Dr. Paddy

Halloween is lurking just around the corner, and while the kiddos are pumped about trick-or-treating, you might be thinking about your kids’ oral hygiene. Well, the Kids Mile High Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics team is too and we’ve got you covered! Your Denver-area pediatric dentists, Dr. Paddy, Dr. Roger, and Dr. Meredith, offer 13 fang-tastic ideas to add a bit of Halloween magic to this season’s brushing and flossing.

1. Candy Toothpaste

If your kiddo uses a mint-flavored toothpaste, switch it up with a flavor that’s more candy-inspired. Brushing kids’ teeth with a flavor like this “dragon dazzle” blue raspberry and sparkle fluoride toothpaste is a sweet experience (from xylitol and stevia) and keeps their teeth boo-tifully clean and can help prevent cavities.

2. Match Their Toothbrush To Their Costume

Is your kid dressing up as their favorite superhero? Or maybe as their beloved kids’ show character? If so, there might be a matching kids’ toothbrush. 

3. Spooky Flossers

Flossing isn’t always an easy habit for kids to get into. But this Halloween, your kids just might sink their teeth into it with black, creepy-looking flossers — like these ones. Need to gamify flossing? Here are a few ways to help kids enjoy flossing.

4. Sweet Treat Mouthwash

Did you know that mouthwash doesn’t only come in mint? Yep, surprise your kids with a mouthwash that tastes like a treat: this bubble fruit fluoride mouthwash has a kid-pleasing bubble gum flavor that will help clean away lingering bacteria after brushing and flossing.

5. Bewitched Brush Holder

How about a toothbrush holder that looks like a witch’s cauldron to stir up some brushing and flossing excitement? Or a jack-o-lantern-looking cup or container.

6. Halloween Brushing Playlist

Brush and floss to “Monster Mash,” “Thriller,” or other kid-friendly Halloween classics. Whether your kids are old enough to handle their oral hygiene by themselves or you brush your kids’ teeth for them, two minutes will fly by with a spooky soundtrack.

7. Haunted Timer

Another way to get kids to brush their teeth for two minutes? Set a timer that plays spooky sounds when two minutes is up. Ghostly whispers or witch cackles anyone?

8. Spook-tacular Stickers

You can’t go wrong with spooky sticker rewards. Every time your child completes their oral hygiene routine, let them add a Halloween sticker to a Halloween-themed chart. Or get window clings they can stick to the mirror. Once your child reaches their goal, reward them with a non-sugary treat like a small toy or activity.

9. Brushing Charades

Turn brushing and flossing into Halloween charades. Need ideas? Print out these Halloween charades cards and leave them on the bathroom counter for you and your kids to choose from.

10. Scary Story Time

Tell a two-minute scary story while your kiddos go through their oral hygiene routine. Or tell a Halloween joke every time a section of teeth is brushed.

11. Flashlight Adventures

Turn off the lights, give your kids a flashlight, and brush in the dark! Brush with the classic flashlight-under-chin for a ghost-stories vibe.

12. Get Brushing With Glow Sticks

Glow sticks are a surefire answer for how to make brushing teeth fun. Attach a thin one to your kiddo’s toothbrush handle, decorate the room with them, or give them to your tooth-brusher to wear while they’re brushing and flossing.

13. Spidery Decorations

Decorate your bathroom with fake spider webbing, hang plastic creepy crawlies, and add Halloween window clings to the mirror for haunted house oral hygiene.

 

Your Fun, Halloween-Loving Dentists in Denver, CO

As your Halloween-loving pediatric dentists, we want your kids to enjoy it without having to worry about sugar bugs and cavities. We hope the ideas we’ve shared will help. If you want a few more pointers, check out these Halloween brushing and flossing tips. 

And don’t forget, make good oral hygiene standard year-round with regular check ups and cleanings. Book your next appointment with our fun and friendly team at our Englewood, Central Park, or Thornton, CO office. 

 

Happy brushing and flossing… and Happy Halloween!

Packing your kids’ lunches is a fine art, am I right? After all, you’ve got to find a balance of nutrition, quantity, and covering all the food groups. Oh, and it has to be yummy so your kids will actually eat it. With all this to think about and all the food options out there, we at Kids Mile High Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics understand when a few not-so-healthy foods that are high in sugar find their way into the lunch kit.

So How Does Sugar Affect Kids’ Teeth?

By now, it’s common knowledge that too much sugar is not good for our kids’ overall health. But your Denver-area, board-certified pediatric dentists, Dr. Paddy, Dr. Roger, and Dr. Meredith, are also here to remind you that excess sugar is not ideal for the health of your kids’ teeth. Does sugar cause cavities? Simply put, yup; we can confidently say that it’s the main culprit behind tooth decay and cavities.

