Busting Dental Myths and more.
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Posted on 10/27/2021 by Weideman Pediatric & Orthodontics |
Dental Health Month To celebrate dental health month, we have collected some of the most memorable dental moments at Weideman Pediatric Dentistry!“It was on Star Wars Day, a little boy committed to giving up his pacifier. So he brought in his pacifier and gave it to Kylo Ren and said that he would promise to never use it again! It was so cute, he truly believed Kylo Ren was visiting the office that day!!!” (Hillary, Front Office). “I worked with a nonverbal special care patient who was terrified of anyone going near his mouth. No dentist was able to see him unless he was hospitalized. One day, a team of assistants and I started counting 1,2,3…in a soothing rhythmic voice while helping him ease into the dental chair. Our patient then puts up his fingers showing us 3,2, and 1!! Excited, we continued to count backward from three and repeated the sequence. Without a problem, he laid down, opened his mouth, and let us slowly and gently remove some of the baby teeth that were bothering him. It was a miracle.” (Dr. Cindy Weideman, D.D.S.) These memorable moments are what makes working here at Weideman so special. Every day we are blessed with little reminders of why we love what we do.  Dental Crafts for the FamilyGet your fingers sticky and pull out the construction paper! A great weekend craft that's easy for everyone to make is a tooth anatomy poster! Teach your kids some simple anatomy terms while brushing up on your own knowledge. Another easy craft to do at home is a starboard! The starboard is to keep track of brushing twice a day and flossing once a day. Every time your child completes brushing and flossing, they can place a star next to the date! Shine on! Dental Fun FactsTooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body! The average American spends 38.5 total days brushing their teeth over a lifetime! Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different! More than 300 types of bacteria make up dental plaque! Busting Dental Myths These trending oral health “techniques” are getting busted for their self-proclaimed benefits.Trend number one is rubbing “activated” charcoal onto your teeth to make them appear whiter. According to McLauglin (2003), activated charcoal is used as a catalytic activator when mixed with a bleaching compound. Therefore, deeming it useless on its own. We can conclude that this trend is a MYTH! The second trend of interest is using a Coconut Oil rinse to extract unwanted “toxins” in your mouth. There is little to no research done on the benefits of oil rinses and oral health. However, many doctors suggest that this method of removing toxins does not work efficiently. Instead, they suggest adding finely ground xylitol and sodium fluoride to the coconut oil to make a DIY toothpaste! Sodium fluoride is the active ingredient found in store-bought toothpaste used to prevent tooth decay. McLaughlin, G. (2003).Device and method using dry mixtures for whitening teeth. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. |
