With love and sparkles,
The Tooth Fairy

1. What to do with the teeth: Do you want me to take them? Or do you want to keep them? Some kiddos get very concerned about where their teeth are going and often parents, in a panic, default to the whole “the Tooth Fairy is taking them to babies who need teeth” line, but that’s pretty creepy, if you ask us. We prefer telling them that their teeth will be used in our advanced Tooth Research Lab to discover how to make teeth more resistant to cavities and decay from all the candy they eat. If you decide to keep them, tuck them away somewhere special in a little jar…preferably one that is not easily opened by curious little toothless kids, who think that making a necklace out of their baby teeth sounds like a fun craft project that they can totally upload to Pinterest when they’re done.

2. Selecting your currency of choice: Submit your request for tooth currency here. Please select one of the following: Chocolate gold coins, gold dollar coins, dollar bills sprayed with glitter, stacks of shiny new quarters, or rolls of pennies. First time parents, please remember that your little one has a lot of teeth to lose, so if you start out high, you’re going to have to maintain that level of payment for the next 10-ish years. You may always increase your level of payment as you go, but decreasing is never acceptable and we, at Fairy & Associates, will not accept the blame. Please refer to your contract for additional details. We also suggest leaving a new toothbrush or some floss, because after all, Fairy & Associates is a full-service tooth business and we care about the health of all teeth – even the new ones that are coming in. Please pick a currency and stick with it for the life of your child’s tooth-losing years. Inconsistency leads to confusion and fairies hate confusion. It makes our wings wilt.

3. When kids compare notes: Your kids are going to compare notes with the other kids in their class and their friends. Have your story prepared for why some kids get more money than others from us. We suggest something along the lines of the amount of money you get depends on how many other kids lost teeth that day too. So, if there were a ton of teeth lost, they may only get a quarter, whereas their friend got $5 last week for their tooth because not many children had lost teeth that day, so the Tooth Fairy had more to give. Also, we suggest sending the parents of the kid who got $5 for their tooth an anonymous note in the mail telling them that they’re ruining it for the rest of you. We have your back.

4. Approved tooth receptacles: Please provide some sort of Tooth Fairy approved spot to put the lost tooth for our inspection. There are dozens of options available, and the Tooth Fairy herself is quite a sucker for Etsy, so we suggest starting there. Receptacles are not, we repeat, are not required to be pink, include ruffles or images of the Tooth Fairy wearing a fluffy tutu (in fact, she actually wears camo gear when making deliveries, in case you were wondering.)

We thoroughly enjoy this Tooth Fairy Pillow Dish for Boys ($35, The Brick Kiln on Etsy) as both an alternative for boys who have lost teeth and for children who are feeling uneasy about having the Tooth Fairy put her grubby little fairy hands under their pillow while they sleep.

This Organic Tooth Fairy ($17, mimishop on Etsy) is another approved boy-friendly option, with a pocket on the front for snuggling the tooth in and a little hook at the top to hang him wherever your toothless boy would prefer to have the Tooth Fairy arrive.

5. Post-delivery clean-up: Often times when the Tooth Fairy arrives and departs at your home, she leaves a trail of glitter behind. We’ve tried to work with our Glitter Development Department on creating glitter that is sustainable and easy to clean up, but as you can imagine, this is easier said than done. Please check all windowsills, front porches, kitchen tables, bathroom counters and refrigerators for signs of arrival/departure glitter. Some houses may be used as test-subjects for edible sprinkles instead of glitter and we will alert you, prior to arrival, of your optional participation in this study, in case you choose to opt-out. If you would prefer for the Tooth Fairy to arrive via door, please consider the purchase of a Tooth Fairy Door ($30, The Enchanted Door via Etsy), which is fully customizable and allows the Tooth Fairy easy access to your home.

6. When your house gets skipped: Sometimes, there are errors in our system and the Tooth Fairy misses your house, resulting in very disappointed toothless kids. We apologize, in advance for these errors, as in the lifetime of your child; it’s bound to happen…at least once. Unfortunately, Fairy & Associates does not have the same funding as say, Santa Claus, and until our request for assistance gets approved (Hello! Does he really need NINE reindeer? Surely he could spare a couple…), you’ll have to have a back-up plan. In case of a missed house situation, please use your own money to fund the tooth loss and you will promptly be reimbursed for your trouble. We suggest using tactics such as hiding the money under someone else’s pillow in the house, claiming that the Tooth Fairy got confused. Feel free to have your child write a grievance letter to Fairy & Associates and leave it out the following evening at bedtime – we promise to respond promptly and often leave an extra quarter for the trouble.

