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It’s the littlest month of the year, so what better time to think about the dental health of our littlest family members? February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, and we’re here to suggest some of the best dental habits for healthy childhood smiles.

Babies 

• Even before your baby cuts her first adorable tooth, you can start proactive dental care by gently wiping little gums with a clean, moist gauze pad or soft cloth twice a day. This removes bacteria and food particles and helps prepare your baby for brushing.
• When that first tooth does appear, or by age one if it hasn’t yet erupted, it’s time to schedule a visit to the dentist. At this first visit, your child’s dentist will check jaw and tooth development and can give expert guidance on teething, brushing, how much and which kind of toothpaste to use, and topics like thumb-sucking and pacifier use.
• When baby teeth arrive, use a small soft-bristled toothbrush designed to fit comfortably in tiny mouths.
• Use toothpaste as recommended. Children under the age of three who use paste should use a very small amount, no larger than a grain of rice.
• Prevent “baby bottle tooth decay”—don’t put your baby to bed with a bottle. This allows the sugars in formula or, when your child is 12 months or older, milk, to bathe the teeth throughout the night. And babies and toddlers never need sugary juices or sodas in those bottles!

Toddlers 

• Help your child develop a positive relationship with his dental team. Read books or watch videos to help your child learn what to expect. Practice with him by having him open his mouth while you count his teeth. Plan visits when your child isn’t hungry or tired. Be positive yourself—your child will take his cues from you!
• Schedule regular appointments for exams and cleanings. Your child’s dentist will check tooth and jaw development, look for any signs of decay, and evaluate potential problems such as prolonged thumb sucking or pacifier use. 
• By age three, children have most or all of their baby teeth. Use a soft bristled brush to clean your child’s teeth twice each day. As she grows, demonstrate how to brush properly. Your dentist and hygienist will have some great ideas on technique!
• Daily flossing should begin as soon as your child has two teeth which touch. 
• Around age six, your child may be transitioning to solo brushing and flossing—but your oversight is still needed. Make sure all the surfaces of the teeth, including the tops of new molars, are brushed thoroughly. You might provide a timer or a two-minute song or video to make sure your child spends enough time brushing. Flossing can be tricky for young hands, so you’ll need to help with that task for a few years more.

School-Aged Children

• Orthodontists and dentists recommend a first visit to the orthodontist by age seven, or earlier if you notice your child has trouble chewing or biting, if the teeth don’t seem to fit together properly, or if you have any concerns about bite and alignment. When potential problems are discovered right away, early intervention can prevent more serious orthodontic issues from developing later. The team at Chan & Chen Orthodontics in Andover is happy to answer any questions you might have about early interventions!
• If your child is beginning orthodontic treatment, you can help make the journey easier: 
  • Keep up with appointments and adjustments—missed appointments can delay your child’s progress. 
  • Braces can make brushing and flossing more difficult, so try special brushes and floss designed just for braces. 
  • If needed, remind your child to wear bands or aligners for the recommended number of hours each day. 
  • Be encouraging! Remind your child that these months in braces or aligners will lead to years of healthy, attractive smiles.
• Talk to your dentist about sealants. Permanent molars usually erupt between the ages of six and 12. Sealants are thin coatings which protect the chewing surfaces of these molars from food particles and cavity-causing bacteria which would otherwise collect inside grooves in the enamel.
• Children who play sports and engage in activities with a chance of physical contact should have a well-fitted mouthguard to protect their teeth. Be ready to replace it as often as recommended by Drs. Chen and Sepe or if it’s damaged.
• Increases in hormones during puberty can lead to puberty gingivitis, and swollen, red, and bleeding gums can be the result. Proactive dental hygiene will prevent gum disease from developing. Make sure your child brushes two minutes, twice a day, and flosses once per day. If symptoms persist, it’s time to see the dentist.
• A nutritious diet is essential for healthy teeth and gums. Give your child solid nutritional building blocks with a diet rich in proteins, vitamins, and minerals. If your child wears braces, have a variety of appealing, braces-friendly foods on hand. 

Help your child enjoy a future of healthy, confident smiles by working in partnership with your child’s dentist and the orthodontic team at Chan & Chen Orthodontics. They are ready every month of the year with advice and expertise to make that healthy dental future a reality!

Let’s see…

Toothbrush? Check.

Fluoride toothpaste? Check.

Floss? Check.

Two minutes of thorough brushing? Check.

Careful cleaning around your brackets and wires? Check.

Wait… there’s something else… it’s right on the tip of your…

Ah! Your tongue! Whenever you brush, morning, evening, or any time in between, if you want the freshest breath and cleanest teeth, don’t forget your tongue.

Why your tongue? Because the tongue is one of the most common sources of bad breath. Let’s examine just why this occurs.

The tongue is made up of a group of muscles that help us speak and chew and swallow. But there’s more to this remarkable organ than mere muscle. The surface of the tongue is covered with mucous membrane, like the smooth tissue which lines our mouths. But the tongue isn’t completely smooth—it’s textured with thousands of tiny bumps called papillae.

