St. Louis Sedation, Sleep & Special Needs Dentistry :: The Dental Anesthesia Center

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Pediatric Dentistry

How to Prepare Your Child For Their First Visit at The Dentist

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The Dental Anesthesia Center has created a friendly and colorful environment for your child to ensure that the first visit isn’t scary!

Worrying about your child’s first visit to the dentist is perfectly natural. After all, many adults still feel anxious when going to the dentist, especially because they fear the procedures’ potential pain. So it’s not uncommon for parents to worry about their child’s first dental appointment. But, you should know that planning for it is far more simple than you’d think.

A Few Suggestions that Will Definitely Help!

Many pediatric dentists recommend scheduling an appointment within the first 6 months after the first tooth appeared and no later than a year. But even if your child is older than this, don’t worry, and definitely don’t feel ashamed. Please schedule an appointment and let the dentist know your child’s first visit to the dentist.

Before that appointment takes places, here are some steps you can follow to ensure everything runs smoothly:

  1. Go for a Tour of the Office – The dentist’s office can be a scary place even for adults. You want to go with a dentist that has created an environment that is appealing to children and can make them feel more comfortable from the moment they step in. To help them ease in, you can book a tour of the office before the child’s dental appointment to become more comfortable with the environment and even the team.
  2. Show Them Content About Going to the Dentist – Children learn a lot from books or cartoons, so a good way to present to them the dentist’s office’s world is to expose them to this type of material before their appointment. This way, you can also answer any questions they may have about the process if they’re older.
  3. Bring Something to Comfort Them – The parents can, of course, sit in with the child during their dental appointment, but having mommy or daddy there may not be enough to relax the child. Consider bringing something extra that could bring them comfort, such as their favorite toy or a blanket they really love.
  4. Promise a Reward – Children can respond better during the dental appointment if they know that afterward, they are in for a treat, like ice cream or a trip to the zoo right after the appointment is over. This also helps clarify that going to the dentist is not a punishment!

The Dental Anesthesia Center has created a friendly and colorful environment for your child to ensure that the first visit isn’t scary!

Call Us Today

The Only Board Certified Dental Anesthesiologists in the State of Missouri, including the St. Louis Metro Area.

Call (314) 862-7844

How to Maintain Your Kids’ Oral Health During the Winter Holidays

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Here are some things you can do to help your little ones avoid cavities and keep their teeth as healthy as always.

The holidays are a great time to unwind, eat good food, and enjoy spending time with your family. The best and simplest way to bond with loved ones is to gather around the table and enjoy a delicious home-cooked dinner. Most of us will prepare festive dishes for these feasts, and sweets are hard to avoid during Christmas. But, the last thing you want for the holidays is for your kids to get cavities from eating too many sugary things.

Here are some things you can do to help your little ones avoid cavities and keep their teeth as healthy as always.

Find Healthy Alternatives for Christmas Sweets

We know that Christmas is all about family traditions, and it often involves preparing sweets that you won’t serve for the rest of the year. However, you can offer the little ones healthier alternatives to the traditional recipes you are preparing. Include more fruit in the sweets you are baking, avoid processed foods, and stay away from caramel, chocolate sauces, toffees, and other super sticky, sugary ingredients that can linger in your child’s mouth.

Don’t Offer Sweets Throughout the Day

It’s tempting to let your kids break the rules during Christmas since you are all enjoying free time together, but it’s healthier to offer them sweets only once a day than giving them in small portions throughout the day. Of course, avoiding a sugar rush is also important, but small portions offered many times a day is not healthy for your kid’s teeth. Limit them after lunch only, for example.

Give Your Children Water During Every Meal and Snack

Avoiding juice and offering water instead is also very important to keep plaque to a minimum. Encourage your kids to rinse their mouths with water after every meal or snack, and give them juice as you would give any other sweet food – with limitations.

Monitor Their Brushing Closely

Brushing at least two times a day should not be negotiable, even during the holidays. Your kids might try to get a free pass just because it’s Christmas, but that can easily lead to cavities. Monitor their brushing and make sure they get rid of the plaque after every meal they have.

Schedule a Professional Cleaning after Christmas

To make sure your kids won’t get cavities during the Christmas holidays, schedule a professional cleaning with their St. Louis pediatric dentist when the holidays are over. No matter how well they brushed their teeth during this time, it won’t replace a good cleaning done in the dentist’s office.

Call Us Today

The Only Board Certified Dental Anesthesiologists in the State of Missouri, including the St. Louis Metro Area.

Call (314) 862-7844

Protect Your Teeth During the Halloween Season

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The average kid will consume approximately 675 grams of sugar on Halloween day. That is the equivalent of eating 170 sugar cubes!

