Talking baby teeth with the Dental Specialists

 

At The Dental Specialists , we know teething patterns vary greatly from child to child—some don’t have any teeth by their first birthday, while others have a mouthful by then. Experts, however, including our friends at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, do recommend that children have their teeth checked by their first birthdays.

Your child will have 20 baby teeth, which will later be replaced by permanent teeth. A baby's first tooth can come in as early as 3 months or as late as 1 year of age, however primary teeth usually begin to break through the gums when a child is about 6 months old. Most kids have all of their primary teeth by the time they are 3 years old.

The most important thing is not to worry if your toddler’s pearly whites don’t look perfect as they come in—baby teeth come in all shapes, sizes, and slants. Teeth generally appear one at a time over a period of months, and often—but not always—in this order: First the bottom two middle teeth, then the top two middle ones, then the ones along the sides and back. (They may not all come in straight, but don't worry—they usually straighten out over time.) Besides crooked teeth, your child may experience crowded or spaced-out teeth, missing teeth, supernumerary (too many) teeth and even discolored teeth.

If you have any questions about your toddler’s teeth, or if your child is experiencing issues that concern you, please give us a call to set up an appointment with Drs. Williams, Jason Ouellette, Jonathan Ouellette. Or, we invite you to ask us on Facebook!

Cold season is here, from The Dental Specialists

Cold and flu season is here yet again. The folks at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that a common cold usually includes sneezing, runny nose, sore throat and coughing. Symptoms can last for up to two weeks.

To promote a healthy and clean environment, Drs. Williams, Jason Ouellette, Jonathan Ouellette and our entire staff give a great deal of attention to sanitation and sterilization in our office at all times, as well as following all requirements for sterilizing instruments and work surfaces. For the protection of other patients and our staff at The Dental Specialists, we always ask that patients reschedule their appointments if they have any type of cold or illness that can infect others.

And remember to constantly wash your hands and avoid contact with those who are ill! Stay Healthy!

February is also American Heart Month!

You may remember our post from last week, when Drs. Williams, Jason Ouellette, Jonathan Ouellette and our staff discussed February being "National Dental Health Month." But did you know February is also American Heart Month?

It’s a great time to take notice of the health of your heart, says Drs. Williams, Jason Ouellette, Jonathan Ouellette . Cardiovascular disease remains American's number one killer, claiming more lives than the rest of major causes of death, according to the American Heart Association. Studies have shown a correlation between gum disease and heart disease, underscoring the importance of good oral health care.

Visiting our office regularly can help prevent gum disease or at least catch it in its early stages. And because people with dental insurance are more likely to visit their dentist when they should, a healthy mouth begins with a visit to The Dental Specialists. In observance of Heart Month, Drs. Williams, Jason Ouellette, Jonathan Ouellette say it’s also important to know your numbers: blood pressure (less than 120/80), cholesterol (less than 200) and BMI (less than 25). If you have any questions about heart health, or about your treatment at our office, please give us a call.

Or, you may ask us on Facebook!

February marks National Dental Health Month!

Did you know February is National Dental Health Month? It's a great time of the year to renew those resolutions about continuing to practice great dental hygiene at home and by visiting The Dental Specialists. Today, we thought we'd discuss the importance of preventative oral care. While most people are familiar with traditional heart-saving practices such as eating healthy and exercising regularly, lesser-known are the benefits that great oral hygiene provides to one’s cardiovascular health.

Here are a few tips to help you continue those New Year's resolutions:

*Remember that poor oral hygiene is linked to serious common diseases such as cardiovascular disease, bacterial pneumonia and osteoporosis.

*Brush and floss every day to remove the plaque that can lead to cavities. Flossing daily removes food debris that your toothbrush cannot reach after meals.

*Replace your toothbrush on a regular basis. You should replace your toothbrush every three to four months or after a cold or illness to prevent re-infection. Remember to use a soft toothbrush so you won’t wear off the enamel of your teeth.