Disclaimer: Fairy & Associates is not related to the Elf on the Shelf and will therefore, not be held responsible for anything that crazy little guy does, including drinking your liquor (Have you checked it lately? He’s fond of peppermint Schnapps), creating damage to your property from the zip line he had installed, or impregnating your daughter’s dolls. Thank you for your understanding regarding this matter.

Tell us, what are the Tooth Fairy or tooth-losing traditions in your home? How does the Tooth Fairy get herself out of a jam when she misses her delivery?

– Katie Kavulla

Photo via Katie Kavulla, Jenn Durfey via flickr, 

This morning my little man woke up on the wrong side of the bed, from the moment i got him out of the cot he was grisley and just plain miserable.

For probably the last couple of weeks River man has been a bit up and down and i assumed he was probably teething. He’s drooling had jumped up a notch and i thought i could feel some bumps on his gums.

He hasn’t seemed to be to irritated by it, but the last couple of days i’ve definitely noticed a change. Yesterday i tried giving him some Nurofen and it did actually seem to calm him down, i also popped some Bonjela on and gave him some cold fruit and teethers to chew on.

This morning i thought id try the same thing, i gave him some Nurofen then popped the Bonjela on, and as i was rubbing the gel across his gums, what did i feel? A wee baby toothy peg had broken it’s way through!

Friday the 28th of December will forever be known as the day River man cut his first tooth! It’s the front left one, and he’s 5 months and half months old.

So what happens now? Will he be on a roll, cutting teeth left, right and centre? Or will he be a one tooth willy for a while? Not to sure how it works. Also did your babies get tired while they were teething? Seems River has been sleeping longer through the day over the last couple of days.

Would love to hear some advice on what i might be in for over the next few months.

If you enjoyed my blog, check out my face book page, Love and Late Nights Mumma where like minded mums come to share and discuss the good the bad and the ugly of motherhood!

Step 1: Find offspring’s baby teeth. What? Didn’t save any? Never became a breeder? That’s okay, freshwater pearls will do just fine. But no plastic.

Step 2: Using a little lump of polymer clay, make a shape that pleases your nostalgic needs. (Don’t forget to preheat the oven–275 degrees is good if your oven is really old like mine.) Imbed the teeth in your design, arranged to show favoritism,  and add a jump-ring for easy wearability.

Step 3: Put in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Not a good time to walk the dogs; overbaking will make a brownish tone on the teeth, which could possibly come off as creepy.

Step 4: Take out of the oven and let cool. (Now you can walk dogs).

Step 5: Attach a chain to your pretty pendant! Now you can wear it out on the town. I’m wearing mine to my youngest grace’s Christmas concert. Won’t she be surprised.

(Editor’s note: Now the graces wear braces to hold their teeth in.)

Materials you will need: Polymer clay, needle-nosed pliers, chain, oven, children.

Won’t she be surprised!

His favorite pastime is climbing in and out of his high chair (its on it’s floor setting which means its as high as a normal baby chair), ragging the Christmas tree, so its now naked from the waist down and stealing all my raw potatoes and putting them in various cupboards.

The past month, he’s been up to this:

Eating (or playing) with spaghetti! Yum!

Stealing magnets of Lucy’s fridge with Leo at Lucy’s babyshower

Emptying out most if his toy box only to lay in it!

Having fun with Lewis

Decorating Christmas trees (and taking it all off again)

He loves the guinea pigs at Pets at Home!

And when he saw the bunny they had, he said “woof, woof!”

I’m really excited for Christmas now, only just over a week to go. Jake does not yet understand the concept of Christmas, but he sure knows what to do with a present! *claps hands excitedly*

(short post today : ) )

♥

In fact, on the first day that Michael Strahan co-hosted on the Live with Kelly and Michael  show, Sept 4, 2012, they discussed this same topic. It was so poignant and humorous to hear of their own children’s experiences with those dangling teeth. One of them even related a time when a child attached a string to a loose tooth and the other end of the string to an electronic airplane to get the tooth to pop out.

