Pediatric Dentistry of Redlands

  While the holidays are upon us, it is critical to keep your child’s dental health in mind. While eating some of the food may not be bad, don’t wait to brush their teeth. The longer food sits on their teeth the more opportunity it has to create a problem in their mouth.    Pediatric Dentist Cameron Fuller recommends instead of having your children snack on chips, and bread dips, to allow your children to consume fruits and vegetables while they’re watching the football game or helping in the kitchen. Olives can be a great nutritious snack and contain water that helps remove food naturally from the teeth.   During the turkey time, any food that adds fruits and vegetables into the meal can help increase the benefit to their teeth and add to your child’s overall health. Snack dishes with carrots, tomatoes or celery ca...

It can be difficult for any child to get serious dental work completed, but even more problematic for a child with special needs. There are multiple options available to help support your child during this procedure depending on the type of procedure and the length of procedure. Each of the risks has pros and cons depending on some variables.   Dr. Fuller recommends, “Local anesthetic and/or nitrous oxide can be utilized for shorter procedures, or if one or two teeth are being pulled.” Nitrous is a gas that is breathed and is immediately eliminated from the child’s system once the device is removed from the nose. Local anesthetic requires a small needle to inject a numbing agent into the gums. This can be a bit scary for a child who does not understand what is happening. If you are going to choose this method, it is critical to prepare your child in adva...

The holidays are fast approaching which can often mean extra food in the house. You may have already begun planning your cookies, cakes and treats that you’ll be baking. Don’t let your child’s dental health be impacted by your desire for treats in your house. Implement these two policies and help ward off decay this holiday season. Have children consume minimal amount of sugary treats. During times when they are complaining of hunger, have them consume a healthy mix of fruits and vegetables. Give them opportunities throughout the day to munch on peanut butter celery, apple slices and other fruit or veggie based snacks. If they are going to eat a brownie or cookie limit the amount to 1. This will decrease the amount of sugar that is sitting on their teeth that can cause decay. The healthy fruits and vegetables in between will help rinse the sugar from their teeth as they have a higher concentration of water. Once your child has consumed the treat, have ...

New environments with lots of action, lights and commotion can be very difficult for any child, especially when they are facing a dental procedure that they may interpret to be painful. While it is critical for children to visit the dentist on a regular basis, it can be trying on your patience and you may feel like giving up. But there is a better solution. Here are three tips from Pediatric Dentist, Dr. Cameron Fuller that can make the visit easier. Provide a supportive toy or blanket that can help them feel safe. If there is something that they hold onto when they are scared, this can be a great item for them to have close to them during the visit. When they have something that reminds them of home, it is easier for them to feel calm. Dr. Fuller recommends, showing them videos or completing a social story that allows your child to know what is expected. A short video or story can help explain what is going to happen when they are at the dentist and ...

Acid on the enamel of the teeth causes problems for your smile. The longer the sugar is attached to the teeth, the more opportunity the bacteria have to cause cavities. Dr. Fuller recommends decreasing the amount of candy your children consume overall in order to prevent cavities.   Once a cavity has occurred, if it is not taken care of, it can cause long-term damage and perhaps even need a root canal in order to fix.   Carmel, and other candy that is sticky, creates even more of a problem. The longer that sugar sticks to the teeth, the more opportunity sugar has to cause decay. While all candy can be bad for the teeth, sticky candy is even worse because it is difficult to remove from the teeth with drinking water or saliva. Once decay has set in, it can cause problems for your child’s body as well as their teeth.   It is not just the amount of sugar that is consumed that causes a problem, but the amount of time that candy is allowed to ...

It is never an easy chore to floss a child’s teeth, especially one who is not used to the process from a young age. It can be even more difficult when your child has special needs. While this is no easy chore, it is certainly a critical one. Dr. Fuller recommends a few tips and tricks to help provide support to your child to learn healthy flossing habits and to attempt to make the process easier. Start early. As soon as your baby has their first tooth erupt, begin to floss. This will help them get used to flossing from a very young age. This sets the stage that this is an important habit for your child to develop and will provide consistency. Utilize a reward for your child flossing their teeth without having a difficult time. When they initiate flossing, read them an extra story that night. Or take them for a walk the next day. The reward does not have to be expensive and it does not have to require a lot of time. Providing a small reward will continu...

Now that Halloween is over and the candy has entered the cupboards in your house. You may find the little fingers of your children eating handfuls of the stuff. You may be finding candy wrappers in their beds, in the pockets of their clothes and the remnants of the stuff on their lips. These weeks can be stressful trying to balance out letting them have a few pieces and arguing over why they can’t just have one more piece before bedtime. Dr. Cameron Fuller recommends these three tips to help.   1.      Put the candy in a container that has a seal on it and put it up higher in the cupboard or on top of the cupboard where it is out of sight. Children who do not see the candy are less likely to be asking for some.   When you do decide that they can have a piece of two, you may want to consider having them not watch where you take the bag from. Having it put away can also limit the pieces that are taken when everyone is walking in...

Delta Dental reports, “Close to 9 billion dollars was spent on Halloween candy. It flooded the isles of the stores weeks prior and is left the shelves to end up in your home on the shelf.” Children consume over 100 pieces of candy in the first few weeks after Halloween. While candy in moderation isn’t necessarily the problem, candy does have an impact on children’s teeth. Candy has both short and long-term impact on children’s teeth and the health of their bodies, and not all candy is created equal. While sticky treats tend to stay on the teeth longer, this increases the opportunity for decay and plaque to attack the enamel and cause cavities.   The longer that candy is on the surface of the teeth, the greater the impact. Dr. Cameron Fuller suggests, "ff your children do consume a food that is sticky or any high sugar foods, it is important that they brush right away to remove debris from the surface of the teeth." This lessens the opportunity f...