These little elevated surfaces have several shapes and functions. Some make the tongue’s surface a bit rough, which helps move food through your mouth. Some are temperature sensitive, letting you know that your slice of pizza is much too hot. And some are covered with thousands of the taste buds, which make eating that pizza so enjoyable.

All of these papillae with their various functions combine to create a textured surface, filled with miniscule nooks and crannies. And if there’s a nook or a cranny where bacteria can collect, no matter how miniscule, it’s a good bet that they will, and the surface of the tongue is no exception. But bacteria aren’t alone—the tongue’s surface can also hide food particles and dead cells.

How does this unappealing accumulation affect you? These elements work together to cause bad breath, especially the bacteria that break down food particles and cell debris to produce volatile sulfur compounds—compounds which create a particularly unpleasant odor. Including your tongue in your brushing routine helps remove one of the main causes of bad breath.

And that’s not the only benefit! Cleaning the tongue helps eliminate the white coating caused by bacterial film, and might even improve the sense of taste. Most important, studies show that regular cleaning noticeably lowers the levels of decay-causing plaque throughout the mouth.

So, how to get rid of that unwanted, unpleasant, and unhealthy debris?

• When you’re done brushing your teeth, use your toothbrush to brush your tongue.

Clean your tongue by brushing gently front to back and then side to side. Rinse your mouth when you’re through. Simple as that! And just like a soft-bristled toothbrush helps protect tooth enamel and gum tissue, we also recommend soft bristles when you brush your tongue. Firm bristles can be too hard on tongue tissue.

• Use a tongue scraper.

Some people find tongue scrapers more effective than brushing. Available in different shapes and materials, these tools are used to gently scrape the surface of the tongue clean of bacteria and debris. Always apply this tool from back to front, and rinse the scraper clean after every stroke. Wash and dry it when you’re through.

• Add a mouthwash or rinse.

As part of your oral hygiene routine, antibacterial mouthwashes and rinses can assist in preventing bad breath. Ask Drs. Chen and Sepe for a recommendation.

• Don’t brush or scrape too vigorously.

Your tongue is a sturdy, hard-working organ, but tongue tissue is still delicate enough to be injured with over-vigorous cleaning.

Taking a few extra seconds to clean your tongue helps eliminate the bacteria and food particles which contribute to bad breath and plaque formation. Make this practice part of your daily brushing routine—it’s a healthy habit well worth remembering!

It seems like the ads are everywhere these days—repair your enamel and reverse tooth decay with a tube of toothpaste! Are these claims too good to be true? Let’s dive into the science of tooth decay—how decay develops and how (and if!) it can be reversed.

Teeth can stand up to the powerful pressures of biting and chewing because over 95% of our enamel is made up of minerals. Calcium and phosphate ions in our teeth bond to form a crystal structure called hydroxyapatite. Because of the strength of this crystalline design, tooth enamel is the hardest substance in our bodies, even stronger than our bones. 

But bones, like most other parts of our bodies, are living tissue, which means that they can create new cells to replace old or damaged cells. Tooth enamel can’t regenerate new cells to repair itself. This means that when a cavity has made a hole in the tooth, the enamel can’t grow back. And, while enamel structure is very strong, it’s also vulnerable to damage—specifically, damage from acids. 

Our teeth are exposed to acids throughout the day, whether they are acids created by plaque bacteria or the acidic foods and drinks we consume. Acids dissolve mineral bonds, stripping calcium and phosphate minerals from the enamel and leaving weak spots in the tooth surface. This process is called demineralization. Demineralization is the first stage of tooth decay.

The good news? Our bodies are designed with a built-in defense mechanism to prevent demineralization from causing lasting damage. All through the day, saliva helps wash away acids in the mouth and bathes our teeth with new calcium and phosphate ions. These ions bond with the calcium and phosphate in our enamel, restoring enamel strength. This protective repair process is called remineralization. 

Now for the bad news. In the tug of war between demineralization and remineralization, saliva can only do so much. If your diet is heavy with acids, if you don’t brush away acid-producing plaque bacteria regularly, if you eat a lot of the sugars and starches which feed plaque bacteria, the remineralizing effects of saliva can’t keep up with the demineralizing effects of acids.

The first visible sign of demineralization is often a white spot on the tooth where minerals have been stripped from enamel. Studies have shown that enamel-strengthening toothpaste can be effective in this very first stage of tooth decay. Toothpastes which advertise enamel repair generally contain one or more of these ingredients:

• Calcium Phosphate
• Hydroxyapatite
• Fluoride 

Toothpastes with calcium phosphate or hydroxyapatite contain calcium and phosphate minerals, the building blocks of tooth enamel. Studies have suggested that these minerals can replace the calcium and phosphate ions stripped from enamel. These toothpastes may or may not contain fluoride, which is something you should discuss with your dentist before deciding on a specific toothpaste.

Fluoride toothpastes remineralize enamel—and more! Fluoride ions are attracted to the tooth’s surface, and, when fluoride ions join with the calcium and phosphate ions there, they form fluorapatite. Fluorapatite crystals are larger, stronger, and more resistant to acids than hydroxyapatite crystals. And, once bonded with tooth enamel, fluoride attracts the calcium and phosphate ions in saliva to remineralize the teeth more quickly. 