Do you remember using unconventional means to get those baby teeth out? I just remember getting a clean handkerchief from my Dad’s drawer and wrapping it around the loose tooth to get a good enough grip to yank it out. I still remember the fresh smell of that hankie.  A favorite memory is of my Dad trying to gently help me pull the tooth, but me asking him to stop as I was scared. He always stopped when I asked him to. I don’t remember it hurting so much as the dreaded “pop” when it would let go.

What are your memories of pulling those first teeth?

1.Your bob and weave dance moves to music that look so cute.

2. All the adorable new facial expressions. You now have this one where you crunch up your nose, stick out the teeth and make a “ahhhoooohhhhh” sound. ADORBS!

3. Or how about the cute little sounds coming from you. Lots of little chatter can be heard from your crib in the morning with some “Fa”, “Ma”, “Da” and “Ba” sounds.

Now this reason of loving you tops them all… YOUR FIRST WORD!!!!!!! We had been working on your new sounds for days. Also when we play games I am forever using my name, your name, daisy’s name and daddy’s name so you get familiar with them. You were chillin in the play pen (you like to sit in there and throw toys out) while I was running around cleaning the house. Every time I would walk out of the room I would get quit the reaction from you. Then…there it was… the first word. I walked out and what do I hear? “mmmmmmmmm-aaaa!!!” “mmmmmmmmmmmmm-aaaa!!!” I thought maybe it was a fluke so I went up to you and tried to get it out of you again with no luck. Then I walked out of the room again…and there it was! “mmmmmmmmmmmm-aaaa!!!” Yup, Mama wins! (Sorry Dadda)

Another big happening is your love for your blankey from Ally Zabba. I knew you liked it but didnt realize how much until after you had fallen asleep and I had taken it out of the crib only to hear you scream at the top of your lungs when you woke up a few moments later. I went rushing in and found you just distraught. Not sure what was going on, I just handed over the blankey and you literally grabbed it, snuggled it and rolled back over and went fast to sleep. Yup, I think you have found your “lovey”.

-Yet another tooth (I have lost count)
-We brush those teeth and you love it! Its pretty darn cute
-You are trying ‘finger foods’ now (even more messy than imaginable)
-Every day more and more hair is coming in (and red at that!). I even managed a clip in bow (after two strangers called you a boy)
-You love to knock down the blocks and giggle away
-You are leery of strangers and a bit more clingy in public
-Had a reaction to eggs and strawberries so we will have to try again in a few months

For your frist Halloween you had two outfit changes. By Day you wore your black kittie shirt with orange tutu and at night we dressed you up as a lady bug for your first Halloween and went to one neighbors house to trick or treat. Ha! It was really more for momma and dadda to see you in a cute costume. And cute you are! We love you chicka.

xx

Key things she shared with us:

- You need to start brushing baby’s teeth as soon as they erupt. I have a mom friend who said her wake-up call was when her baby girl laughed and she saw her teeth were brown on the inner side. Another mom friend shared that she didn’t give much thought to this until she noticed her baby had morning breath.

- It might be a good idea to start with oral care even before then: wipe baby’s gums with a piece of cloth. There are also these weird little things that you put on a finger – it’s not quite a tooth brush, but it has some sort of rubbery bristles. That way the baby will be used to you poking around his mouth and less resistant to the idea. We were lucky: Timothy loves brushing his teeth! As soon as he sees his tooth brush, he open his mouth wiiiiide

- In Canada, there’s enough  fluoride in tap water for baby teeth brushing. All a baby (or a toddler, for that matter) needs is a toothbrush and water. Tooth paste can be used only once they are at the stage where you can be sure they know how to spit up and know better than swallow the paste, around age 3. Until then – water will do. There also are training tooth pastes available, with no fluoride (thus safe for swallowing). But a baby doesn’t need that

- There are soft tooth brushes for babies with a long handle – for you to brush their teeth. Once they express interest in brushing their own teeth, there are ones with a shorter handle; that’s safer. Of course, you’ll still have to brush their teeth, too – until about 6-8 years old. A good guideline that their fine motor skills are developed enough to brush their own teeth is the ability to lace up their shoes and to colour within line.

