Why is it that when the words “Nitrous Oxide” are mentioned, the majority of parents and children often resort to horrifying thoughts and opinions? Perhaps it is the way the dental field is portrayed by Hollywood or even the stories we were taught as children.

But the truth is, when used safely and correctly, Nitrous Oxide can be very effective. Believe it or not, it is the most commonly used form of sedation, used to reduce the amount of stress and pain the patient may experience during a treatment. Your dentist will ask you to breathe normally through your nose, and within a few short minutes, you should start to feel the effects of the nitrous oxide. It is not intended to put you to sleep. Ultimately, you should feel calm and comfortable. The effects of nitrous oxide wear off soon after the mask is removed.

So the next time your pediatric dentist near you suggests Nitrous Oxide, don’t be afraid. Just take a deep breath and relax. You are in great hands! Please contact us a kid-friendly dentist in West Palm Beach to make your next appointment at 561-333-4568 or visit our ToothTown Pediatric Dentistry website at www.mytoothtown.com

Sippy cups should be used as a training tool from the bottle to a cup and should be discontinued by the first birthday.  If your child uses a sippy cup throughout the day, fill the sippy cup with water only (except at mealtimes).  By filling the sippy cup with liquids that contain sugar (including milk, fruit juice, sports drinks, etc.) and allowing a child to drink from it throughout the day, it soaks the child’s teeth in cavity causing bacteria. If you’re looking for a pediatric dentist near you contact us at 561-333-4568.

How Do I Help My Children Care for Their Teeth and Prevent Cavities?
Teaching your child proper oral care at a young age is an investment in his or her health that will pay lifelong dividends. You can start by setting an example; taking good care of your own teeth sends a message that oral health is something to be valued. And anything that makes taking care of teeth fun, like brushing along with your child or letting them choose their own toothbrush, encourages proper oral care.

To help your children protect their teeth and gums and greatly reduce their risk of getting cavities, teach them to follow these simple steps:

• Brush twice a day with an ADA — accepted fluoride toothpaste to remove plaque-the sticky film on teeth that's the main cause of tooth decay.
• Floss daily to remove plaque from between your teeth and under the gumline, before it can harden into tartar. Once tartar has formed, it can only be removed by a professional cleaning.
• Eat a well-balanced diet that limits starchy or sugary foods, which produce plaque acids that cause tooth decay. When you do eat these foods, try to eat them with your meal instead of as a snack the extra saliva produced during a meal helps rinse food from the mouth.
• Use dental products that contain fluoride, including toothpaste.
• Make sure that your children's drinking water is fluoridated. If your water supply; municipal, well or bottled does not contain fluoride, your dentist or pediatrician may prescribe daily fluoride supplements.
• Take your child to the dentist for regular checkups.

For more information on how to care for your children’s teeth, please call our office at (561) 333-4568 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Yang today!  Stay tuned to our blog for more fun facts on your child’s oral hygiene and care!  We look forward to seeing you at Tooth Town!

What Brushing Techniques Can I Show My Child?

You may want to supervise your children until they get the hang of these simple steps:

• Use a pea-sized dab of an ADA-accepted fluoride toothpaste. Take care that your child does not swallow the toothpaste.
• Using a soft-bristled toothbrush, brush the inside surface of each tooth first, where plaque may accumulate most. Brush gently back and forth.
• Clean the outer surfaces of each tooth. Angle the brush along the outer gum line. Gently brush back and forth.
• Brush the chewing surface of each tooth. Gently brush back and forth.
• Use the tip of the brush to clean behind each front tooth, both top and bottom.
• It's always fun to brush the tongue!

Tune in next week for more tips on how to care for your children’s teeth and come visit us at Tooth Town! Call the office today to schedule your child’s visit with Dr. Yang at (561) 333-4568!

When Should My Child Begin Flossing?

• Because flossing removes food particles and plaque between teeth that brushing misses, you should floss for your children beginning at age 4. By the time they reach age 8, most kids can begin flossing for themselves.
• Begin using toothpaste to brush your child's teeth when he (or she) is 2 years old. Young children tend to swallow toothpaste when brushing, rather than spitting it out. Introduce fluoride toothpaste when your child is old enough not to swallow it. As soon as two teeth touch each other, floss between them once a day. You can use regular floss or special plastic floss holders.

Check back next week for more helpful tips on caring for your child’s teeth!  Call Dr. Yang today to schedule your child’s visit at Tooth Town at (561) 333-4568!

What are Dental Sealants and How Do I Know if My Child Needs Them?

A dental sealant creates a highly-effective barrier against decay. Sealants are thin plastic coatings applied to the chewing surfaces of a child's permanent back teeth, where most cavities form. Applying a sealant is not painful and can be performed in one dental visit!

Help prevent decay and schedule an appointment for your child with Dr. Yang today!  Call us at Tooth Town Pediatric Dentistry at (561) 333- 4568.  Don’t forget to tune in next week for more helpful tips on caring for your children’s teeth!

What is Fluoride and How Do I Know if My Child is Getting the Right Amount?

Fluoride is one of the best ways to help prevent against tooth decay. A naturally occurring mineral, fluoride combines with the tooth's enamel to strengthen it. In many municipal water supplies, the right amount of fluoride is added for proper tooth development. To find out whether your water contains fluoride, and how much, call your local water district. If your water supply does not contain any (or enough) fluoride, your child's pediatrician or dentist may suggest using fluoride drops or a mouth rinse in addition to a fluoride toothpaste.  Here at Toothtown Pediatric Dentistry, we do a fluoride treatment every time your child comes in for their cleaning to give your child the maximum protection against cavities!