*Visit our office regularly. The American Dental Association recommends you visit Drs. Williams, Jason Ouellette, Jonathan Ouellette every six months for regular checkups and cleanings. Fluoride treatments twice a year will help prevent tooth decay.

Each February, Drs. Williams, Jason Ouellette, Jonathan Ouellette and our team focus on the preventive oral care of our patients. Have you visited our office the past six months? If not, it’s time to give us a call and schedule an appointment!

Ask Drs. Williams, Jason Ouellette, Jonathan Ouellette: If I have braces, do I still need a dental checkup every 6 months?

Thanks for the question! Yes! In fact, it's even more important that patients receiving orthodontic treatment visit our office regularly. When you're wearing braces, food may be caught in places that your toothbrush normally can't reach. This causes bacteria to build up and can lead to cavities, gingivitis and even gum disease. Believe it or not, an estimated 80 percent of American adults currently have some form of gum disease. Studies have shown a correlation between gum disease and heart disease, underscoring the importance of good oral health care. Our staff at The Dental Specialists will work closely with your orthodontist to make sure that your teeth stay clean and healthy while you're undergoing orthodontic treatment.

If it has been more than six months since your last visit to our Merritt Island, Satellite Beach, & Titusville offices, please give us a call! We look forward to your next visit!

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, from The Dental Specialists

It’s almost February! For the past 62 years, the American Dental Association (ADA) has sponsored National Children's Dental Health Month during the month of February to raise awareness about the importance of oral health. Developing good habits at an early age and scheduling regular dental visits helps children get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums.

For kids wearing braces, brushing and flossing can become more difficult, requiring extra time and vigilance to remove food particles that accumulate on and between the teeth and in braces. New options for braces such as Invisalign Teen, which is removable, make it easier for kids to maintain good oral health during orthodontic treatment.

If the health of your teeth is ignored during treatment with braces, the results can be significantly compromised. Drs. Williams, Jason Ouellette, Jonathan Ouellette is available and happy to explain why effective brushing and flossing is one of the most critical actions needed from patients during orthodontic treatment. Have you visited us lately? Give us a call and schedule an appointment!

The trouble with bottled water

Our team at The Dental Specialists know that as more families turn to bottled water and away from the traditional tap, they may be missing out on one important ingredient that most brands of bottled water fail to include: fluoride!

For more than 60 years, water fluoridation has proved to be a safe and cost-effective way to reduce dental caries. Today, water fluoridation is estimated to reduce tooth decay by 20- to 40 percent in children who have access to fluoridated toothpaste.

Bottled water, however, which remains one of the more popular drinks in the world, may not contain any fluoride, which is known to help prevent and even reverse the early stages of tooth decay. The majority of bottled waters on the market do not contain optimal levels (0.7-1.2 ppm) of fluoride, according to our friends at the American Dental Association, or ADA. Many dental health specialists suspect bottled water’s increased popularity as the culprit behind rising rates of cavities.

Because fluoride helps strengthen teeth, it is an important component of maintaining good oral health. So if bottled water is your water of choice, be sure to check the label to make sure that your brand contains fluoride. As of a 2006 decision, the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, allows bottled water containing .6 to 1.0 milligrams per liter (parts per million) of fluoride to carry a label stating that fluoridated water may reduce the risk of dental cavities or tooth decay. The ADA has backed this decision.

Of course, simply drinking fluoridated water is not a magic ticket to perfect teeth. To keep your pearly whites in tip-top shape, it’s important to brush and floss daily and avoid sugary sweets, in addition to maintaining your fluoride intake and visiting Drs. Williams, Jason Ouellette, Jonathan Ouellette and our team at The Dental Specialists regularly.

The Dental Specialists, reminding you to protect your mouth this winter

With winter sports under way for a lot of our patients, The Dental Specialists thought it would be a good time to remind all you athletes to take care of both their mouth while participating in contact sports (and non-contact sports) this winter.

