Reverse Numbness with Oraverse!

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For comfort during dental treatment, the dentist may use a special numbing medication called Lidocaine or Septocaine. These meds make a chosen area of the mouth temporarily numb and pain-free. This is called local anesthesia. However, these medications can linger for hours after the treatment is completed and the child may still feel numb for the remainder of the day. This extended feeling of numbness can result in drooling, difficulty in speaking, or even chewing/sucking on lips, cheeks or tongue since children cannot feel it and/or may not be used to that new feeling! This self-inflicted injury can cause very painful, traumatic ulcers or swelling (see the example picture below). These take days to heal and can be very debilitating for eating, speaking and normal function for up to a week.

Fortunately, a drug called OraVerse (Phentolamine Mesylate), formulated by Dr. Stuart Levy, was created to lessen the extended periods of numbing. It works to reverse the effects of local dental anesthesia by causing dilation of local blood vessels and allowing for the anesthetic to clear out of the system easily and faster. After the dental procedure is finished, it is injected into the same area as the numbing medication. Then, patients can expect the numbness to wear off much faster, but the exact amount of time is different for each person. It’s important to remind children not to bite or suck, and still to soft foods until full feeling comes back.

Here at Heights Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, our doctors feel that Oraverse allows for patients to get back to their regular plans for the remainder of the day like school, sports and other activities! There’s no need to cancel the rest of your day just because of a dental appointment. Ask us about Oraverse at YOUR next visit!

*According to Novalar, the pharmaceutical company that manufactures OraVerse, it can be used by adults and children who are six years old and above. The minimum weight requirement of those who can use it is 33 pounds. But safety of the drug has been proven on children as young as three years of age.

2021 HPDO Christmas Party

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Our Annual Christmas Party was a wonderful success!!

This year we decided on wearing our ugly Christmas sweaters and freshen up on vocal skills with karaoke!

Thank you to Dr. Lindhorst and Dr. Darsey for everything you do for the entire team all year long!

We do have the best bosses ever! Everyone enjoyed making endless memories together that will be discussed for years to come.

New dental technology: Icon resin infiltration

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Resin infiltration (or “Icon”) is awesome new technology used in dentistry to treat early enamel cavities or white spots on teeth. “It’s the solution to treating cavities while preserving healthy tooth structure!” White spots can occur from enamel defects during development or from plaque collection around orthodontic brackets. These spots are more prone to collecting plaque and progression into cavities due to their porous nature. Thanks to Icon these spots can be treated early and we can mask the discoloration to match the enamel color of the rest of the tooth. And want to know the best part about it? There’s no needles, drilling or filling! It’s noninvasive and virtually painless.

The treatment is simple but very technique-sensitive in order to accomplish the best result!

1) You “etch” the tooth with a 15% hydrochloric acid gel which removes a thin layer of the weak enamel.

2) Next you “dry “the surface with a high concentrated alcohol.

3) Finally, a liquid resin is applied to the spot and the tooth essentially “soaks” it in, and it is set with a curing light.

*Steps 1 and 2 may be repeated many times until the desired esthetic outcome is achieved.

The treated enamel is now stronger and more resistant to an acid attack, and has an excellent esthetic result all thanks to the Icon resin infiltration!

Check out this beautiful before and after by our very own, Dr. Kasia Lindhorst. The gums will heal naturally over the next couple days!

Does your child have white spots that could potentially benefit from this awesome new dental technology? Do you want to know more about Icon resin infiltration? Give us a call at 713-861-4000 and we would be happy to set up a consult with our doctors!

Halloween Candy Buy Back

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We are having our Annual Halloween Candy Buy Back program at Heights Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics starting November 1st!

Have your kids bring their leftover Halloween candy to our office and trade it in for $1.00 per pound (up to $5.00). 

The last day to collect candy

will be November 12th!

We will donate the candy along with toothbrushes to our troops overseas through Operation Gratitude!

October is National Dental Hygiene Month

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This month is about promoting healthy mouths and healthy smiles! No one likes a dirty mouth, especially your own. And I bet you’ve noticed your breath more with all this mask wearing! A healthy mouth starts with a good oral hygiene routine in your own home. Here are some tips for starting a healthy routine for your family:

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1) Brush twice a day for TWO minutes - Brushing removes the icky biofilm of bacteria on your teeth and tongue. This keeps the mouth clean and also helps with fresh breath because plaque and tartar carry a stinky smell! Using fluoride toothpaste with brushing helps to strengthen the enamel and fight cavities! So brush for two minutes twice a day in a gentle, circular motion at a 45-degree angle to brush the yucky away! AND, don’t forget the tongue!