- Bedtime routine adjustment. Most important time to brush teeth is in the evening, before bedtime. That made me change around Timothy’s bedtime routine. I used to finish off with nursing (he stopped falling asleep while nursing quite a while ago – I always put him in his crib awake) – but what’s the point of brushing teeth and then nursing? So when Timothy was a bit over 7 months old (he got his first tooth precisely at 7 months) we made the switch. First nurse, then brush teeth, then diaper change + pj’s on, then hubby reads book and puts Timothy to bed. I was worried about him falling asleep – but it went perfectly smoothly. Timothy lay awake for a bit longer the first night or two, a bit more alert, but then he got used to it.

- First dentist visit, as per their recommendation, should be around one year old, just for a check-up. Hmmm, I don’t know about that. All of the above recommendations make sense to me and were confirmed by further reading/discussion. This piece of advice? Well, felt more like marketing line “come and see us soon”. Although I did see information that way too many children develop cavities before they turn two or something like that. But I think with proper dental care – brushing teeth after eating/before bed – we should be fine.

What do you think? When should be the first dental visit?

For younger children, the following ideas could prompt creativity:

1. Write a letter to the Tooth Fairy.
2. Write Santa a recipe for a healthy snack.
3. Write about the time you lost your first tooth. If you have not yet lost a tooth, make up a believable story about what you think it would be like. Hint: Interview others who have lost a baby tooth to get details for your story.

For older children, the writing ideas can be more complex:  

1.  Research what children in other cultures do with lost baby teeth. The Tooth Fairy does not visit every house around the world. For example, in Japan, the first baby tooth is thrown on the roof and the second is thrown under the house to ensure prosperity. In another version from the Japanese culture, lost upper teeth are thrown straight down to the ground and the lost lowers are thrown straight up in the air to ensure that incoming teeth will grow in straight.
2. What does the border in this book represent? Can you retell the story by touching the border? Create your own border, then write a story to go with it.
3. Create a new fantasy character who will visit children in secret. Explain why this character visits children. Describe your character in detail. Does your character have any special powers. For example is there a character who visits children on their half birthday to reward them for good health habits? What about a character who visits children when they have completed other firsts in growing up like the first time they rode a bike, or the first time they used a cell phone, or the first time they ate an artichoke, or the first time they saw the beach?

Dentist Steven E. Roth, DMD, answers questions about children’s dental care.

What is the recommended age for a child’s first visit to the dentist? Does it have to be a pediatric dentist?

Answer: In order to prevent dental problems, your child should see a pediatric dentist when the first tooth appears, or no later than his/her first birthday. This is the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. The purpose is to begin a thorough prevention program. Dental problems can begin early. A big concern is early childhood caries (formerly known as baby bottle tooth decay or nursing caries). Once a child’s diet includes anything besides breast milk, erupted teeth are at risk for decay. The earlier you start dental visits, the better the chance of preventing dental problems. Children with healthy teeth chew food easily and smile with confidence. Start your child now on a lifetime of good dental habits.

My daughter has an appointment for IV sedation this Tuesday. I want to know how long the procedure normally lasts.

Answer: That would be a good question for you to ask the treating clinician, since we don’t know what the sedation is for. But I will add that it can take at least an hour for the sedation.

Do they make porcelain crowns for toddlers?

Answer: Porcelain crowns are a fairly expensive. The more permanent procedure they require is not indicated for toddlers. There are quicker, more convenient procedures that can be performed in one visit for toddlers and children.

My little girl is 4 years old and was recently treated for a viral infection in her throat. After that, I noticed that her gums were very swollen and red, more so in the back by her molars. Is this normal? Is there a second set of molars that can come in?

Answer: There are 6-year molars and 12-year molars that erupt within one year of the previous stated ages. Most likely, the sore throat and the swollen gums are all part of the viral infection. I suggest you see your family pediatric dentist.

My daughter is 18 months old. She was breastfed up until 4 months ago. She has a yellow discoloration on one of her front teeth. What caused this? Can it spread to other teeth?

Answer: The yellow stain could be a number of things: an innocent stain, a cavity, a traumatic injury, or a genetic defect. Please take your child to the pediatric dentist for an examination.

My great-grandson is 3 1/2 years old and has no molars. He just visited the dentist who took an X-ray that shows no development of molars. He said it could be some sort of congenital disease and that his mom should check with the family doctor. What could this be? And what can be done?

