Dogwood Pediatric Dentistry Blog

Nutritious, healthy foods are necessary for growing teeth and growing children. At Dogwood Pediatric Dentistry, we want to educate our little patients and their families on the best summer snacks for their teeth. We understand that summertime is filled with snacks, especially ones on the go. For this reason, we want to give you some quick healthy options to eat in between meals that your kids will love. Check out our summertime snacks for healthy teeth and big smiles!

Scheduled Snack Times

Routine is everything with kids, especially during the summertime. Snack time is no different. A routine, scheduled snack time is actually great for kids because they’ll know exactly when they can enjoy a snack, it’s better for their teeth, it ensures they are not grazing on sugary foods throughout the day, and it’s perfect to give parents a little break.

We recommend having a snack time between breakfast and lunch and then again between lunch and dinner. Here are the foods we suggest:

Between Breakfast & Lunch Snack 

Time: a piece of fruit, cut-up raw vegetables, nuts, nut butter on apple slices or celery, or a hard-boiled egg. All of these options are low in sugar and good for your child’s growing body. 

Between Lunch & Dinner Snack Time: cut up raw vegetables, vegetable/fruit smoothie, cheese sticks, or a yogurt low in sugar. Again, these snack options are low in sugar but are also easy options to pack on the go that will keep your child full and occupied. 

Contact Dogwood Pediatric Dentistry in Savannah & Statesboro Today!

If you have questions or concerns about what your child should eat during snack time, never hesitate to ask our pediatric dentist for kids. Our team will be happy to discuss snack options and find something that works well for your little one and their growing teeth. To schedule your next appointment with our kids orthodontist or dentist, contact our Savannah or Statesboro office directly or request a visit online. We look forward to seeing you soon!

The arrival of your toddler’s molars can be a painful experience for the both of you. Due to their larger size and double edges, molars can be twice as difficult to cut through the gums as baby incisors. The first molars typically start breaking through the gums early in their second year and will continue until they are 33 months old. Teething ages can vary, but they should have all 20 baby teeth by the age of 3.

To help you prepare for toddler teething, the experts at Dogwood Pediatric Dentistry share the teething symptoms you can expect and some tips to relieve the discomfort. 

Toddler Teething Symptoms

Your toddler may be lucky and cut their molars with little or no pain. But for many toddlers, cutting molars can be quite painful. While the symptoms will be similar to when they were cutting their teeth in infancy, they can be magnified when it comes to cutting molars. Here are the most common symptoms:

• Crankiness: It’s highly likely that your toddler will be cranky as cutting molars can cause swollen and sensitive gums.
• Ear pulling and cheek rubbing: Your toddler’s gums, ears, and cheeks share the same nerve paths, so they will likely feel the pain in their ears and cheeks. 
• Chewing: If you notice your child chewing on things, it’s because they are trying to relieve the pressure on their gums.
• Drooling: Excessive drooling is a sign that the teeth are ready to come in. 
• Disrupted sleep: This is where it becomes painful for both of you. Toddlers often awake at night from the pain and have a hard time settling back down.
• Not wanting to eat: Even the best eaters may not have an appetite for a few days as the teeth cut through the gums.  

Tips for Relief

To help your child through toddler teething, try these tips:

• Cold foods: Chilled yogurt or applesauce can help relieve the pain from swollen gums.
• Teething rings: These are cold rings that your child can chew on, or you can also give them a cold washcloth to chew on. 
• Massage the gums: Dip your fingers in cold water and then gently massage your child’s gums right before they eat. 
• Medication: If your toddler is really uncomfortable, talk to your pediatric dentist or pediatrician about giving your child acetaminophen or ibuprofen to relieve the pain. 
• One note of caution: Children should not be given any topical teething gels or liquids that contain benzocaine, which is a type of anesthetic found in many over-the-counter teething gels. The Food and Drug Administration warns that benzocaine can cause a rare-but-deadly condition called methemoglobinemia, which reduces the oxygen in the bloodstream to dangerously low levels. 

Visit Your Statesboro and Savannah Kids Dentist Today!

You should schedule your first visit to the pediatric dentist once your child sprouts their first tooth. It’s essential to take care of baby teeth because they can develop decay. Additionally, they are important for speech development, as well as being a guide for their permanent teeth.  

You will also want to establish a relationship with a dentist for kids so that your child becomes familiar and comfortable going to the dentist. 

We hope you find this information helpful. If you have questions about teething or other dental concerns, contact us today. Our expert pediatric dentists and team are happy to answer your questions or address your concerns.  Contact us to schedule an appointment for your little one today at our local Savannah or Statesboro offices, or you can also request an appointment online.

This is a difficult time for all of us as we navigate our way through the coronavirus. From our family at Dogwood Pediatric, we certainly hope that you and your family stay healthy as we get through this crisis together. As we learn more about COVID-19, we will be providing you with information about how it may impact your child’s dental care and our office procedures.

Our Office Always Maintains the Highest Standards for Patient Safety

In recent weeks, the media, all industries of business, and people in general have been putting extra emphasis on the importance of precautionary cleanliness and health safeguarding measures. It is important to remember that our Statesboro and Savannah offices have always followed all requirements from the American Dental Association (ADA), the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OHSA) to protect our patients’ health. 

Your safety is important to us every day and always has been! In terms of patient care, our professional and experienced team members wear protective gear, including gowns, masks, eye protection, and gloves to ensure your child’s safety. Our two facilities strictly adhere to OSHA’s requirements to maintain a sanitary environment during the workday by thoroughly cleaning all surfaces. Our office is cleaned at regular intervals—consistently and thoroughly disinfecting dental treatment rooms, dental equipment and instruments, our waiting room, bathrooms, and our reception area. And we even make sure we wipe down the waiting room reading materials, children’s toys, and other items we have for our patients’ enjoyment. 

