Reasons I Cannot Practice Without Dexis Digital X-Rays.
April 12, 2010
The Dexis digital x-ray – what an amazing diagnostic tool. We can now see decay probably 2 to 3 years earlier than with standard x-rays. What this means to our patients is that if we find the decay sooner:
1) The decay will have less time to destroy tooth structure.
2) I will need to do less drilling which according to everyone I know is a good thing.
3) The size of the filling will be smaller which means less cost.
I know patients feel that we are finding areas of decay that were not there 6 months ago. These cavities were present we simply could not see them because they were so small. Thanks to Dexis they can no longer hide !
Teeth Grinding in Toddlers
April 9, 2010
Being the father of four children I can tell you first hand that the noise of a child grinding their teeth is like the sound of dragging your nails on a chalk board!
Teeth grinding or bruxism is surprisingly common in children under five years of age. About 38 % of children grind their teeth, according to a 2005 study in the Journal of Dentistry for Children. Children can start grinding at around the age of 3 or 3 ½ years of age. Usually a toddler will stop grinding her teeth by the age of six. Although no one knows for sure what causes it, some possible culprits are stress, pain associated with teething, earache pain, improper alignment of the teeth and or jaw and allergies. In most cases teeth grinding in a toddler is not harmful and is not anything to be to concerned about. If a parent is concerned or a child complains of pain during the day contact a dentist. The dentist will check for potential problems such as cavities, fractured teeth, swollen gums and other possible dental concerns.
Although the noise of a toddler grinding their teeth is traumatizing to their parents ears, a vast majority stop grinding on their own within just a few years.