Answer: I would recommend that the child’s parent or caregiver take the child to see a pediatric dental specialist for an examination and diagnosis. There are many available treatments for patients that do not develop adult teeth. There are also children that develop their teeth much later than others. The bottom line is to see the appropriate specialist for care. 

My 6-year-old has a black discoloration on his gums that is sensitive to touch. The black doesn’t come off when brushing. What could this be?

Answer: The possibilities include an infection, trauma, an erupting tooth, or normal pigmentation. Either way, I would strongly suggest a visit to the pediatric dentist for an evaluation of the problem. 

My 7-year-old has stains on his front teeth. Please advise a treatment for this.

Answer: Staining can be caused by tetracycline, amalgam, iron, flourosis, and a myriad of other things. My best advice is to have the stain looked at by a pediatric dental specialist.

I brush my 3-year-old’s teeth daily and use fluoride when I do. But he is still getting tiny brown spots next to his gum line, and even has some missing enamel. I have called a dentist but don’t know what I’m doing wrong or what I could start doing differently.

Answer: There are several enamel conditions that could be causing the problem. Or it could be intrinsic or extrinsic staining. I would recommend going to the pediatric dental specialist for an exact treatment plan.

My 5-year-old has a swollen spot on the top left side of his gums that’s red around the edges and white in the middle. What is it?

Answer: There are many possibilities, such as an aphthous ulcer or canker sore, an abscess, or an erupting tooth. If your child is in any pain, I would recommend a trip to the pediatric dentist for an evaluation.

My son is almost 11, and most of his adult teeth are in. Can he use whitening toothpaste?

Answer: Sensodyne is a toothpaste for patients with sensitive teeth who would like to whiten their teeth. The jury is out on what is an appropriate age to whiten teeth. Whitening toothpastes have polishing agents, in addition to the mild abrasives that help remove surface stains from teeth. Teeth that have surface stains are cleaned and whitened by whitening toothpastes. However, deeper stains won’t be affected. If your teeth have deeper, darker stains due to injury or certain medications, a more thorough brightening treatment, such as bleaching or microabrasion, will be required. If you choose to use whitening toothpaste, make sure the toothpaste contains fluoride as well as whitening agents. 

What is the term for a tooth growing out of the roof of a child’s mouth? Can this simply be pulled at the dentist’s, or is it best to have oral surgery? What types of problems could result?

Answer: Sometimes teeth do not have enough room to erupt into the mouth and can be impacted in the palate. The best way to deal them it is to get treatment with an orthodontist and an oral surgeon to uncover the tooth and to guide eruption into the mouth. 

How do I know if my child has bottle rot?

Answer: Bottle rot is indicated by dark stains around the teeth. But if you are concerned, see your local pediatric dentist as soon as possible. The risk of potentially devastating nursing-pattern dental decay exists for the breastfed child just as it does for the bottle-fed child. This kind of decay is caused by extended and repetitive feedings, with prolonged exposure of erupted teeth to fermentable carbohydrates.

Some General Recommendations

1. Infants should not be put to sleep with a bottle. Nocturnal breastfeeding should be avoided after the first primary tooth begins to erupt.

2. Parents are encouraged to transition infants into drinking from a cup as they approach their first birthday. Infants should be weaned from the bottle between 12 and 14 months of age.

3. Consumption of juices from a bottle should be avoided.

4. Oral hygiene measures should be implemented by the time of eruption of the first primary tooth.

5. An oral health consultation visit within six months of the eruption of the first tooth is recommended to educate parents and provide anticipatory guidance for prevention of dental disease.

My son is 8 years-old and recently lost his central incisors. He now complains that his new teeth are sensitive to hot and cold. Is it normal for a child’s new teeth to be sensitive while they are growing in?

Answer: It is definitely normal to have some sensitivity. But sensitivity can also be related to caries or tooth decay. So have your child’s dentist check his teeth.

My daughter is only 6 years old. She receives regular dental care, but her teeth are still in bad shape. We just came back from a visit, and the dentist suggested she have nine teeth taken out. I was horrified! If her teeth were so bad, why has she never complained about any toothaches?

Answer: I would suggest that you speak to the dentist about this. Many diseases, like high blood pressure, have no symptoms. This is why we go to doctors for regular checkups. In some people tooth decay is painless until the nerve is infected.

Which toothpastes are good for a 2-year-old?

