Hudson’s Composite Bonding Success Story: Congenitally Missing Teeth

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

A wisdom tooth that never grew in is a good thing—one less tooth to remove! However, being a child with a missing front tooth is quite a different story. Teenage years are often difficult enough without having to worry about appearance. With the emotional roller coaster of being a teen, we need to give our children any excuse to smile!

A congenitally missing tooth is one of the most common dental developmental abnormalities. In fact, roughly 20 percent of adults have at least one tooth that never developed.

Why is that number so high? Well, we’ve all heard of that person who didn’t develop all, if any, wisdom teeth. If you take wisdom teeth out of the picture, the percentage of adults with congenitally missing teeth drops to only 5 percent. Other permanent teeth we see missing are second premolars, upper lateral incisors, and lower central incisors.

Hudson’s Success Story

Hudson Before
Hudson’s Smile Before

Hudson is a 17-year-old patient of ours who never developed his upper lateral incisors. Typically, implants are the treatment of choice to replace missing teeth like this. The golden rule for teenagers is to proceed with implant placement once skeletal growth is complete. Early implant placement, at a time of continuing growth, can lead to unaesthetic final results.

Hudson wore traditional braces to improve and even out the spacing to allow room for implants once skeletal growth is complete. But, what could be done now for Hudson?

Dr. Elizabeth recommended composite bonding, which should last many years and give Hudson a fixed option to replace the missing teeth and keep his teeth from shifting. To even out Hudson’s symmetry, resin composite bonding material was added to his six front teeth to create a natural-looking smile that he can confidently wear until it’s time for implants. Hudson loves his new smile!

Hudson After
Hudson’s Smile After

Don’t let missing teeth affect your confidence. Contact us today to discuss treatment options.

Hudson Before and After
Hudson’s Smile Before and After

Keep Your Mouth Healthy All Summer Long

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

Summertime can make it hard for people to take good care of their teeth. Vacations, summer camp and days at the pool interfere with everyone’s schedule and unfortunately, brushing routines may suffer. Both kids and grownups may face the temptation of extra sugar, from donuts in the car on the way to the beach, to a cooler full of pop, to late night s’mores around the campfire.

Here are some tips for ensuring that when September comes, your teeth are in better shape than they were in June.

Remind kids to keep to their regular brushing and flossing schedule–and remind yourself, too.

Start summer with a fresh toothbrush for everyone, and a fresh travel brush too. Get travel-sized toothpastes for the whole family, and a few backup brushes for guests and to cover misplaced toothbrushes.

Keep the kitchen and cooler stocked with healthy snacks. Think fruits and vegetables instead of sweets. Sugar encourages bacteria and acidity in your mouth, which causes plaque to form and damage to easily occur with your enamel and gums. Every time you eat sugar, your mouth will boost acid production for up to 20 minutes.

Soda is especially harsh on teeth, containing phosphoric acid and citric acid, which weakens tooth enamel  and makes it more susceptible to cavities. Instead of soda and juice, choose iced tea or water perked up with sliced berries, citrus or cucumber and a few mint leaves.

Book check-ups before school starts again.  It is important that all members of your family see us at least  twice annually. This will also help reduce the chance that someone in your family will suffer tooth pain on vacation.

Quit tobacco. Nicotine and tar damage your gums, and encourage bacteria and plaque. Tobacco can also lead to oral cancer. Smoking and chewing are bad news for your oral health.

Have both kids and grownups wear the proper protective headgear and mouthguards for contact sports.

Enforce the rules around the pool–they’re ubiquitous for a reason! According to the Academy of General Dentistry, summer oral injuries often take place around the pool. Shallow-water dives, running on slippery pool decks, and bumping the pool ledge can easily chip or fracture a tooth or even knock one loose.

Put together a dental emergency kit for sports and vacations. Include a clean handkerchief, gauze, a clean small-lidded container, ibuprofen and our office’s contact information.

If you are around a dental injury, get the patient to our dental office ASAP. In the meantime, clean the area with warm water and apply a cold pack to reduce swelling. Use gauze to stop bleeding. If a permanent tooth has been knocked out, place it back in the mouth if possible. Otherwise, place it in salt water or milk to keep it moist and bring all fragments into our office with you.

We at Eggert Family Dentistry look forward to seeing you! Please come in for your summer checkup, and take good care of your teeth, mouth and gums so you can enjoy uneventful checkups for years to come.

Preventing Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

Baby bottle tooth decay“Baby bottle tooth decay” is a term used to describe tooth decay in infants and toddlers, often referring to decay of the top front teeth specifically. Though it occurs when your child is an infant or toddler, baby bottle tooth decay can affect your child’s oral health for years to come. Is your child at risk, and what can you do to prevent baby bottle tooth decay in your little one?

