Protecting Permanent Teeth

Your child’s teeth are important and it is critical that their permanent teeth are protected. Dr.Anna Lee suggests following these simple rules in order to keep your child’s teeth in great shape for a lifetime.  

·      Avoid sticky and sugary foods.  Some of these foods include cookies, dried figs, granola bars, jelly beans, doughnuts, potato chips, pretzels, cereal, and raisins

·      Avoid sugary drinks such as soda and fruit drinks

·      Avoid skipping regular dental appointments

·      Avoid going days without brushing & flossing

A smile can last a lifetime if they are taking care of it everyday.

Caring For Primary Teeth:

Helping your child care for their primary teeth can be difficult. They may fight to brush their teeth or be afraid when they visit the dentist, or even refuse to floss. But dental health is critical in children. Here are 4 tips Dr. Anna Lee recommends, to help your child take care of their primary teeth.

·      Children younger than 3 years old, should use only a “smear” of toothpaste (about the size of a grain of rice) on the bristles of toothbrush; brush 2x daily

·      Children of 3-6 years old, use pea-size amount of toothpaste; brush 2x daily

·      Children should spit out any excess toothpaste to avoid swallowing it

·      Floss daily

For more information on how to help your child or other dental tips, contact Dr. Lee & her staff today.

Protecting Primary Teeth:

  

 Your child's primarily teeth are significant to their overall dental health. Dr. Anna Lee recommends these tips to help protect these significant teeth. 
 

• Do not put the baby to bed with a bottle of juice or milk
• Talk to the doctor about weaning the infant from the bottle or breast at age 12 to 14 months
• During the day, do not use a bottle to comfort the baby unless it is filled with plain water
• Do not dip the baby’s pacifier in sugar or sugary liquids
• Do not add sugar to the child’s food
• Clean the baby’s teeth and gums with a damp cloth or a soft toothbrush after each feeding
• Try not to share saliva with the baby through common use of feeding utensils
• Take the baby to the dentist as soon as the first tooth comes in, or no later than the first birthday
• Teach the baby to drink from a cup by his or her first birthday
• Make sure the baby is getting the right amount of fluoride

For more information on how to protect and keep your child's primary teeth, contact Dr. Anna Lee & her team today. 

Early Childhood Caries (ECC) or Baby Bottle Tooth Decay (BBTD) What is it?

Unfortunately, babies are not free from the possibility of decay. Tooth decay in babies and toddlers is often referred to as Early Childhood Caries (ECC) or Baby Bottle Tooth Decay (BBTD).  It is a common bacterial infectious disease caused by certain types of bacteria that live in the mouth.  Bacteria feed on sugar and produce acids that attack and destroy the tooth’s outer surface (enamel).  The end result is cavities.  Babies and toddlers who go to sleep with a bottle containing milk, breast milk, or fruit juices are more susceptible to having ECC/BBTD.

Tooth decay is also a transmissible disease.  Mothers with untreated cavities have higher levels of bacteria in their mouth and are more likely to pass bacteria to their children through kissing or using the same eating utensils.

In order to protect them from bottle tooth decay after they have consumed milk products you can use a towel to wipe excess milk from their gums.  

For more information on baby bottle tooth decay contact Dr. Anna Lee & her team.

Children’s Smile and Dental Care

Your children’s smile brings you joy.  The best way to keep your child’s smile healthy is to begin dental care early in life. Teaching good habits of brushing and flossing of their teeth early in life keeps teeth healthy.  Healthy teeth help your children chew and enjoy food, help build self-esteem and create healthy smiles!

Begin Dental Care Early in Life

The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends parents take children to a dentist no later than their first birthday.   Parents can start to provide dental care for their babies, toddlers and older children at home:

·      Begin cleaning the baby’s mouth during the first few days after birth by wiping the gums with a clean washcloth

·      Baby’s front four teeth erupt at about 6 months of age (some children have their first tooth at 12-14 months); 

·      Brush twice daily with an infant toothbrush

·      Floss daily when baby teeth touch each other

·      For children younger than 3 years old, use only a “smear” of fluoridated toothpaste (about the size of a grain of rice) on the bristles of toothbrush; brush 2x daily.  Parents continue the supervision and remind the child not to swallow the toothpaste

·      For children 3 to 6 years of age, use a pea-sized amount of fluoridated toothpaste and brush 2x daily.  Parents continue the supervision and remind the child not to swallow the toothpaste

·      After age 6, continue to brush and floss the children’s teeth daily until parents are comfortable that the child can brush on his or her own

                              Contact Dr. Anna Lee & her team today for more information. 