Temporarily Only Open for Emergency Care 

Even though we always maintain a safe environment for our patients, the American Dental Association and our state government have recommended that dental practices limit their care to emergency treatment only, for the safety of patients and dental staff. Based on their recommendation, we have decided to postpone all non-emergency services in our offices for the time being. This was not an easy decision because your dental treatment is very important to us, but we want to ensure the safety of all our patients and our team.

Doing Your Part

For those who make emergency dental appointments, we do advise social distancing practices in the office. If you prefer, instead of using our waiting room, you may call to let us know when you’ve arrived and remain in your car until we let you know that it is time to come into our office. Additionally, we request that you limit the individuals attending the appointment to two (guardian and patient), if possible.

We also ask that if you have an upcoming appointment with our office and are currently experiencing fever, cough, shortness of breath, and/or have traveled out of the country in the last two weeks, please reschedule your appointment for a later time. You can email admin@dogwoodsmiles.com or call our offices to reschedule your appointment now.

We Care about Your Dental Health & Health in General!

At Dogwood Pediatric Dentistry, we care about the health of all our patients, and caring for your safety as we provide exceptional dental treatment is our number one priority. We will continue to monitor this situation closely and will provide updates when necessary. Thank you for your cooperation and trust in us as we move forward in this unprecedented time.

Please take care of yourself and your loved ones!

— Drs. Krista, Phillip, and Morga

Losing baby teeth is one of childhood’s most quintessential milestones, and it’s always exciting when a tooth starts to come loose for the first time. But while it’s normal for children to lose baby teeth, many parents wonder: can a child lose a baby tooth too soon? At Dogwood Pediatric Dentistry, our mission is to help kids throughout Statesboro and Savannah achieve healthy, beautiful smiles, so we’d like to shed some light on what’s normal and what’s not for losing baby teeth.

Did My Child Lose Their Baby Tooth Too Soon?

First, we should say that the answer is a definitive yes: it is possible for a child to lose a baby tooth too soon, and this can cause serious orthodontic problems to develop if left untreated. Usually, a child loses their first baby tooth around age 6 and finishes around age 12. While there’s plenty of variation in this schedule, if your child loses their first tooth before age 3 or 4, it’s a cause for concern.

So why is early primary tooth loss a problem? The answer has to do with the adult teeth. Normally, the baby teeth act as guides to help the permanent teeth erupt in a healthy alignment. But if your child loses a baby tooth before the permanent tooth underneath is ready to erupt, it can cause the adjacent teeth to drift into the space left behind. This can disrupt not only the eruption of the permanent tooth in the middle but also the nearby teeth, leading to serious alignment problems. Without treatment, this can necessitate extensive orthodontic treatment.

Accordingly, you should always schedule an appointment with us if your child loses a baby tooth before age 4. We can treat the problem using a space maintainer to keep the empty space open for the permanent tooth underneath, and it will also allow us to monitor your child’s dental development to ensure everything progresses normally.

Contact Your Savannah & Statesboro Pediatric Dentist

We hope you find this information helpful, and if your child loses a baby tooth prematurely or you have any other questions about your child’s dental health, we’re here to help. Contact us today to learn more about the role of the primary teeth in your child’s dental development or to schedule a check-up at our local Savannah or Statesboro offices. We can’t wait to hear from you!

When it comes to dental care for kids, you know it’s necessary—and even critical—for your child’s health. But there are some situations in which visiting even a trusted dentist for kids can be difficult, scary, and nearly impossible. In these situations, your Statesboro kids dentist is pleased to offer sedation dentistry for children of any age. Continue reading to learn more!

What Is Sedation Dentistry?

Sedation dentistry is a form of medication during dental treatment that allows patients to relax and cooperate with their dentist to receive the care they need. There are different forms of sedation, ranging from mild calming sedatives to general amnesia—which is only administered in a hospital setting.

Nitrous oxide is the most common type of sedation dentistry for kids. Also known as laughing gas, this sedative is administered with oxygen and has a calming effect for nervous patients, or for those who need help relaxing and being still to receive treatment. Its mildness allows patients to remain conscious and interact with their Savannah kids dentist. The effects wear off nearly instantly once treatment has been completed. Side effects are very rare, but some patients may experience mild nausea and constipation.

Your Statesboro kids dentist is committed to providing a dental experience that is gentle, compassionate, and effective. Our expert team is dedicated to providing top quality dental care for kids along with warm and friendly service, all in a comfortable and fun environment. If your child is in need of sedation for a procedure, we will go above and beyond to ensure he or she has the best experience and outcome possible, as well as provide you with adequate pre- and post-sedation instructions.

Who Needs Sedation Dentistry?

Age doesn’t matter when it comes to dental phobia. There are a variety of circumstances in which sedation dentistry may be helpful:

• A child is very anxious
• A child is in need of a complex procedure or treatment
• A child has a low pain tolerance
• A child has a strong gag reflex
• A child who has special needs or physical handicaps
• A child has previously had a traumatic dental experience

The most common types of treatment in which sedation dentistry is used are fillings, crowns, and extractions.

Contact Your Statesboro & Savannah Kids Dentist!

At Dogwood Smiles, we’ve helped countless young patients receive the dental care they need through sedation dentistry for kids. Our success stories show that even children who have the most difficulty visiting the dentist can have a comfortable and pleasant experience, overcoming their fears to receive the care they need. If you’d like to learn more about sedation dentistry for kids, contact us or book an appointment with your Savannah kids dentist today. We look forward to helping your child receive the quality dental care he or she deserves, in a relaxed and comfortable environment.