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Kids Dental Care: Teaching Good Dental Habits

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National Children’s Dental Health Month wraps up today, which is the perfect time to explore the importance of kids dental care. As adults, we know the importance of visiting a dentist every six months for an exam and cleaning, but for children it is important to remember that developing teeth need very specific attention. The American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics note that every child should visit the dentist no later than 12 months of age, or as soon as their first tooth appears. This first visit is especially helpful for parents and guardians because it can serve as a tool to educate parents on how to care for their child’s teeth and what to expect as the child grows. Dr. LaJuan Mountain states, “It is best to start a relationship with the dentist before a dental problem develops. This allows for a focus on development of positive dental habits and prevention of dental caries.”

As of 1998, about 1 in 5 preschool children in the United States experienced dental disease in the form of early childhood caries, or cavities. Studies have shown that children who have early cavities in life are much more likely to continue to have dental problems into adulthood. What can we do? It is important to remember that parents and guardians are both role models and the drivers of healthcare for their children. So as a parent or guardian remember to model good behavior by brushing and flossing your own teeth regularly, visiting the dentist yourself, and monitoring your children’s daily dental hygiene as well. You may even want to consider taking your child with you when you have a dental visit to show them it is not a frightening experience.

Below are some great tips to follow for kids dental care from the American Dental Association:

  • Start brushing with fluoride toothpaste as soon as teeth first appear.
  • If your child is 3 or younger, you only need a smear of toothpaste, about the size of a grain of rice. For children 3 or older, a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste will do.
  • As soon as your child has two teeth that touch, it is time to start flossing!
  • Don’t put your child to bed with a bottle. Baby bottle tooth decay most often occurs in the upper front teeth (but other teeth may also be affected). This can happen when the baby is put to bed with a bottle, or when a bottle is used as a pacifier for a fussy baby.
  • Water is the best beverage to offer, especially if it has fluoride! Drinking water with fluoride has been shown to reduce cavities by 25%.
  • Talk to your dentist about sealants! Sealants form an extra barrier between cavity-causing bacteria and your child’s teeth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and ADA’s Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry, sealants have been shown to reduce the risk of decay by nearly 80% in molars.

We should all follow Dr. Mountain’s advice, “Regular dental visits, brushing and flossing should be a part of every child’s daily hygiene habits.  As parents, we ensure that our kids are clean daily; this attention must be applied to our kids’ dental care as well.” The sooner we commit to kids dental care, the happier and healthier they will be in the long run.

The Nuts and Bolts of Interprofessional Care

Last month, we traveled to Meadville, Pennsylvania, to give a presentation to a group of rural health centers titled The Nuts and Bolts of InterProfessional Care.

The goal of this presentation was to present the importance of medical and dental collaboration and the inclusion of oral health during medical visits.

This presentation was part of our role as dental faculty for a Penn State/DentaQuest collaborative titled More Care. The goal of the collaborative is to strengthen the connection between dental providers and medical providers to allow for more integrated care to be delivered to mutually shared patients.

How does tooth decay happen?

Tooth decay is 100% preventable.
You can prevent this health problem by visiting with your dentist several times a year for an exam and cleaning.  At home, you should be brushing twice a day, flossing once a day and using a fluoridated mouth wash.
According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, tooth decay is one of the most chronic health conditions affecting people younger than 18.
At your next dental visit ask your dentist how healthy are your teeth?

Bacteria: The bad, the gross and the preventable

Last time we talked about bad bacteria in our mouths. Let’s talk about that a little more.

We all have bacteria in our mouths some are good and some are bad. We begin to have dental problems when we allow the bad bacteria to get out of control.

Bad bacteria are the cause of all the dental conditions you never want to hear coming out of your dentist’s mouth. Plaque, calculus, gingivitis, gum disease (periodontitis), cavities, pulpitis (irritation of the area where the blood vessels and nerves of the tooth are located), infection, or abscess. These conditions are treatable, but they are also PREVENTABLE.

I know all of these conditions make you think Ugggggghhhhh, because they sound gross or painful, and that is because they are gross and can be very painful. But just think, you can stop this from ever happening  by brushing twice daily, flossing once a day and using the right mouthwash.

Get more tips for great oral care from our friends at Colgate.

Why come to the dentist office? We’ll tell you.

We have been introducing you to our dentists and now we would like to introduce and welcome you to our offices — which are open to anyone seeking dental health.

What does oral health mean? It means limiting or controlling the bad bacteria we all have in our mouths. You — the patient — play the most important role in limiting this bacteria, but we are here to support you in this fight.

There are things we can do in our office that you cannot do at home like:

  • Take X-rays to see what is going on between your teeth
  • Take important bone measurements
  • Diagnose areas that need treatment
  • Fill cavities
  • Perform specialized cleanings

What you can do at home is the most important thing. That means brush two times a day, floss one time daily, and use a mouthwash that kills bacteria and contains fluoride. Most people brush daily but do not floss.

As our dental director, Dr. LaJuan Mountain always says:

“Brushing but not flossing is just like showering, but not washing your armpits. You have to floss to clean in between your teeth because it can be the smelliest part of your mouth if left untouched.”

