Manual vs. Electric Toothbrushes: What’s the Difference?

Everybody is jumping on the electric toothbrush bandwagon in recent years, with many experts in the dental field claiming electric toothbrushes provide superior dental care. It’s true that electric toothbrushes are recommended for those who can’t do a good job brushing manually or who have arthritis or other conditions. But manual toothbrushes do have some advantages, according to an article we recently found including:

• Cost. While electric toothbrushes may be expensive for many people, manual toothbrushes are both inexpensive and accessible.

• Less pressure on your teeth & gums. While we can feel the amount of pressure we’re using as we grasp our manual toothbrush, we can’t feel the pressure nearly as well with an electric toothbrush. Placing too much pressure on our teeth can wear away at the tooth enamel, which causes pain, sensitivity, as well as an increased risk of tooth decay.

• Simple to pack. Manual toothbrushes are easy to carry around for those business or family trips. People are less likely to let their good dental care habits lapse on vacation with a toothbrush that they can easily bring along!

• Better for kids. Learning at a young age how to properly use a manual toothbrush helps children get a feel for how to properly take care of their oral hygiene.

Electric toothbrushes, on the other hand, are more effective in removing plaque and are considered a better alternative to maintaining gum health. Remember, whether you choose a manual or an electric toothbrush, Drs. Crawford, Wallace, Backofen and Chidlow and our team encourage you to choose one with soft bristles and be sure to change the bristles on the electric brush when they become worn down. We also encourage you to replace your toothbrush every three months, when the bristles are no longer straight and firm or after you recover from a cold.

Give us a call at Pediatric Dental Partners if you have any questions or ask us on Facebook!

Happy brushing!

Kids and Teeth Grinding, from Pediatric Dental Partners

Grind, grind, grind. If you live with a teeth grinder, you may be familiar with this unpleasant sound. Did you know teeth grinding, or bruxism, is common in children as well? In fact, 3 out of 10 kids grind or clench their teeth, usually in response to losing teeth, jaw growth or other discomforts, such as allergies or infections. Teeth grinding is typically a passing phenomena as most kids outgrow it by the time they reach their teenage years. An important thing to remember is that kids frequently grind their teeth in response to stress, and taking measures to reduce or eliminate stress can help solve the problem.

The first step of recovering from teeth grinding is noticing the problem. Symptoms of teeth grinding include:

• Sensitivity in the teeth
• Tightness or pain in the jaw
• Dull headaches, earaches, or facial pain
• Chipped, worn down, or loose teeth

If your child is a teeth grinder, we may be able to help. Please give us a call or ask Drs. Crawford, Wallace, Backofen, and Chidlow and team on Facebook!

Happy Thanksgiving from Pediatric Dental Partners!

Drs. Crawford, Wallace, Backofen and Chidlow and team would like to wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving. It's a big food holiday, so don't forget to brush and floss! If you have any stories or pictures to share with us, we'd encourage you to send them along or call our office and ask how.

Gobble Gobble!

Discussing pediatric dental emergencies with Pediatric Dental Partners

When your child needs urgent dental treatment, Drs. Crawford, Wallace, Backofen and Chidlow and our team at Pediatric Dental Partners stand ready to help. Here are some helpful answers to some recent patient questions.

Q: What should I do if my child’s baby tooth is knocked out?
A: Contact Pediatric Dental Partners as soon as possible.

Q: What should I do if my child’s permanent tooth is knocked out?
A: Find the tooth and rinse it gently in milk or saliva. (Do not scrub it or clean it with soap — use just water!) If possible, replace the tooth in the socket and hold it there with clean gauze or a wash cloth. If you can’t put the tooth back in the socket, place the tooth in a clean container with milk, saliva, or water. Get to our office immediately. The faster you act, the better your chances of saving the tooth.

