Minnetonka Dental

Why Good Dental Health is Important

Innumerable studies and research have concluded on the importance of starting children early in their lives with good dental hygiene and oral care. According to research, the most common chronic childhood disease in America is tooth decay, affecting 50 percent of first-graders and 80 percent of 17-year-olds. Early treatment prevents problems affecting a child's health, well-being, self-image and overall achievement.

The National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research estimates that children will miss 52 million hours of school each year due to oral health problems and about 12.5 million days of restricted activity every year from dental symptoms. Because there is such a significant loss in their academic performance, the Surgeon General has made children's oral health a priority.

Parents are responsible for ensuring their children practice good dental hygiene. Parents must introduce proper oral care early in a child's life—as early as infancy. The American Dental Hygiene Association states that a good oral hygiene routine for children includes:

• Thoroughly cleaning your infant's gums after each feeding with a water-soaked infant cloth. This stimulates the gum tissue and removes food.
• Teaching your child at age 3 about proper brushing techniques with a small, soft-bristled toothbrush and a pea-sized amount of fluoridated toothpaste and helping them with brushing and flossing until 7 or 8 years old.
• Regular visits with their dentist to check for cavities in the primary teeth and for possible developmental problems.
• Encouraging your child to discuss any fears they may have about oral health visits, but not mentioning words like "pain" or "hurt," since this may instill the possibility of pain in the child's thought process.
• Determining if the water supply that serves your home is fluoridated; if not, discussing supplement options with your dentist or hygienist.
• Asking your dentist about sealant applications to protect your child's teeth-chewing surfaces and about early childhood caries, which occurs when teeth are frequently exposed to sugared liquids.

 *********SEALANT INFORMATION:

Recently, concerns have been expressed in the media regarding Bisphenol-A Dimethacrylate (BPA) content in dental sealants.  At Dentistry for Children & Adolescents, we use Ultraseal XT plus, produced by Ultradent Products, Inc.  UltraSeal XT plus does NOT contain Bisphenol-A Dimethacrylate.

For further information regarding our sealant material please see the links below.

http://www.ultradent.com/bpa-free

http://blogs.ultradent.com/fischer/2008/04/bisphenola_in_dental_sealants_1.php

http://blogs.ultradent.com/fischer/2008/05/results_from_testing_for_bisph.php

http://www.ultradent.com/podcast/40_bisphenol-a.mp3

"Our dental assistant was wonderful. Her energetic, friendly personality was a great fit for Emma. Thank you. I've always liked Dr. Lisa. She seems to "get" Emma's autism and her eating issues/oral defensiveness. She never pressures me or makes me feel guilty about what we can't do at the moment."