Many people think a mouth guard is effective just to protect your teeth. But research has shown mouth guards can also reduce lower jaw impact that causes concussions. (Insert name of doctor) and our team encourage you to head over to WebMD for a quick primer on the importance of mouth guards and facial protection.

We hope this helps you remember to always wear a mouth guard and other forms of protective gear when participating in winter sports! We encourage you to give us a call if you have any questions or ask us on Facebook!

Make 2012 the year to improve your oral health

Many folks in Merritt Island consider the beginning of a new year a time to not only reflect on the year that was, but also to set personal goals for the upcoming year. How are you planning to improve your health and happiness in 2012? Drs. Williams, Jason Ouellette, Jonathan Ouellette and our team recommend that you make a New Year’s resolution to benefit your oral health!

It is important that New Year’s resolutions are reasonable and attainable, and that they improve your overall quality of life—for example, did you know that flossing every day is the very best way to prevent periodontal, or gum, disease? Using a straw when drinking sugary beverages can also help prevent cavities. There are many small steps that you can take to prevent cavities, oral infections and bad breath.

Be sure to give us a call if you need a few suggestions on ways to improve your oral health—we want to hear from you! After all, we know your oral health is about more than just a beautiful smile.

Happy New Year!
—Your friends at The Dental Specialists

Beware of those Christmas goodies!

At The Dental Specialists, we know maintaining a healthy diet over the holiday season can prove a difficult task. After all, who can resist the tasty treats of Christmas? With grandma and everybody else offering you candy, chocolate logs or Christmas pudding, you just can’t say “I’ll pass” each time. But trouble lurks: every time you chow down on that chocolate or candy, the bacteria in your mouth have a feast on the sugar—at your expense. The sugar turns into acid, and the acid eats away at the enamel on your teeth and between your braces. Then, you start getting cavities.
Instead, try pumpkin pie, marvelous molasses cookies, wonderful waffles or other braces-friendly recipes, courtesy of the American Association of Orthodontics, or AAO, and “The Braces Cookbook” by Pamela Waterman.

If you must indulge in chocolaty goodness this Christmas or holiday season, remember to brush your teeth after eating sugary treats. Hope this helps! Give us a call if you have any questions!

Happy Holidays!

Join the conversation.

Whenever you have a follow-up question for Drs. Williams, Jason Ouellette, Jonathan Ouellette or our team, or if you’d simply like to drop us a quick line, we’d love to hear from you! We love connecting with our patients online, whether it’s by sharing news on our blog or communicating ideas on our interactive Facebook fan page.

Please visit The Dental Specialists on the following networks:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/thedentalspecialists

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheDentalSpecialists?v=app_4949752878

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month!

At The Dental Specialists, our team knows the way you care for your teeth at home doesn’t just affect your oral health – it can impact your overall health as well. In recent years, researchers have found clear links between the mouth and other parts of the body, and the evidence is especially impactful for people with diabetes.

November marks Diabetes Awareness Month, and a great time to learn about how keeping your mouth healthy is vital to your overall health, too. If you are one of the nearly 26 million Americans currently living with diabetes, there is some good news: you can protect your gums and teeth from the effects of diabetes by visiting our Merrit Island office for regular check-ups and cleanings. Most people should have at least two dental appointments per year, but those folks living with diabetes may require additional visits to make sure their dental health remains in top shape. Many insurance plans provide expanded benefits for diabetic patients. Drs. Williams, Jason Ouellette, Jonathan Ouellette and our experts can tell you how often you need to come in for your dental visits.

For more information on how we can help, please give our Merrit Island office a call or ask us on Facebook!

Happy November! From The Dental Specialists

Happy November, everybody! Believe it or not, we’re almost in full holiday mode! But before we at The Dental Specialists forget about the spooky month that was, we’d like to know how you celebrated Halloween! What did you wear? How much candy did you get? Did you have fun?