Answer: It takes many years before children develop the fine motor coordination they need to do a good tooth brushing job. Some dentists advise that parents brush their children’s teeth until the child can neatly write his or her own name. Other dentists suggest parents use their own judgment, but to consider between ages 6 and 8 as the time for kids to take on the job of keeping their teeth clean and healthy. General rule: A smear or pea sized drop of fluoridated toothpaste can be used when the child can spit effectively. 

My 7-year-old daughter’s six new adult teeth are all coming in very yellow, even though her baby teeth were very white. Will the new teeth always remain this color? Or is it possible they will lighten up over time? Also, what causes this? Could it be caused by supplements I’ve given her since she was a baby (i.e. cod liver oil, fish oil, vitamins D & C, multi-vitamins, and elderberry liquid every now and then).

Answer: When a child begins to lose their baby teeth and permanent teeth begin to erupt, the permanent teeth appear more yellow than the baby teeth. This is a natural occurrence because of the different makeup of baby teeth and permanent teeth. Baby teeth reflect light differently than adult teeth, making the adult teeth appear more yellow. When they are right next to each other, the difference in color is more dramatic. It is probably not the supplements, so go easy on yourself. Also check with your child’s pediatrician to see what they recommend about giving a 7-year-old these particular supplements.

I have a 2 1/2-year-old who fell down the stairs a few weeks ago. I noticed that his gums above his right top teeth were bleeding, but not profusely, and it stopped shortly thereafter. However, a few days ago, I noticed that his right front tooth has started to turn gray. Some people have told me he will have to have it pulled. How will this affect his adult teeth coming in? Does he really have to have it pulled? If he doesn’t, what could happen?

Answer: Whenever a child experiences a traumatic mouth injury, get them to the dentist ASAP. Now that an injury is evident it is imperative to get there as soon as possible. 

I am concerned about my daughter’s teeth. She is almost 1, and she has white spots on and around the edges of her teeth. Should I be worried?

Answer: Most of the time, white spots are not a problem. But 1 year of age is the perfect time to see the dentist for the first time!

I live in Germany and they do not put fluoride in the tap water. I have a 2-year-old and I am concerned about her not getting enough fluoride. What are the effects of low fluoride? How much should she get, and how do you recommend we get that amount?

Answer: I would definitely speak to your pediatrician and pediatric dentist for specific advice on what and how much fluoride supplement to use. It is suggested that only children living in non-fluoridated areas use dietary fluoride supplements between the ages of 6 months to 16 years. Your physician or dentist can prescribe the correct dosage for your child, based on the previously mentioned factors. 

My son is a year old. The roof of his mouth is discolored. Is that normal? Should I take him to the doctor? What might it be? The color is white and light gray.

Answer: Without examining the child myself, it is hard to say. But as a general rule, if something doesn’t look right, it is a good idea to see your pediatric dentist. An expert can rule out anything serious for you.

My son fell and one of his permanent front teeth fell out. At the emergency room, the tooth was put back in its socket. Should we expect a root canal in the future? The tooth did not crack.

Answer: The accidental loss of an adult tooth is a grave event and very tricky to treat. Even the best techniques sometimes fail to permanently save the tooth. Bear in mind that there is a distinct possibility that your child may lose the tooth even if every precaution is taken. Root canal, gum surgery, and orthodontic care all may be necessary to ultimately save the tooth. And sometimes that may not work.

My 9-year-old daughter had a cleaning a month ago at school. The hygienist said she had two cavities. Because our dental insurance did not become effective for another two weeks, we held off on the appointment for the fillings. Now she has a large bubble on her gum above one of the teeth. Should I bring her to the hospital?

Answer: The bubble can mean that there is an abscessed or infected nerve, gum, or foreign object inside the cavity. The child needs to be seen by a dentist immediately. Antibiotics or a baby root canal are possible treatments for the problem.

My daughter has two huge cavities in her bottom molars, one on each side. It will cost $800 to have a baby root canal performed and a silver cap placed. Do we really have to do this on her baby teeth?

Answer: The simple answer is probably yes. The premature loss of a baby tooth can damage other teeth, alter the eruption patterns of the other teeth, and dramatically change any orthodontic intervention. So see the dentist and follow their recommendations.

My daughter just turned 1. The inside of her lip is connected to her gums between her two top front teeth. We noticed it when she fell the other day and it was bleeding. Is that normal, or is it something that we need to have looked at?

