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Preschoolers at Risk for Cavities

By Reno Laser Dentistry

March 09, 2012

Category: dentist

Tags: Reno Dentist Children's Oral Care Dental Treatments Children's Dentist Cavities

Who would have thought that preschoolers are at risk for cavities? Their so young! You would think that they would have the best oral care but unfortunately cavities have increased among our little ones.

According to an article at health.yahoo.net, “cavities in preschoolers are on the rise”

“Dentists are now seeing so many preschoolers with cavities and even severe tooth decay (6 to 10 cavities or more) that there’s been “a huge increase” in little kids who need general anesthesia for dental procedures, including tooth extractions, crowns and even root canals, The New York Times reports.

Yet with the right care, rotten teeth—and having to send two-year-olds to the hospital for costly and painful dental surgery—are largely preventable. What’s behind this scary trend?

Soaring Rates of Tooth Decay in 2 to 5 Year Olds

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sounded an alarm five years ago by reporting the first rise in 40 years of kids with cavities in their baby teeth. The largest spike was found among 2 to 5 year olds. In that study, the CDC reported that 28 percent of kids in that age group—of all income levels—had cavities, compared to 24 percent in a study conducted between 1988 and 1994.

Overall, 42 percent of kids ages 2 to 11 had cavities in their primary teeth, and there was also a significant jump in the number of cavities (or fillings) per child. What’s more, many of the kids had untreated decay, which can be extremely dangerous. Since then, the problem has only gotten worse, according to pediatric dentists around the US.

A Dangerous but Often Overlooked Health Threat

Featured in original Times article, Melody and Mathew Koester didn’t worry about their son Devon’s oral health until Melody noticed that that the then 18-month-old had discolored teeth. ““I had a lot on my mind, and brushing his teeth was an extra thing I didn’t think about at night.”

Dentists report that some parents don’t brush their toddlers’ teeth because their kids get fussy or cry. But tooth-brushing twice a day can spare preschoolers the much worse pain of the dentist’s drill. For Devon, his parents’ mistake resulted in a trip to the OR, as The New York Times reports:

“In the surgical wing of the Center for Pediatric Dentistry at Seattle Children’s Hospital, Devon Koester, 2 ½ years old, was resting last month in his mother’s arms as an anesthesiologist held a bubble-gum-scented mask over his face to put him under. The doctors then took X-rays, which showed that 11 of his 20 baby teeth had cavities. Then his pediatric dentist extracted two incisors, performed a root canal on a molar, and gave the rest fillings and crowns.”

Click here to read the entire article:

Want to find out if your child or toddler is at risk, click here to contact Dr. McElhinney located in Reno to set-up an appointment.

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When Children’s Teeth Turn Black

By Reno Laser Dentistry

December 20, 2011

Category: dental reno

Tags: Dentist Reno Laser Dentistry Children's Oral Care Children and Accidents Black Tooth or Teeth

Having children is a huge responsibility and then all the worries that parents have. We tend to panic when something out of the ordinary happens, so what if your child’s tooth or teeth turn black. What do you do, panic?

There can be many causes of teeth turning dark or black. The most likely cause is trauma from a fall that damaged the nerve and blood vessels inside the pulp of the tooth. Generally, you’d recall that your child fell, had a swollen or bloody lip or nose. What parents need to be aware of is that discoloration doesn’t always occur right away following an accident.

If you don’t recall anything like this happening, the next most common problem is baby bottle mouth. Many children develop decay of the 4 or 6 front teeth from drinking sugar containing beverages at bedtime. Even milk contains sugar. It’s best to put plain water in your child’s bottle when putting them down for a nap or at night.

Young children need help with tooth brushing before bedtime. You should place a pea-size amount of fluoride-containing toothpaste on your child’s toothbrush and help them brush their teeth, including the back teeth on the outside and inside. Brushing should take 2-3 minutes by the clock. Most people brush less than one minute. Dr. McElhinney and his dental staff in Reno are very helpful and knowledgeable on this topic, give them a call and see for yourself.