While fluoride has proven to prevent cavities, some parents worry about “fluoride toxicity.” Should you worry about giving your toddler fluoride? Many first-time parents mistakenly believe that their kids' oral health doesn't matter until they're four or five years old. They think, "Since baby teeth are so newly erupted, they must be better protected and safe against tooth decay." This couldn't be farther from the truth. Tooth decay is one of the most common childhood diseases. Studies show that 27.9% of all children ages two to five years old in the United States have at least one untreated cavity. Without proper dental hygiene, that number increases to more than half between the ages of six and eleven. However, proper oral hygiene habits can be tough to come by with toddlers whose baby teeth are still coming in. They have only just started brushing their smiles on their own, and their teLiving with braces requires some time to adjust. Here’s how you can make this transition go smoothly. In the first week of getting braces, it can be a bit challenging to get used to the feeling of them on your teeth. The bulky brackets can be rough as they rub against the soft, sensitive tissues of your gums, cheeks, and lips, leading to painful patches and sores. Your wires’ ends may poke at those same tissues. And, of course, your teeth and jaw may go through the aches and growing pains of your smile being forced into its new alignment. While this can be uncomfortable and even frustrating, the good news is that it's only temporary until your mouth adjusts to living with braces. You can do several things to help ease your soreness and irritation until this adjustment period is finally over.

Ice Pack A time-tested way to reduce soreness is by using an ice pack or cold compress. Just as the cold can help soothe injured muscles, it can do the same for your mouth. Whether it’s the discomfort of your shifting teeth or cuts and sores on your gums, putting an ice pack against your cheek for 10 to 15 minutes at a time can significantly help. The cold helps numb the area, and it can help with any swelling from your irritated gums and cheeks. If you don't have a cold compress at the ready, you can also take a sip of ice water to help. While not as powerful or lasting, it will certainly do in a pinch. A nice glass of cold water is especially refreshing if you've just left your orthodontic appointment after having your wires tightened. Or if you have a sweet tooth, popsicles and ice cream can do the trick. Make sure to drink water or brush your teeth afterward. Maintaining your dental health and staying cavity-free is especially crucial for your orthodontics treatment's success. Soft Foods While you adjust to the pressure your bracket braces put on your smile, you'll want to make some adjustments to your diet for the next little while. Your orthodontist will have already told you that there are certain food restrictions throughout your dental braces treatment. However, even orthodontist-approved foods can be difficult to eat when you first get your teeth braces. We suggest switching to a mostly soft food and liquid diet that will be gentle on your sore teeth. Some great foods that are high in nutrition include: Creamy soups and broths Yogurt, particularly Greek yogurt Boiled vegetables Pasta Smoothies Scrambled eggs Instant oatmeal Applesauce Seafood Patients with Invisalign don’t have the same limited diet as those with metal or ceramic braces. However, we still recommend they stick to soft foods for the first few days to a week if they can. While clear aligners are often gentler on your teeth than traditional braces, they still take some time to adapt to wearing. Just make sure you always take your Invisalign trays out before eating or drinking anything other than water. Not only can they crack or break, but they may stain and lose their invisibility. Orthodontic Wax If your brackets rub painfully against your inner lips, cheeks, and gums, we suggest putting a little dental wax over them. This creates some padding to prevent your braces from irritating the soft tissues. Dental wax is perfectly safe for bracket braces, so you don’t have to worry about it pulling off your elastics like you might with sticky foods. If you have clear aligners, you may have transparent attachments on your teeth to help your trays get a more solid grip on them. Orthodontic wax for braces can also be used on your Invisalign if these attachments cause you any discomfort. Salt Water Rinse For any minor cuts or sores, try swishing or gargling saltwater in your mouth. Saltwater mixes are considered the all-in-one home remedy to help with dental pain. Rinsing your mouth with it can help soothe irritation and keep any open wounds clean of bacteria and debris to help speed the healing process along. Over-The-Counter Pain Relievers If the above tips aren’t enough, you can always use over-the-counter pain medications like ibuprofen or Tylenol. We recommend that you take it around 30 minutes to an hour before your appointment if you know that your mouth gets sore after your braces are tightened. Patience Ultimately, the best way to get rid of any braces pain is simply being patient. Your mouth will gradually adjust to the brackets and wires, and your teeth straightening experience will be much more comfortable throughout the end of your treatment. Besides a possible day or two of slight discomfort after having your wires tightened, most patients become so used to their braces that they don’t feel them anymore.

