Tag Archives: dental care

The silly season of Halloween festivities might be over, but the lingering affects off all that sugary candy certainly isn’t. For young kids, Halloween is a lot of fun dressing up in costumes and receiving a whole range of sweets and candies from across the neighborhood. However, this form of fun certainly has long term consequences for young and growing teeth if they aren’t cared for properly after the post-Halloween sugar binge. While the Trick or Treating might only last a night, the stash that your kids collect will last a lot longer than that, meaning you’re going to have an ongoing problem of how to handle all that sugar for the coming days in November. Your children will think it’s a good idea to eat candy just about every day, but their teeth are going to disagree with that.

Here at Morris Park Dental in the Bronx our Board-Certified Pediatric Dentist is concerned about the healthy development of your children’s teeth and understands that after all this candy at Halloween you will have many questions about what exactly you should do to ensure there aren’t long term cavities and other problems caused in those young teeth. This article is here to help you take proper care of your kids’ teeth, and perhaps your own teeth for that matter, to make sure they remain happy and healthy.

One of the best things you can do for your kids’ teeth after Halloween is to take them to a dentist to get a regular check-up. In the meantime while waiting for an appointment, there are some things you can do at home during the post-Halloween season to keep your kids teeth healthy and well. When it comes to teeth care for your children, take these six important tips into consideration.

Timing is important. Give your kids some of their Halloween stash shorty after meal time, as special dessert treats. This is an ideal time because the saliva production in your mouth increases during meals and helps to cancel out the acids which are produced by bacteria. This helps rinse away food particles, especially sugary substances from candies.
Avoid sticky stuff. Odds are, your kids don’t really know what it is in their Halloween stash. Take a moment when they aren’t around to remove any extra sticky candies, such as taffy and gummy bears. These stick to your kids teeth and weaken the enamel because they take longer to get washed away by the saliva.
Brush teeth twice a day. This is something your kids should already be doing on a daily basis, but it is extra important when they are having extra candies and gummies in their diet. For extra caution, it is helpful to get kids to brush their teeth a third time after lunch, just to be sure that sugar isn’t sticking around their teeth and gums.
Clean between the teeth. Flossing becomes extra important when kids are having more sugar in their diet. By flossing, your kids are removing plaque and food particles between their teeth and preventing a build-up sugar and acidic substances which cause nasty cavities.
Drink more water. Drinking water is always a good idea after sugar to prevent headaches, but it also prevents tooth decay. Water essentially washes away the sugar from your kids’ teeth. It is also worth keeping in mind that sugar drinks should be avoided during the post-Halloween binge as these will only increase the risk of tooth decay.
Schedule a Post-Halloween Check-up and Cleaning with Our Office. If it has been more than 6 months since your child’s last cleaning and check-up, they are overdue and should come in as soon as possible. It takes about 6 months for a cavity to develop, which is why it is important to bring your child in regularly to make sure nothing new has come up since their last visit, especially if they have been snacking on a lot of sugary sweets lately, or they are complaining of tooth pain or sensitivity.

Allow some binging to occur, as bizarre as this may sound. When your kids eat sugar, there is sugary acidic damage occurring. Whether the kids eat a handful of candy all at once, or spread it over a few hours, this damage is inevitable. Bunching sugar sessions together in quick succession won’t alter the time it takes for the acid to dissipate. However, when a candy bar is eaten once every hour, it will take an hour each time for the oral pH levels to return to normal. This means that when you give your kids three candy bars and let them gobble them down all once, you’ll be doing their teeth a favor as well as earning points as best parent of the year. After the candy is consumed, make sure your kids brush their teeth almost immediately after to keep extreme acid damage from occurring.

Don’t make candy forbidden otherwise it will become all the more appealing for kids. It is a good idea to take the candy bounty away from your kids and store it somewhere safe so that they don’t have round the clock access to it. But it isn’t a good idea to make this secret location completely off limits. Children work in reverse psychology and as soon as something is untouchable, the more they are going to want it, especially when sugary sweets are involved. Make sure your kids know that the candy is theirs and they will get to eat it, but just not all at once.

