Tag Archives: pediatric dentistry

Why Are You Leaving Your Baby Tooth Under Your Pillow? | Indianapolis Dentist

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One of the first rites of passage as a child is losing your first tooth. Not only is it fun to wiggle it around, but tiny humans missing a tooth are officially turning into big kids. The bonus is learning that you tuck it under your pillow for a special surprise from the Tooth Fairy.

But where did this tiny dental nymph come from? Some believe that the story begins with a fairy living under a tree’s roots near a riverbank. One of her favorite things to do was to collect the little objects people lost that washed up on the shore. These tiny treasures were not only toys, but she could also feel the memories associated with it.

The one treasure she always wanted but never washed ashore was a child’s tooth. To her, there was nothing happier than a child about to lose their first tooth and she wanted one very badly.

One day, a little girl found our little fairy while playing with her friends. When the fairy noticed she had a loose tooth, she asked if she could have it. The little girl said yes and that she would put it under her pillow as soon as it fell out.

The fairy couldn’t wait for the little girl’s gift, but then she thought, “Oh, no! She’s going to give me her tooth. I need a gift in return!” So, she rummages through her trinkets and finds a coin.

The next morning, the little girl wakes up and finds the coin gift left by the little fairy, so she tells her friends at school to try it and thus, the Tooth Fairy was created. Happy National Tooth Fairy Day!

Visit Dr. Kirtley today and schedule an appointment to maintain a healthy smile.  Call 317-841-1111 or www.smilesbygeorge.com.

Dr. George Kirtley proudly serves Indianapolis and all surrounding areas.

The ABCs of Tooth Extractions | Indianapolis Dentist

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There’s a classic idiom in the English language that compares unpleasant, difficult tasks to pulling teeth. Known as dental extraction, pulling teeth is recommended in situations in which you’ve likely developed a toothache and it hurt enough to visit the dentist. And while it isn’t our idea of a fun day, dental extractions have come a long way, and you shouldn’t have a bad feeling about getting one. Here are some of the reasons your tooth needs to be extracted:

  • Seriously damaged teeth, either due to injury or decay, unable to be saved
  • A wisdom tooth (third molar) that may cause crowding, alignment problems, pain, or infection
  • Teeth blocking another tooth from coming in
  • Baby tooth that didn’t fall out in time
  • Crowded teeth may require removal to allow braces to better adjust the remaining teeth
  • Infected teeth that could potentially be an infection source in high-risk patients such as those undergoing organ transplants or cancer treatment

Extractions typically fall into one of two classes – simple and surgical. Dentists often perform simple extractions, which generally involve a single tooth that is visible in the mouth, with clear alignment – after numbing the area with local anesthetic, the tooth will be loosened using an instrument known as an elevator, and then pulled with an instrument known as forceps. For surgical removal, the surgeon may use local anesthetic, moderate sedation, or general anesthesia, and likely use a combination of tools and techniques to remove teeth that may be difficult to see (or still within the gums).

If your dentist recommends an extraction, it’s likely that you have a potentially serious problem. While it’s unlikely you’ll celebrate the news, you need not fear – there are worse problems to have than pulling teeth.

Visit Dr. Kirtley today and schedule an appointment to maintain a healthy smile.  Call 317-841-1111 or www.smilesbygeorge.com.

Dr. George Kirtley proudly serves Indianapolis and all surrounding areas.

Halloween Sweets that Are Harming Your Smile | Indianapolis Dentist

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As parents, we want to give our children the world, even if that means we have to play ‘bad cop’ once in a while. Halloween is the brink of the holiday season, a season that is filled with delicious treats everywhere we look. And that’s bad news for our smiles if we aren’t careful. The following is a list of a few culprits – the more you avoid them, the better off your smile will be. We aren’t saying don’t celebrate the season, just do it in moderation to avoid issues in the future:

Skittles. Skittles may want you to taste rainbows, but they are also letting you ruin your teeth’s enamel by combining sweet and sour for a pH level of 2.5, levels so high they can cause serious damage to your little one’s teeth. 

Caramel. Not only does the sticky texture stick to your teeth’s surface and loves to get deep into the crevices, but it can also loosen dental fixtures, like braces or fillings, making it especially harmful for those with dental work. 

Gummy Bears. Similar to caramels and other sticky candies, the gelatin used to make the gummy candy gummy, also sticks to the crevices of your teeth, making it difficult to remove.

Jolly Ranchers. Not only are they a hard candy that can damage teeth when bitten but sucking on hard candy isn’t a quick process, and the sugar wastes no time working their way into a tooth.

Halloween is an exciting holiday for the little humans. It is important to impart good habits early, while still allowing the fun to continue. The best way to do that is to make it a family affair. Happy Halloween!

Visit Dr. Kirtley today and schedule an appointment to maintain a healthy smile.  Call 317-841-1111 or www.smilesbygeorge.com.

Dr. George Kirtley proudly serves Indianapolis and all surrounding areas.