FAQ About Life With Braces What Can You Not Eat While Wearing Braces? Throughout your time with braces, you'll have to make certain changes to your diet. You still have to stay away from crunchy, chewy, hard, and sticky foods to prevent bending wires or pulling elastic ligatures from the brackets. Some major offenders include popcorn, nuts, corn chips, gum, ice, and pretzels. You should also make sure you cut any foods you need to bite into, like apples and corn on the cob, into smaller pieces. Otherwise, the uneven pressure on your front teeth can cause the brackets to pop right off! However, with ceramic braces specifically, you have more to worry about than traditional metal ones when it comes to your diet. The ceramic brackets themselves are resistant to staining, but the clear ligatures attaching the wires to them can. The sole purpose of choosing clear braces over metal is its aesthetic appearance. If these elastics discolor from your meals, you won't get the unobtrusive look you want from this cosmetic dentistry treatment. Eating or drinking foods and beverages that are strong enough to stain and yellow natural enamel means they can do the same to your elastics. What can you not eat with ceramic braces? Our orthodontists highly recommend you avoid: Coffees and teas Red wine Curries Fruit juices Dark colas Colorful berries (raspberries, blackberries, pomegranates, cherries, etc.) Red or dark sauces (tomato sauces, soy sauce) Beetroot How Much Do Braces Cost? The cost of orthodontic treatment can vary depending on the type of braces (metal vs. ceramic), your problems' complexity, and the treatment's length. Traditional metal braces are often more affordable than ceramic or invisible braces. However, they are within the same relative price range. Most dental insurance plans cover at least part of patients' orthodontic work. To schedule a financial consultation with our orthodontists, you can call our Long Beach dental office at (562) 999-3602. There we can go over your treatment's specifics, give you an exact price estimate, and discuss your financing options. What Is The Purpose Of A Retainer? No matter your teeth straightening choice in the Invisalign vs. braces question, you will need to spend some time with a retainer to ensure your results last. Orthodontics moves your teeth into position by applying gentle but consistent pressure to your teeth. The underlying jawbone continuously breaks down and forms new bone to make room for them. After your initial treatment has finished, your jaw will still be vulnerable to shifting your newly straight teeth out of alignment. A retainer is used to keep their position steady until the jaw stabilizes and your perfect smile is secured. There are three main types of retainers: Hawley Retainer. Hawley retainers use a combination of an acrylic base that fits behind your teeth and metal wires that go in front to keep your teeth aligned. They are very durable and can be removed for meals and brushing your teeth. Clear Plastic Retainer. Like Invisalign, this retainer is made of transparent plastic designed to fit over your teeth and render your treatment near invisible. They can also be removed when needed. Lingual Retainer. This fixed retainer is bonded to the back of your teeth, allowing them to be completely invisible. It can last the longest, often staying in great condition for over 20 years. How long do you have to wear a retainer? Retainers should be worn day and night for at least nine months to a year. The only times they should be taken out are when you are either eating or cleaning your teeth. After the first year, your smile's alignment will be much more stable, but we still recommend that you put on your retainer at night. Teeth naturally shift over time, even when you haven't had orthodontic treatment. By continuing to wear your retainer, you can ensure your straight teeth last you a lifetime. This is why lingual retainers are popular with patients who plan to use their retainers for life. You don't have to worry about them breaking or you forgetting to wear them.chnique often requires you to give their teeth a second pass with the toothbrush. Many toddlers haven't learned how to spit their toothpaste into the sink without swallowing any. When your kid's brushing and flossing is possibly spotty at best, you'll have to focus just as much attention on building up their smile's natural defense: the enamel. When parents ask us, “How can I strengthen my child's teeth?” our number one tip is to give them fluoride treatment. Fluoride is a naturally-occurring mineral that reinforces dental enamel during first-stage tooth decay. At this early point, plaque and bacteria have stolen the calcium and other vital minerals keeping the enamel strong against them. By remineralizing the tooth with fluoride, you can bolster these defenses and even reverse tooth decay. A pediatric dentist can apply a topical fluoride varnish to a toddler's baby teeth two to four times a year. At home, you can help your child with fluoridated water or toothpastes. While there are fluoride mouthwashes, children shouldn't use them until they are at least seven years old. However, as great as fluoride is, people have some concerns about using it, especially when kids are so young.