Serve the candy in moderation and encourage some sort of healthy eating beside it. When your kids come running and begging for some of their hard-earned Halloween candy, there is only so much denying you can do. Use it your advantage and keep the Halloween stash as a sort of bribery for healthy eating. For example, allow the kids two pieces of candy alongside them eating some carrot sticks or cut up apples. This way, although they are getting sugar in their system, they are also having something healthy to balance it out, as much balance as can occur in the post-Halloween sugar sessions.

Get creative with the candy and encourage your kids to use it in different ways. Now that you have more candy that you ever imagined, try to get your kids thinking in different ways about how to use it. Rather than just shoveling it into their mouths, this is a great way to get kids creative in the kitchen and experiment with some cooking ideas. For example, you can use some of those M&Ms to create colorful cupcakes, or make a three-dimensional house out of Tootsie rolls using Hershey’s kisses as clouds above. This is a great way to get the kids in the kitchen, using their imagination, while having a side treat of candy snacks along the way. You can also encourage your kids to make baked gifts for special people in their life, such as their grandparents, which gives them a chance to learn valuable skills like sharing and concern about other people.

Call (718) DR-SMILE (718-377-6453) or click here to schedule a post-Halloween check-up and cleaning with our Bronx dental office today!

In 1987 President Ronald Reagan declared March to be Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Awareness month. Since then, many efforts have been made to dissolve stereotypes and stigmas surrounding the people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Oral care is important for everyone and there shouldn’t be any compromises made for anyone based upon a ‘disability’ of any kind. We here at Morris Park Dental Associates in the Bronx salute President Reagan in the Bronx, the caretakers and the community. (718) DR.SMILE (718-377-6453) or schedule a dental appointment online today and get the best dental care you can get in the Bronx.

Developmental Disabilities and Dental Care

Some common developmental disabilities include: cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, intellectual disability, fragile X syndrome, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Sometimes these disabilities are apparent during childhood and/or adolescence. Parents or guardians may notice that their children are not progressing as the average child does, and/or is not reaching developmental milestones as they should. These milestones can include those like a baby rolling over by month 7, children talking by the age of one, and walking around that same time. These disorders affect one for a lifetime. They affect the mind, the body, and the skills people use in everyday life such as: problem solving, speech, and motor function. People afflicted with developmental disabilities will most likely need extra assistance to achieve and keep up a state of well-being and adequate health, and oral health is no exception.

A movement toward deinstitutionalization and eradication of social stigma associated with mental, intellectual and developmental disorders has merged people together regardless of age or type of disability. About 80 percent of those with developmental disabilities live in a supervised group or at home with their relatives. They now look to oral care practitioners to assist them in proper oral hygiene.

As with anything, it is best to have an oral care practitioner and a team that is well informed. People who don’t perform in ways that others would, often need a special approach to dental care. Whether the disability is mild to moderate, most all procedures can be performed with the appropriate adaptations made by the practitioner.

What can you do as a Caregiver?

As the parent or caregiver of a person with intellectual or developmental disabilities it would be wise to contact our Bronx dental office beforehand. Let us know what is going on and how we can help as well. With a well-informed dental team and staff, everything will go smoothly! Preparedness is the most important factor in the oral care of a person that requires special adaptations for their health.

In your home, however, the first thing and most basic thing you can do is help your child pick out the right toothbrush. Soft bristles are recommended, along with the appropriate size based on the child’s mouth. Brushing might be uncomfortable initially, so get the accustomed to the sensation by touching the brush to their lips and the insides of their cheeks.

Show them how you brush your teeth, take extra care, and teach them to “open wide” with demonstration. The Autism Speaks Dental Guide advises the guardian of a child with autism to stand behind their child with their [the child] head on their [the guardian” chest, apply a small amount of toothpaste to the bristles of the toothbrush, and brush as if they were brushing their own teeth. They also list these steps in brushing:

Brush the outside, inside, and tops of the bottom back teeth on one side of the mouth five times.
Move up and brush the inside, outside and chewing surfaces of the top teeth five times.
Brush the bottom front teeth outside and inside five times.
Move to the opposite side and brush the bottom teeth outside and inside five times.
Brush the top front teeth inside, outside, and chewing surfaces five times.
Brush the opposite top back teeth inside, outside, and chewing surfaces five times.

And remember, if your child wants to try and do it themselves, (supervise, but) let them!

