March 7-13th is National Dental Assistants Week!
We love our Heights Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics dental assistants: Yvette, Jackie, Yesenia and Taja! They are all wonderful with kids and make the dental visit experience fun!
We truly couldn’t take care of our awesome patients without YOU!!
The votes are in and we have our new Employee Of The Month! Drum roll please…
She is our cross-trained pediatric dental and orthodontic assistant. You can find her helping all over the office. She is so loved by our team and our patients and was voted February’s Employee of the Month!
Congratulations!! We are so lucky to have you on our Heights Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics team!
As National Children’s Dental Health month continues throughout February, we want to tell you more about the most important beverage for your body: WATER!
Check out these fun graphics from the AAPD to learn more about choosing water over juices and sports drinks for your child. There’s lots of information here, so let us know if you have any questions at your next dental visit!
Water is best!
If your child has a sweetened drink as a treat, it’s best at a mealtime, not for snacks.
Over-consumption of unhealthy drinks can lead to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.
A preference for drinking water is learned, just like a preference for sweets!
Let your child choose a fun cup and/or straw at the store to encourage drinking water out of!
Happy New Year!! We’re excited to announce our January Employee of the Month!! Congratulations to…
Our team said about her:
“She never complains, gets everything done and she is GREAT at her job!”
“Always working hard and very willing to help!”
Way to go!! We love you, Phuong!
The American Dental Association held the first national observance of Children’s Dental Health Day on February 8, 1949. The single day observance became a weeklong event in 1955. And in 1981, the program was extended to a month-long celebration known today as National Children’s Dental Health Month.
“Attitudes and habits established at an early age are critical in maintaining good oral health throughout life. By participating in the annual celebration of National Children’s Dental Health Month, members of the dental team, parents, teachers and others can help keep children’s smiles beautiful now and for years to come.”
Tooth decay is the most common childhood disease.
3 out of 5 children are affected by tooth decay.
It is 5 times more common than asthma.
51 million school hours are missed due to oral disease.
It is recommended to see the pediatric dentist by your child’s first birthday!
Brush your child’s teeth twice a day for 2 minutes. Then floss to clean in between the teeth. Parents should help with brushing until they can clearly write their own name.
Fluoride helps to make enamel stronger and protects teeth against cavities by fighting acid & erosion.
Avoid sticky snacks like gummies and crackers because those will linger on the teeth longer. Instead, try yogurt, cheese, fruits and veggies!
Water is the best drink for your teeth AND your body!
We love getting together every year to take new team photos! This year we took them at Stude Park in the Heights and it was a gorgeous day! The pictures are back and we love them!! Next time you’re in the office, check out our picture wall to see all of the awesome people that make up the Heights Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics team!!
Count how many Hershey’s kisses are in the jar, write down your guess and drop it in the vase!
Contest ends February 14th and we will announce our winner on Facebook!
Our team is continuing to keep healthy for you and doing whatever we can to stop the spread!
Remember to stay safe, wear a mask and wash your hands.
Together we are stronger and can fight COVID-19!!
Happy New Year!! We’re excited to announce our first Employee of the Month for 2021!! Congratulations to…
Our team said, “She runs the entire office, is a great team player, ALWAYS available and such a hard worker! We love you Stefanie!”
Congratulations! We’re so thankful for you!
We sure hope that everyone is enjoying holidays with their families during this magical time of year. It is hard to believe that we made it all the way to December in this crazy 2020!
As always, we are so thankful to have you in our dental family. Thank you for a memorable year and trusting us for all your kids' dental needs. We all truly blessed to continue watching your littles grow.
This Holiday Season we were blessed to give back to our community and picked a deserving family from Garden Oaks Montessori. Our team truly believes in the spirit of giving and helping others. We were excited to donate gifts to this wonderful family and make someone else's Christmas magical.
Merry Christmas from Heights Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics
Dental trauma is most common in pre-school children that are learning to walk, run, jump and climb, and in school-age children playing sports, but can happen anytime. Our team wants to help your family feel prepared to handle these emergencies.
The most common types of trauma in baby teeth are bumping them in one way or another. Exams and treatment at this age can be difficult due to fear and lack of cooperation. Treatment of these injuries must consider having the least amount of risk to damage permanent teeth developing underneath those little baby teeth. Most heal spontaneously and no treatment at the time of injury may be necessary. In more severe types of these injuries, an extraction of the tooth may be necessary. If a baby tooth is knocked out of the mouth, it is best NOT to re-implant the tooth due to poor healing capability and possible injury to the developing permanent tooth underneath it. Often children have a thick and low positioned frenulum (piece of fleshy tissue) that holds the lip to the gums between the two front teeth and is very vascular. That area bleeds heavily when cut. Gums and lips around those front teeth are also easily bruised and bleed freely. Whenever those front teeth and surrounding soft tissues are injured it is best to call the dentist. Many times we can simply discuss the details on the phone and look at texted photos, which will help us make a decision on whether this is an emergency needing immediate attention (rarely) or something that can be looked at during regular business hours within a day or two. Most of the time, waiting for a little while is perfectly fine, as long as bleeding and pain are controlled. However, you do want to see your dentist soon as an x-ray must be taken to rule out fractures of the bone or roots and to have a baseline image in case of future injury in the area.
