The health of a mother’s mouth can impact the health of her baby, so it is especially important to pay attention to oral health during pregnancy. The hormonal changes that take place during pregnancy can increase the likelihood of developing gum disease, which can affect the health of the baby. A study released by the American Dental Association reported that pregnant women with gum disease have a greater risk of delivering preterm. The research found women with gum disease were over three times more likely to give birth prematurely than mothers-to-be with good oral health. They also had a one in four chance of giving birth before 35 weeks.
The increased likelihood for developing gum disease during pregnancy means mother-to-be should keep a high standard of oral care throughout the pregnancy and receive the proper treatment for gum disease to reduce the risk of preterm birth.
Receiving dental checkups during pregnancy is safe and recommended. By taking care of dental disease before the baby is born, you help avoid the common pitfall of passing bad bacteria from mom to baby through shared food or utensils. This means Dad should take care of any dental problems prior the birth of the baby as well. Parents who keep their mouths healthy are taking steps to keep their baby healthy, too.
Tiny Teeth Do Big Jobs
Even though baby teeth last for a few years — they are still critical to development and require proper care. Baby teeth contribute to:
Bottles and Sippy Cups
Teething
Babies can begin teething anytime between 3-12 months. A toddler’s full set of 20 baby teeth usually comes in by age 3. Signs that your baby is teething include fussiness and drooling. You may even be able to feel the teeth pushing through the gums. Comfort your teething baby with a cool, firm, clean object such as a teething ring or a slightly frozen washcloth. Gently rub your baby’s gums with a clean finger.
Cleaning Your Baby’s Teeth
Baby’s First Visit to the Dentist
As soon as your child’s first tooth appears, it’s time to schedule a dental visit. The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends that the first dental visit take place within six months after the first tooth appears, but no later than a child’s first birthday.
Although the first visit is mainly for the dentist to examine your child’s mouth to check growth and development, it’s also about your child being comfortable. Be sure to stay positive about the visit because children can pick up on your emotions, so keep anxiety and concerns to yourself.
Having a fear of the dentist is a problem that is all too familiar for many Americans. This is a leading reason why many people, even those with dental insurance, avoid visiting the dentist. This leads to a vicious cycle for those who only visit the dentist when they are facing extreme pain from unresolved dental issues. By the time they get to the dentist, the problem has become so bad that fixing it is costly and even painful, which reinforces the fear that kept the person from visiting the dentist in the first place.
Our goal is to stop this cycle by making our patient’s comfort a top priority. Debbie Grillo is an excellent example of a patient who came to us with dental anxiety. Watch the video to hear how she overcame this fear, and now looks forward to visiting Family Dental Innovations.
If you have a fear of the dentist, you’re not alone. A survey by the American Association of Endodontists found that 80 percent of adult Americans have a fear of the dentist; more than half say this fear may keep them from seeing a dentist. I have found this to be true with many of my patients. Painful experiences in the past often keep them from visiting the dentist altogether. By the time they reach my office, there is usually a great deal of work that needs to be done. This, coupled with the existing anxiety the patient already has about dental procedures, makes easing their anxiety a top priority for every visit.
If you have anxiety about visiting the dentist, the first thing you should know is that your fear is not uncommon, and you should not be embarrassed by it. It is important to share these fears with your dentist so he or she can walk you through each procedure. I often find that telling a patient exactly what the process is can help to make them more relaxed. Open communication is key, both from the patient sharing how they feel about the work that needs to be done, and from the dentist explaining what the process is, what the outcome will be and what options are available.
One of my patients, Micheal Wright, is proof that you should not be embarrassed by your fear of the dentist or let it stop you from getting the dental work you need. Micheal shares a perspective that many adults can relate to in the video below.
We are a Noblesville dentist with flexible options to make your visit to the dentist as anxiety-free as possible. For some, the worst part about getting your teeth cleaned is having your teeth scraped. Although scraping your teeth to remove plaque and tarter buildup is an essential part of having your teeth properly cleaned, it is not the only method available.