If you have any photos or videos that you would like to share with us, please send them our way or feel free to post them on our Facebook page!

We hope you all had a happy and safe Halloween! Also, what are you up to this month? Anything exciting happening in your life? If so, we’d love to hear all about it!

Lastly, have you been in for a dental checkup lately? It’s important that you visit The Dental Specialists every six months, or as recommended by Drs. Williams, Jason Ouellette, Jonathan Ouellette. For general information, give us a call, ask us on Facebook or ask us during your next visit!

Halloween TIPS from the American Dental Association

It’s almost that spooky time of year again! Whether you are going door-to-door trick or treating, attending a party dressed in a clever, silly, or scary costume, or simply getting together with friends and family to watch scary movies, Drs. Williams, Jason Ouellette, Jonathan Ouellette and our team want you to keep in mind the following tips to help reduce tooth-decay from our friends and the American Dental Association.

•Eat treats with meals. Saliva production increases during meals washing out food particles and helping to neutralize cavity causing plaque acid.

•Consider chewing ADA Accepted sugarless gum after meals. Certain sugarless gums have earned the ADA Seal of Acceptance for scientifically proving that chewing the gum for 20 minutes after meals helped prevent tooth decay.

•Follow the 1-2-3s of good daily oral hygiene: Floss once a day, brush twice a day and eat three balanced meals a day.

•Visit Dr. Williams and Drs. Jason and Jonathan Ouellette for regular checkups.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from your friends at The Dental Specialists!

5 tips to avoid plaque, from The Dental Specialists

At The Dental Specialists, we know nobody likes getting plaque on their teeth. Here are five other ways you can avoid that dreaded enemy of the teeth, courtesy of WebMD.

Let’s start with brushing regularly. Brushing your teeth twice a day with a fluoride-containing toothpaste is vital to a healthy mouth. Make sure you softly brush all the surfaces of your teeth.

Next on the list is flossing daily: a simple daily flossing between teeth clears away plaque before it can cause damage and can also clean plaque at the gum line. Plaque is known to reach the spaces between teeth.

Also, evading a trip to visit Drs. Jason Ouellette or Jonathan Ouellette and team is probably not a great idea is probably not a great idea. Let’s say you brush and floss daily. You’re still at risk for plaque. With time, the plaque hardens and turns into tartar. Consider visiting The Dental Specialists at least twice a year or as recommended, and you have a lower chance of getting cavities or losing your natural teeth.

You’ll also want to stop avoiding those fruits and veggies. Believe it or not, there are foods out there that play a key role in keeping plaque off our teeth. They include apples, carrots, cucumbers and other raw fruits and vegetables. You can still eat these types of fruits and veggies if you’re wearing braces, but be sure to cut them up into bite sized pieces to avoid breaking off brackets.

Finally, before you pick up that candy bar, remember to not give in to your sweet tooth. Consuming sugary drinks or eating candy or other junk food allows sugar to stick to our teeth. The bacteria, then, becomes plaque, which turns into acid and damages our teeth. Avoiding these five bad habits keeps your plaque in check and your mouth as healthy as can be. If you have any questions, give us a call or ask us on Facebook!

Cold season is here...

Cold and flu season is here - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that a common cold usually includes sneezing, runny nose, sore throat and coughing. Symptoms can last for up to two weeks.

To promote a healthy and clean environment, Dr. Williams, Dr. Jason Ouellette, Dr. Jonathan Ouellette and our entire staff give a great deal of attention to sanitation and sterilization in our Merritt Island office at all times, as well as following all requirements for sterilizing instruments and work surfaces. For the protection of other patients and our staff at the Dental Specialists, we always ask that patients reschedule their appointments if they have any type of cold or illness that can infect others.

And remember to constantly wash your hands and avoid contact with those who are ill! Stay Healthy!

Smile! October is National Dental Hygiene Month!

