety, you must acknowledge why it affects you and understand how you became fearful of dentists. After some introspection, you might discover it could be a combination of factors that might be responsible for your dental phobia. Given below are some examples of how to overcome your dental fears.

Best child dentist in Jabalpur – Dr.Shilpi Dadarya -Dentist for kids

Find A Suitable Dentist

If you manage to find a suitable dentist, you will feel more comfortable receiving the care you require. Look for a dentist with a friendly and caring staff, excellent reviews from current patients, straightforward answers to your questions, and a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere at the practice besides offering personalized and high-tech dental care with treatments.

Fear of the Unknown

Children dislike dental visits because they don’t know what to expect. Fortunately, Houston pediatric dentistry has excellent techniques to help children manage the fear of the unknown, providing nitrous oxide, an inhalable gas to relax them. Nitrous oxide increases the pain threshold among children while making them euphoric to receive the treatments needed without creating a ruckus.

Use Techniques for Relaxation and Medicines

Before your appointment, it helps if you take some time to relax and get into the right mindset. You might find it helpful to do stretches, mediation, or deep breathing, proven techniques. Unfortunately, if you suffer from severe anxiety, you can request your dentist for anxiety management near you to get into a better frame of mind.

Dentists often recommend oral conscious sedation to patients with severe dental anxiety. They prescribe pills like tranquilizers, antianxiety medications, depressants, and nitrous oxide to help you relax during your treatment to ease your fears.

Best child dentist in Jabalpur – Dr.Shilpi Dadarya -Dentist for kids

Discuss Your Fears with Your Dentist

Dentists are not supernatural professionals that dig deep into your mind to understand your fears. However, if you discuss your anxiety with them, the professionals provide anxiety management in Houston to ensure you receive personalized care and the special attention you need to help you relax and have an enjoyable experience.

Ask Plenty of Questions

Do not hold yourself from asking questions or raising concerns during your appointment because the dental team is there to assist you. Do not hesitate to ask if you want information about a specific therapy or dental instrument. If you are feeling anxious and need some time before starting treatment, keep the dentist informed, and rest assured the dental team will happily accommodate your request. They will also try to explain what some sensations feel like and ensure you are comfortable during your appointment.

The tips mentioned above help you manage dental anxiety and overcome your fear of the dentist. Overcoming your fears, in turn, make it easier for you to receive essential and intensive dental care with help from your dentist and their team to make it easier for you to maintain your dental and overall health optimal.

Greenway Pediatric Dentistry makes every effort possible to calm their patients to treat them in a caring and compassionate manner. If your kid needs dental treatments but is fearful of the dentist, kindly do not hesitate to contact this practice to ensure they receive dental therapy without encountering anxiety.

For parents: Children younger than 6 years have a poor swallowing reflex and tend to swallow much of the toothpaste on their brush. Toothpaste that is swallowed (but not toothpaste that is spit out) contributes to a child’s total fluoride intake.

As soon as the first tooth appears, begin cleaning by brushing without toothpaste with a small, soft-bristled toothbrush and plain water after each feeding. Begin using toothpaste with fluoride when the child is 2 years old. Use toothpaste with fluoride earlier if your child’s doctor or dentist recommends it.

• Do not brush your child’s teeth more than 2 times a day with a fluoride toothpaste,
• Apply no more than a pea-sized amount of toothpaste to the toothbrush, and
• Supervise your child’s tooth brushing, encouraging the child to spit out toothpaste rather than swallow it.
• If your child’s pediatrician or dentist prescribes a fluoride supplement (or vitamin supplement that contains fluoride), ask him or her about any risk factors your child has for decay and the potential for dental fluorosis. If you live in an area with fluoridated water, fluoride supplements are not recommended.
• You can use fluoridated water for preparing infant formula. However, if your baby is exclusively consuming infant formula reconstituted with fluoridated water, there is an increased potential for mild dental fluorosis.

Best child dentist in Jabalpur – Dr.Shilpi Dadarya -Dentist for kids

Beautiful smiles begin with healthy mouths and gums, so the importance of oral hygiene can’t be understated. A healthy mouth leads to whiter teeth, stronger gums, and fresher-smelling breath. 

Whether you realize it or not, your dentist’s and hygienist’s advice for healthy gums and teeth can help you get the gorgeous smile you’ve been after. And, as a bonus, following these tips from dental professionals can make your next checkup go even more smoothly.  

Best child dentist in Jabalpur – Dr.Shilpi Dadarya -Dentist for kids

The Top 10 Pieces of Advice from your Dental Team

Read on for tips for healthy teeth and gums, as well as a beautiful smile —straight from the people who see more smiles than anyone else.  

1. Brush Regularly and Properly

You’ve probably been told since you were a child: brush your teeth twice a day. This advice still holds true, and it’s one of the simplest and most important aspects of your oral hygiene.  

