Did you know that there are four different types of teeth in your mouth? It’s true! Each different type of tooth in your mouth performs a different function and plays its own role in helping you eat, chew, and speak. To better care for your little one’s teeth, it helps to know a bit more about each of their jobs.

Incisors

Incisors are the teeth in the front of the mouth that help support your lips. There are eight straight, flat teeth – four on top and four on bottom – and they all work to help you chew your food and correctly pronounce words.

Canines

On the sides of your incisors are your canine teeth. Everyone has four canine teeth that help to cut through food and also support the lips. These pointed teeth, known as cuspids by dentists, work to guide all of your teeth into place as your upper and lower jaw fits together.

Premolars

Your bicuspids, or premolars, are found behind your canine teeth. These premolars are flat on top and are important for maintaining the height of your face and helping you chew your food. Every adult has four premolars on top and four on bottom.

Molars

Your molars are your twelve widest and flattest teeth located behind your premolars. Four of these molars are your wisdom teeth that are the last to erupt during young adulthood. Keeping these molars clean and cavity free can be difficult since they’re in a hard to reach spot of your mouth, but a slim toothbrush can help you reach them. Similarly to your premolars, molars help keep the height of your face and help when you chew your food. The molars in your bottom jaw have two roots and your top molars have three.

To keep each one of your teeth healthy and cavity free, it’s essential to brush and floss every day, eat healthy, and visit your dentist regularly. By teaching your little ones healthy oral care habits early on, you’ll help them maintain a smile that they can be proud of! To schedule your child’s appointment with Dr. Maggie, give us a call today!

It’s a natural reflex for kids to suck their thumbs, fingers, pacifiers, or other objects. As a parent, you may wonder if this is safe or when you should try to get your little ones to stop thumbsucking – here are some answers to commonly asked thumbsucking questions:

Why do kids suck on fingers or pacifiers?

Thumbsucking is a very normal babies and young kids, they begin sucking before they’re even born. It helps them to feel secure and helps them to learn about the world. Some young children use sucking to help them fall asleep at night.

Is thumbsucking bad for the teeth?

Most children stop thumbsucking on their own when they’re between two and four years old, but others continue for a long period of time. When kids continue sucking on thumbs, pacifiers, or other objects for too long their upper front teeth may not come in properly. This can affect their bite and jaw growth in the long term.

Should I worry about my child thumbsucking?

Dr. Maggie will watch how your child’s teeth grow and how their jaw develops during their checkups. If your child is three or older, you should begin encouraging them to stop the habit to avoid issues with tooth alignment down the road.

How can I get my child to stop thumbsucking?

Most children stop thumbsucking on their own, but some will require intervention from their parent or dentist. Once your child is old enough to understand, Dr. Maggie can speak with them about the consequences of a sucking habit and encourage them to stop. Advice from your dentist combined with parental support helps most children kick the habit.

Are pacifiers safer for kids than thumbs?

Whether you child sucks on their thumb, finger, or a pacifier, it all affects the teeth and jaws in the same way. However, some parents find that it’s easier to a break a pacifier habit because you can throw away a pacifier.

If you’re concerned about your child’s thumbsucking habits, talk to Dr. Maggie at your next visit!

Sealants are a great way to prevent decay in cavity-prone areas of your mouth. They’re made up of a plastic resin coating and placed in the tiny grooves and pits in your teeth similarly to white fillings, but without the coloring. How well do you know your dental sealant fact from fiction?

Dental sealants are just for kids. Fiction. Sealants are beneficial to anyone who wants them. The risk of tooth decay begins early, so children and teens are great candidates for preventative sealants.

Cavities are the most common childhood disease. Fact. According to the CDC, cavities are still the most common chronic disease in children ages 6 to 19 years old. Sealants are a great way to prevent cavities before they start.

Sealants are expensive. Fiction. Sealants are an inexpensive way to prevent cavities and can even save you money from costly cavity repair in the long run!

Sealants make your teeth look funny. Fiction. Since sealants are invisible, no one will ever know you have them! They’re painted right onto your tooth enamel and bond into the grooves of the chewing surfaces on your back teeth. The sealants protect your enamel from plaque and acids.

Sealants are painful. Fiction. When your dentist applies a sealant to your tooth, you won’t feel a thing! As long as your sealant is intact, your tooth surface will be protected.

Remember, even though sealants protect the chewing surfaces of your teeth, brushing and flossing every day is still required to prevent cavities on other parts of your child’s teeth. Your child’s sealants typically last about 2 – 5 years, but they’ll need to be replaced or retouched periodically to make sure their tooth is protected. To learn more about dental sealants, or to schedule an appointment for your child, give Dr. Maggie a call today!

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consider the fluoridation of community water to be one of the ten greatest public health achievements of the 20th century! For the past 70 years, people in the United States have benefited from drinking water with fluoride, leading to greater dental health. By simply drinking water, people are able to benefit from the power of fluoridation to protect their teeth from cavities whether they’re at home, work, or school. Community water fluoridation has been identified as one of the most cost-effective methods of delivering fluoride to all members of the community.

Tooth decay is caused from a buildup of plaque that dissolves the hard enamel on the surfaces of teeth. If this damage is not treated, it leads to cavities and tooth decay that can cause pain, infection, and tooth loss. Fluoride works to combat tooth decay by being incorporated into the structure of developing teeth as it’s ingested and by protecting teeth when it comes into contact with their surfaces. Here are some more facts about the power of fluoride in community waters:

• Tooth decay is one of the most common childhood diseases. It’s five times as common as asthma and seven times as common as hay fever.
• Community water fluoridation refers to the adjustment of fluoride that is naturally present in the water to optimal levels to protect teeth.
• Studies support that water fluoridation reduces dental decay by 20 – 40 percent.
• Without fluoridated water, there would be many more than the estimated 51 million school hours lost per year because of dental-related illnesses.
• For every $1 invested in water fluoridation, cities can save $38 in dental treatment costs.
• The average cost for a community to fluoridate their water is estimated to be from $0.50 a year per person to about $3.00 per year per person.

Dr. Maggie will review the benefits of topical fluoride and systemic fluoride exposure during your child’s appointment. We’ll go over your child’s fluoride exposure and make the appropriate recommendation for further fluoride treatment. If you have questions about fluoride and your child’s oral health, give us a call today!