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It’s understandable that kids would rather be playing outside or watching their favorite movie instead of doing a “boring” task like brushing their teeth. But there are ways to make brushing fun for your son or daughter, and encourage healthy oral hygiene habits early on! Dr. Timm and our team have a few tricks that may help.

Game time

What child doesn’t love a good game? Try to turn brushing time into a game, whether by playing hide-and-seek or singing your child’s favorite song while he or she brushes for two minutes.

Kids also love rewards, so awarding them stickers after a good brushing can encourage them to do a good job every time. You might even tell your child that five stickers will earn a special treat or fun activity at the end of the week.

Fun accessories

Lots of toothbrush options can add something exciting to your child’s daily brushing routine. Toothbrushes that light up tend to be a popular choice with young kids. The same goes for toothbrushes shaped like your child’s favorite animal or cartoon character.

Teaching your kids about how long they should brush each time can also be fun. Let them have the special responsibility of setting a timer for two minutes before they start to brush.

The Great Toothpaste Experiment

Lots of kids can be picky eaters and that can the case with toothpaste flavors. Set aside a time to sample several different flavors, the way they’ve probably tried various flavors at the ice cream shop! Just make sure to be very clear that they shouldn’t swallow the toothpaste.

With your help, your child can easily develop healthy brushing habits over time. If you can find ways to make it fun, it can be an enjoyable experience for both of you!

Call Dr. Timm at our Michigan Center, MI office for more fun tips or to make an appointment today!

A solid oral health routine begins with daily brushing, flossing, and rinsing. Without a consistent oral health regimen, you may begin to experience tooth decay and bacterial infections. Few patients ask Dr. Timm about different mouthwash options, so we’ve put together a list of the conditions that mouthwashes can treat. This should help you decide which oral rinse would be best for you.

Gum Health

Antiseptic mouthwashes reduce large amounts of bacteria on and near the gum line and generally help to decrease your chances of developing gingivitis. The key ingredients of antiseptic mouthwashes are antibacterial and antimicrobial items. Antiseptic mouthwash is a preferable option if you are concerned about the general gum health of your mouth.

Fluoride

Fluoride is a great tool for preventive tooth decay treatment. It prevents tooth decay and is great for oral health in general because it kills germs that can live in your mouth. Fluoride also builds stronger teeth. If you’re a bottled water drinker, Dr. Timm may recommend that you purchase a simple fluoride rinse to use after brushing.

Bad Breath

Fluoride mouthwash can be used to fight any bad breath issues you may be facing. It’s designed to combat any bacteria that might be building up in your mouth. Most mouthwashes will help eliminate bad breath, but some are specifically designed to address this difficult problem. If you feel as though this might be turning into a chronic problem, please contact Dr. Timm to discuss other options that would be effective for treating your symptoms.

American Dental Association (ADA Approval)

The ADA reviews all mouth rinses for safety measures and to prove effectiveness. Any mouthwash approved by the ADA has met strict guidelines according to whether the manufacturer’s claims are supported with scientific evidence. If you’re looking for a quality mouthwash, look for one that has the ADA seal of approval to ensure you have a great rinse for your mouth.

Considerations

When you’re trying to decide which mouthwash to pick, contact our Michigan Center, MI or ask Dr. Timm during your next appointment. If you experience a burning sensation in the soft tissues of your mouth, be sure to discontinue use immediately. Avoid letting children under age six use a mouth rinse, and be sure to keep all mouthwashes out of the reach of children, because they contain alcohol and other substances that could be harmful.

You have a lot going on. School. Sports. Activities. Family. Friends. Teens lead busy lives and have busy schedules, so you need to budget your time and energy. One thing you don’t want to spend any of your time and energy on? Dealing with gum disease.

Gum disease most often begins as a reaction to plaque and tartar. The bacteria in plaque produce acids which irritate gum tissue, causing inflammation, swelling, and bleeding. This is gingivitis, the early stage of gum disease.

Left untreated, early gum disease can become periodontitis. Periodontitis is a serious gum infection which can cause receding gums, loose teeth, and even tooth and bone loss.

We usually think about gum disease as something that only older adults worry about. But the unfortunate fact is that children and teens are also at risk for gum disease—and the teen years bring special risks. Why?

• Braces

The teen years are the most common years for orthodontic treatment. Wearing traditional or lingual braces can make removing plaque from around brackets and wires, between the teeth, and near the gum line more challenging, and gum disease can be the result. When you’ve been working so hard to create a healthy attractive smile, you don’t want to delay your orthodontic progress to treat gum disease.

• Less-than-Nutritious Snacking

When you have after school commitments like sports practices, play rehearsals, or work, you probably carry a snack to give you the energy you need until dinner. Popular snacks like energy drinks, chips, or candy bars are common go-to choices, but they contain acids, simple carbs, and sugars which are bad for both gums and tooth enamel.

• Hormones

Increased hormone levels during puberty can make the gums more sensitive and more easily irritated.

• Your Busy Life

Maybe you’re not getting enough sleep. Or eating as well as you could. Or you’re feeling anxious. Lack of sleep, poor nutrition, and stress can affect your body’s immune system and your ability to fight off infection. And if you’re also not brushing and flossing regularly, your gum health can really suffer.

How do you know if you have gum disease? Good question! Sometimes the early stages of gum disease aren’t obvious. Perhaps you’ve noticed changes in your gums, such as:

• Redness
• Swelling
• Soreness
• Bleeding
• Bad breath even after brushing

Any of these changes can be symptoms of gum disease and are a good reason to give our Michigan Center, MI office a call, since time is important when treating gum disease.

Caught early, gingivitis is usually very treatable—in fact, you can often reverse early gingivitis by paying more attention to your daily dental hygiene. If gingivitis is more advanced, or if periodontitis develops, you need professional dental care to prevent serious damage to your gums, teeth, and bone.

Preventing gum disease from ever developing is always best, though, so let’s look at what you can do to keep gum disease from becoming a problem.

• Keep Up with Healthy Dental Habits

Even though you’re leading a busy life, take time for your dental care. Brushing twice a day for at least two minutes per session and flossing once a day take just a bit of your time and are the best way to keep your gums healthy. If you wear braces or have a tendency toward cavities and gum disease, Dr. Timm might recommend brushing or flossing more often.

• Use the Right Tools

Using the right tools makes a big difference. You should always choose a toothbrush with soft bristles to protect your delicate gum tissue—especially if it’s extra sensitive. Too-harsh brushing can damage even your super-hard tooth enamel, so you can imagine what it can do to your gums! Change out your brush every three to four months when it starts to get frayed and worn.

If you wear braces, ask Dr. Timm to recommend the best kind of floss to clean between your teeth and around your brackets and wires. The right tools will make flossing a lot easier, and will help you keep your gums healthy and your orthodontic treatment on track.

• No Matter How Busy You Are, Treat Yourself Well

Watch your diet. Drinking water to hydrate is a healthy (and inexpensive) alternative to sugary and acidic drinks. When you know you have after-school commitments, pack yourself a healthy snack. After snacking, it’s a good idea to rinse with water when you can’t brush to remove any food particles sticking around your teeth and gums.

And even though your schedule is demanding, caring for your mind and body should be a priority. If you have difficulties with sleep or stress, or questions about a nutritious diet, talk to your doctor for some valuable tips to make your daily life healthier and more enjoyable.

With so much going on in your active life, gum problems are problems you really don’t need. Make room in your schedule now for careful daily brushing and flossing, a healthy lifestyle, and regular visits to Blue Spruce Dental, and you’ll be living that active life with a beautiful, healthy smile!

We’re not talking post-holiday “I can’t eat another bite” discomfort. No, we’re here to talk about the discomfort caused by bite pain.

Usually, our teeth and jaws work so harmoniously that we don’t even think about biting and chewing. But when a sharp jolt or a dull ache accompanies any sort of pressure on your tooth, it’s time to call Blue Spruce Dental. Let’s look at a few of the possible causes.

• Tooth Decay

When a cavity reaches below the enamel and into the dentin, the middle part of the tooth, you might feel discomfort and sensitivity. If a cavity reaches the inner pulp, which contains the tooth’s blood supply and nerves, it’s not only very painful, it can lead to a serious infection called an abscess.

Root canal treatment can help save a tooth when decay has reached the pulp, but prevention is always the best option! Good dental hygiene, regular checkups, and prompt treatment of small cavities will help prevent deep cavities from forming.

• Damaged Dental Filling

A loose or damaged filling can be uncomfortable. Even worse, bacteria can get under a damaged filling where your toothbrush and floss can’t reach, causing decay which can eventually reach the pulp if undetected.

During your regular checkups, Dr. Timm will look for any signs of decay around and under your fillings, and will find any fillings which need replacing. If you notice a loose filling, or suffer discomfort when you bite down on a filling, don’t wait until your next checkup to visit our Michigan Center, MI office.

• Malocclusion

When your teeth and jaws aren’t aligned properly, you can’t bite comfortably. And that can be just one of the troubles caused by a malocclusion, or poor bite. Alignment problems can include difficulty eating, speaking, and sleeping, tooth damage, headaches and jaw pain, and facial asymmetry.

If your bite pain is the result of tooth and/or jaw misalignment, we can refer you to an orthodontist to evaluate the way your teeth and jaws are working together.

• Bruxism (Tooth Grinding)

Your jaws can provide more than 20 pounds of pressure to your teeth when you need to chew food. When you grind your teeth, your jaws can produce hundreds of pounds of pressure on your teeth all night long. It’s no wonder you wake up with tooth or jaw pain. Over time, nightly grinding will damage enamel and can chip and even crack teeth.

Your dentist can create a custom-made nightguard that will protect your teeth from grinding pressure—relieving tooth and jaw pain, preventing more serious damage, and giving you a better night’s sleep!

• Cracked Tooth

A cracked cusp or a crack in your tooth needs to be treated as soon as possible. Some cracks can be treated by Dr. Timm, some might require a referral to an endodontist or an oral surgeon, and some cracked teeth are so badly damaged that they require extraction.

A painful cracked tooth can be obvious after a trauma, or it might not be obvious at all. So whenever you suffer dental trauma, call our office immediately for instructions. Speedy medical attention might be the difference between a repaired tooth and a lost tooth. (And save yourself from avoidable trauma by wearing your mouthguard whenever it’s appropriate!)

• Infection/Abscess

When the pulp inside a tooth is infected or inflamed, the result can be a painful abscess. Abscesses are pockets of pus caused by bacterial infection. An abscess isn’t just painful, it’s dangerous, because it can cause bone loss around the tooth and further infection if it’s not treated promptly.

Continuous severe pain, a swelling in the gums near your tooth, redness, fever, chills, a bad taste in your mouth, or bad breath can all be signs of a tooth abscess. See your dentist as soon as possible if you have any symptoms of an abscess. Your dentist may recommend a root canal procedure or refer you to an endodontist for root canal treatment or endodontic surgery.

Pain is an important signal that something is wrong, and you need to get to the root of the problem. Conditions which cause you pain often become more serious over time. For your comfort and your health, make an appointment at our Michigan Center, MI office right away whenever you hesitate to take another bite.