Mouth Protection and Sports

          Protection for chest, knees, shins, elbows and heads is a requirement for many different high-school and college sports, however, we often neglect to protect one very valuable area of our youth...the mouth.  It is only in boxing and football that a mouth guard is generally required even though the mouth is the most injured body part from sports like Little League baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey and volleyball.  Even bike and scooter riding accidents can be damaging to the mouth and teeth.  A mouth guard not only helps protect the teeth from a blow to the mouth, but it also helps to absorb shock in the chin. This is why we highly encourage the use of a mouth guard for any child involved with these types of activities.  

          There are basically three different types of mouth guards available to you and generally cost from $10-$60 depending on the quality of the mouth guard.

     Basic * a generic pre-made guard that comes in one size.  These are often ill-fitting and can make it difficult to speak and breath.  These are usually found in the sports section of your sporting goods store.

     Boil-and-Bite   * this is a plastic material that is boiled and then bitten into by your child.  The hot water makes the plastic pliable and it then roughly forms to the shape of the child's teeth when bitten into.  This offers a somewhat better fit than the basic but can be troublesome to make.  These are also available in the sporting goods stores.

     Custom-Fitted Mouth Guard   *   This type of guard offers the best fit, resulting in easier breathing and speech as well as better protection.  The guard is made in-office by your dental professional and is perfectly fitted to your child's mouth and palate.  With a quick visit to our office you can ensure a season of sports and dental safety.

Mouth guard maintenance is simple.  Rinse with cool water after each use and for a better clean use liquid dish soap and cool water.  Avoid hot water, as that may warp the mouth guard and ruin the fit.  A mouth guard will wear out and should be replaced every season or so...depending on how many activities your son or daughter is involved with.

We look forward to helping you protect your child!

Smiles, Holly  

Time for the Tooth Fairy?

Many Mom's and Dad's start to worry if their child hasn't lost a tooth by age six.  It's okay.  Children usually lose their first tooth sometime between age six and seven years old.  Every child will grow and develop at their own pace, some may lose their first tooth a little earlier, others a bit later.  One of the big influences seems to be the timing of when he/she started to get baby teeth and when the last baby tooth came in.

The average child gets the first baby tooth at age six months and then gets three to four new teeth every three to four months.  This continues until the second molars erupt at about age 2 to 2 1/2 years, at which time your child should have all twenty baby teeth.

If your child got his first tooth early or finished getting all of his baby teeth early, then he might start losing the baby teeth early too.  On the other hand, if he didn't get the first baby tooth until age twelve to fifteen months, then he might be a little later than average in losing his first tooth.

Once your child starts losing his teeth, the pattern will seem like a reverse of how the baby teeth came in.  He should first lose the bottom two middle teeth, which are called the mandibular central incisors.  Next, the top two middle teeth will loosen and fall out, followed by the canines, first molars and then the second molars.

By age eleven to thirteen, the process should be complete and all of the baby teeth will be gone.  In some instances the dentist may have to help "wiggle" out a baby tooth.  For instance sometimes a permanent tooth may push through the gums behind or in front of a baby tooth and the baby tooth would need to be removed.    There are also occasions when it may be necessary to remove a baby tooth due to orthodontic needs or because the child refuses to wiggle the tooth out themselves.

The secondary or permanent teeth soon begin to erupt as your child looses the baby teeth.  This process isn't complete until your child gets his third molars or wisdom teeth, usually between seventeen to twenty-two years of age.

If you have questions or concerns about the development and or loss of your child's teeth please feel free to discuss this with us.  We want to make this process of development a fun time and not something that causes undue stress.