We’re so thankful for our patients and families here at Smiles for Kids Pediatric Dentistry!! We love coming to work every day because YOU make it fun!! We hope you have a wonderful holiday with your family, friends and loved ones.
Resin infiltration (or “Icon”) is awesome new technology used in dentistry to treat early enamel cavities or white spots on teeth. “It’s the solution to treating cavities while preserving healthy tooth structure!” White spots can occur from enamel defects during development or from plaque collection around orthodontic brackets. These spots are more prone to collecting plaque and progression into cavities due to their porous nature. Thanks to Icon these spots can be treated early and we can mask the discoloration to match the enamel color of the rest of the tooth. And want to know the best part about it? There’s no needles, drilling or filling! It’s noninvasive and virtually painless.
The treatment is simple but very technique-sensitive in order to accomplish the best result!
1) You “etch” the tooth with a 15% hydrochloric acid gel which removes a thin layer of the weak enamel.
2) Next you “dry “the surface with a high concentrated alcohol.
3) Finally, a liquid resin is applied to the spot and the tooth essentially “soaks” it in, and it is set with a curing light.
*Steps 1 and 2 may be repeated many times until the desired esthetic outcome is achieved.
The treated enamel is now stronger and more resistant to an acid attack, and has an excellent esthetic result all thanks to the Icon resin infiltration!
Does your child have white spots that could potentially benefit from this awesome new dental technology? Do you want to know more about Icon resin infiltration? Give us a call at 713-461-1509 and we would be happy to set up a consult with our doctors!
Congrats to our sweet patient for winning our October’s Contest!!
Check out our new stuffed animal to name for November!! Good luck!
“Beverly is always happy and helpful!”
“She has a positive can-do attitude!”
“She does a great job assisting the doctor in treatment, and has been working hard on our school delivery bags!”
We’re so lucky to have you on our Smiles for Kids team!
We have a new “Name This Stuffed Animal” contest for November!!
This cute baby polar bear needs a name! Can you help us? We will choose our favorite name at the end of the month. If your name is chosen then you get to keep it!!
Good luck!
We hope you have a spooktacular time dressing up, carving pumpkins and trick-or-treating! The best way to prevent cavities is to avoid the sticky candies, choose things that melt like chocolate instead, and don't forget to brush and floss!
We are having our Annual Halloween Candy Buy Back program at Smiles for Kids Pediatric Dentistry starting November 1st! Have your kids bring their left over Halloween candy to our office and trade it in for $1.00 per pound (up to $5.00).
We will donate the candy along with toothbrushes to our troops overseas through Operation Gratitude!
We are so excited to announce that we have been nominated for Swoon Magazine's "Best Dentist" for 2021!! Voting began on September 15th and will end on December 5th.
Visit the link below and be sure to vote for us! 🗳😄
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SWOONBESTOF2021 or click to VOTE HERE!
This month is about promoting healthy mouths and healthy smiles! No one likes a dirty mouth, especially your own. And I bet you’ve noticed your breath more with all this mask wearing! A healthy mouth starts with a good oral hygiene routine in your own home. Here are some tips for starting a healthy routine for your family:
1) Brush twice a day for TWO minutes - Brushing removes the icky biofilm of bacteria on your teeth and tongue. This keeps the mouth clean and also helps with fresh breath because plaque and tartar carry a stinky smell! Using fluoride toothpaste with brushing helps to strengthen the enamel and fight cavities! So brush for two minutes twice a day in a gentle, circular motion at a 45-degree angle to brush the yucky away! AND, don’t forget the tongue!
2) Floss everyday - Did you know that if you don’t floss, then you’re missing cleaning 40% of the surfaces of your teeth? The teeth are usually tight and touching together, and may even be crowded so food gets trapped in this places in between the teeth. Our toothbrush bristles are too thick to reach in those tight contacts. That’s why flossing is so important! Use the floss up and down in between each tooth to clean. If you don’t, food and sugars may linger there causing cavities in between the teeth where you can’t see with yours eyes!
3) Rinse with mouthwash - Mouthwash prevents buildup of plaque, kills and reduces bacteria in the mouth, strengthens tooth enamel, promotes healthy gums, and helps freshen breath! Choose an antimicrobial, anti-cavity fluoride mouth rinse. If you don’t like the “sting” or “burn” of some mouth rinses, then it’s okay to choose an alcohol-free rinse!
We love our dental hygienists, Jamie and Stefanie! They do an amazing job taking care of all of our patients. This month we also celebrate them for keeping our mouths happy and healthy!
Make sure to schedule your next dental appointment and come visit us soon. It is recommended to see your dentist and dental hygienist every 6 months for a professional dental cleaning. We can provide tips on how to improve your oral hygiene routine at home, areas to focus on, tools to take home such as flossers that work around braces or new soft-bristled toothbrushes appropriate for your age and mouth size, etc.
Give us a call at 713-461-1509 to schedule your next appointment!
We have a new “Name This Stuffed Animal” contest for October!!
This cute baby elephant needs a name! Can you help us? We will choose our favorite name at the end of the month. If your name is chosen then you get to keep it!!
