February marks National Children's Dental Health Month. For oral health tips on promoting a healthy mouth for your children, please check out the press release put out by the Academy of General Dentistry titled "Baby's First Steps to a Healthy Mouth".  http://www.agd.org/support/articles/?ArtID=9045  If you have any further questions regarding dental health in children, please feel free to contact our office.

Happy Holidays from our family to yours!

Halloween is quickly approaching and concerns of cavities from candy are abundant.  Here are a few tips to follow to reduce your child's risk of cavities during the sweetest time of the year:

    1.  Everything in moderation. Try to avoid candy binges, as the longer the sugar is in contact with the teeth, the higher the risk of cavities.

    2.  Try to avoid sticky candies such as taffy, caramel and gummies.  These candies are harder for your saliva to wash away and neutralize.

    3.  Hard candies, like lollipops, should also be avoided.  These types of candies increase the time sugar is in contact with teeth, therefore increasing the risk of developing cavities.

    4.  Brush your child's teeth for at least 2 mintues with a fluoridated toothpaste after every exposure to sugar.

    5.  Introduce a fluoride mouthrinse to your child's bedtime routine (such as ACT rinse). Fluoride makes teeth stronger and more resistant to decay.

    6.  When daytime brushing is not an option, give your child a piece of sugar-free gum (especially one containing Xylitol) within 30 minutes of eating candy. This counteracts the acidic environment created by the increase in sugar and reduces the risk of cavities.

    7.  Visit your dentist and have him/her place sealants on your child's teeth. These block the dangerous sugars and acids from penetrating the hard to brush grooves on molars.

Have a Happy and Safe Halloween!!

We are now offering an oral probiotic called EvoraPro in our office. It is a tiny mint that is used daily after your dental cleaning to help promote dental and gingival health.  Just like probiotics taken for digestive health, these mints replenish the "good" bacteria in the mouth and crowd out the "bad" bacteria that are detrimental to your dental and gingival health. Additionally, they will help keep that fresh from the dentist feeling longer. For more information, please contact our office at (408) 297-0201, or you can visit www.EvoraPro.com for additional details.

Welcome back to our blog! We are excited here today, as we are leaving for a ten-day conference on Esthetic Dentistry and Periodontics. We will be learning some valuable information on new techniques, products and technology that we can apply in our office to better serve you. We look forward to sharing everything we learn with you when we return. Happy Independence Day!!  --Dr. Denise