Your Family Dentist Can Prevent and Treat Children’s Tooth Decay

As a family dentist, we focus on preventative oral health care and work to keep our patients cavity free.  With kids, this is particularly important because a toothache is difficult to deal with, and no child wants to undergo a major dental procedure.  By protecting and strengthening teeth, we can prevent many oral infections so that children can live pain-free.

There are several ways to protect your children from getting tooth decay but first it is important to note that it can happen at any time.  Many parents make the mistake of thinking that babies and toddlers are not susceptible to tooth decay.  In reality, it is incredibly common for young ones to develop cavities.  When they do, it is commonly referred to as baby bottle tooth decay because the biggest risk factor is letting children take a bottle to bed with milk or juice in it.  As the sugar from the drinks sits on the teeth, it can lead to infection.

We recommend that parents start to take care of their kids' teeth before they ever start coming in.  With babies, you can use a washrag to wipe away sugar from the gums and as they get older, brushing and flossing should be a normal routine in both the morning and evening.  Whenever you brush your teeth – brush theirs.  This is an essential step in preventing tooth decay and as a family dentist we must stress the importance of creating a good oral health routine when your kids are young.

Other than brushing and flossing, make sure to feed your children a healthy diet that contains crunchy fruits and vegetables, nuts, dairy, lean protein and green leafy vegetables in order to strengthen their teeth.  Additionally, regular trips to the dentist are important for keeping teeth cavity free.  We can remove the plaque and bacteria that you can’t get to at home.  We can also apply a fluoride treatment that has been known to prevent cavities.

If, during one of these dental exams, we identify signs of tooth decay, we will let you know and discuss a treatment plan.  Depending on how old they are, we will make a recommendation to treat it immediately or wait a few months. At our office, Dr. Rado practices gentle and kind dentistry and can provide treatment in a way that is not scary or intimidating for children.  She can even provide various forms of pain relief or sedation.  This can be incredibly important when working with children since they have a difficult time sitting still and any discomfort would only make it worst.

After years of experience as a family dentist, Dr. Rado is an expert at providing dental care and treating children in a way that gets the job done while keeping them comfortable.  If your child is complaining of a toothache, call and schedule your appointment so that we can examine them right away and set a course for treatment. 

A Dentist Review of Boston University’s Study on Gum Health and Coffee

As a local dentist office, we pay attention to research studies that can shed light into additional ways our patients can stay in good oral health.  We focus on preventative oral health care and sometimes by changing a routine slightly; the risk of an oral infection can be reduced.  Recently, we read an interesting report published by Boston University.

In this particular study, 1,000 men were observed for 30 years.  This was a long and ongoing study to determine how coffee impacts the health of teeth and gums.  Researchers found that men who drank one or more cups of coffee a day had less bone loss in their teeth than others within the group.  Bone loss is a common symptom of gum disease and can eventually lead to teeth falling out.  Interestingly, they found a direct link between drinking coffee and better long-term oral health.  Given the duration of the study, the findings are significant.  Additionally, they did not find any oral health consequences to being a heavy coffee drinker.

As a dentist, we understand that caffeine can have benefits to the gums and the body overall, when used in moderation.  The report was published by Raul Garcia, D.M.D., who came to the conclusion that the anti-inflammatory agents in coffee were likely responsible for the improved gum health.  Basically, if you drink coffee, you have less of a risk of your gums swelling.  Swollen gums can be uncomfortable and lead to further complications like bleeding.  Both diabetics and pregnant women are naturally at an increased risk of swollen gums since they tend to suffer from reduced blood flow overall.  Drinking a cup of coffee may have additional benefits for people with these risk factors, though only men were studied.

The results of the test may apply to other types of drinks with caffeine such as tea.  Caffeinated green tea may be a better option simply because it won’t stain your teeth as much as coffee will.  As a dentist, it is important for us to point out that coffee does stain teeth so if you drink a lot of it – you may need our teeth whitening services in order to brighten your teeth and remove yellow stains.  Fortunately, this is an easy procedure so if you want the benefits of coffee without the stains – you can.

Coffee is not a solve-all for gum disease so make sure to still practice good oral hygiene at home.  This includes brushing and flossing throughout the day to remove sugar, bacteria and plaque.  You should also drink a lot of water because coffee can make you dehydrated, and hydration is important for the health of your body and for producing the saliva that is necessary for a healthy mouth.   We also recommend that everyone have their teeth cleaned at least twice a year.  This allows us to remove bacteria and plaque that weren’t removed with at-home care.  As with most things in life, balance is important.  Adding a cup of coffee to an existing healthy routine, can be good for your gums and help your teeth to stay healthy for years to come.