Answer: As your daughter gets older this may change for the positive. I wouldn’t worry at this point, as long as her wound is healing well. Later on in life there is a simple procedure called a frenectomy that can easily resolve this situation.

I have two daughters that were born without permanent teeth and I am struggling to provide them with some form of teeth to eat with. I bought dentures for one of them, but she has developed an infection in her gums and then broke the dentures. My dental insurance will cover 50% of implants but only up to $1,500 a year. I am also worried that their bone structure isn’t sufficient enough to handle this procedure. One is 20 and the other is 16. Do you have any suggestions?

Answer: Anodontia is a congenital abnormality where some or all of the teeth are missing, meaning the follicles needed to grow the teeth are completely absent. This is a difficult problem. My best advice is to see a pediatric dentist who can guide the prosthetic treatment and answer these questions. I would contact the local dental society for a referral.

If you follow the arrow and look VERY closely, you might see that this smiley girl had her first tooth break through today.  You’d never know it by the grin or the eagerness with which she smeared green beans on her chest while aiming for her mouth, but it’s there!

I’m not proud because she got a tooth.  It’s a tooth, not a high ranking milestone, really.  I’m proud because the first part of me that knew it was there were my eyes, not my boobs.  Apparently I’m through with day one of Kid With Teeth Tooth and I haven’t been bitten.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed that there is no follow-up to this post.

Do you think baby teeth are temporary, and therefore not important? Think again. Baby teeth are necessary for chewing, speaking, and smiling. They also serve as placeholders for the adult teeth.

If baby teeth are infected or lost too early due to tooth decay, your child may develop poor eating habits, speech problems, crooked teeth, and damaged adult teeth. In addition, the chances that adult teeth will end up being crooked are greatly increased.

The good news is that a few simple steps can help prevent infant tooth decay. Here’s how:

• Try not to transmit bacteria to your child via saliva exchange. Rinse pacifiers and toys in clean water, and use a clean spoon for each person eating.
• Wipe the baby’s gums with a clean gauze pad or washcloth after each feeding.
• Use an appropriate toothbrush along with a toothpaste (approved by the Canadian Dental Association  http://www.cda-adc.ca/en/cda/seal_of_recognition/products/) to brush when baby’s first tooth comes in.  Continue to clean and massage the gums in areas without teeth.  (Fluoride-free toothpaste is recommended for children under the age of two.  You can use a pea-sized amount of approved fluoridated toothpaste when the child has mastered the art of ”spitting out” excess toothpaste)
• Do not place sugary drinks in baby bottles or sippy cups. Only fill these containers with water, breast milk, or formula. Do not dip pacifiers in sweet liquids (honey, etc.)
• Review  your child’s eating habits. Eliminate sugar-filled snacks and encourage a healthy, nutritious diet.
• Do not allow the child to take a liquid-filled bottle to bed. If the child insists, fill the bottle with water as opposed to milk or any other sugary alternative.
• Brush  your child’s teeth until he or she reaches the age of seven. Before this time, children are often unable to reach certain places in the mouth.
• Floss your child’s teeth once all the baby teeth have come in

Remember, when breast or bottle feeding:

• Take the bottle/breast away when the child has had enough.
• Do not put a baby or infant to bed with a bottle or allow him/her to suckle on the breast for prolonged periods during sleep.
• Introduce the baby to a feeding cup between 6 and 8 months of age.

  Soothers

Avoid dipping soothers in honey, sugar or other foods or liquids. All sugars (including natural sugars) that are not easily cleared from the mouth, can lead to tooth decay.

Medicines

If your child needs medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist to prescribe a sugar-free form.

The culprit.

I’ve just celebrated my 29th birthday and its alarming to most but just annoying now for me because I still have a baby tooth. Yep a baby tooth and its annoying. I’m lucky that I have no fillings, just those little fisher sealant thingies and not other abnormal mouth issues but this little thing is manky I think. Yes yuck. I’ve been putting off a visit to the dentist now for a while for no real reason except that its so hard to get an appointment where I live and then I forget.

Today I got the call that there was a cancellations and my manky tooth could be seen. Okay so I should clarify, it’s not really manky. I think it is, but it’s not bad smelling, ugly manky to anyone else. To me it’s sore, annoying manky and it shouldn’t be there.