Call our Morris Park Dentist office and request a dental appointment and consultation for all of your special dentistry needs. From cosmetic dentistry to dental implants and dentures, we can help you! Call (718) DR.SMILE (718-377-6453) today to find out more about Special Needs Dentistry In The Bronx.

You’ve gotten your wedding dress, but while trying it on, you notice that your teeth look yellow in comparison to your beautiful white dress! What’s a bride to do? To get your teeth their whitest on your wedding day, we offer Zoom! Professional Teeth Whitening. In as little as an hour, your teeth will look up to 6 shades whiter!

What is Teeth Whitening?

Your teeth are made up of an outer layer, called enamel, an inner layer, called dentin, and a bundle of nerves underneath that called the pulp. Across the span of your life, many things have accumulated and made stay on the surface of your teeth to form a yellow film: acidic foods, coffee, cigarette smoke, darkly colored sodas, the list goes on and on. As time goes on, these foreign materials enter the second layer of your teeth, the dentin, and causes it to become discolored.

However, the whitening agent found in a teeth whitening product basically enters the second layer of your teeth to sets off an oxidation reaction that breaks apart the staining compounds and leaves your pearly whites looking pearlier. There are two main types of teeth whitening: in-office professional teeth whitening and over the counter teeth whitening methods that you can apply at home.

Teeth Whitening at Home

In-home systems have become popular because they are inexpensive, easy to apply, and can be done in the comfort of one’s own home. There is a good selection of over-the-counter teeth whitening products that can be purchased without the consent or prescription of your oral care practitioner. They include whitening strips, whitening toothpaste, and even whitening gum. Having a mouth tray that fits properly is an important factor for comfort and health. Most over-the-counter products that have mouth trays don’t conform to the user’s mouth as well as an in-office system would. We offer custom bleaching trays made specifically for your mouth, which can be worn with whitening gel.

The problem with At-Home Teeth Whitening is that it must be done consistently every day over the course of several weeks (or even months) to get ideal results. With In-Office Teeth Whitening, you can get the same results in as little as an hour!

Professional Teeth Whitening at your Dentist’s Office

Professional teeth whitening is done in a dental office under the care of a qualified oral care practitioner. This method is the fastest way to brighten your teeth up to ten shades lighter in as little as an hour! The agents used in teeth whitening are considerably stronger than that of in-home teeth whitening strip, but with this method, your gums and the rest of your mouth are much more protected. The best systems for whitening teeth include a buffer in the gel that protects the tooth enamel from damage.

The effects of your treatment should last one or more years, it all depends on how well you take care and manage your teeth. If you follow up with an in-home teeth whitening system, and apply regularly, the effects could last even longer!

Teeth Whitening After Care Instructions

In order to maintain your new white smile, you may want to use take home teeth whitening treatments including bleaching trays, whitening toothpaste or whitening gum. It is important to avoid certain foods or drinks or behaviors which may stain your teeth, especially in the days immediately following your Professional Zoom Teeth Whitening treatment. These include:

Coffee
Dark Colored Tea
Sodas Especially Cola
Some Wines
Smoking
Staining Foods (like Red Berries)

In addition, you can protect your teeth by drinking certain beverages through a straw.

Is Teeth Whitening Right for Me?

It is important to note that teeth whitening treatment will help whiten surface stains but it may not be for everyone. For example, while it will not damage any existing dental restorations in your mouth, the treatment will not whiten any existing crowns (or caps), fillings, veneers, partials, gold, laminates, composite bonding, or other restorations. As a result, if you whiten your teeth your other restorations will appear darker and more noticeable in comparison, especially if you have restorations on your front teeth. Previous dental work would need to be replaced to match the newly whitened teeth, so keep this in mind. In addition, if you have decalcification, or white spots, on your teeth, it may make those white spots even whiter and more noticeable.

Finally, some people experience sensitive teeth after using at-home or in-office whitening treatment. If you already have sensitive teeth, there are some alternative teeth bleaching gels which may result in less sensitivity. In addition, your dentist may recommend using fluoride treatment or Sensodyne toothpaste to minimize any sensitivity from the teeth whitening treatments. Be sure to let your dentist or hygienist know if you have any additional concerns, and they will be happy to answer your questions.

