Drink More Water!

/

As National Children’s Dental Health month continues throughout February, we want to tell you more about the most important beverage for your body: WATER!

Check out these fun graphics from the AAPD to learn more about choosing water over juices and sports drinks for your child. There’s lots of information here, so let us know if you have any questions at your next dental visit!

Key take-aways:

  1. Water is best!

  2. If your child has a sweetened drink as a treat, it’s best at a mealtime, not for snacks.

  3. Over-consumption of unhealthy drinks can lead to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.

  4. A preference for drinking water is learned, just like a preference for sweets!

  5. Let your child choose a fun cup and/or straw at the store to encourage drinking water out of!

h2know-infoedit2-01-768x535.jpg
h2know-infoedit-03-768x535.jpg
h2know-infoedit2-02-768x535.jpg

February is Children's Dental Health Month!

/

The American Dental Association held the first national observance of Children’s Dental Health Day on February 8, 1949. The single day observance became a weeklong event in 1955. And in 1981, the program was extended to a month-long celebration known today as National Children’s Dental Health Month.

“Attitudes and habits established at an early age are critical in maintaining good oral health throughout life. By participating in the annual celebration of National Children’s Dental Health Month, members of the dental team, parents, teachers and others can help keep children’s smiles beautiful now and for years to come.”

This year’s campaign slogan, is “Water, Nature’s Drink!”

 

Check out these important facts:

  1. Tooth decay is the most common childhood disease.

  2. 3 out of 5 children are affected by tooth decay.

  3. It is 5 times more common than asthma.

  4. 51 million school hours are missed due to oral disease.

  5. It is recommended to see the pediatric dentist by your child’s first birthday!

  6. Brush your child’s teeth twice a day for 2 minutes. Then floss to clean in between the teeth. Parents should help with brushing until they can clearly write their own name.

  7. Fluoride helps to make enamel stronger and protects teeth against cavities by fighting acid & erosion.

  8. Avoid sticky snacks like gummies and crackers because those will linger on the teeth longer. Instead, try yogurt, cheese, fruits and veggies!

  9. Water is the best drink for your teeth AND your body!

December Employee of the Month!

/

Happy New Year!! We are so excited to announce our Employee of the Month from December!

Congratulations to our office manager, Anitra!

“Anitra is always willing to lend a hand and always tries to make our day flow easier.”

“Anitra is on time, productive, positive, does a lot up front and ask if we are ok in the back and helps where needed.”

“Anitra is fun to work with and a great leader!”

anitra.jpg

Merry Christmas!

/

We sure hope that everyone is enjoying holidays with their families during this magical time of year. It is hard to believe that we made it all the way to December in this crazy 2020!

As always, we are so thankful to have you in our dental family. Thank you for a memorable year and trusting us for all your kids' dental needs. We all truly blessed to continue watching your littles grow.

Happy Holidays and New Year to all of you wonderful SFK families!

christmas 4 (1).jpg

Smiles for Kids is Spreading Holiday Cheer!

/

This Holiday Season we were blessed to give back and picked a very deserving organization: Boys and Girls Country! Our team truly believes in the spirit of giving and helping others. We were excited to donate much needed gifts and essentials to this wonderful organization and make someone else's Christmas magical!

Merry Christmas from Smiles for Kids Pediatric Dentistry!

https://boysandgirlscountry.org/

Ouch! What to do for a dental emergency?

/
100084499_10158453870684516_8030634287038464000_n.jpg

Dental trauma is most common in pre-school children that are learning to walk, run, jump and climb, and in school-age children playing sports, but can happen anytime. Our team wants to help your family feel prepared to handle these emergencies.

The most common types of trauma in baby teeth are bumping them in one way or another. Exams and treatment at this age can be difficult due to fear and lack of cooperation. Treatment of these injuries must consider having the least amount of risk to damage permanent teeth developing underneath those little baby teeth. Most heal spontaneously and no treatment at the time of injury may be necessary. In more severe types of these injuries, an extraction of the tooth may be necessary. If a baby tooth is knocked out of the mouth, it is best NOT to re-implant the tooth due to poor healing capability and possible injury to the developing permanent tooth underneath it. Often children have a thick and low positioned frenulum (piece of fleshy tissue) that holds the lip to the gums between the two front teeth and is very vascular. That area bleeds heavily when cut. Gums and lips around those front teeth are also easily bruised and bleed freely. Whenever those front teeth and surrounding soft tissues are injured it is best to call the dentist. Many times we can simply discuss the details on the phone and look at texted photos, which will help us make a decision on whether this is an emergency needing immediate attention (rarely) or something that can be looked at during regular business hours within a day or two. Most of the time, waiting for a little while is perfectly fine, as long as bleeding and pain are controlled. However, you do want to see your dentist soon as an x-ray must be taken to rule out fractures of the bone or roots and to have a baseline image in case of future injury in the area.

Another baby teeth dental emergency is pain connected to an abscessed (infected) tooth. This is usually preceded by large decay or previous treatment such as a large filling or a crown. An abscess usually presents as swelling, pimple on the gum, redness, and pain. This pain cannot be easily controlled and requires treatment with antibiotics and eventual extraction of the baby tooth. It is very important to call your dentist as this infection can spread and have serious consequences. Your dentist will either see your child within a short period of time or call in antibiotics and see you within few days for extraction once the infection is controlled.

The most common type of trauma in the permanent teeth is a crown fracture. This can vary from slightly chipped teeth to fractures of majority of the crown even exposing the nerve of the tooth. We recommend keeping the tooth fragment that broke off as we may be able to bond it back to the tooth. Otherwise, a tooth-colored composite restoration can be done. X-rays of the lip or cheek may also be taken to search for lost tooth fragments. If the nerve is exposed, a pulpotomy may need to be done. Pulpotomy is a procedure where the infected pulp tissue is cleaned, medicine is placed and then the fracture is repaired. Lastly, some fractures could be so severe that the tooth may need to be splinted to nearby teeth for stability and while the bone and supporting ligaments heal. Dentists are much more likely to come in after hours to treat an adult tooth emergency. Infections of permanent teeth need to be seen by a general dentist or a root canal specialist (endodontist) and will be eventually treated with a root canal. Initially we might call in an antibiotic to control the infection. Call your dentist immediately and email or text them photos of the fracture from various angles to determine urgency of the appointment.

If a permanent tooth is knocked out, it’s important to put the tooth back into its socket as quickly as possible. Time is of the essence in these emergencies. The long-term survival of the tooth after 15 minutes outside of the mouth declines quickly. Second best option is to store it in the child’s saliva or in cold milk. Do NOT store the tooth in water or let it stay dry. Call our office immediately so we can splint the teeth together to stabilize the tooth in the socket. In some cases, especially if the tooth is not in a safe storage solution for more than 60 minutes, the long-term survival is poor and a root canal may have to be done. For the best chance of long-term survival, call our office as soon as possible when any dental trauma occurs.

We are always on call for our patients. You can reach us at 713-461-1509.

November Employee of the Month!

/

We hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving with loved ones. We can’t believe December is already here!! The first day of the month means that we voted for our Employee of the Month from November!

Congratulations to Beverly!

She is the newest addition to our Smiles for Kids team!! Our team said about her:

“Beverly has been a great addition to our team, fits right in, always helps and has a great positive attitude!”

“Beverly is always willing to help, super reliable, she is great.”

“Beverly is always happy to lend a hand!”

“She is a hard worker and helps out a lot in the back :)”