When it comes to choosing the best toothpaste for your kids, all of the options available can be quite overwhelming. Should you aim for tartar control? How important is fluoride? Do you kids complain of tooth sensitivity? And then there are the formulas with different flavors and sparkles that make brushing teeth fun. Smile Reef would like to offer the following basics to help you decide on the best toothpaste for your child.
Common Ingredients
Toothpastes are available in paste, gel and powder forms. Despite the many different types of toothpaste, there are some ingredients that are common to most varieties that have different purposes. These include:
Abrasive agents. Scratchy materials like calcium carbonate and silicates help remove food, bacteria and even some stains from teeth.
Humectants. These are added for moisture retention. Paste and gel toothpastes often contain substances like glycerol to prevent the toothpaste from drying out.
Detergents. Think about all of those suds you see when you brush your teeth. They are caused by detergents like sodium lauryl sulfate.
Flavoring. Artificial sweeteners like saccharin are often added to toothpaste to improve the taste. While many adults associate the flavor of toothpaste with mint, toothpaste is also available in a variety of flavors including cinnamon, lemon-lime, and even kid friendly bubblegum.
Thickening Agents. These add thickness to the toothpaste to help achieve and maintain the proper toothpaste texture.
Fluoride Toothpaste
The most important ingredient to look for when choosing a toothpaste is fluoride. Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral which has been instrumental in the dramatic drop of cavities and tooth decay over the last 50 years! Bacteria in your mouth routinely feed on the sugars and starches that remain on your teeth after eating. Fluoride helps protect your teeth from the acid that is released when this occurs by making your tooth enamel stronger. In addition, it can actually reverse the early stages of acid damage by re-mineralizing areas of the teeth that have already started to decay! Using fluoride toothpaste is an important way to ensure that teeth are reaping the benefits of this mineral. Many people think they do not need to worry about fluoride if they like in an area like Las Vegas where fluoride is already added to our water, but studies have shown you can still benefit from using fluoride toothpastes.
Tartar Control Toothpaste
There are many tartar control toothpastes on the market, most of which also contain fluoride. We all have a layer of bacteria on our teeth called plaque. If this plaque is not removed, it quickly hardens into tartar. Tartar is a difficult to remove deposit that can build up on your teeth and under your gums which can ultimately lead to gum disease. There are a variety of ingredients used in toothpaste to help prevent the buildup of tartar on teeth. Chemical compounds are often added and sometimes even antibiotics which kill off some of the bacteria in the mouth. Certain toothpastes that contain multiple anti-plaque agents have been found to be even more effective at tartar control than varieties with only one plaque fighter.
Sensitive Teeth Toothpaste
For children who have teeth that are easily irritated, particularly by hot or cold temperatures, there are many toothpastes available that are targeted towards sensitive teeth. These toothpastes usually contain chemical compounds to help tooth sensitivity by blocking pathways through the teeth that attach to the nerves inside. Please be aware that when trying a new toothpaste, it can take up to four weeks for the sensitivity to improve.
With so many options available, you can try different brands, types and flavors to find the best toothpaste for you and your children. And always feel free to call upon Smile Reef for advice!
We know that parents and caregivers want the best for their children and good oral health care is key to overall health and well-being! Smile Reef wants to partner with you and be the home base for your child’s oral health needs. We want to be your dental home!
But what is a dental home? A dental home is an ongoing relationship between the dentist and the patient. It includes all aspects of oral health care, given by the dental home in an accessible, comprehensive and family centered way. A dental home is a familiar and comfortable place for both children and parents to access information on oral healthcare and guidance. It is also a place to help children learn good dental care tips and habits and where parents can receive personalized guidance and advice on what they can do at home between visits to encourage children to have optimal oral health.
The establishment of a dental home is a cost-effective and higher quality health care alternative to emergency care situations because children that have a dental home are more likely to receive appropriate preventive and routine oral health care! Even though it is recommended to establish your dental home by age one, fortunately it is never too late!
Smile Reef wants to keep little teeth healthy in the Vegas Valley. Following are some important reasons why you should consider choosing Smile Reef to be your dental home:
• Cavity Prevention – Nearly 60% of children have tooth decay by age five but nearly 100% of this tooth decay is preventable. As your dental home, Smile Reef will ensure that you have the knowledge and tools you need to help your kids maintain healthy teeth and prevent these unnecessary cavities.
