Features – Magic Dental Care

Caring for your teeth

magicdentalcare@sheefraweb.com — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 21:47:24 +0000

Regular dental visits can help you prevent dental disease and find signs of disease early. This helps you keep your mouth healthy, which can save you both time and money.

Relax… Your Dentist Knows Best

Don’t rush when you brush

Brushing

Good oral care is part of a healthy lifestyle. It’s easy to keep your teeth and gums in good health. A simple routine of daily teeth cleaning, good eating habits and regular dental visits can help prevent tooth decay (cavities) and gum disease.

Flossing

Even if you brush twice a day, there are places your toothbrush bristles can’t reach. There are several ways to clean between your teeth and flossing is the most common.

Sip and Snack All Day? Risk Decay!

Certain eating patterns and food choices can lead to tooth erosion (ee-ROW-shun) and cavities. A steady supply of sugary foods and drinks, including sports drinks, sodas and energy drinks, can damage your teeth.

Baby Teeth

magicdentalcare@sheefraweb.com — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 21:46:15 +0000

Children need strong, healthy teeth to chew their food, speak and smile. Your child’s teeth also help give his or her face its shape and keep space in the jaw for adult teeth.

Baby Teeth: When They Come In, When They Fall Out

A healthy mouth is part of a child’s overall health.

A baby’s teeth start to come in when the baby is about six months old. Baby teeth will later be lost one by one. This makes space for adult (permanent) teeth. By the time children are teenagers, they usually have all of their adult teeth. The last four teeth that come in are the wisdom teeth.

Healthy baby (primary) teeth

Healthy adult (permanent) teeth

The charts tell the names of the baby and adult teeth. The pictures show when each tooth usually comes in and is lost. But not all children get the same teeth at the same times. Your child’s teeth may erupt earlier or later than the ages in these charts.

Adult teeth start to form under the baby teeth. After the baby teeth are lost, the adult teeth will come in through the gums.

The Transition

Most children go through a stage when they have a mix of primary and permanent teeth. During this time the smile can look uneven, with some big teeth, some small teeth, some crowded teeth or maybe even some missing teeth. Try not to worry. Smiles often even out once all the permanent teeth are in place.

When your child is about age seven, the dentist will do a “bite check” to make sure your child’s adult teeth are coming in properly and that the back teeth are working together the way they should. You dentist may also take an x-ray of the teeth. If your child’s teeth or bite need treatment, it’s best to get an early start.

Pit & Fissure Sealants

magicdentalcare@sheefraweb.com — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 21:38:59 +0000

Our teeth are covered with a sticky film of bacteria, called plaque (sounds like PLAK). When we eat or drink anything that contains sugar-such as cookies, candy, soda, juice, or sports drinks-bacteria turn the sugar into acids that can attack tooth enamel. Over time, these attacks may cause tooth decay, or cavities. The good news is that there is a way to protect teeth and prevent decay: dental sealants.

Dental sealants are an easy way to help keep teeth healthy

A dental sealant is a plastic material that is put on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth. The sealant material flows into the pits and grooves on those surfaces and acts like a barrier, protecting enamel by “sealing out” bacteria and bits of food.

That is how decay starts in the pits and grooves and cavities form. To keep decay from starting here, the dentist may recommend dental sealants.

Sealants help prevent tooth decay and cavities

Your teeth are coated with a sticky film of bacteria, called plaque. Bacteria turn the sugar in what you eat and drink into acids that can break down the hard, outer layer of teeth, called enamel. Over time, the acid can weaken the enamel and may cause tooth decay, or a hole to form in your tooth’s enamel (cavity).

Tooth decay often begins on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth. These surfaces have pits and grooves where plaque, bacteria and bits of food can get trapped. Just like in the pictures below, toothbrush bristles can’t reach into the pits and grooves, and it makes it hard to keep them clean.

Your dentist may recommend dental sealants to keep decay from starting on these chewing surfaces in the pits and grooves.

Sealants are easy to apply

It takes only a few minutes for your dentist to seal each tooth. These are the steps your dentist may use to put sealants on your teeth

Sealants are smooth and you can’t feel them on your teeth. They are usually clear or white and can’t be seen when you smile or talk.

Your tooth is cleaned and the chewing surfaces are prepared to help the sealant materials stick to your tooth.
The sealant is painted onto the chewing surface where it bonds to your tooth and hardens.
A special light may be used to help the sealant harden.

Sealants can last several years

Sealants usually last several years before they need to be replaced. Over time, sealants can come off, which means they may not protect the teeth as well. Chewing on ice or hard foods can also break down sealants.

