Parents know that taking care of small children is a full-time job – and along with diaper changes, bath time, and medical checkups, parents also need to take care of their children’s teeth.

Birth to 18 months: no toothpaste required

Start cleaning your child’s teeth as soon as the teeth begin to come in – but you don’t need toothpaste at first.  For babies younger than 18 months, the best way to clean your child’s teeth is with a wet cloth or gauze – without toothpaste.  Gently rub your child’s teeth and gums with a cloth over your fingertip – this, along with nursing and/or drinking water, is all the oral hygiene that your child needs at the infant stage. Once your child has more of a “full set” of teeth, you can use a small, soft toothbrush to brush your child’s teeth with water.

When to start toothpaste? 18 months

In general, children should not use toothpaste until they are at least 18 months old – and when you do start using toothpaste, make sure it is a safe “children’s toothpaste” made especially for young ones. Young children have different dental needs than grown-ups – and children’s toothpaste is made for this purpose.

What to look for in a children’s toothpaste:

·         Safe to swallow: Most young children tend to swallow while brushing, rather than spitting out the toothpaste – so make sure that your children’s toothpaste is formulated with this in mind.

·         Use only a pea-sized amount: Don’t use too much toothpaste – just squeeze a small, pea-size (or smaller) amount onto the toothbrush. Your child doesn’t need much toothpaste to be effective, and you don’t want your child to swallow too much toothpaste.

·         Consider low-fluoride children’s toothpaste: Fluoride is an important element of keeping teeth healthy and strong, but too much fluoride can be harmful for young children. Talk to your dentist if you have concerns about fluoride in your child’s toothpaste – several varieties of children’s toothpaste have lower amounts of fluoride or are fluoride-free.

·         Fun flavors: Try some different flavors of toothpaste and see what your child likes. Some children – especially at the toddler stage – are very picky about flavors and might be reluctant to use a certain flavor of toothpaste. So be prepared to buy a few different varieties of children’s toothpaste and see which one is your child’s favorite.

Remember: brushing your child’s teeth is part of parenting, and you need to start at a young age. By taking the time each day – before bedtime and in the morning – to clean your child’s teeth with a specially-formulated children’s toothpaste, you will be helping to create a lifetime of healthy dental habits and happy smiles.

Perhaps this is the professional ally we each should consider for these and similar symptoms. My own symptoms have nagged me for a number of years, but it wasn’t until a recent episode in which a tooth became extremely sensitive to cold which prompted me to consult with Dr. Anthony Lordo. In this visit, thanks to Dr. Lordo, many issues were addressed and improved.

After studying an x-ray film that was taken of my cold-sensitive tooth in which no obvious problems were revealed, Dr. Lordo almost immediately suspected that my bite relationship needed to be adjusted slightly. His dental examination showed that therewere certain areas in which my teeth were occluding, or coming together, with more force than is healthy. There were areas in which he could see that my teeth were worn heavily. In other words, he explained to me, if certain teeth hit heavily while other teeth do not, this can impact the muscles of the face and jaw in a myriad of ways. Each individual is different, but with years of experience in examining patients, Dr. Lordo can almost immediately suspect whether or not a patient suffers from headaches just by studying their teeth bite patterns.

“Centric relation” is what Dr. Lordo strives to achieve in order to improve a patient’s health and wellness. For those who fear dental visits, rest assured that this is a completely painless experience, requiring no numbing anesthetic or even much time spent in the dental chair.

With gentle brushstrokes, Dr. Lordo very slightly adjusted my teeth that were hitting heavily each time I would tap down on marking paper. I found the process not only completely painless, but relaxing, due to Dr. Lordo’s gentle, assuring professionalism. As he completed these adjustments, Dr. Lordo was able to confirm improvement. I could also confirm this improvement, as I could feel that the muscles of my jaw were relaxing, approaching harmony.

By the time this short visit was completed, the improvement I felt was quite amazing. Tension had been alleviated in my jaw joints, which in turn lessened the almost constant pressure I have felt in and around my ears for a very long time. This pressure often is accompanied by a somewhat vague feeling of dizziness, or unsteadiness, with a sort of tension and sometimes pain often running across the back of my neck. All of that was gone. I felt euphoric.

I awoke the next morning with absolutely no headache. Very often, for me, a morning headache is accompanied by sore, tense jaw muscles. Quite often, this pain and tightness is also felt along the base of my neck, and even as the pain lets up, a stiffness in the neck is pervasive. Instead, in the days following my visit to Dr. Lordo’s office, I felt incredibly relaxed and invigorated after having spent a good night sleeping deeply. I awoke refreshed and eager to start my day.

Incredibly, the cold sensitivity I had felt in the tooth which sent me to the dental office in the first place is also slowly improving.

Dr. Lordo explained to me that my case is a significant one, and because of this long-standing set of problems, one visit alone is likely not going to solve all of my issues. We intend to follow up with another visit in which Dr. Lordo will complete further adjustments if necessary, and he recommends fitting me for a very specific night guard which will help keep this improvement moving in the right direction.

What impressed me most of all is that Dr. Lordo treated me as an individual, and he truly wanted to help alleviate not only the singular symptom for which I sought his treatment, but he considered much more of my overall health and well-being.

~Judie Sutherland

My dental team and I find this concept to be concerning. While it is true that tooth whitening is one of the safest cosmetic procedures that a person can elect to have performed to improve their smile, it is NOT completely without risk. If someone has an unknown cavity or undiagnosed gum or bone disease, the whitening agent could prove very, very painful. Every good dentist will always perform a complete dental, gum and oral cancer exam before any type of whitening is recommended or offered. This important step is skipped at Mall Tooth Whitening Kiosks.

The cost of this experimental tooth whitening concept is $100.00 to 200.00. We are surprised by how many people are willing to spend this much money on tooth whitening that is questionable at best. Many dentists, including our office, offer free tooth whitening with any complete exam, dental hygiene cleaning and x-rays. The cost is still around $200.00 and you are receiving so much more for your money.