• Emergency Assistance – No matter whether your child chips a tooth or knocks one out entirely, Smile Reef are here for you in emergency dental situations. We know your child’s dental history and your child knows us. They will feel more comfortable coming to us for emergency dental care than some place they are not familiar with.
• Specialized Training – Dr. Jaren Jensen has the highest level of training a pediatric dentist can achieve. After graduating from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Science, Dr. Jensen graduated at the top of his class at Creighton University School of Dentistry. After earning his D.D.S, Dr. Jensen specialized in Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Southern California and completed his residency at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. All of this specialized training and experience includes child psychology and behavioral concerns, growth and development, and diverse special health care needs.
• Welcoming Environment. Our Smile Reef office is totally kid friendly and family oriented because making kids feel relaxed and comfortable is a top priority for us. Our office was purposely designed to be calming and inviting for children. What kid would not look forward to visiting an office with our interactive play area; ipads at their disposal, lots of toys and games and a big screen movie area. We also have a cool salt water fish tank and surfboard with waves! Our kid-friendly environment includes sinks that are at eye-level for young children and we have special dental chairs for children that are smaller in scale so that when children climb up, they don’t feel overwhelmed or intimidated. The furniture matches the child. We also talk to children in child-friendly vocabulary. We make word substitutions and we vary the tone of our voices so that we can remove anything that sounds as if it would be scary or uncomfortable. And we always involve the parent. We will often have the parent put the child in their lap or have the parent sit right next to them to make them feel comfortable and safe.
By choosing Smile Reef as your dental home, you will have a trusted partner to help keep your child’s teeth healthy, now and in the future.
Las Vegas Children's Dentist
Most parents and guardians of little children, if not all, are greatly concerned about the growth and development of children's teeth especially in this day and age where almost any food available in groceries and restaurants are loaded with sugar and or sucrose which greatly contribute to the formation of cavities, eventually resulting to tooth decay. From the time that the first set of baby teeth comes out, pediatric dentists would already heavily advise parents to start a religious and proper care routine of their children's teeth to ensure that the proper development of these important part of a child's mouth are done with the right techniques and required consistency. Caring for baby and children's teeth takes a lot of effort since children are not expected to care for their own set due to their limitations in capacity and information. That is why until children reach the stage where they are capable to care for their own teeth comes, the weight of the call rests on the shoulders of the parents. It is for this reason that proper oral care for children begins with choosing the right dental office which houses the best pediatric dentists who will be the partner of parents in ensuring that their children's oral care are safeguarded. Las Vegas Children's Dentist is a dynamic and vibrant supporter in the campaign against early onset of tooth decay in children's teeth. Certified and competent, this Dentist for kids in Las Vegas, very carefully and thoroughly instruct and teach good oral care to parents and children. This dentist follows the best practices in worldwide standards and features state of the art dental equipment that allows not only for the best oral care of each patient but also creating an environment that is friendly and accommodating to kids and children who frequent this pediatric dentist office in Las Vegas.
To begin early oral care for babies, a competent and friendly Las Vegas dentist from a reputable pediatric dentist office will advise that even before the eruption of the teeth, a child's mouth and gums should be wiped after meals with a clean, soft damp cloth to make sure that excess food would not linger in the mouth. These excess foods when left in a moist area like the mouth would form bacteria which would eventually get lodged in the baby's first set of teeth triggering the beginning of tooth decay. A meticulous and caring kids dentist in Las Vegas would also advise that to prevent the onset of pre-mature cavities, it is best to give babies plain water when sipping at bedtime to prevent baby formula - which sometimes contain sugar - from settling in the mouth which also invites cavity formation. Once the first set of baby teeth comes out, the practice of brushing should also commence, normally beginning with soft bristled baby toothbrush combined with a non-fluoride toothpaste or even just plain warm water to gently clean every part of the emerging teeth. A licensed Las Vegas children's dentist is a strong support in making sure that these early oral care regimens are done by the parents regularly to avoid unnecessary formation of tooth decay that could prove to be costly to take away using dental procedures. Children's dentist in Las Vegas recommends that children's toothbrushes should be replaced every two to three months taking special note of the appearance of the head bristles to make sure that they still serve their purpose of thoroughly cleaning the teeth. There are several pediatric dentist in Las Vegas so one must be very careful to choose the best, and the best pediatric dental clinic must not only be concerned about treatment but more so on prevention methods. So far Las Vegas pediatric dentistry is a cut above all other pediatric clinics because of its practices on preventative measures that do away with costly teeth drilling and fillings.