Another baby teeth dental emergency is pain connected to an abscessed (infected) tooth. This is usually preceded by large decay or previous treatment such as a large filling or a crown. An abscess usually presents as swelling, pimple on the gum, redness, and pain. This pain cannot be easily controlled and requires treatment with antibiotics and eventual extraction of the baby tooth. It is very important to call your dentist as this infection can spread and have serious consequences. Your dentist will either see your child within a short period of time or call in antibiotics and see you within few days for extraction once the infection is controlled.
The most common type of trauma in the permanent teeth is a crown fracture. This can vary from slightly chipped teeth to fractures of majority of the crown even exposing the nerve of the tooth. We recommend keeping the tooth fragment that broke off as we may be able to bond it back to the tooth. Otherwise, a tooth-colored composite restoration can be done. X-rays of the lip or cheek may also be taken to search for lost tooth fragments. If the nerve is exposed, a pulpotomy may need to be done. Pulpotomy is a procedure where the infected pulp tissue is cleaned, medicine is placed and then the fracture is repaired. Lastly, some fractures could be so severe that the tooth may need to be splinted to nearby teeth for stability and while the bone and supporting ligaments heal. Dentists are much more likely to come in after hours to treat an adult tooth emergency. Infections of permanent teeth need to be seen by a general dentist or a root canal specialist (endodontist) and will be eventually treated with a root canal. Initially we might call in an antibiotic to control the infection. Call your dentist immediately and email or text them photos of the fracture from various angles to determine urgency of the appointment.
If a permanent tooth is knocked out, it’s important to put the tooth back into its socket as quickly as possible. Time is of the essence in these emergencies. The long-term survival of the tooth after 15 minutes outside of the mouth declines quickly. Second best option is to store it in the child’s saliva or in cold milk. Do NOT store the tooth in water or let it stay dry. Call our office immediately so we can splint the teeth together to stabilize the tooth in the socket. In some cases, especially if the tooth is not in a safe storage solution for more than 60 minutes, the long-term survival is poor and a root canal may have to be done. For the best chance of long-term survival, call our office as soon as possible when any dental trauma occurs.
We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your loved ones! We are excited to announce our Employee Of The Month for November!
Our team said,
“She is always willing to help!”
“She is always positive and helpful to everyone.”
“She works really hard and a great team player.”
“Taja works great under pressure, never complains and helps out anywhere!”
Yay Taja!! Heights Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics sure does love having you on our team!
We’re so thankful for our patients and families here at Heights Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics!! We love coming to work every day because YOU make it fun!! We hope you have a wonderful holiday with your family and friends.
As soon as the first tooth erupts, cavities instantly become children’s dental archenemy making regular brushing extremely necessary. At HPDO, we place a great emphasis on prevention. That includes diet and oral hygiene instruction with patients and caregivers, fluoride application and specifically, sealants. Sealants are a protective coating for the grooves of teeth where toothbrush bristles and floss can’t reach, most specifically the back teeth such as premolars and molars.
Think of sealants as the Captain America shields against tooth decay. They are recommended for baby and adult teeth with deep pits and grooves that are susceptible to bacteria, plaque retention and acid attack, as well as for patients with a history of cavities or at higher risk for future cavities.
According to scientific studies, children aged 5-10 years with sealants applied, sealants reduced cavities between 11% and 51% compared to those with no sealant, at 24 months. Another study also found dental sealants to reduce more tooth decay in the grooves of children’s molars than fluoride varnish application.
Aside from being effective, dental sealants are safe and affordable too! Insurance companies understand their impressive protection and cover them in large percentage. The cost of 4 sealants is close to the cost of one filling.
Talk to your pediatric dentist about sealants! They will examine your child’s teeth and report to you if dental sealants are appropriate for your child’s age and condition. Note that not all children need these. To give you an idea, kids six years of age are the best candidates for sealants because it is the age when the first permanent molars appear and are most vulnerable. Keep in mind that even with dental sealants applied, children still need to get regular dental checkups, cleanings, x-rays and fluoride treatments. Sealants may be applied by the dentist, the dental hygienist or dental assistant that is properly trained and certified in placing sealants.
The key to proper sealant placement and retention is good isolation and technique. We like to use Isolite dental isolation systems when placing sealants because they have a built-in bite block, control the patient’s cheeks and tongue while protecting the airway, come in many sizes and has a light for better illumination of the mouth. The edges of the Isolite can be trimmed for patient comfort if necessary. You can find out more about this on our clinical updates page!
Sealants are non-invasive, easy to place, cost-effective and a critical player in the fight against dental caries!
Thank you to everyone that participated in our Fall Contest!
The competition was very close and so many voted!! In the end, Taja and Stefanie were our WINNERS with the ice cream pumpkin!! From everyone who voted for their pumpkin, we drew a random name and a big congratulations to Catherine K. who voted for the winning pumpkin!!
Happy Fall everyone! The votes are in and we have our new Employee Of The Month! Drum roll please…
She is our cross-trained pediatric dental and orthodontic assistant. You can find her helping all over the office. She is so loved by our team and our patients.
Congratulations!! We are so lucky to have you on our Heights Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics team!
You can stop by and vote at your next appointment for your favorite or you can like, comment and share on Facebook & Instagram. Whichever pumpkin wins, then we will draw a name from those votes to win a special prize!!
We are having our Annual Halloween Candy Buy Back program! Have your kids bring their left over Halloween candy to our office and trade it in for $1.00 per pound (up to $5.00). We will donate the candy along with toothbrushes to our troops overseas through Operation Gratitude!