Call us at (718) DR.SMILE (718-377-6453) to schedule an appointment or to have all of your questions answered by one of our professional team members, or click here to request a Zoom Teeth Consultation with us today!

Take a moment off this month from your March Madness Basketball fantasy to thank the Bronx women in your life; whether they are your sister, mother, wife, grandmother, daughter or aunt. Women play an important role in society, and they don’t have to be Amelia Earhart to do so. We here at Morris Park Dental Associates in the Bronx salute the women in the Bronx and the women of America! Call (718) DR.SMILE (718-377-6453) or schedule a dental appointment online today and get the smile that every woman deserves.

Women like Alice Paul, Malvina Reynolds, Rosa Parks, and Eleanor Roosevelt, all have something in common. What is it? Confidence! This month, we’re celebrating Women’s history by sharing one of the easiest ways to boost your confidence – your smile!

Your pearly-whites can be become not-so-pearly when you consume things that stain your teeth, weaken your enamel, and build up plaque.

Some of the most popular drinks consumed on a daily basis that can stain your teeth in the Bronx consist of: red wine, coffee, darkly colored juices and teas, soda and sauces.

Most of these also weaken your enamel and promote tooth decay. In addition to the aforementioned liquids, we can also add acidic foods such as blueberries, prunes, plumes, cashews, bacon, fish, and lamb. The list goes on and on.

In replacement of these delicious foods we consume so often, try veggie juices, almonds, cucumbers, pumpkin, celery, carrots, avocados, watermelon, tomatoes, peas, and kale.

Keeping healthy teeth habits will prevent plaque buildup, as well as brighten your smile and gums. Habits to hold on close to are those such as brushing twice a day, flossing once a day, and using a mouth rinse for at least 30 seconds twice a day, not to be confused with a mouthwash. The difference is that mouth rinses are an antiseptic that decrease bacteria, whereas mouthwash just freshens your breath. Mouthwash doesn’t actually protect you against plaque. Habits to stay away from can conclude with staying away from sticky foods which cling to your teeth, such as raisins, candies, and sugary and starchy foods.

Others things to stay away from, and some of the more obvious ones, include hard liquors, cigarettes, drugs, tobacco, beer, chemicals and aspirin.

If you or your child is just too stubborn, or don’t have enough time to brush twice a day, it is essential that the brushing at night is done. The level of saliva in your mouth decrease significantly at night, making plaque buildup, bad breath and cavities thrive while you’re asleep. Not to mention that there are probably still microscopic food particles left in, around and between your teeth, from eating throughout the day. This is another reason why flossing is so beneficial – it gets to the parts in between your teeth that your average toothbrush can’t get to.

In the long run, it pays to follow the recommendations of our Morris Park Bronx dentist; brushing twice a day, flossing once a day, and utilizing a mouth rinse. It saves you the pain, discomfort and cost of potential cavities, gum disease or plaque buildup.

Here are 5 tips that can make your teeth one step closer to that shine you desire:

Brush for at least 2 to 3 minutes.
Brush in front of a mirror; watch where you get and where you have yet to get to. Make sure you are getting along the gum line, this is the most commonly missed area, yet one of the most important.
Brush in a circular pattern. Start small and get bigger.
Do NOT brush too hard, you are actually doing more harm than good as this can cause damage to your tooth enamel.
Brush with the right toothbrush. Buy a toothbrush that is fitted correctly to the size of your mouth, with soft or ultra-soft bristles to minimize damage.

Above all, visit our dental office in the Bronx! Who knows your teeth better than your Bronx dental practitioner? Come see us on a regular basis so that an accurate, professional tab can be kept on your oral health. If anyone can identify the early signs of a gum disease or abnormality, it’s the great Bronx Dentists at Morris Park Dental Associates.

Your smile says something about you. The great women we talked about above exuded confidence and high self-esteem. One can say; “In the face of adversity I press on and keep my head held high and my smile big.”

Call our Morris Park Dentist office and request a dental appointment and consultation for all of your dentistry needs. From cosmetic dentistry to dental implants and dentures, we can help you look and feel confident! Call (718) DR.SMILE (718-377-6453) today to find out more about Dentistry In The Bronx.