2) Floss everyday - Did you know that if you don’t floss, then you’re missing cleaning 40% of the surfaces of your teeth? The teeth are usually tight and touching together, and may even be crowded so food gets trapped in this places in between the teeth. Our toothbrush bristles are too thick to reach in those tight contacts. That’s why flossing is so important! Use the floss up and down in between each tooth to clean. If you don’t, food and sugars may linger there causing cavities in between the teeth where you can’t see with yours eyes!

3) Rinse with mouthwash - Mouthwash prevents buildup of plaque, kills and reduces bacteria in the mouth, strengthens tooth enamel, promotes healthy gums, and helps freshen breath! Choose an antimicrobial, anti-cavity fluoride mouth rinse. If you don’t like the “sting” or “burn” of some mouth rinses, then it’s okay to choose an alcohol-free rinse!

We love our dental hygienists, Allison and Stefanie! They do an amazing job taking care of all of our patients. This month we also celebrate them for keeping our mouths happy and healthy!

Make sure to schedule your next dental appointment and come visit us soon. It is recommended to see your dentist and dental hygienist every 6 months for a professional dental cleaning. We can provide tips on how to improve your oral hygiene routine at home, areas to focus on, tools to take home such as flossers that work around braces or new soft-bristled toothbrushes appropriate for your age and mouth size, etc.

Give us a call at 713-861-4000 to schedule your next appointment!

September Employee of the Month!

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Happy Fall everyone! The votes are in and we have our new employee of the month! She is one of our amazing dental assistants.

Congratulations to Ms. Jackie!

Our team said, “Jackie is always so helpful… we love her… she is organized, a team player, keeps busy… always working hard and willing to help anywhere!”

Congratulations!! We are so lucky to have you on our Heights Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics team!

"Aren't They Just Baby Teeth?"

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We hear this question quite often! We hear it from parents when discussing oral hygiene habits, diet and cavity-preventing recommendations, and when discussing cavities or infection. So why do we care so much about baby teeth at Heights Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics? Keep reading!

We’re aware that baby teeth will eventually be replaced by permanent teeth. We work very hard on guarding them for the necessary period of time and you will often hear our doctors discuss how to prevent dental decay and control it as opposed to just doing dental treatment. Yet, you have to remember few facts about the baby teeth and why treatment may be necessary:

*Most baby teeth complete coming in around 2-3 years old, and most of the baby teeth are not lost until the child is between 10-12 years old. That’s 10 years those teeth are needed to talk, smile, chew, and serve as a placeholder for the permanent adult teeth!

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*If a tooth is lost too early before it’s time for the adult tooth to come in, then the adjacent teeth may tilt or drift into the space causing space-loss and crowding, not leaving enough room for the adult tooth to come in. This loss of space compromises proper jaw growth and development, bone formation, and can cause major orthodontic problems which often require complicated or unnecessary orthodontics. When teeth are crooked and crowded, they are also harder to clean and may lead to cavities or gum disease down the road.

*Baby teeth help with chewing and proper nutrition. It is hard for kids to consume and break down food appropriately with large spaces in the back of the mouth, and not enough teeth to chew with.

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*The front baby teeth not only serve a very esthetic function, but are also important in development of speech. With missing front teeth or large spaces in the child’s bite caused by pacifier and finger sucking habits, then speech issues can occur. There are lots of tips and tools we can use to help children stop these habits so they don’t push on the teeth causing growth and proper arch development issues. Luckily the front baby teeth are the first to be replaced at about 7 years old, so we may delay treatment on these teeth or only treat or extract them in severe cases of decay or infection. Every child is unique, so the doctor will discuss all of your options with you.

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*Baby teeth with large cavities will get infections! Dental infections are painful and dangerous. Any infection in the head and neck area is an emergency situation, because children can end up in the hospital on IV antibiotics to control dental infections and facial or neck swelling. The head and neck have a lot of very important structures like the brain, nerves, blood vessels and the airway that we don’t want to harm! Treatment for a dental infection is also difficult because pain can be hard to manage in an infected area. Pain often keeps kids and parents up all night and makes for a very unpleasant reminder of why we should take care of those baby teeth!

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*Baby teeth have different structure than permanent teeth and their thin enamel can easily be attacked and penetrated by bacteria therefore they need more diligent preventative dental care. "Fixing" baby teeth is not a small affair! Although the restorations are fairly simple to do comparing to permanent teeth, the teeth are smaller, more prone to recurrence of decay, and kids are young and often not cooperative for restorative appointments.

So in conclusion, we would like to remind you to take great care of ALL those pearly whites. Please remember that as much as dental decay is multifactorial, we can control oral hygiene and diet such as NOT going to bed with milk, AVOIDING sweet drinks (i.e. juices, sodas and sports drinks like Gatorade), and AVOIDING sticky snacks or gummies (i.e. candy, caramel, taffy, bubble gum, gummies, dried fruit, fruit roll-ups, gold fish, crackers, and cookies). Let’s give those baby teeth a chance to live out all 12 years of their life in good health and prosperity!