Did you know that October is National Dental Health Month? For our staff at The Dental Specialists, that means only one thing: Reminding you that your teeth are an important part of your body, and keeping them clean helps keep your mouth and your body healthy. By taking care of your teeth, eating a balanced diet and visiting our convenient Merrit Island office on a regular basis, you can have healthy teeth and an attractive smile throughout your entire life.

We encourage you to check out the official National Dental Hygiene Month website as well, which provides pointers on keeping your mouth clean and healthy. Lastly, has it been six months since your last visit with The Dental Specialists? If the answer is yes, we encourage you to give us a call to set up an appointment with Dr. Williams, Dr. Jason Ouellette, or Dr. Jonathan Ouellette.

Manual vs. Electric Toothbrushes: What’s the Difference?

Everybody is jumping on the electric toothbrush bandwagon in recent years, with many experts in the dental field claiming electric toothbrushes provide superior dental care. It’s true that electric toothbrushes are recommended for those who can’t do a good job brushing manually or who have arthritis or other conditions. But manual toothbrushes do have some advantages, according to an article we recently found including:

• Cost. While electric toothbrushes may be expensive for many people, manual toothbrushes are both inexpensive and accessible.

• Less pressure on your teeth & gums. While we can feel the amount of pressure we’re using as we grasp our manual toothbrush, we can’t feel the pressure nearly as well with an electric toothbrush. Placing too much pressure on our teeth can wear away at the tooth enamel, which causes pain, sensitivity, as well as an increased risk of tooth decay.

• Simple to pack. Manual toothbrushes are easy to carry around for those business or family trips. People are less likely to let their good dental care habits lapse on vacation with a toothbrush that they can easily bring along!

• Better for kids. Learning at a young age how to properly use a manual toothbrush helps children get a feel for how to properly take care of their oral hygiene.

Electric toothbrushes, on the other hand, are more effective in removing plaque and are considered a better alternative to maintaining gum health. Remember, whether you choose a manual or an electric toothbrush, Drs. Jason and Jonathan Ouellette, Dr. Williams, and our team encourage you to choose one with soft bristles and be sure to change the bristles on the electric brush when they become worn down. We also encourage you to replace your toothbrush every three months, when the bristles are no longer straight and firm or after you recover from a cold.

Give us a call at The Dental Specialists if you have any questions or ask us on Facebook!

Happy brushing!

What was your favorite part of Summer 2011?

The end of Summer and then subsequently the beginning of Fall are just around the corner. Soon the temperatures will cool down, the leaves will start to change, and we’re sure that you’ll be thinking about Halloween costumes and Thanksgiving plans.

But wait! First, we want to know: What were your favorite parts of the Summer of 2011? Did you go on a wonderful family trip? Did you pick up a new hobby? Did you try to spend as much time outside and in the sun as possible?

Share your favorite memories, stories, or photos with us by leaving a comment below or on our Facebook page.

-Our team at The Dental Specialists

All the cool kids do it!

Braces today are “cool” and—many would say—even “fun.” These were among the findings of a 2010 nationwide survey of moms whose children are going through or have had orthodontic treatment. New technologies such as SureSmile™, SmartClip™, Clarity™, advanced computer software, color options, and even popular celebrities—Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Danny Glover, Serena Williams—sporting stylish braces are making orthodontic treatment more comfortable, fashionable and cool for today’s teens.

The study, conducted on behalf of our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists for February’s National Children’s Dental Health Month, found 86 percent of moms reporting that braces are cooler today than when they were children. Sixty-nine percent of moms also said wearing braces makes their children feel cool, and 81 percent reported their children’s experience with orthodontic treatment as either positive or extremely positive.

Different color options and the ability to change colors, for example, provide exciting ways for young patients to customize appearances. That enthusiasm helps them to feel good about their orthodontic treatment with Drs. Paul Ouellette and Jason Ouellette, and may contribute to the success of treatment.

Has your child or teen visited The Dental Specialists for a consultation? If not, please give us a call and let us help your child begin the journey to a gorgeous smile!