Sunday, February 28, 2016

How to Choose a Kids Dental Place in El Paso

Choosing a dentist can get tricky at times. For one, there is no dearth of options to pick from. The situation is even trickier when you have to pick a dentist for your kids. As you would know, your kids’ teeth are more delicate and require more care than yours. In fact, finding a reliable kids dental place in El Paso is important from an early stage, even when your kid has not developed teeth fully. To make things easier for you, here’s a look at some factors you should consider when deciding:

  • The dentist you take your kids to should be experienced. This ensures the dentist is used to working with young kids so that your kid doesn’t feel scared. You want to make sure visiting the dentist is one habit your kid follows for life, and choosing a friendly dentist is the first step towards ensuring that. 
  • You should check the facility when you head out there for a visit. The first thing is to check the equipment and the hygiene of the place. Also, the environment should be suitable for the kids and make them feel welcome. 
  • Last, but not the least, you should look for a kids’ dentist that offers services at an affordable rate so you can continue a treatment plan in the long run, not just for infrequent visits. This way, you can pretty much guarantee that your child will grow up with healthy teeth and have good dental hygiene for life.


Handling a Dental Emergency

While you might have drilled yourself in what to do in case of a fire, have you ever stopped to think of what you would do if your little one has a medical emergency? You may think that your child is not at risk of dental emergencies if they eat healthier, or do not play high contact sports, but remember that accidents can happen anytime, unannounced. As an affordable kid’s dentist in El Paso, here’s what we recommend in case of a dental emergency:

Toothache:
While a tooth ache might not seem like “the sky is falling” predicament, it sure can be a very strange and uncomfortable sensation for a kid. Anytime your child complains of mouth pain, search the affected area using his help, clean the surrounding gum and tooth with a cool towel, and rinse his mouth with warm water. Check with your finger to see if anything is lodged in to his gums. If so, gently remove with a dental floss or toothpick. Apply a cold compress if swelling occurs.

Cut On Lip, Cheek, or Tongue:
Apply pressure with a cloth or gauze to thwart bleeding, and apply ice to alleviate with swelling. If bleeding is not relieving by applying pressure, rush your child to a pediatric dentist.

Permanent Tooth Pushed Out Of Place:
Rinse your child’s mouth with warm water and press on a cool compress to alleviate swelling.

Permanent Tooth Knocked Out:
A knocked out tooth is also referred to as an “avulsed” tooth. If timely action is taken, there’s a good chance that the tooth can be saved! Find the loose tooth, and rinse it gently with water. It is highly imperative that you handle it by the crown and not the root. Try to slide the tooth back into its hollow and ensure that it is facing the right way up. Take your child to a pediatric dentist immediately.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

7 Reasons to Wean Your Kids off Soda

While your kids may hanker for a soda every now and then, and a soiree to the movie theater or an excursion to the zoo is incomplete without them slurping at a straw, soda might be wreaking more havoc in their bodies than you can venture to guess. As any Pediatric Specialist in El Paso would have you know, here’s why you should completely wean your kids off soda:

  • Soda constitutes what we call “empty calories”, and is completely devoid of any nutrition. Studies portray a strong connection between childhood obesity and soda consumption.
  • Soda can curb kid’s appetite and leave them less inclined towards nourishing foods! Kids who are avid soda drinkers are less likely to consume adequate levels of magnesium, calcium, vitamins, and other vital nutrients. 
  • Phosphorus, the main constituent of soda, depletes the bones of calcium. Soda renders children’s bone structure more prone to fissures and fractures, and inhibits a normal growth.
  • Ample research has alerted of a link between soda and severe tooth decay. Sodas are loaded with sugar, which leads to irreparable cavities, and the incorporated in sodas chip off the protective tooth enamel. In fact, dentists are increasingly reporting a complete loss of enamel over the front teeth of young girls and boys who are habitual soda drinkers.
  • Drinking sodas can cause severe health repercussions, including blood sugar and cardiovascular disorders. After all, juvenile Diabetes is not unheard of!
  • Aspartame in sodas is a powerful endocrine disrupter and brain toxin.
  • Drinking sodas regularly can aggravate the delicate acid-alkaline balance inside the stomach, fostering a hostile, acidic environment. Over protracted periods of time, such a harsh acidic ambience can cause the inflammation of the duodenal lining and stomach, which can be quite excruciating.

3 Ways to Get Your Young One to Brush

Dental hygiene is inseparable from brushing and flossing! However, ask any parent and they would regale you with struggles of getting their kids to brush as their bathroom becomes a battlefield night after night! Perhaps it has to do with the tedium of the routine or the signal of bedtime it heralds, but one fact is unanimously acknowledged: children don’t take to oral hygiene as gravely as their parents or dental professionals would prefer.

kid’s dental place in El Paso

A kid’s dental place in El Paso aspires to empower parents to help their young ones cultivate a healthy dental regimen. Here are 3 fun tips that would make the monotonous task a little less miserable for both parents and kids alike:


  1. Use an Electric Toothbrush
    Kids demonstrate little to no tolerance for tedium or hassle!  An electric toothbrush can alleviate the frustration of manual brushing that kids are seen to run from and helps them accomplish the task effortlessly and thoroughly. In addition, the cool factor of the contraption would make the whole encounter a lot more enjoyable.
  2. Let Them Choose Their Floss, Tooth Brush, and Other Supplies
     Kids can get overworked at the smallest of stuff! Parents can always leverage that to their advantage by letting their child pick out their own floss, paste, brush, and other paraphernalia at the store. This would get them super excited about their purchase and, ultimately about the flossing and brushing that would later ensue!
  3. Make It a Game
    For kids, competition is one of the strongest motivators. While they throw all dental caution to the wind and would never be driven by the idea of tooth decay, the prospect of reigning triumphant in a competition with dad and mom might perk things a bit. In addition, you can try to create games centered on oral hygiene to pique your little one’s interest.


Back to School Tips for Ensuring Healthy Teeth

Much as your kids resent it, vacations have just turned the corner and it’s time to dive right back in to the school routine. Starting this school year right by promoting healthy dental habits in your kids from the get-go would help them stay healthy, active, and strong through the year. El Paso dentistry for Children experts provide a few back to school tips:

Create a Morning Routine
It is highly indispensable for kids to brush and floss for at least 2 minutes, twice a day. As sluggish winter days transform in to a heady rush to get to the bus on time, dental hygiene can sometimes fall through the cracks. It is important for parents to establish a regime that keep their kid’s teeth in top-notch shape and prevent cavities. If necessary, wake them up a few minutes earlier to ensure that dental hygiene is never compromised on.

Maintain a Healthy Diet
As most parents are familiar with, cafeteria lunches are loaded with sugary foods and processed meals. If you choose to pack your kid’s lunch yourself, focus on incorporating fresh, perishable items, such as vegetables and fruits, which are healthier alternatives and keep them energized through the day. Packaged foods that are designed for protracted shelf lives, such as pretzels and crackers, are often coated with starch, and should be avoided. Starch forms a coating over the teeth and even breeds cavity-causing bacteria. In addition, encourage your kids to choose water as their choice of beverage, since juices and sodas are loaded with sugar and wreak havoc on their teeth and gums.

Protection during School Sports
If you kids like to participate in organized sports, mouth protection should be their second nature. This is especially true in case of basketball, baseball, soccer, and football. Children should also wear a helmet when riding scooters or bicycles.