Did you know that Americans purchase nearly 600 million pounds of candy each year for Halloween? During the week of Halloween, 90 million pounds of chocolate is sold, and almost 2 billion dollars is made on the sale of candy just days before the holiday. Another staggering statistic is that the average kid will consume approximately 675 grams of sugar on Halloween day. That is the equivalent of eating 170 sugar cubes!

Whether at school or at work, we are bombarded with candy everywhere we look during this time of year. So, how can you protect your teeth? Here are a few tricks!

What Should You Avoid?

There are several tricks to protecting your teeth during this time of year. One is to remember that not all candies are equal. There are some types of candy that are worse than others. For instance, the stickier the candy, the higher the risk is for tooth decay. Gummy bears, skittles, starbursts, and tootsie rolls are examples of candies that take more time to chew and, therefore, stick to and in between your teeth. The longer it takes for the saliva in your mouth to wash away the candy, the easier it is for the bacteria-causing sugars to cause tooth decay and cavities.

Another candy to watch out for is sour candy. For instance, Sour Patch Kids are not only full of sugar, but they are also acidic and can actually dissolve tooth enamel on contact. Finally, hard candies such as Jolly Ranchers or lollypops are even worse because they sit in your mouth for long periods of time; therefore, the sugar lingers, creating more cavity-causing bacteria to build up in your mouth. They can also break fillings and teeth because they are so hard.

How to Protect Your Teeth?

So, we’ve discussed what’s bad for your teeth, but what’s actually good for them? Well here are some suggestions.

  • Try to avoid harmful candies
  • Get a fluoride boost treatment
  • Eat candy around mealtimes
  • Drink water after eating candy
  • Brush and floss your teeth – the sooner after eating candy, the better
  • Have a designated treat time rather than continuously snacking on candy
  • Schedule a teeth cleaning

It is really difficult to completely avoid sugar during this time of year. So rather than swearing off all candy, try to incorporate some of the above tips. Discuss these with your kids and try to maintain balance during the Halloween season.

Call Us Today

The Only Board Certified Dental Anesthesiologists in the State of Missouri, including the St. Louis Metro Area.

Call (314) 862-7844

Your Child is Afraid of Going to the Dentist – How to Ease Their Fear

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Our pediatric dental anesthesia specialists have advanced training that allows them to interact positively with children who have anxiety and special needs.

Going to the dentist is an essential part of keeping your kid’s mouth healthy. However, it generally doesn’t rank high on the list of things your child, or you as a parent, want to do. For some children, they truly fear going to the dentist. They may experience anxiety just at the thought of sitting in the dentist’s chair.

At The Dental Anesthesia Center, we understand that fear and anxiety are real feelings that can be difficult to control, especially for a child. We strive to make your child’s dental experience comfortable and positive. Yet, there are several things you as a parent can do to help ease their fear.

Ways to Ease their Fears

To help your child’s visit to the dentist go more smoothly, try these suggestions:

  • When talking about the dentist, avoid using words such as shot, hurt, or painful.
  • Tell your child about the upcoming appointment but limit the number of details you give. Answer their questions with simple answers. Let the dentist explain the more intricate details. Pediatric dentists have the training necessary to describe things to children in an easy-to-understand, nonthreatening way.
  • When talking about your dental experiences, don’t tell your child about any unpleasant or painful experiences you’ve had.
  • From an early age, explain to your child how important it is to take care of their oral health and that going to the dentist is a positive thing.
  • Read children’s books about going to the dentist.
  • Tell your child how friendly the dentist and staff are and that they will be in excellent care.
  • They may be scared to be separated from you. Let your child know that you can be with them the entire time.
  • Let them take their favorite doll or teddy bear to the appointment.

Reasons for Their Fears

Keep in mind that it’s entirely reasonable for your child to be fearful or nervous. They may be afraid of the unknown; others may be scared of being hurt or injured. If your child has special needs, this can add to their fear and apprehension. Some other reasons your child may fear going to the dentist include:

Whatever your child’s reasons, at The Dental Anesthesia Center, our pediatric dental anesthesia specialists have advanced training that allows them to interact positively with children who have anxiety and special needs. Our office is fully equipped to accommodate patients with special needs, allowing us to deliver care in an environment that is relaxed and comfortable for you and your child.

Call Us Today

The Only Board Certified Dental Anesthesiologists in the State of Missouri, including the St. Louis Metro Area.

Call (314) 862-7844

Does Your Child Have Braces? Help Them Keep Their Teeth Clean

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Braces are an investment in your child’s future smile, so keeping their teeth clean and in good shape is essential.