Call Dr. Yang today at (561) 333-4568 today!

The average American consumes 22 grams of sugar per day, which is double the recommended daily amount. All of that sugar does considerable damage to tooth enamel and can lead to cavities and other oral issues. Some of the beverages we consume are surprisingly high in sugar. Below are some of the best – and worst – drinks for your teeth.

Drinks that Help Your Teeth

Water

Water – especially water with fluoride – helps strengthen and clean teeth. With every sip, water cleans your teeth by ridding them of any leftover foods or acids. It also washes away bacteria and sugars that can eventually lead to cavities. Water has zero calories, and helps restore the Ph balance in your mouth to fight unhealthy levels of acid.

Milk

Milk and other dairy products are rich in calcium, which strengthens bones and teeth. Milk also contains a protein called casein – a substance that helps fight tooth decay by strengthening tooth enamel. The calcium and phosphorous in milk also strengthen and repair tooth enamel that has dissolved due to acid.

Low Sugar Vegetable Juice

Vegetables are some of the healthiest foods you could possibly eat, so it makes sense then that vegetable juice would improve your oral health. When buying – or making – vegetable juice, make sure that you limit the percentage of fruit in the juice, since fruits are high in sugar. Typically, dark green vegetable juices are better for your teeth. Juice that has kale, or spinach contain healthy B vitamins that can help fight against gum disease. Leafy greens are also high in calcium, which boosts your enamel health.

If you want your vegetable juice to be a bit sweeter, look for juices containing small amounts of apple or carrots, as they are sweet and healthy in moderation.

Drinks that Hurt Your Teeth

Fruit Juices

Fruit juices are often chosen as an alternative to sugary sodas, but did you know that some juices have as much sugar as the leading colas? Apple juice has as much as 10 tsp. of sugar per serving, which is the exact amount as the leading brand cola. The sugar and citric acids in fruit juice can lead to tooth decay. If you must drink juice, you can lower the sugar by cutting it with water. Alternatively, you can look for low sugar juice options as well.

Sports Drinks

Sports drinks can also contain more sugar than leading cola beverages, with as much as 19 grams of sugar per serving. Additionally, sports drinks contain an unhealthy amount of sodium (salt) which can be as much as a bag of potato chips per bottle. Sports drinks can eat away at tooth enamel, and can contain very unhealthy amounts of calories.

Colas

The gold standard of “terrible for teeth” are soft drinks. Sodas are awful for teeth because they are high in two of the worst things for teeth: sugar and acid. There are some sodas that contain more than the total recommended amount of daily sugar in one 20 oz. bottle! The high sugar and acid content can eat away the enamel that protects your teeth, and can lead to cavities. Consuming too much soda can cause irreparable harm to your body in the form of diabetes and other diseases. Your best bet is to stay away from sodas all together to avoid exposing your teeth to unhealthy levels of sugar and acid.

How to Help Reduce Negative Effects

If your child does drink sugary beverages, then they can help curb some of the negative effects by swishing water around in their mouth once they’re finished. Additionally, they should brush their teeth twice per day for two minutes at a time and floss once per day to remove debris between their teeth.

Visit Our Office

If you are worried that your child is drinking too much soda, or if they are beginning to complain of sensitive teeth that may be related to consuming too many sugary drinks, then visit our office. We will evaluate your child’s smile and determine a treatment plan that’s best.

Flossing is an important part of maintaining a healthy mouth for your child, yet a recent study found that only 4 out of 10 Americans floss on a daily basis. Brushing teeth alone only cleans the visible areas and misses out on the spaces between teeth and leaves your child vulnerable to acid buildup and tooth decay. But don’t worry! We want to help you find the right floss for the specific needs of your child.

Does Your Child Have Gaps in Their Teeth?

If so, then dental tape is a great solution to floss the hard-to-reach spaces in their teeth. Dental tape is wide, flat and designed to be gentle on exposed gums. The width of dental tape makes it easier for small hands to grasp it, and makes it more forgiving when children use too much pressure while flossing.

Are Their Teeth Tightly Bunched?

Teeth that have no visible gaps can be hard to floss because of the limited space. If your child has such teeth, then waxed floss might be the best flossing solution. Waxed floss is thinner than dental tape, and the waxy nature is designed to glide easier between tightly bunched teeth. Because waxed floss is on the thin side, it is important that your child applies less force when flossing so that they don’t mistakenly cut their gums.

Do They Have Braces?

Braces and other orthodontic appliances can cause floss to shred, and also make it difficult to reach the nooks and crannies of teeth that require flossing. If your child has braces, then we suggest that they floss with a floss threader – a device designed to help those with braces floss. Floss threaders make it easier to reach the spaces in teeth impeded by braces and orthodontic appliances. Spongy floss is another great option for those that have oral appliances.

Varied Spacing Between Teeth?

If your child has different sized spaces between their teeth, then ultra floss is the choice for you! Ultra floss can stretch thin to clean between tightly bunched teeth, but is also wide enough to comfortably clean wider spaces. Ultra floss is a waxed dental floss that slides easily between teeth of all shapes and sizes and is marked by its ability to stretch into a thinner size.

Most Importantly, Floss Daily

Regardless of the floss you choose for your child, the most important thing is that they floss daily. You can help them at first to ensure that they are flossing properly and thoroughly cleaning between their teeth.

Does your child have bleeding gums from flossing? If so, they could be developing gingivitis. Bring them into our office for a comprehensive oral exam. During their visit, we will thoroughly evaluate the state of their oral health and provide a range of treatment solutions based upon our conclusions. Visit our office today to help your child earn a great, healthy smile that they will proudly enjoy for the rest of their life!