My Child Has a Mouth Sore – What Can I Do?

Mouth sores come in many different forms and are quite common in people of all ages, including young children. These irritating lesions usually aren’t a cause for concern, but can be quite annoying and painful. They can make eating, drinking and brushing teeth uncomfortable. However, there are several steps you can take to relieve your child of pain associated with a mouth sore and even help prevent sores from occurring.

Types of Mouth Sores

The first step in knowing how to treat a mouth sore is to figure out what type of sore it is. Most types of mouth sores can be distinguished by how they look and where they appear. The most common mouth sores to look for include:

• Cold sores – Also called a fever blister, this type of sore is usually found on the lips and around the mouth. It is a red, raised blister caused by the contagious herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). A child can contract the virus by kissing, sharing utensils or even a slobbery toy with an infected person. So as you can imagine, toddlers and preschool-aged children as especially susceptible to the virus.
• Canker sores – Canker sores are ulcers that occur inside the mouth and have a white or yellowish, concave center with a red border. They can form inside the cheeks, lips, the base of the gums, and on or under the tongue. Unlike cold sores, cankers sores are not contagious, but are brought on by a variety of causes. Biting the lip or cheek, diet, poor immune system, and stress are all factors that can contribute to a canker sore.

If your child has one of these types of sores, there are several things you can do to help remedy any pain or discomfort associated with the sore. Over-the-counter topical medications such as Abreva, Zilactin, Anbesol, Orajel or Orajel Baby, and pain relievers like ibuprofen or acetaminophen can usually do the trick. Check the label on medications for age recommendations, and consult with your doctor before using it for a younger child. Ensure that your children are brushing their teeth with care and using a soft bristle toothbrush. Additionally, monitor what type of food they eat, as chips and other abrasive foods or spicy foods can irritate the sore even more. Common mouth sores will eventually heal on their own within a few days to a week.

While it can be difficult to prevent your child from getting a mouth sore, discouraging them from sharing cups and utensils or putting toys in their mouth can help prevent cold sores. Likewise, discouraging lip biting and ensuring your child has a well-rounded diet can help prevent canker sores.

If you find that your child’s mouth sores reoccur frequently, aren’t going away after several days, or are occurring with a fever, consult a dentist or doctor. A prescription medication or mouth rinse may be given to help progress healing and prevent more sores from returning.

Don’t Pull Your Hair Out Over Brushing Your Kids’ Teeth

Whining at tooth-brushing time can make you want to pull your own hair out. We know a better solution than threatening to take them to the dentist and pulling their teeth out instead.

How exactly can you get your kids into the bathroom and brushing their teeth correctly?

Don’t feel like the Lone Ranger when it comes to having problems getting kids to follow through with tooth brushing. Survey results show that just 58% of children brush their teeth 2X a day. Your goal is to get your kids into the bathroom and brushing their teeth correctly? Here are 5 tips to peace and quiet in your home as well as healthier mini-me’s.

1) A special trip to the store for toothbrush shopping

Everyone likes buying new things; it just makes you feel better. Children are no different.

• Before the trip, do some talking around them that you are planning a big excursion for an important purchase for their health, something that will really help them in a special way. Let them know that they’re going to be allowed to choose their very own “special” toothbrush.
• You are smart because you are using psychology to help you get to your goals: kids brush teeth and reduce dental disease. It’s a well-known fact that when a child chooses a toothbrush on their own, they are making a much deeper commitment. They actually own the decision when it’s their choice. And, they are much more likely to actually use it.
• Go for the counter at the drug store with the colorful brushes, action figures and cartoon characters. It may seem elementary, but they are going to do much better if they own the toothbrush in their mind.

2) Establish a pattern of behavior

Timing is everything. Like any routine, once it’s learned, it becomes a habit and is not fought against. The trick is to make it fun, easy and forgettable (as to the stress part of it).

As a child develops, the one thing that is comforting to him or her is being in a routine.

Routines give them a sense of security, helps them to develop the discipline necessary to do boring things…such as following good oral hygiene practices!