Why consider enamel-repair toothpaste? 

Once enamel is gone, it’s gone for good. If excess demineralization isn’t treated, a weak spot on the tooth surface will continue to erode, growing bigger and deeper until it becomes a hole in the enamel. This is a cavity, and your dentist will need to treat and repair your tooth to prevent the cavity from growing and potentially exposing the tooth’s pulp to bacteria and infection. 

If you wear braces, you want to be especially careful about excess demineralization. Because it can be hard to brush and floss effectively with braces, white spots and discolored patches are a common concern for those with braces, especially on the enamel around brackets.  

Talk to Drs. Chen and Sepe at our Andover office about which toothpastes can help restore a healthy balance between the ongoing cycles of demineralization and remineralization when you have braces. While tooth-repair toothpaste can’t fix cavities, these products can often strengthen demineralized enamel and reverse this earliest stage of tooth decay.

You pay attention to what you eat. After all, your oral health depends on it. Without the necessary proteins, vitamins, and minerals in your diet, your teeth and gums will suffer. But did you know it’s a two-way street? Without healthy teeth and a healthy bite, your digestive system can suffer as well.

Because digestion doesn’t start in your stomach—it starts in your mouth! Let’s take a quick look at how the digestive system operates.

• Teeth

The first step in digesting is breaking down foods so your body can extract their nutrients more easily. Healthy teeth are essential here. Incisors and canines tear food into smaller pieces while molars grind these pieces into an easy-to-swallow, paste-like consistency. While we chew, the surface area of the food increases, allowing the digestive enzymes in saliva, the stomach, and the small intestine to work more efficiently.

• Salivary Glands

Saliva production increases when we eat. Digestive enzymes in saliva begin breaking down carbs into sugars, and separating fat molecules. Saliva also contains antimicrobial peptides which are important for oral and gut health.  

• Esophagus

This muscular tube connects the back of the throat to the stomach. As we swallow, muscles in the esophagus contract and relax, an involuntary movement called peristalsis. These contractions push food down into the stomach. Peristalsis also occurs in the stomach and intestines, efficiently moving food through the rest of the digestive system. 

• Stomach

Inside the stomach are gastric acids and enzymes which break food down further to help the small intestine make use of these nutrients in the next stage of digestion.

• Small Intestine

This organ works to reap the benefits of our healthy diets. The small intestine absorbs about 95% of the nutrients from our digested food—carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins, and minerals—and transfers these nutrients to the circulatory system to be used throughout the body. Any remaining food particles travel to the colon, or large intestine.

• Large Intestine

Bacteria in the large intestine help process soluble fiber, which we can’t digest on our own. The large intestine is also where insoluble fiber and anything else undigested are converted to solid waste. 

Now, let’s look at how a malocclusion, or bad bite, can disrupt the digestive process.

In some cases, malocclusions are mild, and require little or no treatment. A more serious malocclusion, though, can impact the way the jaws fit together, making it difficult or impossible for the jaws and teeth to align correctly for efficient and comfortable chewing. What are some possible consequences?

• Uneven bite pressure

With a healthy bite, your teeth and jaws fit together properly to let you get the most out of your meal. When teeth and jaws don’t meet properly, it’s hard to chew food into the paste-like consistency necessary for rest of our system to process it smoothly.

• Reduction in digestive enzymes and peptides

Difficulty chewing means less chewing. Less chewing means less saliva, and your system won’t benefit from the digestive prep work and gut protection which saliva typically provides. 

• Uncomfortable swallowing

Insufficiently chewed food makes peristalsis in the throat and other digestive organs more difficult. Larger pieces of food can become stuck in the esophagus, causing painful swallowing or even choking.

• Higher risk of stomach problems

When food isn’t chewed thoroughly, the stomach has to work harder, and the risk of gastroesophageal reflux increases. Highly acidic gastric juices can back up into the esophagus and mouth, causing heartburn, chest pain, sore throat, and vomiting. 

• Bowel irritation

When food particles are too large, the small intestine must work harder to break them down and to absorb their nutrients. Insufficiently digested food can also upset the bacterial balance in the large intestine. These problems can cause indigestion, constipation, gas, and bloating.

• Changes in nutrition 

Orthodontic problems can also lead to nutritional imbalances even before we start to digest. Soft foods and liquids are often chosen over proteins, fruits, and vegetables when chewing pain is a regular occurrence. While a soft diet is fine for a few days if your mouth is a bit sore following an orthodontic or dental treatment, it can be difficult to get the all the nutrients your body needs when you only eat soft foods.

Orthodontic treatment has many well-known benefits. Straighter teeth. A comfortable, functional bite. Increased self-confidence. Let’s add one more benefit to that list—making sure your digestive system gets off to a great start!

The team at Chan & Chen Orthodontics in Andover recommends an orthodontic evaluation for children around the age of seven, because finding malocclusions early makes it easier to correct them. But if you’re an adult, don’t settle for painful chewing and an increased risk of digestive problems. Talk to Drs. Chen and Sepe to learn how orthodontic treatment can give you an attractive, functional smile. Your healthy smile—and your healthy body—will thank you!