I’ve had it seen to before and everyone else has X-rayed it and said, look there is one underneath but don’t worry about it. Trusty dentist today says, “no it doesn’t look good. Lets get an X-ray and go from there.” So me being me, the visual thinker opens up a entire filing cabinet of memories and snapshots in my brain of teeth, decay and facial trauma to reveal a very painful visual composition of blood and gore and huge teeth being wrenched from the gums. That one I think was from a recent beauty show where a toothbrush hater had his whole collection of rotten pegs removed for bright new shiny ones. Eek, it was off. I never realised how big a tooth actually is. Yikes. Thank god half of it stays in your head or cows better start running. There are some serious things teeth.

It probably doesn’t help that my six yr. old nephew recently fell UP a set of concrete stairs and smashed his beautiful big new teeth and bled like you wouldn’t believe. Poor little darling screamed and screamed and his dentist, after working on him for an hour said it was the worst he’d ever seen. Poor little dumpling.

So there, I have a whole raft of horrible cringe worthy snippets on hand and I’m a need to know everything person so Im a little nervous given he won’t cough up the goods about the bad tooth and put my enquiring mind at ease.
Blood gore and snapping teeth noises aside, I have had a blow to the blow before and mouth/facial trauma isn’t fun. It’s painful and makes me feel sick thinking of it but I’m sure this time seeing as its not an assault like the last time, I will be fine.

What I’m not looking forward to is the bill for it and the dint it might put in my savings if it needs to come out and another go in its place. Cue sad faces all day long.

I contemplated it for a while and when he said that abscesses and cysts abound in baby toothed adults, I immediately shuffled that filing cabinet int he sky thingy in my head and decided a dental infection in South East Asia and the alarming rate of super bugs are not two things I want to be playing ball in the recesses of my lower jaw. So I would like to ignore it and keep my manky friend just the way it is but the sensible thing is to do what the nice dentist man says and if he says chip, chop, saw, cut, chisel, hammer it out then so be it.

Please tell me that’s not how they really come out?

Baby Teeth Mask

Product Description

Baby Teeth Mask

Baby Teeth Mask Feature

The magic began with passing on the tradition of believing in the tooth fairy. As a young parent, this presents many questions:

• What do I want my child to believe about the Tooth Fairy?
• What do we put the tooth in?
• How much money do we put in place of the tooth?
• Should the Tooth Fairy leave a note?
• What do we do with the tooth once it’s retrieved from under the pillow?

Preparing for the first visit of the Tooth Fairy is fun, but also sad in knowing that this is another step toward your child’s growing up. Just like crawling and those tentative first steps, a parent knows that each necessary stage in the growth process leads their child to independence and moving into adulthood when we sometimes want to just keep them little so that we can protect them from the grown-up world.

Worst to best
1. Sour sticky candies (sour skittles, sour gummies): The acid in the sour component plus the sticky staying power of the gummie component is a double whammy for developing new cavities.
2.  Sticky candies ( starburst, jelly beans): the stickiness keeps the sweet on the teeth for hours and will give cavities a better chance to develop and grow
3.  Lollie pops or hard candies ( jolly ranchers, toostie pops): kids tend to keep these in their mouths for a long period of time and that continuous bathes the teeth in a little bit of sugar over a long period of time.
4.  Chocolate (M&Ms, snickers)  chocolate has a lower sugar content than the others and dissolves very quickly in saliva.  If you had a choice dark chocolate is the best because of its very low sugar content and it also has antioxidants that are good for the heart.

Halloween is a crucial time for getting new cavities so have your kids brush before bed and for two minutes.  Adding a over the counter fluoride rinse is a cheap way to help prevent dental cavities.

Remember to have your kids teeth checked twice a year, and if you have any questions in the Raleigh area regarding your kids or your oral health please call one of the Raleigh dentists at Carolina Dental Arts at 919 809-8898 for a free consult.

However, Jake is still a little gremlin. I didn’t even know we had any string or where on earth he got it

Oh and don’t leave them to eat by them self’s, they will just wear it, lol

And if you make the food mistake once, learn – I didn’t.

Tiny tiger snoozing! Just like mummy with the cover between his legs.

Making lovely noise in the play garden!

Bang and clang!

Having fun dressing up!

Learning to drive! Will probably be driving before mummy : )

♥

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