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We’re not talking about caring for major appliances here—the refrigerators, dishwashers, and washing machines which make our lives easier. We’re talking about some much smaller appliances which produce major results for our children—the dental appliances which help create healthy, attractive smiles.

A dental appliance is simply any device which helps promote dental health. And while that definition is awfully broad, you still might be surprised at the many types of dental work which qualify! Today, we look at “fixed” appliances. These devices and restorations stay in the mouth, unlike removeable appliances like aligners and retainers. How do they work for our children, and what helps them work most effectively?

Fillings and Crowns

Fillings and crowns might not seem like dental appliances, but they are! They help protect and maintain tooth structure after a cavity or an injury.

Space Maintainers

If your child has lost a baby tooth prematurely, Dr. Parulkar might recommend a space maintainer. A space maintainer holds the space open for your child’s adult tooth to arrive in its proper spot by preventing the surrounding teeth from shifting out of position. Space maintainers can protect tooth alignment and reduce the need for later orthodontic treatment.

Traditional Braces

Traditional braces make use of brackets, arch wires, bands, and ligatures in a wide variety of materials and styles to align teeth properly and help correct malocclusions. If your child has braces, they will typically stay in place for 18-24 months, with more time as needed for more complex malocclusions.

Functional Appliances

Functional appliances like palatal expanders and the Herbst® appliance are used to guide jaw development during the treatment of malocclusions, helping children achieve their best smiles while the jaw and facial bones are still growing. Because these appliances stay in the mouth until this stage of treatment is complete, caring for them can present some day-to-day challenges.

So many appliances, helping to protect and improve dental health in so many ways! Here are some steps you can take to make sure these appliances perform at their best:

• Encourage your child to clean carefully—and more often

Your child might need to brush and floss after every meal and snack to prevent plaque buildup and to keep food particles from sticking to space maintainers, braces, or other functional appliances. Dr. Parulkar can recommend the optimal cleaning schedule.

• Explore new tools

Interproximal brushes, flosses designed for braces, and water flossers can make cleaning teeth and appliances easier and more effective. Talk to your dental team at Delaware Pediatric Dentistry to learn the best tools and techniques for your child’s specific needs.

• Plan meals with your child’s appliances in mind

Sticky, chewy, hard, and crunchy foods are not on the menu when your child has a fixed appliance. Sticky and chewy foods like caramels can damage appliances and are difficult to clean from appliances and enamel. Hard foods require biting pressure which can damage appliances—and fillings and teeth! Crunchy foods can leave irritating little particles stuck in and under appliances. Your pediatric dentist has all the details on choosing foods which are good for your child’s teeth and appliances.

• Help your child stay on schedule

Keeping up with regular dental appointments allows your child’s dentist to discover and treat any small problems before they become larger ones. Keeping up with orthodontic adjustments means your child will finish orthodontic treatment on schedule and without unnecessary delays.

• Watch out for destructive habits

Habits which aren’t good for our teeth and gums are also not good for appliances. Nail biting, chewing on pencils or other objects, using teeth as tools to open bags or bottle caps, crunching on ice, and other behaviors which can damage tooth enamel can also damage fillings, space maintainers, braces, and functional appliances. Help your child to notice and avoid any unconscious habits which are harmful to teeth and appliances.

• Don’t ignore potential problems

Call your pediatric dental team in Lewis Center, OH at once if a filling is painful, loose, or damaged. If your child’s appliance is causing pain or shows any signs of damage, call your orthodontist or dentist immediately.

You and your child are a team when it comes to making sure appliances are working their best. It doesn’t take a lot of daily effort to take care of appliances—and the reward is a family future filled with beautiful, healthy smiles!

Did you know that the most common oral health diseases are tooth decay and gum disease? Not so coincidentally, they are also the easiest to prevent. As much as we would like for the brushing and flossing to do all the work for us, in reality, we really are what we eat — and a healthy diet is just as important for dental health as it is for the rest of the body.

Eating well boosts your immune system, and makes you less susceptible to gum disease and tooth decay. When you maintain a balanced diet, you provide your body with all the nutrients it needs to succeed. So what does a healthy, balanced diet entail? It’s really quite simple. Here are some tips:

1. Focus on lean meats, veggies, whole grains, and healthy fats.
2. Limit your intake of sugary drinks like energy drinks and soda.
3. Keep your sweet tooth in check.
4. Beware of acidic meals and snacks that are high in salt and sodium.
5. Drink lots of water.

Unfortunately, there’s no “one size fits all,” magic diet that will automatically improve your oral health, but following the five guidelines above as best you can is a great way to start. Food and drinks that are high in sugar or acidity weaken your enamel, stain your teeth, and make you more likely to develop a cavity or gum disease.