Another option is the Ultrasonic. Ultrasonic cleaning is a painless new method that provides patients with a cleaning that is as thorough as a manual cleaning. The ultrasonic cleaning machine reaches below the gum line to remove the tartar and plaque there, but does not damage the teeth. People with periodontal disease deal with many tooth problems. Their teeth tend to be loose and not secure beneath the gum line. The ultrasonic cleaning is ideal for them because the tip does not put pressure on the tooth itself. Think of it as a power washer for your teeth (we promise it is not painful though).
See what Justin, a seasoned veteran of the Ultrasonic, has to say about his experience in the video below.
As a dentist, there is no better compliment than having patients refer their friends and family to your practice. It tells us that our patients don’t just like coming to Family Dental innovations, they trust us to give them the care they need. This was especially true for patient Marie Fox, who struggles with a life-long fear of the dentist. You can imagine how much it meant to us that she not only told her friends about her experience visiting us, but was also willing to share the story of how she has faced her fear head on. Click the video below to watch an excerpt from her story.
At Family Dental Innovations, we take the time to get to know our patients individually so that we can understand and respond to their concerns and needs. We are a family owned and operated practice so we don’t shy away from getting to know the people who call us their Noblesville dentist. Being a part of the Noblesville community means that many of our patients are also our neighbors. We like that our practice has the small-town, friendly neighborhood feel of days past while delivering state-of-the-art dental care in a clean, friendly and modern environment. Even our patients agree, including Dr. Myrtie Mays, M.D. who shares a bit about her experience visiting her friendly Noblesville dentist.
Have you ever walked in to a business, whether it’s your accountants or your hair salon, and noticed that it could use some cleaning? What kind of impression did it make on you? Did you wonder if the lack of tidiness correlated to their ability to do the job well? These questions may have led you to consider taking your business elsewhere.
At Family Dental Innovations, keeping our practice clean and welcoming is a reflection of our attention to detail in everything we do. We understand that many of our patients are apprehensive about visiting the dentist and we are steadfast in our commitment to do everything possible to make their experience as anxiety-free as possible. Part of this means making sure that everything about our practice communicates that we care. Because your comfort is important to us, we offer all treatments in our state-of-the-art office with floor to ceiling windows, direct TV and XM satellite radio. Want to see it for yourself? Take an online tour of our office here.
But don’t just take our word for it; watch the video below to see what Debbie Grillo thinks about the cleanliness of her favorite Noblesville dentist.
Kara and I aren’t just Noblesville dentists, we are a Noblesville family who live, work, learn and play right here in Noblesville. Noblesville is the place we call home, and so do many of our patients.
We wanted to spread some Noblesville love, so we asked a few of our patients to share their favorite things to do and places to go in Noblesville, including visiting their favorite Noblesville dentist.
Patient’s favorite Noblesville spots include:
Matteo’s Restaurant – located in downtown Noblesville, Matteo’s is a great spot for authentic Italian cuisine.
Forest Park – 150 acres of pure family fun. This park has something for everyone including a 9-hole golf course, banquet facility, miniature golf course, playground equipment, swimming pool, volleyball sand lots, picnic areas, tennis courts, horseshoe pits and more.
Grace Community Church – a place where Noblesville families have gathered since the early 90’s that has grown to one of the largest churches in the area.
Klipsch Music Center – an outdoor amphitheater that holds the accolade of being the largest outdoor music venue in Indiana. Klipsch hosts massive music concerts and festivals throughout the year.
Riverview Hospital – a full-service, state-of-the-art hospital and one of the largest employers in Noblesville.
Corner Cottage – a great place to find unique furniture, jewelry and home décor.
Here at Family Dental Innovations, we are proud of the strong relationships we have with our patients. We care for patients of all ages and revel in the smiles that come from doing what we love. Recently, we captured some of the reasons our patients trust us as their Noblesville dentist.
We invite you to take a moment to meet the patients we’ll be featuring in our series of video testimonials. From medical doctors to sports fanatic fathers and everything in between, our patients have stories that range from lifelong fears of the dentist to pre-wedding dental emergencies.
Stay tuned to our blog, Facebook and Google+ page to hear more from the patients you meet today. Each week, there will be a new video highlighting the relationship we have with patients and their reasons for choosing us as their Noblesville dentist.
We would like to offer a special thanks to the following patients for sharing their stories:
