In today’s world of processed food and a never ending push from fast food to make dinner or lunch easier and more convenient, it has become more difficult to make healthy choices for our kids. Sugar is not just in cookies, cakes and desserts anymore. Studies show that 80% of food items that are purchased by consumers in the grocery store contain added sugar. Sugar hides behind many names like fructose, dextrose, maltose and high fructose corn syrup. Too much sugar in any form is dangerous, as it has been proven that sugar is eight times more addictive than cocaine. That is a frightening truth for parents to face, especially when sugar has become present in every single meal we serve.
High Sugar Content in Bad News for Healthy Teeth
Realizing that the sugar content you serve your family is off the charts can be difficult to fathom. However, sugar has many hiding places. Orange juice, chips, cold cereal, salad dressing, granola bars, ketchup, yogurt and white bread all contain hidden sugar. Think of the items that you may be packing into your child’s school lunch or the food they may be purchasing at school to eat. The sugar adds up so quickly, producing an unhealthy lifestyle and hijacking your child’s health in a very sneaky way.
High Sugar Intake Leads to Obesity
The number one result of all of this sugar intake has become childhood obesity. Today, one in five children are obese. More people will die from the effects of obesity than from starvation. The advancement of processed foods has elevated these unhealthy outcomes. False advertising will have you believe that eating healthy verses eating fast food or processed food will cost you more money. This is false. It does not cost more money to eat healthy. One of the main offenders of sugar overdosing is the soda industry. Soda is a significant contributor to the obesity problem in today’s society.
Added Sugar Causes Teeth Cavities
All of this added sugar that contributes to the obesity epidemic is also contributing to cavities in kids. Sugar is extremely harmful to your child’s teeth as it plays a harmful role in tooth decay. The bacteria that forms together to become plaque uses sugar as a form of energy. The more sugar your child intakes and exposes to their teeth, the faster plaque is able to grow. Some bacteria even turns sugar into a type of glue that it can use to stick itself to the tooth’s surface. This makes it much harder for bacteria to get washed away with your saliva.
Be Proactive Against Sugar
Be proactive with the fight against sugar overloading. Make healthier food choices for your children and know what exactly it is that you are feeding them. A good routine teeth cleaning will help your child avoid the threat of cavities that are caused by the intake of sugar. Contact Smile Reef today to schedule a cleaning for your child and help prevent cavities.
One in five households include children with special health care needs. Unfortunately, special diets, medications and motor habits often cause children with special needs to have higher rates of poor oral hygiene, periodontal disease and gingivitis. In fact, dental care is the leading unmet health care need among children with special needs!
Special Needs and the Dentist
Special needs and the dentist can be tricky for any parent to handle. Children that have physical or mental special needs often suffer from increased anxiety when faced with a trip to the dentist. Special needs children can have many types of issues that can affect their everyday life, even when it comes to the hygiene of their teeth. This can mean that their dental work can be much more essential than a child that can brush and floss with ease. There are some types of disorders that can make it hard to explain to a child the importance of the hygiene of their teeth. They may not understand that a new person they may not know needs them to sit still so they can look into their mouth to check their teeth and gums. This can mean that issues such as cavities and gum disease that can cause pain, make intervention even harder to accomplish.
Making a Trip to the Dentist Easier
What can you do to make the trip to the dentist with a special needs child a little bit easier? There are several things to look into that can help ease the anxiety of this appointment. Special Place – Long before the appointment, create a place to brush and floss and a special place to store your child’s dental supplies. This will help your child associate this room with the daily routine of dental health care. Be consistent; return to the same room each time you brush and floss. When choosing the room, consider your child’s special sensory needs (light, sound etc) and choose a place that is relaxing and comforting. Experienced Pediatric Dentist – Choose a pediatric dentist like Smile Reef Dentistry that has experience treating and working with children with special needs. You can find out if the office staff or dentists have taken any classes that specialize in care of special needs. Most dental schools offer classes that help dentists and staff better understand how best to treat children with special needs. Preparation – Always prepare your child in advance for the visit to the dentist. Making sure that you take time to talk to your child about what they can expect and where they will be going may keep them from feeling like they are being surprised by the visit. You can even talk to the office and see if they have photos that you can show your child – or better yet whether you can bring your child in a few days before to allow them to get familiar with the location. When you show up at your appointment make sure that you allow plenty of time in the day in case you have to wait for your turn. Also be sure that you bring things to make your child feel at ease while you are waiting. Sedation – You may also want to consider an office that will offer sedation if that is what is best for your child. This can make a lot of the stress and anxiety lessen since the child will be unaware of the activity surrounding the appointment.
Smile Reef specializes in special needs dentistry. It is our goal to make all children not only feel comfortable but look forward to going to the dentist! Come by our office or contact us today to talk about your special needs dentistry.
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!