Is Fluoride Bad For You? Fluoride is perfectly safe for your child's smile as long as they use it in the recommended amounts with the right treatments. You can choose between several options to strengthen your child's teeth against decay. Child-safe remineralizing toothpaste and fluoride varnishes are great ways to apply fluoride to the enamel directly. And here in Long Beach, you can even find fluoride in water as the community water system is fully fluoridated. However, with as many choices as you have, it's important not to give your toddler too much. If your toddler swallows more than the recommended amount, they might get a stomach ache. You can help their upset tummy by giving them a glass of milk. The calcium will bind to the fluoride and relieve their discomfort. Regularly swallowing too much fluoride can potentially cause damage to the enamel or dental fluorosis. What Is Dental Fluorosis? Dental fluorosis is a condition where a child's tooth emerges from the gums with white streaks or lines on the outer enamel. Some parents might find this alarming, but the "damage" to the tooth is only aesthetic. Fluorosis typically leaves your toddler's dental health completely uncompromised. The complete opposite may be the case, and your child's baby teeth can be better protected against cavities and decay. Fluorosis is only possible with teeth that have only just erupted from the gums. Once your toddler's baby teeth come in, you don't have to worry that they'll become cosmetically streaked. This dental discoloration only appears when the teeth are still growing and taking in fluoride and other minerals to become strong. If you do notice white spots appearing later on, it isn't fluorosis. Instead, it may be a sign of developing tooth decay. For most people with fluorosis, their white enamel spots are often so minimal that only dentists can see them. According to the American Dental Association, less than 2% of all people aged 6 to 49 have anything more than mild fluorosis. However, if you're worried about your child developing fluorosis, the best things to do are to supervise their brushing routine and work closely with your child's dentist. What’s Best For Your Toddler If fluoride helps fight off cavities and decay, but too much can harm baby teeth, what should you do? The best way to keep your toddler's smile as healthy as possible is to strike the right balance. A great way to learn how to do this is to speak with a kids dentist. Pediatric dentists are specialized in managing and shaping children's developing and changing smiles. Based on your toddler's specific needs, we can work with you to plan an individualized plan to give them the right level of fluoridation. On our end, this will primarily mean scheduling frequent fluoride varnishing appointments. Some children may only need one or two a year, while others may be recommended as many as three or four. As for your side as the parent, you’ll have to watch over their dental routine and ensure they use the right amounts of toothpaste. Just how much is too much? Here are the amounts our family dentists at Long Beach Family Dentist recommend giving your child: Ages 0 to 2 For toddlers under three years old, you can begin using fluoride toothpaste from the moment their first baby teeth arrive. However, you shouldn't put more than a smear on their toothbrush. Since your child can't spit at this age, tilt their head to the side and let the toothpaste slip out on its own into the sink or washcloth. Ages 3 to 6 Once your child turns three years old, you can increase the amount of toothpaste to a pea-sized amount. At this age, most children can be trusted to spit out their toothpaste rather than swallow it. However, they still should not use mouthwash, fluoridated or not.

Are Baby Teeth More Prone To Cavities? Unfortunately, yes. Your toddler can develop dental decay and cavities much quicker than even older children with a full set of permanent teeth. As baby teeth are only temporary, their enamel isn’t as thick or hardy as adult ones’. Once plaque builds up, oral bacteria can quickly weaken the protective surface and burrow its way through to the vulnerable inner layers below. With this accelerated timeline, severe cavities can develop before parents can say the word "toothache." Without proper dental care, even children as young as two or three years old can get cavities so severe that the teeth are rotted through and need emergency extraction. What Does A Decayed Tooth Look Like? Without fluoride treatment or trips to your kid's dentist for twice-yearly dental cleanings, dental decay can turn into a terrible toothache and cavity in just a few months. Catching dental caries early on by recognizing the signs can save your toddler much trouble and tooth pain in the future. Early-stage tooth decay first appears as white enamel spots. Initially, these can look similar to fluorosis, but remember that decay only occurs on teeth that have already emerged. These white spots darken over time as plaque and bacteria wear away at the tooth's surface. Once a hole appears in your child’s enamel, other cavity symptoms may be much less visible. In addition to discoloration and deepening pit in the tooth, your toddler may complain about: Sensitivity to hot and cold foods Lingering sensitivity to sweets Pain when biting down or chewing Sudden toothaches, which can often come and go Chronic bad breath or unpleasant taste in the mouth Can You Stop A Cavity Once It Starts? Since cavities are physical pits in the tooth, you and your child can’t undo the damage on your own. While fluoride toothpaste and varnishes can reverse the white spots stage of dental decay, they can’t restore lost dental tissue. Once a cavity forms, a baby tooth can only be fixed with professional treatment. Most cavities require either a tooth filling or dental crown. These procedures involve removing the damaged and diseased parts of the tooth and filling in the hole left behind. Fillings are used on smaller and narrower cavities, while crowns can recreate the entire enamel surface, if necessary. However, if the cavity reaches the centermost dental pulp layer, your toddler’s baby tooth may need a root canal. In many cases, root canals are the only treatment that can save even a badly decayed tooth from needing extraction. Tooth removal is only ever a last resort, especially when it comes to baby teeth. This is why teaching healthy dental habits, not just brushing and flossing but diet and fluoride management, is so crucial. If you have any questions or concerns about keeping your toddler’s oral health on track, you can reach our dental office at (562) 999-3602. We’d love to schedule a consultation with one of our expert pediatric dentists.