Pediatric Dentistry of Redlands

Your children are growing up and now they are teenagers. This change can be difficult but it is still important for their dental health that you continue to provide guidance. When should your teen get evaluated for orthodontics? How do you help your child make positive decisions about food choices that help their teeth, and how can you shape their dental habits? Here are 4 dental tips that can help keep your teen on the right path for their smile. 1.      Start young. Once they are a teenager some of these habits are deeply ingrained. The younger they are when you start, the more likely they are to continue to carry them over even when they are teenagers. 2.      Limiting the amount of soda you have in your house is a great way to have them reaching for the water or non-caffeinated drinks. 3.      Provide healthy snacks that are always around. Your child will reach for what is convenient. If t...

  In the middle of the night or when you’re on vacation is the most common time for a dental emergency to happen to your child. Anything from breaking or chipping a tooth, to dental pain, or having a tooth knocked out, can damage your child's smile. Dental emergencies can be expensive, painful and time consuming. Don’t wait until it is too late. Pediatric dentist Dr. Fuller highly recommends these 3 tips to reduce the potential of a dental emergency happening at an inopportune time.  Visit the dentist regularly. Routine cleanings and check-ups can limit problems due to tooth decay in children. This routine cleaning allows Dr. Cameron Fuller and his team the opportunity to evaluate any potential problems that may be arising. Plaque can be removed from the surface of the tooth and determination can be made of other dental problems, such as cavities, that may need to be fixed immediately. If your child is playing sports have th...

You may be thinking that every pediatric dentist recommends braces when a child reaches their teenage years. That’s not the case. But in many instances, braces can mean the difference between a healthy smile and a smile that causes problems for your teen later down the line. Here are three reasons why Dr. CameronFuller may recommend braces.  One of the reasons your teen may need braces is called malocclusion. This occurs when the bottom and upper jaw are different sizes. Your teen may have a bite that causes the teeth not to fit correctly when put together. Misalignment of the jaw can lead to pain when chewing, cracked or broken teeth.  If your teen has crowded teeth it can create difficulties in flossing leaving food stuck between the teeth leading to decay. Braces can help realign the teeth to prevent them from overlapping. This means there will be plenty of space between the to floss and clean, but not too much. Crooked teeth, while it m...

When your teenager comes home upset because kids are making fun of his smile, or are teasing her about the color of her teeth, it can be easy to want to fix the problem. Get the facts on teeth whitening for teens prior to making any decisions. The health of their smile lasts a lifetime. Their teenage years are only a fraction of that time. Prior to making any long-lasting decisions get the facts.     Your teen should be at least fourteen before having them utilize any whitening kits or having a whitening procedure completed. Pediatric dentist Dr. Fuller states, “By this age, the pulp is fully formed and will decrease the sensitivity to any whitening products they use.” Until age fourteen you can help ensure your teenager has a healthy, white smile by providing them with plenty of fruits and vegetables with high-water concentr...

1. Provide floss in a flavor they like          a. Your teen will find lots of things to argue with you about, don’t let flossing and healthy habits be one of them. Find a flavor of floss they really like to encourage healthy habits without having to nag them to do it. "If you find they have asked for a flavor but still are not using it, encourage them to go to the store with you in order to pick out the kind they like," states Dr. Cameron Fuller.    2. Providing floss holders that make it easier             a. Floss holders have a plastic handle that the floss wraps around and creates a longer handle for teens to get the floss inside their mouth, which also allows for teens to reach back teeth. They come in multiple colors and different sizes in order to fit in your teen’s mouth easier.        3. Pediatric dentist Dr. Full...

   1. Make sure the brush is comfortable for their hands and mouth             a. Your teenager’s body is changing at a rapid pace. In order to ensure they are able to keep up with the hygiene demands of being a teenager, it is important to make sure they have a toothbrush that fits in their mouth correctly. You do not want to fight them brushing their teeth everyday, but if the toothbrush is not comfortable to them or is too big or too small it can create a dramatic situation unnecessarily exaggerated by other hormone changes going on with them.      2. Dr. Fuller suggests,"that your teenager see the dentist regularly and more frequently if they are in orthodontic treatment or wear an appliance."             a. Everyone should visit the dentist at least every six months for a cleaning to ensure there are no problems with...