3) Happy Time

Could it be that kids just mimic what they see their parents doing? The average person does not brush their teeth for the full two minutes that dentist’s recommend. Why would a kid know any different? We need to be better role models, certainly. I know it’s boring to brush for two minutes, but there are payoffs if we do.

Cooperation comes from making it a fun game, a happy time. Perhaps some of the following suggestions will do the trick.

• What if you also brushed as the child brushed? Just that could make it a fun time.
• Prop a favorite doll on the bathroom shelf above the child. At tooth brushing time, take the doll down and have your child practice brushing the doll’s teeth. Next, tell them how happy their doll is with them and the job they did. Finally, suggest they give it a try on their own teeth.
• YouTube has in its archives many “toothbrush songs”. To make brushing fun for your kids fine one for each day of the week and play a different song each time. You’ll notice that most are two minutes long, just the right amount of time to brush thoroughly.
• If you can create a game of it all, you will win big time. When they go the full two minuted duration, they win. When they make all the right moves, brushing inside and outside, they win. Be sure they get a prize when they compete the game!

4) The family that brushes together stays together.

As I mentioned, do this as a group. Child, mom and dad doing the tooth brush shuffle!

• When the time comes to whisk away the sugar bugs, make it a big deal. Excitement sells lots of things, even tooth brushing. The fun you generate on your way to the bathroom will pay off in spades when you visit the dentist in a few months.
• Kids want in on the fun. Curiosity can get them to follow you both to the bathroom. There the brushing can begin. Talk about the doll or the super hero figure needing to be saved from sugar bug attack. Make it fun time for the child.

5) Electric toothbrushes work for kids

As adults, most of us probably use an electric toothbrush because they are absolutely the best for us. The truth is, kids absolutely love them, too.

Several electric toothbrushes are available specifically made for children with colorful designs, audio jingles and sound effects to encourage children to brush longer.

• You may want to start slowly; gradually increasing the brushing time from one minute to two minutes.
• I like to divide the effort into eight parts, inside left, outside left, inside right, outside right all on the top and then do that same four sections on the bottom teeth.
• Don’t forget to brush every tooth on every side, not just the tops of the teeth or just the front six teeth.

Some of the most fantastic success stories we have heard came from our small patients getting an electric tooth brush and using it to whirl away the sugar bugs. Try it, you’ll see!

Caring for Baby Teeth Means Healthier “Grown-Up” Teeth

Baby teeth are referred to as many things such as; deciduous, milk teeth, temporary or primary teeth. These teeth are the first set of teeth that a child develops. They develop in the womb and become noticeable in the mouth during the infant years. Permanent teeth are those which replace the baby teeth when they fall out.

Deciduous dentition consists of central incisors, lateral incisors, canines, first and secondary molars. The lower, two front teeth are the first teeth to go, followed by the upper two front teeth, moving on to the teeth on either side of the front teeth. The primary teeth may continue to fall out until the age of 12-13. The ages are general guide lines. Different children, even in the same families, vary in age ranges

Many times we are asked how to tell the difference between a baby tooth and an adult tooth. Primary teeth start to exfoliate between the ages of 4-6 years. Primary teeth tend to be whiter and smaller then the permanent teeth. The permanent teeth are 1.5 times the size of the baby teeth.

Care of baby teeth is just as significant as caring for permanent teeth. While the truth of the matter is that baby teeth only spend a short period of time in a child’s mouth, they play a fundamental role for the permanent teeth that come later:

• They not only save space for their permanent tooth replacement but they also give the face a normal look.
• They assist in clear pronunciation of words, help manage good nutrition for the body and help protect the permanent teeth.
• When a primary tooth is decaying or infected, it can also damage the permanent teeth underneath the gum line.

Care for baby teeth starts before they breakthrough the gums. Start getting in the habit of wiping your baby’s guns with a soft, wet washcloth or gauze during bath time. Toothpaste is not necessary at this stage. You can wrap the cloth around your finger and gently wipe over the gums. This also helps your baby get used to having his or her teeth cleaned as part of their regular routine.

