As mentioned in the article, if you have not been regularly flossing, you may (should!) notice your gums bleeding during flossing. Unless you are pulling so hard you are hurting yourself, the bleeding is an indication of active gum disease (gingivitis or periodontitis).
The use of retainers after straightening your teeth (or to prevent teeth from getting more crooked, even if you don’t want to straighten them!) is very important to minimize “relapse” (the natural tendency of teeth to want to go back to the position they started from).
An excellent, concise article! The key takeaway is: seeing your dentist (and hygienist) as frequently as they recommend is vital not only fit your oral health, but also for your overall health.
An excellent overview of how to best take care of your child’s teeth!
A key point to note: oral hygiene routines for children should include both tooth brushing and flossing. Toothbrushing should not only be monitored but a caregiver should be “re-brushing” or “pre-brushing” the child’s teeth with each toothbrushing session (twice a day!).
Gingivitis is a very common disease but fortunately, it is reversible and “curable” - with proper care at home and by seeing your dentist as often as recommended! It is important for us to do our best to control gingivitis because we want to so what we can to prevent the progression to the more severe, irreversible, “incurable” form of gum disease called periodontitis (the loss of tooth-supporting bone).
Something I always like to stress to parents is - toothbrushing is not optional! It can be stressful and challenging while you and your little one are getting used to the routine. But it is important to view it as vital a part of your child’s hygiene routines as diaper changing and bathing. They may not like it, but it has to happen, and eventually they will at least tolerate it, if not enjoy it!
Any tooth or mouth concern should be looked at by a dentist as soon as possible- please seek out help immediately.
In particular:
- swelling: inside your mouth (along or below the gums, the roof of your mouth, under your tongue) or outside of your face can be signs of varying degrees of infection and need to be addressed urgently
This article is a great summary for all parents of infants and young children! A few key points are:
(1) Your child's first visit to the dentist should occur by 12 months or within 6 months of eruption of the first tooth- whichever comes first. We do not expect to see any issues, or even to necessarily be able to do a thorough (or minimal) examination or "cleaning", but we like to see children this young to help guide parents on how to take care of their child's teeth and get the baby used to the dental experience to make future visits as stress-free (and hopefully fun) as possible!
Enameloplasty is meant to be a very conservative procedure and because the goal is to not remove so much enamel that the underlying dentin (the part of the tooth that has nerve endings) is exposed, there are not many indications for it.
Concious sedation (whether minimal, moderate or deep) can be used for *any* dental treatment that you find causes you anxiety to think about- anything from regular dental cleanings up to extraction surgery and everything in between. There are potential risks involved in any kind of treatment, but if you are someone that dreads dental visits, enough to be preventing you from attending regular appointments or that cause you to lose sleep the night before, some level of sedation is a fantastic option to consider!
Dental implants are one of the most exciting and life-changing innovations to happen in dentistry in recent history. They are the closest tool we have to replacing missing teeth with something as close to natural as possible.
I’m Dr. Kristina Pahuta, the proud owner of White Tooth Dental. I look forward to sharing my story. I hope that you will enjoy getting to know me better.
Xylitol is not only a natural sweetener but also an anti-cavity agent. For anyone suffering from dry mouth or is prone to cavities chewing a sugarless gum with Xylitol can be a benefit to helping stimulate saliva and reduce cavity risk. It is also important it’s not a citrus flavour- the acid can be detrimental.
Removing plaque with tooth brushing and flossing is not only important for helping control gum disease, but also for helping to control cavity risk (particularly for those of us at high risk for cavities) as the bacteria in plaque biofilm is responsible for creating cavities.