San Ramon, CA Dentist Dr. Mohammad Khandaqji, DDS and the Mona Lisa Smile Dental team present a Free Teeth Cleaning Day
If you have a baby or toddler, you may have questions about thumb sucking, your child’s first dental visit or how and when to clean your child’s teeth. If so, the Mona Lisa Smile Dental team invites you to attend a Free Teeth Cleaning Day for children under 15. It will be held on Saturday February 27th, 2016 from 9am to 4pm at the Mona Lisa Smile Dental office located at 3124 Crow Canyon Pl Suite D in San Ramon, California.
Every February, the American Dental Association (ADA) sponsors National Children’s Dental Health Month. During Free Teeth Cleaning Day parents will learn about when children should have their first dental visit, ways to prevent early childhood caries, when to expect changes from primary to permanent teeth, proper brushing and flossing techniques, thumbsucking, dental sealants, choosing the right mouth protector for active children and adolescents, and teaching their children to say no to tobacco. Parents will also learn about the importance of regular dental examinations.
While younger children attend appointments with their parents, teens take more control over their free time and may not spend time for dental check-ups. “Many teens do not see a dentist for regular dental care and some have never even been to the dentist. They don’t get the care they need or the proper oral education to make smart decisions on the foods they eat and on how to practice good oral hygiene habits at home.
“Children’s teeth are meant to last a lifetime, and a healthy smile is important to a child’s self-esteem. With proper care, a balanced diet and regular dental visits, their teeth can remain healthy and strong,” said Dr. Khandaqji. To register for Free Teeth Cleaning Day, call Sahar at 925-543-0000 at the Mona Lisa Smile Dental office.
Please join Mona Lisa Smile Dental in celebrating National Children’s Dental Health Month. Together, we can increase awareness and education about proper oral care, and help the next generation maintain their bright, joyful smiles for years to come. Members of the community are invited to attend to learn about teeth and taking good care of them, participate in lots of fun games and activities that educate kids on oral health, and to exchange their old toothbrush for a new one that lights up.
Dr. Khandaqji and the Mona Lisa Smile Dental team know that tooth decay is a disease that is, by and large, preventable. Because of how it is caused and when it begins, however, steps to prevent it ideally should begin prenatally with pregnant women and continue with the mother and young child, beginning when the infant is approximately 6 months of age. Pediatricians have become increasingly aware that their own proactive efforts to provide education and good oral health screenings can help prevent needless tooth decay in infants.
Your Baby’s Oral Health: Never Too Early to Start
As the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other children’s organizations report, tooth decay (also called early childhood caries, or ECC) is the most common chronic children’s disease in the country. As a result, it is very important that parents work with their pediatrician to establish good oral health care from the first weeks of their baby’s life. Although most of us think of dental care in relation to our own dentists, parents will be working closely with their pediatrician even earlier than with a dentist. Since pediatricians see young infants and children frequently for preventive health care visits, they are in an excellent position to identify children at risk for dental health problems, coordinate appropriate care and parent education, and refer affected and high-risk children to pediatric dentists.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated that dental caries is five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever in children. More than 40 percent of children have tooth decay by the time they reach kindergarten. Children with dental caries in their baby teeth are at much greater risk for cavities in their adult teeth. The following general guidelines may be of help to parents who wish to establish good dental health for their infants:
1. Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that is found in many foods, and it also is added to the drinking water in some cities and towns. It can benefit dental health by strengthening the tooth enamel, making it more resistant to acid attacks that can cause tooth decay. Check with your local water utility agency to find out if your water has fluoride in it. If it doesn’t, ask your doctor if you should get a prescription for fluoride drops or chewable tablets for your child.
2. Check and clean your baby’s teeth, healthy baby teeth should be all one color. If you see spots or stains on the teeth, take your baby to your dentist. As soon as your child has a tooth begin to use a smear of fluoride toothpaste and clean the teeth at least twice a day. It’s best to clean them right after breakfast and before bedtime.
3. Once your child turns 3 you can begin to use a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. When you child is able, teach him to spit out the excess toothpaste, but don’t rinse with water. As your child gets older let them use their own toothbrush. Until children are 7 or 8 years old, you will need to help them brush. Try brushing their teeth first and then letting them finish.
4. Always try to feed your baby healthy food, mainly drinks and foods that do not have a lot of sugar in them. Give your child fruits and vegetables instead of candy and cookies. Be careful with dried fruits, such as raisins, since they easily stick to the grooves of the teeth and can cause cavities if not thoroughly brushed off the teeth.
5. Help prevent tooth decay by not putting your baby to bed with a bottle at night or at naptime. Fill the bottle with water If you do put your baby to bed with a bottle. Milk, formula, juices and other sweet drinks, such as soda, all have sugar in them. Sucking on a bottle filled with liquids that have sugar in them can cause tooth decay. If your baby uses a pacifier, do not dip it in anything sweet like sugar or honey. Near their first birthday, you should teach your child to drink from a cup instead of a bottle.
Find more information about kids’ oral health at MouthHealthy.org. Including how to get information about healthy habits for babies and kids. You can take a Fact or Fiction quiz about babies’ and kids’ oral health. Visit MouthHealthyKids.org for oral health videos featuring Sesame Street’s “Elmo” and PSAs from the Ad Council.
If it’s time to plan a first visit to the dentist or return visit for a check-up and cleaning, Mona Lisa Smile Dental is ready to put your child on the path to a lifetime of good oral hygiene. To register for Free Teeth Cleaning Day and get your child off to a great start! Dr. Khandaqji likes to see children by their first birthday or within six months of the first tooth’s emergence. At this first visit, your he can easily check your child’s teeth and determine the frequency of future dental checkups.