During regular dental visits, your dentist will check your sealants and reapply them if needed.

Sealants are safe and effective

Research has shown that dental sealants are safe, and they are effective. The American Dental Association recommends that dental sealants are an important step you should take to lower your risk of tooth decay and cavities. If you have any questions, talk to your dentist.

You may benefit from sealants at any age

Sealants are recommended for children and teenagers, since tooth decay can start soon after teeth come in. But, you never outgrow the chance of tooth decay and cavities, so adults can benefit from sealants, too.

A sealant can be placed on a tooth that does not have a cavity in its pits and grooves. If a tooth is stained or has mild decay, your dentist may suggest you get a sealant, or another option may be necessary. If a tooth has more advanced decay, it will need a filling.

A sealant can be placed on a tooth that does not have a cavity in its pits and grooves. If your tooth is stained or has slight decay, your dentist may suggest you get a sealant, though other treatment may be necessary. If your tooth has more advanced decay or has a cavity, it will need a filling.

Prevention is always better than treatment! Sealants are very useful in preventing tooth decay on the back teeth and can save you money over time. Your dentist can make sealants part of your plan for a healthy mouth.

Healthy Smiles

magicdentalcare@sheefraweb.com — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 21:24:10 +0000

With good oral care at home and regular dental visits, children can reach adulthood without suffering from tooth decay and other oral health problems.

Diet can affect your child's teeth

The food and drinks you give your child can affect their oral health. Everyone, including your child, has plaque – a sticky film of bacteria that forms on teeth. Plaque can build up if it isn’t removed from your child’s teeth every day. The plaque bacteria feed on the sugar that’s found in the food and drinks you give your child. The bacteria create acids from this sugar supply.

These acids can attack the hard, protective layer of enamel on your child’s teeth for up to 20 minutes after they finish eating and drinking. Repeated acid attacks can affect your child’s teeth, causing problems like erosion or decay, which can lead to infection in other parts of the body.

For good dental and overall health, be sure your child eats a healthy diet. If your child needs a between-meal snack, choose healthy foods, like fresh fruits, vegetables, and low-fat/high protein foods. To help prevent tooth decay, save sweets for mealtime. For ideas about healthy foods and drinks to give your child, see www.choosemyplate.gov.

Ways to keep your child's mouth healthy

• Brushing teeth twice a day and cleaning between teeth once a day are important to keep teeth and gums healthy.

• Choose a child-sized toothbrush with soft bristles. Replace it every three months or sooner if the bristles are frayed. Worn toothbrushes won’t clean teeth properly.
• Use the right amount of fluoride toothpaste for your child. Be sure you are in charge of the toothpaste and your child knows it is not food. Do not use more toothpaste because your child likes the flavor!

• Teach your child to spit out the toothpaste.
• Supervise children while they brush their teeth. If they can’t tie their shoes, they shouldn’t brush their teeth alone.
• As soon as your child has two teeth that touch, clean between them every day. If floss will not work, use another type of between-the-teeth cleaner. Your dentist can help you decide which type works best for your child’s mouth.

Use the right amount of toothpaste for your child

For children under 3 years old.

For children 3 to 6 years old.

Look for the ADA Seal of Acceptance

Choose oral health products that display the American Dental Association Seal of Acceptance. This means they are both safe and effective in keeping your child’s mouth healthy.

Fluoride if nature's cavity fighter!

Fluoride helps make teeth stronger and protects them from decay. It is a mineral that occurs naturally and is found in many water sources. Children who drink water that has the recommended levels of fluoride are less likely to get cavities than children who do not drink fluoridated water. Fluoride is also found in anti-cavity toothpastes, mouthrinses and treatments applied in the dental office. Talk to your dentist about your child’s fluoride needs. Be sure to tell your child’s dentist if you use well or bottled water; or if you use a water treatment system at home.

Protect teeth with sealants

A sealant is a plastic material that your dentist can easily apply to the chewing surfaces of your child’s back teeth. The sealant flows into the pits and grooves in the teeth – places where a toothbrush might miss. Sealants protect teeth from plaque and acid attacks.

Why regular dental visits are important

Regular dental checkups and dental care – such as cleanings, fluoride treatments and sealants – provide your child with “smile insurance.” Plan your child’s first dental visit within 6 months after the first tooth appears, but no later than the first birthday. Consider it a “well-baby checkup” for your child’s teeth.

Prevent sports-related dental injuries

Many sports-related dental injuries can be prevented by wearing a mouthguard. Mouthguards can be custom-made by your dentist to fit your child’s mouth. Or, you can purchase a “boil-and-bite” mouthguard at sporting goods stores that has the ADA Seal.