Children develop their baby teeth as preparatory ground for the eruption of the final adult teeth which they would use for the rest of their lives. Many parents feel that since baby teeth would still be replaced, they could be more relaxed in spearheading for their children's oral care. But this is very far from the truth since the condition and health of the baby teeth would also greatly determine the condition and health of the permanent teeth. Parents are advised that the first visit of their children to the dentist should happen when babies are 12 months old and prior coaching such as open your mouth or saying 'ahhh' must be done to avoid too much time on the dental chair which might be very scary for some kids. Dental patients could rest assured that reputable pediatric dentist in Las Vegas would be more concerned with prevention but would also be very competent when treatment is necessary. A parent could expect that a children's dentist in Las Vegas is well trained in handling children especially the first timers who might have reservations in seeing a dentist for the first time let alone open their mouth for a stranger. But the first visits to the dentist are crucial because those are the times when good oral plan is discussed aside from giving out the message to the children that dentists are friends not enemies to increase their trust and confidence with them. A well trained dentist for kids in Las Vegas would also discuss the availability of important pediatric care such as the application of fluoride and sealants that help protect baby teeth from plaque and cavities. The substance fluoride help make the teeth stronger by protecting them from the initiation of dental caries and tooth decay while at the same time re-mineralizing areas of the teeth that get weakened by acid coming from leftover food or juices which the children consume.
Las Vegas pediatric dentistry is known as one of the best pediatric dentistry all over the United States which practices not only the best dental techniques using state of the art equipment, a Las Vegas dentist also has the best techniques and rapport with children patients giving them a wonderful experience inside the clinic that helps ensure repeat comebacks for consistent and thorough oral care. Las Vegas pediatric patients could expect that as they step inside a Las Vegas pediatric dentist office they would experience the best pre and post care evaluations not to mention above standard procedures including the application of necessary treatments that are non-threatening, very friendly and truly professional. Las Vegas pediatric dentistry is unchallenged when it comes to everything that makes oral care for children fantastic and something to look forward to and having children as clients that speaks highly of the credibility and expertise that a kids dentist in Las Vegas has to showcase and bring to the table. So next time you are in great need of an expert in oral care for you and especially for your young children - including those cute toddlers- consider pediatric dentistry in Las Vegas and you might not go anywhere else after trying its services. With the rising cost of dental care each year, wouldn't you want every dime you spent on it to be truly worth it? And wouldn't you want to see those beautiful and sparkly teeth on your children as they flash you their beautiful smiles? All of these and more could be yours by just visiting a reputable Las Vegas pediatric dental clinic. Check your directory for assistance or better yet take the word of our loyal customers who have given their generous testimonials of how happy and satisfied they are with our services. We assure you that you will have the best oral care on our hands and we will ensure that your children's teeth are not only taken cared of, they will also pass on the legacy of consistent and excellent oral care with their children and their children's children.
The Las Vegas Dentist Office
One of the best kid friendly dental offices you will find in the state of Nevada is the Las Vegas Pediatric Dentist Office. It's got the best ways and practices of making sure pediatric patients are well taken cared of and assured of warm, non-threatening dental procedures that help them ease up and become comfortable in this environment. Many parents regard a beautiful pediatric dental experience as part of the success why children stick to proper oral acre and why they regards a dental visit as an exciting adventure rather than a traumatic one. The Las Vegas pediatric dentistry is one of the top pediatric dental practices not only in the whole State but could also be compared, if not above, other dental pediatric practices in the United States. Parents coming from other nearby States bring their children to experience pediatric dentistry in Las Vegas because of its very popular kid-friendly atmosphere that children would sometimes forget they are inside a dental office. Parents love that their children are having a great time while having their excellent oral check up or procedures and children enjoy because it's like going to the zoo or the park where the environment is fun and lively and not scary at all. From themed rooms with matching themed cups and bibs, the pediatric dentist office in Las Vegas is a must see and must experience for all children. The pediatric dentists are well trained and well equipped to handle pediatric patients but the thing that endears all of them to their kid patients is the way they make cleaning teeth an exciting and fun thing to do rather than a boring chore that must be done regularly. And if dental procedures are needed such as drillings and putting of sealants, the expertise of a Las Vegas Dentist would surpass everyone's expectations including adults and parents who often have had traumatic experiences inside a dental office. So come now and visit us and see and feel the difference or better yet let your children tell you the difference with their exciting dental experience Truly it is like not going to the dentists at all!