What causes baby bottle tooth decay?

Baby bottles are not the sole cause of baby bottle tooth decay, though excessive use of bottles to soothe children can be a factor. Putting your child to bed with a bottle or using a bottle as a pacifier exposes your child’s teeth to the sugars in milk and juice. Bacteria in your child’s mouth feed on this sugar and create plaque, tartar, and eventually, cavities.

But there’s another, less obvious cause of baby bottle tooth decay. When you put your child’s feeding spoon or pacifier in your mouth to clean it, you pass bacteria in your mouth to your child’s mouth. This seemingly innocuous habit can also put your child’s teeth at risk.

How can I prevent baby bottle tooth decay in my young child?

Fortunately, preventing baby bottle tooth decay is simple: avoid excessive bottle use and sharing saliva with your little one, and develop good oral health habits as soon as your child’s teeth start to emerge. The American Dental Association has some more tips for preventing baby bottle tooth decay:

  • Allow children to finish their bottles before being put to bed.
  • Don’t put honey or another sweetener on your child’s pacifier.
  • Only place formula or breast milk in bottles and avoid giving young children sugary drinks.
  • Encourage your one-year-old to drink from a cup, ideally one without a spill-proof valve.
  • Wipe your child’s gums with a clean, damp gauze or washcloth, and once teeth appear, brush them gently with a child-safe toothpaste.

Good oral health habits should start in your child’s first few months of life and set them up for a lifetime of healthy smiles. To schedule your child’s first dental appointment, contact Eggert Family Dentistry today.

Fluoride in Water: What You Need to Know

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

Fluoride in waterSince the 1960s, communities across Minnesota and the United States have added fluoride to their community water supplies. Fluoridating water is an easy and cost-effective way to improve residents’ oral health. Though some consumers find the practice controversial, many scientific studies back up the health benefits of fluoridated water. Here are a few of our favorite reasons to love the fluoride in your water.

  1. Fluoride prevents cavities in kids and adults.

Fluoride can reduce tooth decay by 25 percent for kids and adults alike across all education levels and socio-economic statuses. It’s no wonder the Centers for Disease Control has called fluoridation of water one of the 10 greatest public health achievements in the 20th century.

  1. Fluoride is safe for your family.

Fluoride is an element found in most natural water sources, just not necessarily in amounts that prevent tooth decay. The Environmental Protection Agency strictly regulates the amount of fluoride in community water supplies to keep it safe and healthy to drink. Compared to other sugary beverages such as soda and fruit juice, fluoridated water is a great choice for your family.

  1. Fluoride strengthens tooth enamel of permanent teeth.

Fluoride helps strengthen the enamel of permanent teeth, which protects the rest of the tooth from decay and disease. For kids under age 8, fluoride can even strengthen permanent teeth that have not erupted yet, reducing the chance kids will develop cavities or require fillings.

  1. Fluoridated water saves money.

Yes, it does cost money to fluoridate your community’s water. But your community’s investment in fluoridated water reaps a strong return as families and your city’s health care system spend less money on treating tooth decay and related oral diseases. The Centers for Disease Control estimate towns of 5,000 people or fewer save $4 per person and larger cities save $27 per person.

  1. Fluoride supports regular brushing, flossing, and recare visits at our office.

Fluoride in your tap water helps support the good oral health habits you and your family already practice. In addition, we offer in-office fluoride treatments to children and adults alike to increase cavity prevention.   The varnish is quick, painless, and will protect all the teeth in your family.

Want to learn more about fluoride or schedule your family’s summer recare visits? Contact Eggert Family Dentistry today.

Your Child’s Teeth from Age 6 to Age 12: What You Need to Know

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

Oral Health from age 6 to age 12By age two, your child should have a complete set of primary teeth that will stay put until the first tooth is lost, around age six. But well before then, around age four, your child’s jaw and facial bones start to develop to make room for the permanent teeth, which develop under the primary teeth. It’s important that your child has good oral health habits starting early in development so the primary and then permanent teeth are healthy and serve well into adulthood.

Age Six to Age Eight

The tooth fairy usually makes her first visit to most households near the age of six. That’s when children lose their first primary teeth and the first permanent teeth appear. The permanent first molars erupt behind the primary teeth and are usually the first to come in, followed by the lower front teeth and upper front teeth. It’s completely normal for your child’s teeth to be different sizes, look uneven, and even appear missing. But don’t worry: by early adolescence, your child’s smile will come into place.