Use a cavity-fighting toothpaste, preferably one with fluoride to help strengthen your teeth. Brush your teeth — and your whole mouth! — once in the morning and once at night.

But it’s not enough to just go through the motions; you must brush your teeth properly. When brushing your teeth, use gentle, circular motions on the surface of the teeth. Make sure to brush not only the fronts of the teeth, but all of the edges and the backs of the teeth as well.  

And, don’t stop at your teeth. It’s also important to keep your tongue and inner cheeks clean — especially to fight off bad breath — so brush these as well. 

2. Floss Daily

Daily flossing might be the most common advice that dentists give — and the most common advice that patients ignore. Flossing once or twice daily takes only a few minutes, but many people dread the chore anyway.  

Flossing is important to remove food particles that have been stuck between your teeth, where even the best toothbrush can’t reach

Regular flossing will prevent the buildup of plaque. When left to build up, plaque can cause unsightly yellow areas on the teeth, and can contribute to more severe problems such as gingivitis.  

Prevent all of this and promote your oral hygiene simply by flossing once or twice a day. It only takes a few minutes, and it’ll help keep your teeth clean and your gums strong. 

3. Rinse with a Fluoride Mouthwash

Mouthwash is another simple addition to your daily routine. But not all mouthwashes are created equal. 

Opt for a mouthwash that contains fluoride, to clean and strengthen your teeth at the same time. Rinse with the mouthwash, according to the instructions on the bottle, once or twice daily. Bonus: regular mouthwash use can help keep your breath smelling fresh all the time. 

Best child dentist in Jabalpur – Dr.Shilpi Dadarya -Dentist for kids

4. Increase your Calcium Intake

The calcium in your body helps to build your bones — and your teeth — into stronger versions of themselves. If you are calcium deficient, this can have an effect on your teeth, making them weaker and more sensitive.  

To combat this fate, increase your daily calcium intake. If you are really struggling to increase your intake, you can take a calcium supplement.

However, it’s always preferable to increase your intake naturally, by adding milk and other dairy products into your diet. If you are lactose-intolerant or vegan, you can still find calcium in many dairy substitute products.  

5. Cut Out Tobacco

The effect of tobacco on the lungs is well-known, but people less often think of the effects on the teeth. Regular or even occasional tobacco use can permanently stain teeth, and can even eat away at the teeth.  

Even if you don’t see this effect yet, regular tobacco use almost always evidences in the teeth at some point. To avoid this, cut tobacco out. Even if it takes you quite a while to fully cut tobacco out, it’ll be worth it in the long run — and your teeth will thank you. 

6. Limit Coffee Intake

Excessive coffee intake can also stain the teeth, and the acid in the coffee can begin to eat at your teeth, as well.  

It’s ideal to cut out coffee altogether, but this isn’t always immediately possible. Focus at least on cutting your coffee intake down to about one cup per day, so that your teeth aren’t stained or otherwise damaged by your intake. 

7. Limit or Cut Out Carbonated Beverages

The carbonation found in sodas, beers, and sparkling waters can erode the surface of your teeth, especially with excessive intake. The carbonation is caused by carbon dioxide, which turns acidic in your mouth and can slowly eat away at your teeth.

Once the surface of your teeth begins to erode, there’s nothing you can do to reverse the process. You can, however, stop more erosion from taking place. Keep your teeth white and healthy by cutting out or severely limiting your intake of all carbonated beverages.  

8. Have a Well-balanced Diet

A healthy mouth starts with a healthy body, and even the most meticulous oral hygiene routine can’t make up for a strong body. If your body is equipped with all of the nutrients that it needs, then it can spend its energy on taking care of your teeth and gums.  

To promote overall healthy, eat a well-balanced diet including lots of fruits and veggies, as well as protein- and calcium-rich foods.

When aiming for a healthy diet, many people make the mistake of incorporating a lot of fruit juice, which can actually do more damage than good. Concentrated fruit juices often have high levels of acids, which can eat away at the teeth. They may also have added sugars, which aren’t good for the body or the mouth. Opt instead for whole fruits and veggies.  

Best child dentist in Jabalpur – Dr.Shilpi Dadarya -Dentist for kids

9. Be Physically Active

Along with a healthy diet, maintain a balanced exercise routine. When you are exercising regularly, your entire body is put in better balance, which can only mean good things for your oral health.  

A healthy body can take care of itself, so make sure that your body is strong and toned by getting 30 to 60 minutes of exercise everyday.  

10. Visit your Dentist Regularly

One of the most important aspects of oral hygiene is regular check-ups with your dentist and hygienist. These check-ups and cleanings can help you maintain your oral health by removing built-up plaque and by catching any problems before they become more severe.

Most oral health issues can be resolved relatively easy if they’re caught early, so it’s crucial that you visit your dentist at least once every six months. And, if you notice any pain or sensitivity in your mouth, then book an appointment with your dentist immediately.