Mothers who use the same utensils and drink from the same glass may increase their child’s likelihood of developing a cavity.
Our adult daughter has cerebral palsy and requires being fully sedated when having anything done. The DAC was such a positive experience. Dr Hoffmann and his staff were kind and did great explaining things. As a mom, I had a lot of questions about how certain things would be done as usually she’s in her chair when getting examined at her local dentist and they had everything under control including transferring from her chair to the dentist chair and keeping her secured in the dentist chair as well as keeping her neck and legs comfortable. Many thanks to them!
Response from the owner:Thank you so much for your kind words. We’re grateful for your trust and happy to hear that you had such a positive experience with our team. Our goal is always to provide compassionate, attentive care in a safe and comfortable environment. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your experience.
TWENTY YEARS! That is how long our special needs son has been seeing Dr Hoffman and his dedicated team! Our son suffers from an intellectual disability, is non-verbal, and is unable to cooperate for dental cleaning, x-rays, or other routine dental work. He requires general anesthesia. It is such a blessing to avoid a hospital setting just for dental work.
The team is always well staffed, friendly, personable and very professional. Every single year we have been supported by a deeply caring team who are dedicated to patients with a very wide range of disabilities and needs. They have shared useful dental advice and tools (3 sided toothbrushes, blocks to hold open their mouth for daily at-home care, etc.) which improved our son’s daily dental care. We always receive a call back the day after to check his recovery-even on weekends!
Highly recommended and so appreciative to have this team supporting our ever long road of raising a special needs son.
Response from the owner:Wow — thank you for sharing such a heartfelt review! We are so grateful for your trust and for allowing our team to be part of your family’s journey over the years. It means so much to us to know that our care and support have made a difference. We truly appreciate your kind words and recommendation!
We've been coming to Dr.Hoffman for twenty years. There's a reason we keep coming back! He's great. His staff is great. He's double boarded as an MD (Anesthesia) and DDS!!! Our son with special needs needs sedation for even a cleaning. You get what you pay for. He's expensive and... we know he's getting the best care!
Response from the owner:Thank you for trusting our team over the years and for your kind words about Dr. Hoffmann and our staff. We truly value your confidence in the care we provide!
Omg!! This place is Amazing! The people who work here are so very nice and understanding. I love this team
Response from the owner:Thank you so much for your kind words! We truly appreciate your support and are grateful to have such wonderful patients.
Searching for a new dental clinic is challenging for someone who has
dental anxiety, fear, and traumatic experiences in a dental chair. The staff and doctors at the Dental Anesthesia Center were immediately very welcoming. Dr. Thoms put together a very detailed plan to repair and replace the previous work that I had in the past that was now causing problems. Putting my faith in him was the best thing that I could have done for my situation. I am more than completely satisfied with all of the extensive dental work that I’ve had with Dr.Thoms. I had my fourth sleep dentistry experience yesterday and I’m very happy with my results. I highly recommend this practice and truly want to give them more than five stars! Thank you for giving me back my health and confidence.
Response from the owner:We know it isn’t always easy to find a dental office where you feel at ease, so your words mean the world to us. We’re so glad you feel comfortable with our team and truly appreciate your trust and recommendation!
Although it is tempting to kiss your growing baby on the lips, you might want to fight the temptation. There is evidence that kissing a baby on the lips may increase a baby’s risk for dental cavities.
In fact, mothers who use the same utensils and drink from the same glass may increase their child’s likelihood of developing a cavity.
Passing Bacteria Can Cause Cavities
According to recommendations made by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, if you share bacteria with your baby, you might be doing them harm. The bacteria called streptococcus mutans present in a mother’s mouth might cause damage to their growing youngster.
When you pass streptococcus mutans from your mouth to your child’s through transmission, you increase the chances that they will develop dental problems. Vertical transmission, or sharing vectors of contamination like spoons, glasses, or bowls, transfer harmful bacteria that the mother is carrying into a baby’s mouth, when they might not be capable of warding it off.
Tooth decay is the result of an infection in someone’s mouth that can be transmitted from one mouth to another in the same manner as a bacteria, or viral infection spreading from person to person.
The higher the amount of MS that a mother has in her mouth, the higher the risk she poses to transfer it to her baby. Behaviors as seemingly benign as kissing a baby on the mouth might be the vector that promotes cavity formation in a baby.
What that Means for Mother and Baby
The first thing to know is that limiting the amount of germ sharing from mothers to babies, by not kissing a baby on the mouth or sharing utensils, is an excellent way to prevent the potential that you can be passing harmful bacteria along to your baby. It also means that a mother should pay close attention to her oral health to limit transmission bacteria to her baby.
Reduce the risk of transmission by doing the following:
- As a mother, pay close attention to your oral care and oral care habits, which includes visiting the dentist regularly and flossing and brushing appropriately.
- Maximizing your oral care and paying close attention to the oral health of your growing child.
- When pregnant, make sure to have your dentist evaluate your oral health for preventative and or therapeutic maintenance.
- Take extra precaution to wipe down and sanitize your baby’s pacifier, not just when it is dropped, but frequently, to avoid bacterial buildup.
As a mother, you want the best for your child. You want your child to establish good oral habits that will last them a lifetime. Although it may be hard at first, limiting contaminating your child’s mouth with foreign bacteria from other sources, even your lips, is essential.
St. Louis Pediatric Dentist
If you have any questions concerning your child’s oral care, contact The Dental Anesthesia Center. We value our patient relationships, making it our priority to deliver gentle dental care that you and your child deserve.
Call Us Today
The first two board-certified Dentist Anesthesiologists in the state of Missouri.