So it is important that you do your job at home and you see a dentist on a regular basis to allow them to do their job — which is helping you get or keep your dental health.

Meet the staff: Dr. Terrence Walker

Terrence-Walker-DDSDr. Terrence Walker joined Family First Health in August 2015 — seeing patients at our George Street and Hanover centers. He remembers exactly the month when it puts it into context that it was around the time he injured his Achilles tendon playing basketball and needed surgery. Since then, he’s hung up his basketball shorts.

He received his Bachelor of Science from Hampton University. He received his Doctorate of Dental Surgery from Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry. After doing a residency in Tennessee, teaching back at his dental school and doing another residency in Connecticut, Walker decided it was time to come home to York.

Terrence Walker was born and raised here, going to St. Patrick’s, York Catholic and York Suburban for school. It was at Suburban where he discovered his love of dentistry. A high school teacher told them to choose an occupation, shadow someone and do a report. The teacher suggested they choose something they were strong in — and for Walker that was science and art. So Walker decided to shadow his own dentist — Dr. Charles Stein in East York. From there, he knew he wanted to be a dentist.

His favorite part of being a dentist is interacting with patients. “Everyone’s different,” he said. And he works to “connect with patients as people.” It’s been fun along the way when patients come in and say they know his grandparents or aunt. “It’s cool to see how small the unit is,” he said.

When he’s not working in York or Hanover, Terrence Walker loves to travel. Mostly, he goes to Atlanta to see his fiancee (they’re getting married this October). The two met while doing their residencies in Tennessee. They’ll be doing their first big trip together after the wedding, when they head to Aruba for the honeymoon.

He loves comedy —too many comedians to pick, though Chris Tucker and Larry the Cable Guy come to mind (he blames living in the South). When it comes to sports — it’s Penn State football, the Philadelphia Eagles and North Carolina Tar Heels basketball. But he’s a giant Penn State fan.

His favorite food is anything Italian – mainly lasagna and pizza. And then it comes to his favorite dental procedures, he admits it’s got to be the restorative and aesthetic work. There’s just something about seeing the immediate turnaround on a patient’s smile and how that makes them feel.

Meet the staff: Alexander McKinley

mckinleyWe want you to get to know your staff at Family First Health in and out of the doctor’s office. It’s a daunting task, but we’re starting with some of our newer providers.
Meet Alexander McKinley — one of our dentists working in the Hanover and Gettysburg centers.

Alexander McKinley is a graduate of the Temple University Dental School Class of 2015 and joined us here at Family First Health after graduation. He’s also recently engaged!

Why did he decide to pursue a career in dentistry? “I wanted to help people achieve their best oral health and alleviate any problems that may arise with their oral conditions,” he said.

And at Family First Health, he believes our “open and welcoming atmosphere” emphasizes “putting the needs and well-being of the patients ahead of profit margins.”

When he’s not here working on your teeth, Dr. Alexander McKinley likes to go on hikes, read books, learn new languages — he’s learning Spanish and Mandarin — and cook.

He’s a New York Giants and Philadelphia 76ers fan and when it comes to eating and drinking, his favorites are sriracha and egg sandwiches and unsweetened ice tea.

 

Saving children’s teeth – a team effort

They say it takes a village to raise a child. So why not use a village to help educate parents and children to the importance of oral health?

We already know it’s a problem. Tooth decay is the No. 1 chronic disease facing children in America. Nearly 1 in 4 children between the ages of 2-5 have had tooth decay. And two-thirds will have had a cavity by their teens.

And we know that there’s something you can do — by making a donation as small as $25, you’re getting toothbrushes into the hands of 10 kids. 

But what then? That’s the question that’s been plaguing experts and people invested in children’s dental care. And one that’s honestly been driving me a little bit nuts since I started seeing the work our Kids Against Cavities program does.

You’ve seen the numbers. You’ve been asked to help. But how do we break the cycle and bring about change? [Read more…] about Saving children’s teeth – a team effort

Let’s talk facts about children’s dental health

20160204_090429We’ve shown you our numbers — that out of 1,887 York County kids, our Kids Against Cavities staff found 2,351 cavities in 2015.

In our second Pre-K Counts visit of 2016, we screened 27 kids and found 87 cavities. In an hour and a half last week, we screened 93 kids at VIDA Charter School in Gettysburg.

We hope these numbers shock you. And then we ask you to help. With just the donation of $25, you can get 10 kids toothbrushes and toothpaste. 10 kids. Last week, I saw more than 10 kids who straight up told me they did not brush their teeth. Many said they didn’t have time. Maybe they just forget. One third grader told me her sister threw her toothbrush out and her parents hadn’t bought a new one.

They wouldn’t buy her a new toothbrush — something you could get at the dollar store. It’s something that just blows my mind because brushing my teeth twice a day is something my parents have always taught me. Many of the people I’ve talked to about our Kids Against Cavities program agree and are just as flabbergasted. And yet, grateful that it’s something we just grew up doing. We were taught it was important. [Read more…] about Let’s talk facts about children’s dental health