From Dr. Bevin Malley, Charlotte, NC Pediatric Dentist

• If your child is old enough to spit out toothpaste, clean the mouth after each meal by brushing thoroughly with fluoride toothpaste. If your child is still a baby, you can clean the inside of your baby’s mouth by wiping the gums and budding teeth with gauze moistened with water. When a few teeth have erupted, begin using a baby toothbrush with 2-3 rows of very soft bristles and seek advice from your pediatric dentist or pediatrician about when to start using toothpaste.
• Floss or use another kind of interdental cleaner daily. This will remove plaque from between the teeth and under the gums.
• Keep in mind that many children’s medicines contain sugar. It may be a difficult task to accomplish a thorough brushing when your child feels miserable, but do your best. Rinse thoroughly with water.
• See a dentist regularly and have the teeth professionally cleaned at the dental office on a schedule prescribed by the dentist.
• How long carbohydrates stay on the teeth is a factor in tooth decay. The rule of thumb is to clean the mouth immediately after eating. If this is not possible, say after eating a snack on the playground, then drink water to rinse food off of teeth.
• Are you putting your baby to bed with a bottle? Only water should be in that bottle or carbohydrates from the bottle will be in lengthy contact with your baby’s teeth, creating an environment for tooth decay.
• Because your child is more likely to clean her or his teeth after meals, keep between meal snacks to a minimum or limit them to nutritious foods low in sugar and starches. Ideally offer vegetables and fruits that are high in water content. Examples are pears, melons, and celery. Brush teeth immediately after eating fruits rich in sugar such a raisins and bananas. High carbohydrate foods such as potato chips are a problem if the food residue is not cleaned away. Intentionally work at minimizing sticky foods such as candy and syrup.
• Your growing child needs lots of calcium to build strong teeth and bones. Serve foods high in calcium like milk, cheese, yogurt, and broccoli. Cheese is a great snack because it triggers saliva production in the mouth that assists in washing food particles off of teeth.
• Offer milk and water in place of sugar drinks but remember that milk naturally contains some sugar. Clean and rinse the mouth after drinks containing sugar and those that are acidic. These include milk, soft drinks, juices, ice tea, and rehydration sports drinks. Ginger ale and root beer are low in acid, but keep in mind their sugar content requires a follow up cleaning of the teeth.
• Chewing gum increases saliva flow, washing food particles away from teeth, but you should offer only the sugar-free and xylital-sweetened varieties. Xylital-sweetened chewing gum has been shown to reduce the amount of bacteria in the mouth.

Readers of these tips obviously care about doing the healthiest things for their children. To get your children get off to the right start, consult with a pediatric dentist in Charlotte. Even if you do your best to maintain your child’s oral health, it is still very common for children to get cavities. Periodic checkups allow your child’s dentist to “nip any problems in the bud” and provide optimal preventive care and treatment.

A Message from Dr. Bevin Malley, Charlotte NC Pediatric Dentist

The effect of good nutrition on a child’s teeth begins when the child is in the womb. Tooth development occurs during the second trimester of pregnancy, and healthy development depends on the mother having a well balanced diet, including adequate amounts of calcium, phosphorous, protein, and Vitamins A, C and D.

The tooth enamel that begins to form during pregnancy does not complete hardening until several months after a child is born. Breast milk or baby formula is the source of the essential nutrients during these critical months.

Once teeth have erupted through the gums and are exposed in your child’s mouth, maintaining a healthy environment in the mouth is important for maintaining healthy tooth enamel. A healthy oral environment is dependent on good nutrition. Here’s why.

Bacteria in the mouth thrive on starches and sugars left on the teeth. Many foods are full of these carbohydrates, and when carbohydrates stay on teeth for a length of time, a film of bacteria called “plaque” forms on the surface of the teeth and produces an acid that erodes tooth enamel. Over time, this acid causes cavities in the teeth. This is why dentists recommend cleaning your child’s teeth after every meal and even snack. It doesn’t take long for bacteria to proliferate and produce acid. A good rule of thumb is to immediately brush and rinse food particles away from the teeth.

Good nutrition helps your child’s body fight infections and viruses of all kinds, not just maintain healthy tooth enamel. “Good nutrition” for your child is balanced, full of nutrients, and low in sticky starches and sugars. This means eating appropriately from the five food groups. The USDA has created a new food guide for children called “MyPlate.” Click on this link and read about the proportions of the various food groups that are recommended.

Most parents realize sugary foods like candy, cookies, and soft drinks need to be limited, but they don’t always realize that high carbohydrate foods like potato chips are also a problem if the food residue is not cleaned away.

Many parents offer nutrient rich fruits such as milk, bananas and raisins but don’t realize they contain sugar that needs to be cleaned from the teeth.

Be intentional about teaching your child to brush and rinse even after snacking, as much as possible. Rinsing the mouth with water is better than nothing if snacking occurs away from home.

Cheese is a great snack because it triggers saliva production in the mouth that assists in washing food particles off of teeth. Fruits and vegetables that have high water content are also excellent choices for snacks, when away from the toothbrush. Examples of these are pears, melons, and celery. Less food residue will stick to the teeth and in nooks and crannies of the mouth to feed bacteria.

Regular check ups by a pediatric dentist in Charlotte such as Dr. Bevin Malley will ensure your child receives the preventive dental care that all children deserve. In her next article, Charlotte Pediatric Dentist, Dr. Bevin Malley will be writing more about healthy snacking and oral hygiene habits to maintain healthy teeth.