Good luck!
Our team decorated some pretty awesome pumpkins!! Now YOU get to vote for your favorite! Whichever pumpkin has the most votes, we will draw a name from that basket. Whoever the LUCKY winner is will get to take home the pumpkin they voted for and win a gift card!
Our contest ends on Monday, November 22nd! Good luck!
Happy Fall everyone! The votes are in and we have our new Employee of the Month! He is one of our awesome dental assistants…
Our team said, “He is a team player, and always helps when needed!”
Join us for a bounce house, games, prizes and family fun as we THANK YOU FOR ANOTHER GREAT YEAR!
Please RSVP to 713-461-1509 or drkasia@smiles-for-kids.com.
We hear this question quite often! We hear it from parents when discussing oral hygiene habits, diet and cavity-preventing recommendations, and when discussing cavities or infection. So why do we care so much about baby teeth at Smiles For Kids? Keep reading!
We’re aware that baby teeth will eventually be replaced by permanent teeth. We work very hard on guarding them for the necessary period of time and you will often hear our doctors discuss how to prevent dental decay and control it as opposed to just doing dental treatment. Yet, you have to remember few facts about the baby teeth and why treatment may be necessary:
*Most baby teeth complete coming in around 2-3 years old, and most of the baby teeth are not lost until the child is between 10-12 years old. That’s 10 years those teeth are needed to talk, smile, chew, and serve as a placeholder for the permanent adult teeth!
*If a tooth is lost too early before it’s time for the adult tooth to come in, then the adjacent teeth may tilt or drift into the space causing space-loss and crowding, not leaving enough room for the adult tooth to come in. This loss of space compromises proper jaw growth and development, bone formation, and can cause major orthodontic problems which often require complicated or unnecessary orthodontics. When teeth are crooked and crowded, they are also harder to clean and may lead to cavities or gum disease down the road.
*Baby teeth help with chewing and proper nutrition. It is hard for kids to consume and break down food appropriately with large spaces in the back of the mouth, and not enough teeth to chew with.
*The front baby teeth not only serve a very esthetic function, but are also important in development of speech. With missing front teeth or large spaces in the child’s bite caused by pacifier and finger sucking habits, then speech issues can occur. There are lots of tips and tools we can use to help children stop these habits so they don’t push on the teeth causing growth and proper arch development issues. Luckily the front baby teeth are the first to be replaced at about 7 years old, so we may delay treatment on these teeth or only treat or extract them in severe cases of decay or infection. Every child is unique, so the doctor will discuss all of your options with you.
*Baby teeth with large cavities will get infections! Dental infections are painful and dangerous. Any infection in the head and neck area is an emergency situation, because children can end up in the hospital on IV antibiotics to control dental infections and facial or neck swelling. The head and neck have a lot of very important structures like the brain, nerves, blood vessels and the airway that we don’t want to harm! Treatment for a dental infection is also difficult because pain can be hard to manage in an infected area. Pain often keeps kids and parents up all night and makes for a very unpleasant reminder of why we should take care of those baby teeth!
*Baby teeth have different structure than permanent teeth and their thin enamel can easily be attacked and penetrated by bacteria therefore they need more diligent preventative dental care. "Fixing" baby teeth is not a small affair! Although the restorations are fairly simple to do comparing to permanent teeth, the teeth are smaller, more prone to recurrence of decay, and kids are young and often not cooperative for restorative appointments.
So in conclusion, we would like to remind you to take great care of ALL those pearly whites. Please remember that as much as dental decay is multifactorial, we can control oral hygiene and diet such as NOT going to bed with milk, AVOIDING sweet drinks (i.e. juices, sodas and sports drinks like Gatorade), and AVOIDING sticky snacks or gummies (i.e. candy, caramel, taffy, bubble gum, gummies, dried fruit, fruit roll-ups, gold fish, crackers, and cookies). Let’s give those baby teeth a chance to live out all 12 years of their life in good health and prosperity!
Dr. Theriot will soon be leaving for her maternity leave and we’re fortunate enough to have our previous associate, Dr. Jadav, fill in two days a week!
Let’s all give her a warm welcome back!
Congrats to our sweet patient for winning our August’s Contest!!
Check out our new stuffed animal to name for September!! Good luck!
We have a new “Name This Stuffed Animal” contest for September!!
This cute little bear needs a name! Can you help us? We will choose our favorite name at the end of the month. If your name is chosen then you get to keep it!!
Good luck!
Our team said about her:
“She is great help!”
“Brittany is great with the patients and parents!”
“Brittany is a team player and willing to jump in when needed!”
Congratulations Brittany! The SFK team loves you!
We loved seeing all the beautiful artwork our patients have created this summer!! Next time you’re in the office, you just might see YOUR artwork on display!!
The winner of our summer contest was…
Welcome to Smiles For Kids Pediatric Dentistry, a place where dental health is an adventure!
Our goal is to make every child's dental experience fun, rewarding, and positive. Our team wants to make sure that each and every child leaves our office feeling like they have learned more about their teeth and oral hygiene while spending a wonderful time with us.