As permanent teeth appear, it’s important to continue the good oral health habits you started with your child’s primary teeth. The health of your child’s permanent teeth affects the ability to chew foods, speak, and smile. Encourage your child to avoid sugar and develop healthy eating habits to support his or her oral health.

Continue to brush and floss your child’s teeth until they are at least six years old. By age eight, most kids can brush their own teeth with supervision, but you should continue to floss your child’s teeth until they turn 10 or 11. Until these ages, children really don’t have the ability to fully clean all the teeth surfaces.  Only use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste. Ask us for a recommendation for child-safe options.

Age Eight to Age Thirteen

Between ages eight and thirteen, your child’s permanent cuspids, bicuspids, and second molars will appear. As they do, we recommend sealants to protect teeth from cavities and tooth decay. Sealants are protective substances that we apply to your child’s teeth and is as easy as a regular dental checkup. The material bonds to your child’s teeth and fills in the pits and grooves that naturally appear on a tooth’s surface. This painless process can protect your child’s teeth for years before needing to be reapplied.

During this time, your child can take responsibility for more aspects of their health, including brushing, flossing, and making healthy eating choices. As more permanent teeth come in, it may become apparent that your child will need braces or other dental appliances to fix misaligned teeth or a bad bite. We can help you identify when and if these issues arise and will recommend an orthodontist.

If your kids are active in sports, it’s important to protect the permanent teeth from injury. A mouth guard protects teeth from being broken, knocked out, or from injuring your child’s lip or tongue during contact sports. There are many over-the-counter versions, but even better is to have us make a custom-fit mouth guard for your child.

Eggert Family Dentistry can help you and your child build good oral health habits that will keep the permanent teeth healthy well into adulthood. Schedule your child’s next dental recare visit with our dental team today.

Your Child’s Teeth from Birth to Age 6: What You Need to Know

Oral health birth to age 6By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

Did you know your child’s teeth start developing 6 weeks after conception? While baby teeth may not appear until your child is 6 months old, a lot of oral development occurs well before your child reaches that milestone. Here’s what you need to know about your child’s teeth from birth to age six.

Birth to Two Years

Your child is born with a complete set of baby, or primary, teeth under the gums. Typically around 6 months of age, your child’s lower central incisors—their lower front teeth—erupt as a pair, followed approximately a month later by the upper central incisors. Lateral incisors, cuspids, and first and second molars erupt in pairs over the next 18 months until your child has a complete set of primary teeth before the age of three.

As parents know well, erupting teeth can make for cranky kids. Gums are often tender and sore, and the discomfort can cause your child to become irritable, have trouble sleeping, and can increase drooling, chewing, and sucking. You may notice your child rubbing their face or grabbing their ears, too. Gently rubbing your child’s gums with a clean, damp cloth or gauze or a chilled teething ring can be comforting.

Two Years to Six Years

Your child’s primary teeth serve several essential purposes, which is why it’s important to keep them clean and healthy. Primary teeth serve as placeholders for the permanent teeth forming below them. Keeping primary teeth healthy helps your child’s permanent teeth develop appropriately. Primary teeth also help your child chew and process healthy foods, promoting good nutrition and eating habits.

It’s important your child receive regular dental recare visits while they have their primary teeth. Schedule your child’s first appointment as soon as you see the first tooth appear and no later than their first birthday. At their first visit at Eggert Family Dentistry, we’ll give your child a complete oral exam, clean their teeth, and discuss teething, pacifier use, thumb-sucking, and tips for keeping your child’s teeth clean and healthy between visits.

Home Care for Primary Teeth

Care of your child’s primary teeth begins before they even start to erupt. After each feeding, wipe your infant’s gums with a clean, damp cloth or gauze. When teeth appear, switch to a child-sized toothbrush to clean the teeth and ask us for a recommendation for an infant-safe toothpaste, generally a fluoride-free toothpaste until your child can fully spit the excess toothpaste into the sink. Begin flossing for your child as soon as two or more teeth touch. Most children cannot floss properly by themselves until age 10 or 11.

Just like permanent teeth, primary teeth are susceptible to decay when they come into contact with sugary, sticky, or acidic substances such as juice, soda, and honey. We recommend you avoid giving your young children sugary drinks and transition your children to small, open cups after their first birthdays. Replace sweet snacks with vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.

The Eggert Family Dentistry team is passionate about developing healthy habits in young children. Our team members are trained to provide safe, fun, and educational dental appointments for children and their parents. Schedule your child’s first or next dental appointment today.