After your child’s teeth start to show around 6 months of age or so, purchase a baby toothbrush with small bristles. Don’t get worried if your child hasn’t cut any teeth by the end of their first year, for some kids this doesn’t happen until 18 months of age. If you are cleaning your baby’s teeth regularly at this stage, toothpaste is still not necessary just yet. Brush gently on both sides of the teeth twice a day. You can brush your baby’s tongue gently to remove bacteria.

It’s always important to replace any toothbrush when it looks worn or the bristles start to spread out. Remember to start forming good brushing habits with your kids at a young age. Call your dentist with questions or concerns you may have with your child’s teeth. There is never a silly question for your dentist; we understand the importance of your child’s health.

Help! My Daughter Refuses To Use Toothpaste

Just because a child doesn’t like one type of toothpaste doesn’t mean she’ll refuse them all. Many kids hate the minty taste of traditional adult toothpastes — but might love a berry or bubblegum flavor.

By five or six, kids should be able to spit out the foam rather than swallow it. If your daughter hasn’t mastered this skill yet, teaching her how to do so can make brushing more pleasant for both of you.

If your daughter still refuses to use toothpaste, have her brush with a wet toothbrush and no paste, and then follow up with a fluoride rinse. Many studies prove that topical fluoride helps prevent cavities, so this step is critical if she’s not using toothpaste that contains fluoride.

Even though your daughter probably still has mostly baby teeth, keeping them healthy is essential. If she loses them too early because of excessive decay, her permanent teeth can drift, which increases the odds that she’ll need orthodontia. Instilling good oral hygiene habits early will benefit her for the rest of her life.

Braces for Your Child: A Life Changing Decision

We understand that getting braces is a really big decision. Your dentist or orthodontist will walk you through your options carefully and help you determine what the best type of treatment is for your individual child’s needs. When you consider braces for your child, you are making a decision that will change his or her life forever.

Starting young can give you some of the following benefits:

• Correct detrimental habits such as tongue thrusting or thumb sucking
• Decrease the need for oral surgery and even extractions of adult teeth
• Improve your child’s face and smile while decreasing their insecurities
• Help to improve their speech and or the way their lips fit together
• Simplify and shorten the length of orthodontic treatment
• Help disrupt jaw growth issues or damage to the jaw joints

These are just a few of the benefits to starting orthodontics young. Often teenagers develop a resistance to orthodontic treatment due to the appearance as well so starting your child at a young age will help them comply with treatment.

Some kids just can’t wait to get braces while others are a little worried about how it will affect their lifestyle. There will be some foods that they won’t be able to eat for a while and some things that have to be prepared differently.

There are several types of braces to choose from now days. From the traditional metal braces to tooth colored or clear braces and even Invisalign- the invisible braces! With all the options and the improved quality of the materials used, braces are better then they have ever been!

Your dentist should always be there to address any concerns you may have.

Best of luck!

My Kid Has a GREAT Smile! How Could He Have Tooth Decay?

We as parents care about our children’s smiles; knowing this, it’s hard to understand all the media attention around the rise in “dental surgeries”. Who are these kids and what’s going on?

The answer will surprise you. We are not looking at neglected children. This is a widespread problem affecting children across demographics. These children range in age from 3 to 6 with multiple baby teeth (as many as 6-10) that contain cavities, and as a result they now require general anesthesia to complete the treatment.

But how is that possible – dental decay is preventable! The problem is that these cavities are forming when our kids are young – they can be caused from sugary, sweet drinks and snacks before bedtime or something as simple as giving your child bottled water instead of tap water because it does not contain fluoride. Dental decay may be easy to prevent, but the signs are also easy to overlook

So what can you do about it:

• Be aware, by checking your children’s teeth looking for white lines in the teeth and dark areas. These are signs of enamel breakdown that turns into decay.
• You should also continue to help your child brush their teeth until the age of at least 7.
• Do not give your young child a bottle of juice or milk at bedtime. The sugars in these drinks will sit on your child’s teeth, bathing them in sugars, ultimately causing decay.
• Lastly get your child comfortable with the dental office. Take them every 6 months for a dental check up in a child friendly dental office.

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