Q: What if a tooth is chipped or fractured?
A: Contact Pediatric Dental Partners immediately. Quick action can save the tooth, prevent infection and reduce the need for extensive dental treatment. Rinse the mouth with water and apply cold compresses to reduce swelling. If you can find the broken tooth fragment, bring it with you when you visit Drs. Crawford, Wallace, Backofen and Chidlow.

Q: What about a severe blow to the head or jaw fracture?
A: Go immediately to the emergency room of your local hospital. A blow to the head can be life threatening.

Q: What if my child has a toothache?
A: Call us and visit Pediatric Dental Partners promptly. To comfort your child, rinse the mouth with water. Apply a cold compress or ice wrapped in a cloth. Do not put heat or aspirin on the sore area.

Q: Can dental injuries be prevented?
A: Of course! First, reduce oral injury in sports by wearing mouth guards. Custom mouth guards provide the best protection. Second, always use a car seat for young children. Require seat belts for everyone else in the car. Third, child-proof your home to prevent falls, electrical injuries, and choking on small objects. Fourth, protect your child from unnecessary toothaches with regular dental visits to Pediatric Dental Partners.

Contact our Bossier City or Shreveport, LA dental office to schedule an appointment. We love what we do and enjoy every day watching our patients grow and smile as they visit our office.

Get started with the Thumb Program at Pediatric Dental Partners!

At Pediatric Dental Partners, we understand that many of our families have concerns about thumb-sucking. To support the thumb-free efforts of our patients, Drs. Crawford, Wallace, Backofen and Chidlow are proud to promote our Thumb Program!

To participate, visit Pediatric Dental Partners and let us know you'd like to sign up. Supplies will be given to your child at the office along with instructions, descriptive photos and incentives for success.

Directions are below:

1. Parents should paint a small amount of Mavala Stop on the child’s thumb or finger nail bed as if you were painting your fingernails with nail polish.

2. This procedure should be done every other night for five weeks in order to break the habit. Even if your child stops sucking their thumb the first night, you should continue to paint for the full five weeks to break the habit.

3. Our hygienist or assistant will establish a relationship with the child and will make weekly contact with the child and parent to monitor their progress and offer encouragement.

4. We also ask the parents to encourage and praise the child at home during the process.

5. We will have the child back in the office in five weeks for a check up and hopefully a graduation celebration from the Thumb Program. We will reward the child if they have been successful with a gift card of their choice.

Pediatric Dental Partners would like to congratulate Allye, a recent graduate from our Thumb Program! We are so proud of you!

If you have questions or would like to participate in our Thumb Program, please give us a call or find us on Facebook.

What are you up to this November?

Believe it or not, we’re almost in full holiday mode! But before you go celebrating, Drs. Crawford, Wallace, Backofen and Chidlow and our team at Pediatric Dental Partners want to know: What are your plans for November? Do you have plans for Thanksgiving? Are you planning a winter vacation? If so, we’d love to hear all about it!

You may share your stories with us below, or by posting on our Facebook page!

–The team at Pediatric Dental Partners

Halloween TIPS from the American Dental Association

It’s that spooky time of year again! Whether you are going door-to-door trick or treating, attending a party dressed in a clever, silly or scary costume, or simply getting together with friends and family to watch scary movies, Drs. Crawford, Wallace, Backofen and Chidlow and our team want you to keep in mind the following tips from our friends at the American Dental Association to help reduce tooth-decay.

•Eat treats with meals. Saliva production increases during meals washing out food particles and helping to neutralize cavity causing plaque acid.

•Consider chewing ADA-accepted sugarless gum after meals. Certain sugarless gums have earned the ADA Seal of Acceptance for scientifically proving that chewing the gum for 20 minutes after meals helped prevent tooth decay.

•Follow the 1-2-3s of good daily oral hygiene: Floss once a day, brush twice a day and eat three balanced meals a day.

•Visit Drs. Crawford, Wallace, Backofen and Chidlow for regular checkups.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from your friends at Pediatric Dental Partners!