Brushing teeth with braces isn’t too different than brushing without braces. But maintaining clean teeth with braces is just a bit more time consuming and involves the help of some other tools.

As a parent, you may find it a little frustrating if you have to continually remind your child to brush their teeth and to do it correctly. However, braces are an investment in your child’s future smile, and like any other important investment, it’s wise to help them keep their teeth and braces clean.

When to Brush with Braces

There are a couple of essential times your child should be brushing their teeth if they have braces. First, they should brush their teeth in the morning, after they wake up, and at night, before going to bed.

Second, they should brush their teeth after every meal. However, the problem with brushing after every meal is that it can be impractical. If your child is at school, they may not be able to find a good place to brush, or they may not have a toothbrush with them all the time.

One suggestion that can help is for them to rinse their mouth out with water right after eating so they can rinse away any particles, sugars, and starches that could lead to plaque buildup. This is often a more practical solution if brushing isn’t possible.

How to Brush Teeth with Braces

Having the right kind of toothbrush goes a long way in helping a child brush their teeth effectively. An orthodontist will typically recommend a soft-bristled toothbrush or power toothbrush. They must brush their teeth thoroughly and be sure not to rush through a cleaning. Some good points to keep in mind include:

  • Brush each side of every tooth
  • Brush around all parts of the brackets
  • Brush along the tongue, gumline, and roof of the mouth

The amount of time spent brushing is essential too. To get all of the above areas thoroughly cleaned, a child should brush for a full two minutes. Playing a song in the background can be helpful. Also, some toothbrushes have a built-in timer and will signal when two minutes is up.

Flossing with Braces

Flossing can be challenging with braces, but it’s important to floss at least twice a day because particles of food and plaque can easily get stuck in between the teeth. An oral irrigator, or a water flosser, is a useful tool that works just as well as traditional floss. Another way to floss is by using a reusable floss-threader along with regular dental floss.

Have a Tooth-Friendly Diet

No matter how much your child brushes and flosses their teeth, eating the right foods, and staying away from the wrong ones, goes a long way in keeping their teeth healthy while they have braces. Sugary food and drinks can increase the likelihood of your child developing cavities. Acidic food and drinks can damage tooth enamel. Foods high in starch can stick to the teeth for long periods and cause tooth decay.

It’s important to be aware of the foods that can damage enamel and lead to tooth decay so that your child doesn’t have stains on their teeth when their braces come off.

If your child has braces, discuss these things with them. If they are struggling to do it right, find a solution to at least one of the issues. Many of these things take time to put into regular practice, so don’t give up!

Call Us Today

The Only Board Certified Dental Anesthesiologists in the State of Missouri, including the St. Louis Metro Area.

Call (314) 862-7844

How Breastfeeding Affects the Oral Health of Your Baby

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When a baby is breastfed, the breast milk provides essential nutrients they need to develop properly and thrive and this includes their jaw and teeth.

Breastfeeding has proven to have countless benefits for both mother and baby. Most people are aware that breastfeeding protects against eczema and allergies, reduces the risk of certain infections and viruses, and that it can even lessen the threat of SIDS. But breastfeeding can also have positive effects on the oral health of your baby.

Essential Nutrients are Essential!

When a baby is breastfed, the breast milk provides essential nutrients they need to develop properly and thrive. To make sure your baby’s gums and teeth, once the erupt, are strong and healthy, these nutrients are essential. Breast milk contains proteins that help build strong jaw muscles, fatty acids that help reduce inflammation, and vitamins needed for good oral health.

Helps with Bite Alignment

Interestingly, the sucking mechanisms are different for bottle-fed and breastfed babies. In a recent study researches discovered that babies who are breastfed exclusively for the first six months of their life were 72% less likely to develop crooked teeth. This is because breastfeeding stimulates muscle tone in the jaw. After all, it requires the use of the jaw muscles more than bottle-feeding.

It’s important to remember though that every child is different. Breastfeeding is not a guarantee that a child will not have orthodontic issues in the future. Many other factors contribute to bite alignments such as pacifier use, thumb-sucking, and genetics.

Decreases Risk of Tooth Decay

Breastfed babies typically have a reduced risk of developing cavities. This is because they are not at risk of baby bottle tooth decay. When a baby is put to bed with a bottle containing milk, formula, or juice, baby bottle tooth decay can develop.

Once your baby begins teething, it’s important to start brushing them with a small, soft toothbrush and a small amount of fluoride toothpaste at least two times a day. As your child grows, it’s important that they also go to the dentist for regular checkups and teeth cleanings.

Call Us Today

The Only Board Certified Dental Anesthesiologists in the State of Missouri, including the St. Louis Metro Area.

Call (314) 862-7844