Dental Veneers Expert, Dr. Rado, Attended the International Symposium on Ceramics

Dr. Rado is passionate about cosmetic dentistry, and dental veneers are one solution she uses to transform her patient’s smiles.  Cosmetic dentistry can do far more than restore a damaged tooth.  It can give people their confidence back and change the way that they approach life.  Studies conducted by Oral-B found that those with a beautiful smile were considered to be 20% more attractive than those without.  A smile transformation can literally change your appearance and how people view you and Dr. Rado enjoys being part of that transformative process.

Her passion drives her to continue to learn new ways to improve her craft and deliver stunning results for patients.  In June, she attended the International Symposium on Ceramics to learn about new best practices and how she can implement them in our dental practice. Some of the lectures included information on how to improve shading so that the ceramics look as natural as possible while others addressed the complexities of full mouth restorations.

Some technological improvements, like CAD/CAM adhesive technologies make it possible for more of the natural tooth to be preserved.  When a patient gets dental veneers, the dentist typically has to prepare the tooth by removing enamel from it.  This is done so that the veneer, a thin shell, can lay flat and in line with the gums.  If enamel isn’t removed, the glue and veneer may be so bulky that the tooth sticks out above the rest.  This new type of adhesive is applied so thinly that less of the natural tooth enamel needs to be removed, which is better for the tooth and the patient overall.

Many of the lectures involved demonstrating new ways to apply ceramic and porcelain veneers with minimally invasive techniques that preserve the natural tooth structure and are more comfortable overall.  As a painless dentist, Dr. Rado is always interested in finding new ways to improve her patient’s dental experience and was able to learn new tips and suggestions for doing so.  The benefit of attending this type of event is that dentists can learn from each other. Very often, one person is pioneering a certain technique that when combined with what the dentist is already doing, can deliver superior results.  Dr. Rado uses these opportunities to both share with and learn from the dental community at large.

New technology is also being utilized in the dental laboratory which makes creating perfect looking dental veneers easier than ever.  Some of this new technology was being demonstrated, and it highlights how easy it is to view what a patients smile will look like when the veneers or another cosmetic application is applied.  This allows the dentist and lab techs to work together to make changes to the design before they are completed.  As this technology improves, it may reduce the procedure time by nearly eliminating the need to make adjustments to the veneers before they are applied.  Dr. Rado is following this and will continue to implement the technology that she feels will be most beneficial for our patients.

As a Local Dentist We Provide Painless Dentistry

Millions of adults have anxiety at the thought of visiting the dentist.  The level of anxiety or fear is different for each person, but those with severe anxiety may find it difficult to even have their teeth cleaned. Unfortunately, this can make the situation worst because without ongoing preventative care, cavities and gum disease may develop.  

We make it a priority to help our patients feel comfortable and overcome their fears.  This starts by being gentle and kind.  We listen to our patients so that we can understand what they are going through and what concerns that they may have which enables us to tailor their treatment plan accordingly.

Recently, a new patient visited our dentist office. He hadn’t been to the dentist in around ten years because the last time he went in to a different dentist; it was painful and he became afraid to go back.  Because of this fear, he didn’t schedule an appointment when his tooth started hurting.  He kept brushing it off and hoping it would stop feeling bad.  As with many oral infections, the pain actually got worst.  After hearing about our office, he finally gave in and scheduled an appointment.  When he walked in, our staff could tell that he was distraught and offered him some water to help him relax.  Knowing that the patient was uncomfortable, Dr. Rado saw him right away and offered a mild sedative to help him relax.  The transformation was instantaneous and he was able to start breathing slowly and carry on a conversation with Dr. Rado and our staff.

As an expert in painless dentistry, Dr. Rado was able to treat the tooth infection while keeping him comfortable.  After the procedure was over he was so relieved and could hardly believe that the tooth had been treated so easily.  After experiencing the difference that painless dentistry can make, he has continued to have his teeth cleaned on a regular basis and is no longer fearful of coming in for treatments.

This is the type of transformation that we see on a regular basis.  Too often people have had a bad experience when they were younger or due to a dental professional that isn’t gentle.  Once they experience painless dentistry, most patients change their mind about what a teeth cleaning or dental treatment can feel like.  Our goal is to make patients feel as comfortable as possible from the moment they walk in the door to when their treatment is being performed and afterwards.  By putting our patients first and ensuring their comfort, we hope to give them a new definition of what dentistry can be and are delighted when people that once feared the dentist are happy to come in.

Many of our patients have been so pleased with their experience that they are willing to share their story.  If you are worried about getting your teeth cleaned or having dental work performed, let our office manager know.  We can connect you with another patient that can explain their story and how Dr. Rado took care of their dental needs in a painless and comfortable way.