Foods That Whiten The Teeth:

While certain foods you consume can do damage to the teeth by staining, or by causing decay here are a list of foods you can enjoy. Dr. Anna Lee recommends consuming these foods instead of high sugar, high carb foods.  Foods that are rich in color and water content are better for your smile.

           

·      Different types of peppers

·      Strawberries - remove tooth stains/discoloration

·      Seeds & nuts - they rub plaque and stains off the surface of teeth

·      Yogurt - helps to remove food from the teeth, keeps your smile white, and helps to keep your tooth enamel decay-free

While you can choose other products to whiten your smile, consuming some of these foods every day can help naturally whiten your smile. This reduces your chances of sensitivity due to a whitening product.

For more information contact Dr. Anna Lee & her team today!

Foods/Drinks Stain Teeth:

The foods you consume are the critical pieces to enhance the overall health of your smile.  What you eat is directly correlated to whether or not your smile is impacted positively or negatively. These suggested foods can stain your teeth and impact the overall look. Dr. Anna Lee recommends, “Minimize or brush directly after eating in order to lesson the chance these items have to stain your teeth.”

·      tea

·      coffee

·      wine-red

·      sauces-tomato, soy, curry

·      diet soda, sports drinks

·      blueberry, blackberry, cherry, pomegranate

For more information on other food that benefits your smile, contact Dr. Lee & her team today.

Don’t Reach For A Bad Snack

While you are sitting around the house looking for food to consume, think and apply these few simple rules in order to help protect your teeth from decay. Dr. Anna Lee recommends limiting the number of snacks you are consuming throughout your day.

Bad Snacks with high sugar content that cause tooth decay:

·      Cakes, sweet biscuits

·      Chewy & hard candies

·      Soda, sports drinks

·      Fruit juices

·      Peanut butter

·      Potato chips

·      Crackers

·      Popcorn

·      Fruit snack bars, muesli bars

·      Some breakfast cereal

·      Dried fruit

For more information Contact Dr. Lee & her team today.

A List of Snacks

Snacking can cause an increase in weight, cause dental decay and increase the negative impact of too many calories consumed. But if you are going to consume smaller meals, eating a healthy snack in between can be a fantastic way to ward off consuming too many calories and a large meal at the end of the day. Dr. Lee recommends, “Stick to these six rules when snacking in order to keep your sugar levels under control.”

 

Good Snacks promote good health:

·      Milk-high calcium content promotes healthy teeth and bones

·      Cheese-high calcium content promotes healthy teeth, probiotic benefits

·      Tap Water-contains fluoride, a mineral that protects against tooth decay

·      Fresh fruits-high in water contents & fibers: apples, oranges, pears, melons, strawberries and others

·      Raw vegetables-high in water contents & fibers: broccoli, celery, carrots, spinach, cucumbers and others

·      Yogurt-high calcium content strengthens teeth; has healthy, protective bacteria

For more information on healthy food choices, contact Dr. Anna Lee & her team today!

Ready to Snack? Think about:

Snacking may have become a regular part of your routine. While snacking can help decrease the large meals you eat that pack on the pounds. You don’t want to go crazy during the snacks. “If you’re going to reach for a snack there are three things to think about in order to keep your smile healthy,” suggests Dr. Anna Lee.

The number of times a day you eat sugary snacks is critical to the health of your smile. An increase in sugar snacks increases the likelihood of cavities and decay.

How long the sugary food stays in your mouth is critical to think about when you are reaching for that snack. You can easily travel with a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss in your purse, to decrease the amount of time that sugar stays on your teeth. But if you can’t brush right away, Dr. Lee encourages you to reach for something healthy instead.

Are the snacks sticky? Chewy? If the snack is sticky or chewy it is more likely to stick to the surface of the teeth making it more difficult to remove from the teeth. It can also stick between the teeth, which increases your risk of periodontal disease.

For more information contact Dr. Lee & her team today.

Oral Care for Children & Adults

Your smile is the way you communicate with your friends you are enjoying their company. It is how you tell your boyfriend you want to spend more time with him, and how you communicate to your children they have made you proud. Having a healthy smile can help increase feelings of happiness, hope, as well as open up career options. Here are five tips on how you and your children can improve your overall oral care.

•      Brush the teeth twice a day and preferably within 30-60 minutes after every meal and snack

•      Use fluoride-containing toothpaste

•      Floss daily

•      Use mouth rinse daily

•      Visit the dentist regularly for check-ups and cleanings.

For more information on how to improve your oral health, contact Dr. Anna & her team.