New regulations in Massachusetts require that preschools add toothbrush time to the school day.  Children who eat a meal at day care or attend for more than four hours will be supervised brushing their teeth and  educated about oral health.   The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care established the regulations to help prevent dental disease.  According to a 2003 study, one in four Massachusetts kindergartners have tooth decay.

So, brushing at school sounds good in theory.  But in practice?  How do two teachers help 30 four year olds without the motor skills to brush correctly?  How do they maintain sanitation? How do the children spit out? Avoid spreading germs?  Keep the brushes clean and replaced when worn? Avoid swallowing toothpaste?  Seems ill advised to me.  How about focusing on what the children eat for lunch instead?  Perhaps if the children ate an apple for dessert instead of Hostess Cupcakes they would not have so much plaque and dental decay.

More on children’s dental health at http://drterryshapiro.com/children.html.

Parents often ask when their children should have their first dental visit. I like to tell them to bring the children to our office when the parents have a checkup visit so the children become familiarized with the office. Our East Setauket dental office is child friendly. Don’t wait until your child is in pain or has a problem before seeing the dentist.

Your child should see the dentist when their first tooth comes in. You can clean your baby’s gums with a clean, damp cloth. Help your toddler brush his/her teeth and only use a pea-size dab of toothpaste. Get your child accustomed to flossing. Don’t put your child to sleep with a bottle or let them fall asleep while they are nursing.  Children should eat healthy foods – fruits, vegetables – and limit sugars and starches, sodas and juices.

Regular dental visits are the best prevention. We place sealants to protect young teeth from decay. We also make mouthguards for children who are active in sports.

Children who consume a syrup with the naturally occurring sweetener xylitol develop fewer cavities than children who don’t consume xylitol. A recent study at the U. of Washington School of Dentistry concluded that exposure to 8 grams of xylitol per day in a twice-daily topical oral syrup prevents up to 70% of decayed primary teeth. The study was conducted in the Republic of the Marshall Islands where childhood decay is a serious public health concern. More research is needed, but it appears that xylitol is a cost-effective preventive measure for populations with high rates of tooth decay.
For more information on children’s dentistry visit www.drterryshapiro.com/general.html.

I just read about a dentist, Dr. Julian Haszard, who is passionate about mountain climbing as well as about helping people to achieve dental health. Sound familiar? I also enjoy the mountains, but for me, 4,000 feet will do fine rather than the 14,000 feet he climbs!

Dr. Haszard formed a dental aid charity called SmileHigh to service Nepalese children. Because of a radical change in diet, especially a huge increase in refined sugar, there is enormous dental decay among Nepalese children, especially among those of remote communities that have no dental services.

This summer a group of dental professionals will travel to Nepal to volunteer their dental services in conjunction with an expedition to climb Mount Manaslu. The purpose of the climb is to raise money for SmileHigh. The dentists will provide dental treatment and dental education in the Samagon region of Nepal for two weeks. Their website is www.smilehigh.net. How fabulous!free charlie s angels elephant dvdrip

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Last week I participated in Career Day at the Nassequegue Elementary School, near my East Setauket Dental Office. I spoke to third to sixth graders about Dentistry as a career. I explained how to become a dentist and what my work is like. I talked about the technological advances in dentistry and about the uses of computing and photography.

They were very attentive and asked excellent questions. I was impressed by their knowledge; they knew about palatal expanders and athletic guards! I told them that they didn’t have to go to dental school, that they sounded like they were already dentists! I asked them how to keep their teeth healthy and they quickly responded: brush after meals, eat healthy foods, and visit the dentist twice a year.fish called wanda a download

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When they were a year old, I gave the twins their first toothbrushes - green for Rehaan and yellow for Naseem. They each gleefully grabbed their brush, stuck it in their mouth and started brushing. It looked like they knew what they were doing! Maybe they liked the feel of the bristles against their teeth. In any case, hopefully they were accomplishing something. My hope was that they were establishing a habit. Their parents were concerned that they would swallow the toothpaste, but I told them that they really did not have to put any toothpaste on the brush or just a speck if they really wanted to. The brushing action alone was enough to clean the teeth.

Parents should assist the brushing until the child is old enough to accomplish the task without supervision. Parents or caregivers should use a piece of gauze to regularly clean the infant teeth as soon as they erupt. It’s also a good idea to introduce a young child to floss so they get into the habit of cleaning in between the teeth. And don’t forget a healthy diet and regular twice yearly visits to my East Setauket, Long Island dental office.