Thumb-Sucking and Pacifier Use: What You Need to Know about These Habits and Your Child’s Oral Health

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

Thumb-sucking and pacifier useThumb and finger-sucking is a natural behavior for infants and young children and can even start before birth. Newborns and infants suck thumbs, fingers, and pacifiers to soothe themselves and feel more secure. Often, this behavior extends into early childhood. When it does, parents often wonder if thumb-sucking or pacifier use could harm their child’s oral health.

A Primer in Tooth Development

An infant’s first two baby, or primary, teeth usually appear around 6 months of age. By age three, toddlers have a full set of primary teeth, which they start losing around age six. Primary teeth save space for permanent teeth that will appear later, especially when your child’s jaw and other facial bones start growing at age four to make room for larger, permanent teeth. Healthy primary teeth are essential for nutrition as they help your child chew food and give the permanent teeth developing below the gum line a healthy start.

Effect of Thumb-Sucking and Pacifier Use on Oral Health

Since the jaw and facial bones do not start to grow and develop until age four and permanent teeth do not appear until age six or later, thumb and finger sucking and pacifier use in the first few years of life are not as likely to cause oral health problems for your child. However, as the bones begin to develop, sucking habits can impact the growth and alignment of your child’s teeth and even change the shape of the roof of your child’s mouth.

Vigorous suckers are more likely to have oral health problems if the habit continues after age four, and aggressive thumb-sucking or pacifier use can potentially change the alignment of your child’s primary teeth. It is common for sucking habits to create an anterior open bite where the front teeth do not contact each other. One difficult to correct side effect of an anterior open bite is often the development of a forward swallowing habit. If you’re concerned about your child’s aggressive thumb-sucking, speak with us at Eggert Family Dentistry.

Breaking the Habit

Thumb-sucking and pacifier use typically comes to an end naturally between the ages of two and four. At that age, children become more engaged in the world around them, sleep less, and can even face peer pressure at preschool to stop thumb-sucking.

But sometimes, kids need a little help breaking the thumb-sucking habit. To protect their oral health, help your child break the habit if they continue to suck their thumb or use a pacifier past age four. Recognize and praise children when you notice they are not sucking their thumb, especially during times that cause stress and anxiety. If your child no longer sucks their thumb while awake but continues to do so while asleep, trying putting a bandage on the thumb or a sock on your child’s hand.

Breaking the thumb-sucking habit can cause anxiety and stress for children and parents alike. You’re not alone in the quest to break the habit. Ask your dentist for help explaining to your children what may happen to their teeth if they continue to suck their thumbs and fingers. Contact Eggert Family Dentistry today to schedule your child’s oral health recare visit.

Think Before You Gulp That Sports Drink!

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

Sports Drinks & Oral HealthThey’re sweet, full of electrolytes, and make you sweat in technicolor (if you believe the ads). If the world’s most successful athletes chug sports drinks regularly, why shouldn’t you and your student athlete? Doctors and dentists point to two big reasons: sugar and acid.

Sports drinks are a very popular beverage, especially for younger athletes. Many teenagers consume sports drinks off the field as a sweet way to quench their thirst. Though it’s true that sports drinks contain fewer calories than sodas do, they still have similar amounts of sugar and loads of acid that can wear away tooth enamel.

Sports Drinks and Your Teeth

While the high sugar content in sports drinks isn’t great for your teeth (sugar feeds the bacteria that cause tooth decay), the most worrisome ingredient in sports drinks is the citric acid. When this acid comes in contact with your teeth, it softens and wears away the hard enamel that protects your teeth. This is called tooth erosion, and when left untreated, it can expose the sensitive, softer tissue of your teeth. A study by the Academy of General Dentistry found the acid in sports drinks can start to erode teeth in as little as 5 days of consecutive use.

What We Recommend

So how do you avoid harming your teeth after gulping a sports drink? Though it may seem counterintuitive, don’t brush your teeth right after you take a sip. Because the acid in sports drinks softens your enamel, your teeth become very susceptible to abrasion from toothpaste directly after consuming a sports drink. Instead, chew sugar-free gum or rinse your mouth with water to help neutralize the acid. We also recommend drinking sports drinks through a straw to bypass your teeth and brushing with an acid-neutralizing, remineralizing toothpaste with fluoride.

But the best way to avoid tooth erosion is to not expose your teeth to acid in the first place. Only drink sports drinks if you absolutely need the electrolytes. If you’re just thirsty (on the field or off), stick with water and try a banana for electrolytes. Unless we’re performing at an elite level or exercising for more than an hour at a high intensity, water is the ideal choice for rehydrating. That goes for student athletes and weekend warriors alike.