Sorting Through Your Trick-or-Treat Bag | Indianapolis Dentist

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Sorting Through Your Trick-or-Treat Bag

When we think about Halloween, we think about overflowing bags of free candy. And while we hate to admit it, these sweet treats are not very tooth-friendly and can have devastating effects. When candy gets stuck in the grooves of your teeth it can cause a damaging acid to form in your mouth. This acid from the candy affects the teeth 20 minutes before it’s neutralized. Here’s a breakdown Halloween’s favorite candy from best to worst for our smiles:

Best Candy for Teeth

  • Chocolate dissolves quickly, which decreases the amount of time the sugar stays in contact with teeth. Choose your favorite chocolate but avoid the fillings like nuts or caramel, as they can damage to teeth.
  • Sugar-free lollipops and hard candies stimulate saliva production, which flushes away bad bacteria from your teeth, gums and tongue.
  • Sugar-free gum can help remove food particles and stimulate saliva production.

Worst Candy for Teeth

  • When it comes to sticky candy, stickier the candy, the worse it is for teeth.
  • Hard candy stays in your mouth longer, drenching your mouth in sugar.
  • Candy corn is full of sugar that produces acid that eats away tooth enamel.
  • Sour candy is high in acid levels, which can break down tooth enamel.
  • Jawbreakers are so hard they can actually chip a tooth.

Make sure to brush and floss your teeth after indulging in your Halloween treats. If you can’t brush right away, drink plenty of water to help loosen some of the residue left behind. Brushing and flossing your teeth is a must, especially during Halloween.

Visit Dr. Kirtley today and schedule an appointment to maintain a healthy smile.  Call 317-841-1111 or www.smilesbygeorge.com.

Dr. George Kirtley proudly serves Indianapolis and all surrounding areas.

Teach ‘Em Young: Halloween Edition | Indianapolis Dentist

Dental Health, general dentistry, General Health, Halloween Candy, Oral Care, Oral Health, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Well, we’ve made it back to yet another Halloween night. And while this night is the spookiest of all, it is the days following that are the spookiest for your dentist. This is why it is so important to keep your dental health up during this sugary sweet time of year. There’s no reason to deny children the enjoyment of Halloween candy, in fact, it is the ideal time to teach an important lesson.

Use Halloween as a way to teach children about moderation. By teaching children to eat sweets in moderation, you’ll encourage them to practice moderation in their daily lives, including other foods that may not be the best for us. Allow your children to choose the candy they want to eat, but set a limit on the number of pieces, and remove the extras – they can be saved for a future day, frozen for later, thrown away, or donated.

It is important to know that the effect of sugar is not instant. If children eat candy for a short time period, and then brush their teeth a short time later, the impact of the sugar is fairly minimal. Set a certain amount of time for children to enjoy their Halloween candy. This allows them to prioritize their candy enjoyment, minimize the chances that they’ll consume far too much, and help prevent cavities.

Focus on fun, but effective, tooth brushing. Children don’t care about dental health, so stimulate their interest by swapping a traditional toothbrush for one that has fun characters/colors, or giving them the opportunity to pick their own toothpaste, just make sure it contains fluoride.

Visit Dr. Kirtley today and schedule an appointment to maintain a healthy smile.  Call 317-841-1111 or www.smilesbygeorge.com.

Dr. George Kirtley proudly serves Indianapolis and all surrounding areas.

Halloween: Your Smile’s Least Favorite Holiday | Indianapolis Dentist

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The end of October may feature one of America’s favorite holidays, but it sure isn’t your teeth’s. Yes, it’s Halloween, the nighttime holiday where kids dressed up as their favorite character and hunt the neighborhood for sweet confections. While many parents have echoed the line that candy will rot children’s teeth, there’s no reason to deny children the enjoyment of Halloween candy, but it’s important to supervise them to ensure that their Halloween is enjoyed in a way that keeps their teeth safe. Here are some helpful tips:

Moderation. Use Halloween as a way to teach children about moderation – by teaching children to eat a moderate number of treats, you’ll encourage them to practice moderation in their daily lives. Allow your children to choose the candy they want to eat, but set a limit on the number of pieces, and remove the extras so they can’t be eaten when you aren’t looking.

Snack time sweets. Allow children to eat candy during a fixed time period – rather than an all-day feast, they’ll have a fixed window for candy. This allows them to prioritize their candy enjoyment, minimizes the chances that they’ll consume far too much, and by following treats with brushing, helps prevent cavities.

Hygiene fun. Focus on fun, but effective, dental hygiene. Children often need stimulation beyond simple health to brush regularly and sufficiently, so swap toothbrushes every few months with new, fun characters/colors, and give your children the opportunity to pick their own fluoride toothpaste.

If you have questions about how Halloween impacts your children’s dental health, contact your dentist or ask at your child’s next dental appointment. Help them help your smile.

Visit Great Lakes Family Dental today and schedule an appointment to find out what kind of treatment your teeth needs to be healthier and to look better.  Call 317-841-1111 or www.smilesbygeorge.com.

Great Lakes Family Dental proudly serves Indianapolis and all surrounding areas.