According to the American Dental Association, you may be concerned about your child’s thumbsucking and wonder if it is harmful, at what age your child should stop, or what could happen if your child doesn’t stop.

Children suck on things because sucking is one of a baby’s natural reflexes and as infants get older it serves many purposes. It may make them feel secure and happy and helps them learn about their world to suck on their thumbs, fingers, pacifiers or other objects. Young children may also suck to soothe themselves. Since thumbsucking is relaxing, it may help induce sleep.

After the permanent teeth come in, sucking may cause problems with the proper growth of the mouth and alignment of the teeth. It can also cause changes in the roof of the mouth. The intensity of the sucking is a factor that determines whether or not dental problems may result. If children rest their thumbs passively in their mouths, they are less likely to have difficulty than those who vigorously suck their thumbs. Some aggressive thumbsuckers may cause problems with their baby (primary) teeth. If you notice changes in your child’s primary teeth, consult your dentist.

Children should have ceased sucking by the time the permanent front teeth are ready to erupt. Usually children stop between the ages of two and four years.

Pacifiers can affect the teeth essentially the same ways as sucking fingers and thumbs. However, it is often an easier habit to break.

Tips:

•Praise children for not sucking, instead of scolding them when they are.
•Children often suck their thumbs when feeling insecure or needing comfort. Focus on correcting the cause of the anxiety and provide comfort to your child.
•For an older child, involve him or her in choosing the method of stopping.
•Your dentist can offer encouragement to a child and explain what could happen to their teeth if they do not stop sucking.
•If the above tips don’t work, remind the child of their habit by bandaging the thumb or putting a sock on the hand at night. Your dentist or pediatrician may prescribe a bitter medication to coat the thumb or the use of a mouth appliance.

Smoking and Teeth
In addition to the damage smoking can do to your heart and lungs, it can also have a severe impact on the health of your teeth. Smokers are over six times more likely to get gum disease than those who do not smoke. Smoking not only damages the teeth, but it makes recovering from any type of dental procedure much more difficult.
Smoking stains the teeth. It turns them a yellowish color. The tar in cigarettes can also leave brown stains on your teeth. Normally, the saliva in the mouth helps to neutralize the pH inside the mouth. This allows the damage done by plaque to the tooth enamel to be corrected. Smoking causes this process to be less effective. Smokers are much more likely to have problems with plaque. They are also more likely to develop calculus, which occurs when plaque hardens on the surface of the teeth. This causes tooth decay to begin.
The use of tobacco can also limit how much blood can get to the tissue of the gums. This has a detrimental effect on the bones and other structures in the mouth. It also causes damage to the tissues in the gum line. It will cause the gums to become inflamed. They will begin to pull away from the tooth. This, combined with the damage to the bones, will often cause teeth to fall out. If the teeth do not fall out, they often have to be pulled out because of pain or infection. Smokers lose their teeth a lot more frequently than non-smokers. Men who smoke lose almost three teeth every ten years. Women average a loss of one and half teeth every ten years.
Smokers have a lot more dental problems than non-smokers. Unfortunately, it is also harder to treat smokers for their dental problems. Smoking is highly discouraged after dental work or oral surgery. Some dentists will not work on a patient who they do not believe will abstain from smoking prior to and after the procedure. Smokers are at high risk to develop dry socket after dental surgery. They also have a much harder time healing from dental surgery. Procedures such as dental implants are often not recommended for smokers because of the continued damage that smoking will do, even after the implants are placed.
The good news is that if a smoker quits smoking, the health of their gums can increase within a year. They won’t be able to undo the damage that has been done, but once they stop smoking, their teeth will be able to hold up much longer. They can receive treatment which can help them repair the damage to their teeth and prevent future damage. Smokers who quit smoking can save their teeth before it is too late.