“Let me know if I can be of help in answering any specific questions you have regarding your child’s oral health and nutrition,” says Dr. Malley. “My mission is to help you help your child establish healthy habits for a lifetime of healthy, beautiful smiles.”

The FDA has warned that electric Spinbrush toothbrushes can break apart and cause injury. Charlotte NC Pediatric Dentist, Dr. Bevin Malley, recommends that you read the FDA’s February 16, 2012 online news release and take the following precautions recommended by the FDA. Consult with a pediatric dentist in Charlotte if your child receives an injury.

FDA Advice to Parents, Caregivers and Consumers

• Before using the Spinbrush, inspect it for any damage or loose brush bristles. If you find any, do not use the brush. Report it to Church & Dwight, which can be reached toll-free at 1-800-352-3384 or 1-800-561-0752.
• Make sure the brush head is connected tightly to the brush handle, and test the brush outside of your mouth before using. If the connection feels loose or the brush head easily detaches from the handle, do not use the brush. Report it to Church & Dwight.
• Use care not to bite down on the brush head while brushing.
• To prevent injuries, always supervise children and adults who may need assistance when using the Spinbrush.
• Follow the instructions and recommended replacement guidelines included with the Spinbrush.
• Report injuries or problems with the Spinbrush to MedWatch—FDA’s Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program either online, by regular mail, by fax or by phone.
• Online
• Regular Mail: Use postage-paid, pre-addressed FDA form 3500
• Fax: 800-FDA-0178
• Phone: 800-332-1088

Preventive dentistry is important at every age. Learning about your level of risk for various dental diseases can be the first step towards preventing some of the most common dental conditions. Once your dentist has had the opportunity to educate you about your dental health, the appropriate dental treatments can be recommended.

In fact, educating parents on how to protect a child’s dental health should be considered an important component of preventive dental care. Dr. Malley will want to partner with the parent or caregiver in order to ensure that your child is receiving accurate and consistent signals in terms of practicing good oral hygiene habits.For children and patients with special needs, access to this level of specialized care is even more important.

Consulting a pediatric dentist in Charlotte such as Dr. Bevin Malley may be the best way to ensure that your child receives the preventive dental care that all children deserve.

For children, establishing a predictable routine is one of the best known methods of instilling a habit. Including regular visits to your Charlotte NC pediatric dentist as part of your child’s oral hygiene routine can help to reinforce the healthy habits that you are encouraging at home.

Once you and your child have become acquainted with Dr. Malley and his team, comprehensive and periodic dental exams will be necessary to identify possible risk factors for dental disease. These examinations will also enable your pediatric dentist to detect and treat active dental diseases as soon as possible.

A routine dental cleaning can help to prevent childhood periodontal disease, cavities, and even bad breath. Both the parent and the child will receive positive reinforcement for good oral hygiene and age-appropriate patient education when there is a need for improvement. It can be easy to fall off track between dental visits, and these periodic refreshers can provide the encouragement that your child needs to stay on course.

Today’s state of the art dental x-ray technology allows your pediatric dentist to rapidly identify common dental conditions such as tooth decay, unerupted teeth, and developmental conditions. Similar to other health conditions, early detection can often be the key to preventing the damage that would otherwise occur if these conditions were to be left undiagnosed.

Dental sealants are a commonly recommended treatment during a pediatric dental visit. Placing a conservative, protective coating on the biting surfaces of the back teeth can prevent cavities from forming in the tooth’s natural grooves and pits.

A high concentration of fluoride may be applied to the teeth following your child’s routine dental cleaning. Fluoride treatments are often recommended in addition to the fluoride that may be found in your drinking water or toothpaste. Weakened areas within the enamel and the very earliest signs of tooth decay can be strengthened and remineralized with proper doses of topical fluoride.

Locating a Charlotte, NC pediatric dentist like Dr. Malley can ensure that your child’s earliest dental visits are positive educational experiences. Providing your child with the necessary exposure to preventive dentistry can be a gift that truly lasts a lifetime.

Carolina Kids Dentistry was proud to partner with Robinson Orthodontics to sponsor the free “Show Us Your Smile” photo booth at Mint Hill Madness this year.

Dr. Bevin Malley, a Charlotte, NC pediatric dentist, continued to spread the word about our pediatric dentistry practice, as well as the importance of good oral hygiene.

We understand the importance of educating children about proper dental health in a way that is fun and engaging. That’s why we wanted to be involved in the “Show Us Your Smile” booth. Inside the booth, children got to choose from a variety of props such as feather boas, wigs and sunglasses to create their own version of “madness.”

“No fair is complete without a photo booth,” said Mint Hill dentistry professional Dr. Malley. “The kids had great fun posing for pictures and the booth provided an opportunity to speak with kids about good oral health habits.”

The more exposure kids have to dentists, the better they tend to feel about letting a dentist work on their teeth.

We also handed out goody bags filled with toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss. We like to be involved in community events such as Mint Hill Madness and similar events because although we opened in December 2010, we are still relatively new and we have lots of people to meet. We believe that family-oriented events are an ideal outlet for us to spread the word about who we are, where our office is located and the services we offer.

“We truly enjoy doing events throughout the community because it enables us to connect with our community since they were so receptive to us even before we opened our doors,” said Dr. Malley.

The Mint Hill Chamber of Commerce sponsored the family-friendly event, which is held annually to celebrate the arrival of the fall season. This year’s 29th annual event was held Sept. 23 and 24 in downtown Mint Hill. It featured dancing, live music, a beauty pageant, fireworks, a 5k run and an assortment of children’s activities throughout the two-day event.