At Delaware Pediatric Dentistry, we like to encourage our patients to drink a lot of water during the day. Doing so not only keeps you hydrated, but also helps rinse out the sugar and acid from various things you’ve consumed during the day.

If you think your diet might be affecting your smile, come pay Dr. Parulkar a visit or give our Lewis Center, OH office a call! We’re always happy to answer your questions.

If you were to put your toothbrush bristles under a high-powered microscope, what you would see might give you nightmares: millions of bacteria, busily crawling up and down your toothbrush bristles, consuming proteins that came from your mouth, and still clinging to the bristles even after you’ve rinsed them with water.

Rinsing your toothbrush after brushing removes some of those ferociously hungry bacteria, but not all. The American Dental Association says that bacterial infestations develop on toothbrushes within a month of daily use. The ADA also states that unless a toothbrush is sterilized before being packaged, it’s going to come with bacteria – free of charge!

Germs and Frayed Bristles: the Demise of a Toothbrush

Dr. Parulkar and our staff recommend that you toss your old toothbrush in the trash and purchase a new one every three months. Children tend to bite on their toothbrushes, which makes the bristles degrade and fray faster. Chances are kids may need to have their toothbrushes changed more frequently.

Where do they hide?

Bacteria are tenacious little germs that head for those concealed areas between toothbrush bristles. They are highly adaptable and exist in every type of extreme environment. Some people actually go so far as to put their toothbrush in a microwave for a few seconds to kill germs, but this doesn't always work either. In fact, you may only end up with a toothbrush that’s as bendable as a Gumby doll – and still covered with germs.

Feed a Cold, Starve a Fever, and Get Rid of Your Toothbrush

When you have a head cold, your mouth is teeming with bacteria gleefully roaming around, and gobbling mucus and dead skin cells. If you brush your teeth while suffering a sinus condition, the brush will act like a magnet for ravenous bacteria. Use your old toothbrush while you are sick, but as soon as you feel better, throw it away and get a new one. Otherwise you could possibly re-infect yourself with the same cold germs!

Our grandmothers and grandfathers, our moms and dads—we’ve known them our whole lives. So, why are they so hard to shop for?

If your older family members have all the sweaters, socks, and scents they need, consider a gift that can make life a bit easier and perhaps a lot healthier—an electric toothbrush!

• Easy Efficiency

The most important reason to choose an electric toothbrush is its effectiveness. Several studies have shown that regular use of an electric toothbrush leads to a marked reduction in plaque, that bacteria-filled film which sticks to the teeth and leads to cavities and gingivitis. And it’s really no surprise that an electric brush can out-perform a manual brush.

Using a manual brush is not just a matter of applying toothpaste and scrubbing. Proper technique means short brush strokes at a 45-degree angle for the outer and inner surfaces of the tooth, thoroughly cleaning the uneven chewing surfaces of the molars, and brushing the inside of the front teeth with gentle vertical strokes. Meticulous cleaning of all these surfaces can be difficult, especially for people with dexterity issues.

Electric toothbrushes offer several options, from oscillating/rotating brushes to oscillating/rotating/pulsating models to brushes using sonic vibration technology. What they all have in common is the ability to remove plaque far more effectively than we can on our own, because they provide the equivalent of thousands and even tens of thousands of brushstrokes per minute, as opposed to the hundreds we can achieve by hand.

• Comfortable Control

An electric toothbrush can be not only more efficient, but also more comfortable for older brushers. For those with arthritis, limited mobility, injuries, or other health conditions, the larger handles can be easier to control and much more grip-friendly. And, with the work being done by the brush head, users avoid repetitive hand and wrist motion.

Also, the pressure applied to teeth and gums with an electric brush is designed to clean thoroughly while protecting the mouth. Heavy-handed manual brushing can irritate delicate gum tissue and even damage enamel over time. With an electric brush, users only need to guide it along teeth and gums as it supplies all the power needed. There are even pressure sensors available to warn users that their brushing is too vigorous.

• Apps, Anyone?

If your grandfather likes to keep things old school, a basic model with a convenient two-minute timer and several cleaning modes will offer all the bells and whistles he needs. But if your nana has more Instagram followers than you do, consider a more tech-savvy option.

Several of today’s electric brushes come with features designed to make brushing even more effective. They can let her know if she’s brushing long enough, alert her if she’s brushing too hard, and remind her that it’s time to replace the brush head. Some models link to handy apps that will map out just where she’s brushed, in case there are a few spots that get overlooked. Or choose a model which comes with a travel case that can recharge while she’s busy seeing the world.

Okay, all that being said, we’ll admit it—a toothbrush might not be the most glamorous gift your grandparent unwraps on that special day. But helping a favorite family member brush more effectively and comfortably while improving dental health? That’s a gift that keeps on giving!