Whether you call it bad breath or halitosis, it’s an unpleasant condition that’s cause for embarrassment. Some people with bad breath aren’t even aware there’s a problem. If you’re concerned about bad breath, see your dentist. He or she can help identify the cause and, if it’s due to an oral condition, develop a treatment plan to help eliminate it.
The ADA reports that what you eat affects the air you exhale. Certain foods, such as garlic and onions, contribute to objectionable breath odor. Once the food is absorbed into the bloodstream, it is transferred to the lungs, where it is expelled. Brushing, flossing and mouthwash will only mask the odor temporarily. Odors continue until the body eliminates the food. Dieters may develop unpleasant breath from infrequent eating.
If you don’t brush and floss daily, particles of food remain in the mouth, collecting bacteria, which can cause bad breath. Food that collects between the teeth, on the tongue and around the gums can rot, leaving an unpleasant odor.
Bad breath can also be caused by dry mouth (xerostomia), which occurs when the flow of saliva decreases. Saliva is necessary to cleanse the mouth and remove particles that may cause odor. Dry mouth may be caused by various medications, salivary gland problems or continuously breathing through the mouth. If you suffer from dry mouth, your dentist may prescribe anartificial saliva, or suggest using sugarless candy and increasing your fluid intake.
Tobacco products cause bad breath. If you use tobacco, ask your dentist for tips on kicking the habit.
Bad breath may be the sign of a medical disorder, such as a local infection in the respiratory tract, chronic sinusitis, postnasal drip, chronic bronchitis, diabetes, gastrointestinal disturbance, liver or kidney ailment. If your dentist determines that your mouth is healthy, you may be referred to your family doctor or a specialist to determine the cause of bad breath.
Maintaining good oral health is essential to reducing bad breath. Schedule regular dental visits for a professional cleaning and checkup. If you think you have constant bad breath, keep a log of the foods you eat and make a list of medications you take. Some medications may play a role in creating mouth odors. Let your dentist know if you’ve had any surgery or illness since your last appointment.
Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste to remove food debris and plaque. Brush your tongue, too. Once a day, use floss or an interdental cleaner to clean between teeth.
Mouthwashes are generally cosmetic and do not have a long-lasting effect on bad breath. If you must constantly use a breath freshener to hide unpleasant mouth odor, see your dentist. If you need extra help in controlling plaque, your dentist may recommend using a special antimicrobial mouth rinse. A fluoride mouth rinse, used along with brushing and flossing, can help prevent tooth decay.

Air abrasion is a relatively new technology used for treating cavities that can often eliminate the need for an anesthetic injection and the dental drill.

Air abrasion works like a precise sandblaster, where tiny, harmless particles of aluminum oxide are propelled against the tooth, removing a cavity. Although the concept of air abrasion originated decades ago, only recently have advances in technology and modern dental filling materials sparked new interest in the method.

You may be thinking, “No needle, no drill, this is too good to be true. How come every dentist in America isn’t using air abrasion?” The reason is that air abrasion can only be used for a limited number of procedures, and its cost is relatively high. Air abrasion is primarily used for treating small to medium sized cavities, preparing teeth for protective dental sealants, and removing stains on the surface of the teeth.

Air abrasion prepares teeth that are ideal for the placement of the white “resin” fillings, and is not often used with silver (amalgam) or most other dental materials. Air abrasion cannot be used for preparing crowns, shaping the roots during root canal therapy, gum treatment, removing soft decay found in deep cavities and other procedures preformed in the dental office.

One of the advantages of treating cavities with air abrasion is the conservative nature of the procedure, where only a small amount of the tooth is removed at a time. A small to medium-sized cavity can usually be treated without anesthesia in minutes, silently (no disquieting whistle of the dental drill), and with little or no discomfort. There is a powdery residue after treatment, which is usually suctioned out or limited with the use of a rubber barrier, or dam, during treatment.

Most patients find the powder residue less of a nuisance than the buildup of fluids that sometimes accompanies the use of a dental drill.

air abrasion is most useful with anxious patients and children. Patients that are fearful are relieved if their cavities can be treated painlessly and without a needle or drill.

Children who are often apprehensive about many aspects of dental treatment are thrilled with the air abrasion alternative. Although air abrasion is not a panacea, it is certainly a useful addition to modern dental treatment, and a must for every dental office interested in patient comfort.

Air Abrasion

Colgate.com reports that soft drinks have emerged as one of the most significant dietary sources of tooth decay, affecting people of all ages. Acids and acidic sugar byproducts in soft drinks soften tooth enamel, contributing to the formation of cavities. In extreme cases, softer enamel combined with improper brushing, grinding of the teeth or other conditions can lead to tooth loss.

What to Do
Children, adolescents and adults can all benefit from reducing the number of soft drinks they consume, as well as from available oral care therapies. Here are some steps you can take:

• Substitute different drinks: Stock the refrigerator with beverages containing less sugar and acid such as water, milk and 100 percent fruit juice. Drink them yourself and encourage your kids to do the same.
• Rinse with water: After consuming a soft drink, flush your mouth with water to remove vestiges of the drink that can prolong exposure of tooth enamel to acids.
• Use fluoride toothpaste and mouth rinse: Fluoride reduces cavities and strengthens tooth enamel, so brush with a fluoride-containing toothpaste such as Colgate® Total®. Rinsing with a fluoride mouthwash also can help. Your dentist can recommend an over-the-counter mouthwash or prescribe a stronger one depending on the severity of the condition. He or she also can prescribe a higher fluoride toothpaste.
• Get professionally applied fluoride treatment: Your dental hygienist can apply fluoride in the form of a foam, gel or rinse.

Soft drinks are hard on your teeth. By reducing the amount you drink, practicing good oral hygiene, and seeking help from your dentist and hygienist, you can counteract their effect and enjoy better oral health.