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Wishing Everyone A Happy & Healthy 2010!  |
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Welcome 2010
The new year brings along the second issue of our newsletter and another month to celebrate and promote good
oral health. Our goal is to keep you informed of current and timely topics of pediatric dentistry. February is National Children's Dental Health Month, which began nationally in 1949. This is a chance to express the importance of
regular dental visits and proper oral hygiene. Organizations, such as the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
(AAPD) and the American Dental Association (ADA), use the month of February to get the word out and raise
awareness about children's oral health.
According to the ADA, developing good habits at an early age will give children a head start on a lifetime of
healthy teeth. All of us at Children's Dentistry Group will take the opportunity during the month of February to
stress the importance of bringing your child to the dentist on a consistent basis and encouraging proper oral
hygiene at home. |
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 Regular Preventive Care
Our main focus at Children's Dentistry Group is to get children in for their first dental visit by the age of one. This controls common dental problems, like nursing bottle caries, before they begin or get too far out of control. Nursing caries can form when a child is put to bed with a bottle of milk or juice. The sugars from the beverage sit on the tooth surface and mix with bacteria in the mouth. This turns into an acid that eats away at the tooth enamel.
Our goal at Children's Dentistry Group is to prevent problems before they begin. If a child is brought into a dentist
at a young age and seen every six months, the chance of preventing or catching any tooth problems early
increases greatly. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, it is estimated that children
missed 51 million school hours because of dental-related illnesses. Many of these dental problems could have
been prevented with proper diet and oral hygiene. If children learn these habits early in life, the more likely it will
be to have good oral health that lasts a lifetime. |
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Teenagers have very busy schedules and fast-paced lives to keep up with. Proper oral hygiene usually is not their top priority with so many other activities going on.
Teenagers go through many hormonal changes, endure a great deal of stress and
frequently neglect brushing and flossing. All of these things can lead to dental caries,
gum disease and other oral infections. Diet is a main contributor to tooth decay. With teenagers always on the go, junk food tends to be the first choice for meals and snacks. Sugars and starches contain many non-nutritive ingredients that form plaque and destroy tooth enamel. A well balanced diet is crucial to maintain proper oral health. Soda and all other products with real or artificial sugars need to be limited. This includes sports drinks and citrus beverages, which people normally do not consider unhealthy. When these types of products are consumed, rinse the mouth with water or brush the teeth immediately afterwards to decrease the chance of a cavity.
Brushing and flossing properly are critical to sustain good oral health. Brushing needs to be done twice a day and
flossing once. This will remove the biofilm, or bacteria, that form a layer on the teeth. It is also important to go to
dental visits on a regular basis, which is every six months. Lack of proper oral hygiene can not only lead to cavities,
but cause gingivitis and may even lead to periodontal disease. Teenagers who have a healthy, balanced diet and
keep up with proper oral hygiene will decrease their chances of developing tooth decay and periodontal (gum) disease. |
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 Digital radiographs, or x-rays, are the new modern practice to film dentistry. The x-ray imaging units at Children's Dentistry Group use up to 40% less radiation than traditional film x-rays still used by many offices today. Our panoramic x-ray unit, in particular, uses 80% less radiation than film machines. Digital radiographs are an environmentally friendly way to obtain x-rays because of the reduction in radiation and the elimination of chemicals used to develop film x-rays.
Digital radiographs create better images and the picture can be seen immediately after it is taken. Any adjustments that need to be made can be done quickly. Retaking an image is much easier with digital x-rays. It exposes the child to less radiation when compared to retaking an image wth a
film x-ray machine. Digital radiographs are convenient when explaining tooth development or problems with parents.
This paperless practice takes dentistry to a whole new level of efficiency. | |
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Please Don't Be Bashful
If you have any questions regarding pediatric dental health, please feel free to contact us by phone: 847-726-0300
or by email: info@childrensdentistrygroup.com. If you have a family member or friend with a child, please feel free
to forward this newsletter to them. As always, your referrals and trust in our practice are greatly appreciated!
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Paul D. Herer, DMD, MS
 Melissa J. Patenio, DDS, MS& The CDG Team
Children's Dentistry Group, LLC
195 S. Rand Road, Suite 110
Lake Zurich, IL 60047
(847) 726-0300
www.ChildrensDentistryGroup.com | |
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