Wondering what effect your sport drink is having on your teeth or your child’s teeth? Schedule your dental checkup with Eggert Family Dentistry today. We’ll take a look at your enamel and recommend ways you can protect it.

Keeping an Eye on the Tooth Fairy Price Index

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

On average, the price of teeth has gone up since 2000. Over the years, the tooth fairy and her international cohorts have been compelled to leave behind more and more money in exchange for baby teeth.

It turns out the tooth fairy adjusts her gifts according to the strength of the US economy. When the US is doing well, her gifts get more valuable. In 2016, the official Tooth Fairy Index predicts tooth prices will stagnate around $4. In 2014, the price for a tooth was just under $4.50.

Tooth economists track tooth price inflation by polling caregivers. To contribute to their research, visit the Original Tooth Fairy Poll.

About the Tooth Fairy

The impish international phenomenon kids in the United States know as the Tooth Fairy manages a team of tooth traders around the world. These traders visit the homes of children who have recently lost baby teeth. In exchange for teeth, they leave behind cash or small gifts. A visit from the Tooth Fairy helps celebrate your child’s transition to adolescence.

Different countries around the world have different customs. In the United States, children leave their teeth under their pillows for the Tooth Fairy. Kids in Europe do the same thing, but they are visited by the Tooth Elf.

In Argentina and Sweden, the Magical Mouse sniffs out baby teeth in glasses of water. He drinks the water, takes the tooth, and leaves a little money behind. The Magical Mouse also visits children in South Africa. But instead of looking in a drinking glass, he sniffs out teeth under pillows and in slippers.

Magical Mouse’s cousin, Tooth Rat, visits kids in the Philippines. He’s a busy fellow and asks children to leave their teeth on windowsills so he can grab them easily. In return, he leaves a little cash.

The Tooth Fairy isn’t just for kids. She also gives parents and caregivers advice on how to keep their kids’ teeth healthy. You can visit the Tooth Fairy Pinterest page for tips.

Eggert Family Dentistry is proud to support the Tooth Fairy in her quest for beautiful baby teeth. We help kids keep their smiles healthy and gleaming so the teeth they lose will become some of the Tooth Fairy’s most prized possessions. To schedule your child’s appointment, contact Eggert Family Dentistry today.

Prepare for the Sugar Wars!

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, a time when dentists across the country spend some extra time with our younger patients to teach them about the effect sugar has on their teeth and how to keep their teeth healthy and strong with regular brushing, flossing, and healthy foods. It’s a great time to remind adults to fight the good fight in the Sugar Wars, too. Here are your Sugar Wars marching orders.

Step 1: Understand Your Enemy
Sugar is a major cause of tooth decay in the United States and around the world. Sugar helps bacteria form plaque on your teeth, a sticky substance that’s tough to remove and causes cavities if allowed to linger.

Americans eat an overabundance of sugar, consuming on average 22 teaspoons every day. That’s nearly half a cup! Teens eat 34 teaspoons daily on average, or nearly ¾ of a cup. Sugary foods not only wreak havoc on your dental hygiene, they can cause you to gain weight and become at risk of weight-related illnesses such as Type II diabetes and heart disease. That’s why the American Heart Association recommends limiting kids’ sugar intake to 3 to 4 teaspoons a day, and teens’ between 5 and 9 teaspoons a day.

It is important to read the Nutritional Labels on the foods you and your family eat. Sugar is clearly labeled in grams. The Nutrition Labels uses the conversion of 4 grams of sugar equals 1 teaspoon. Even some foods typically thought of as “healthy,” such as yogurt and health food bars, can contain an excessive amount of sugar.

Step 2: Fight the Good Fight
In addition to reducing the sugary foods you eat and drink, you can help your kids combat the effects of sugar with regular brushing, flossing, and rinsing. Eggert Family Dentistry also recommends sealants to protect your kids’ teeth against cavities. We apply sealants to the hard-to-reach back teeth when the first set of molars comes in between 5 and 7 years of age and again for the second set between 11 and 14. Sealants typically last for about 10 years and can be reapplied.

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Eggert Family Dentistry – Feed My Starving Children

The Eggert team also believes it’s important that all kids have access to healthy food. That’s why we volunteer at Feed My Starving Children to pack meals for malnourished children across the globe. We’re committed to helping kids all of over the world keep their teeth healthy with good oral habits and healthy eating.
Help your kids fight in the Sugar Wars by arming them with a good and regular brushing and flossing routine, and healthy, low-sugar snacks. For an ally in the fight, contact Eggert Family Dentistry today.