You’d be surprised at some snacks that are typically promoted as “healthy snacks,” options that any dentist would advise you to steer clear of. Keep reading to find four such examples from your Kids Mile High team of healthy low- or no-added-sugar alternatives for kids that’ll still get the thumbs up — and go a long way in helping with cavity prevention for your kids.

1. Granola and Cereal Bars

Featuring star ingredients like oats, grains, and sometimes nuts, store-bought granola and cereal bars are a trickster of the kid snack world. You might think they’re one of the good guys — one of the healthy school lunch ideas you can rely on — but some have loads of sugar.

Always check the nutrition info on premade granola and cereal bars and consider how much sugar will contribute to your kids’ daily intake. The American Academy of Pediatrics says kids should have no more than 25 grams or six teaspoons of sugar per day.

What to Pack Instead: No need to cut out granola and cereal bars completely. Alongside the ones high in sugar you’ll find low sugar granola bar snacks for kids that still taste like a treat. Take a look at MadeGood bars and bites or KIND bars.

2. Juice Boxes

Not long ago, parents didn’t think twice about packing a juice box into their kid’s lunch. But today, we now realize that those standard-issue drink boxes actually contain a lot of sugar for the amount and type of fruit servings they provide. Even a slim, 177ml apple juice has an average 19 grams of natural sugar. That’s only 6 grams shy of the recommended total limit for kids — and it doesn’t come with the fiber or protein that helps minimize spikes in blood sugar.

What to Pack Instead:

Many schools suggest that students bring a refillable water bottle to school everyday. Tap water doesn’t have any sugar and typically has a bit of fluoride to help strengthen kids’ teeth.

If you want to occasionally pack juice, opt for low sugar drinks in your snacks for kids arsenal. These Honest Kids or Juicey Juice fruit punches each have only eight grams of sugar per container.

3. Sweet Yogurts

Like granola bars, yogurt is one of those sneaky snack foods that can be high in sugar. The sugar listed on a flavored yogurt doesn’t distinguish between sugars naturally occurring from the milk, yogurt base, fruit, or added sugars. An average amount of sugar in a six ounce cup of sweetened yogurt typically varies between 23-29 grams of sugar. But comparing the sugar content in the same amount of plain yogurt can give you a good idea of how much extra sugar comes from the additional ingredients.

What to Pack Instead:

It’s fair to say that plain yogurt isn’t a taste for everybody, especially kids. But non-flavored yogurt that you add your own fresh fruit into can be a kid-approved go-to on your list of healthy snacks for kids. Sweetness hack? A bit of vanilla extract makes the yogurt taste sweeter but doesn’t add sugar.

4. Gummy Fruit Snacks

Don’t let the name trick you; though some brands have real fruit in the form of juice or puree, there’s also corn syrup and straight sugar. Like candy!

What to Pack Instead:

At Kids Mile High, we see those fruit snack pouches and raise you no-added-sugar fruit snacks like… drum roll, please… actual real fruit! Yes, real fresh (or frozen!) fruit is sweet, has vitamins for teeth, and comes with healthy extras like fiber and antioxidants.

Team Up with Kids Mile High for Keeping Your Kids’ Teeth Strong

Now that you’re more informed about lunch box foods high in sugar and what you can swap them out with, we’ve got one final suggestion for building awesome habits for healthy teeth: make sure you visit us for regular dental health cleaning and exams! The Kids Mile High team is your award-winning, kid-friendly kids’ pediatric dentist in Denver, CO, with colorful, high tech offices that make visits comfortable and fun.

Contact us at one of our three Denver-area offices today! We’re here to help Central Park, Englewood, and Thornton families kickstart a lifetime of happy, healthy smiles for their kids.

Picture this: your kiddo is munching away at their favorite meal when suddenly, a sharp twinge of pain shoots through a tooth and they yell, “Oww!” It’s an awful feeling that signals something’s not quite right with their teeth. “Does my child have a cavity?” you wonder. 

Your Denver pediatric dentists, Dr. Paddy, Dr. Roger, and Dr. Meredith, say yes, pain in your child’s teeth might be a sign there’s a cavity and you should come in to see us at Kids Mile High for a professional diagnosis and treatment. But that’s not all! Your child might have other signs of tooth decay so we’ll cover them here, too.

What are Tooth Decay and Cavities?

But before we cover the actual signs of cavities in kids, let’s make sure we’re on the same page as to what exactly tooth decay and cavities are all about. What is tooth decay in children? Like in adults, tooth decay is the gradual destruction of your kiddo’s tooth structure caused by acid-producing bacteria. You see, your oral bacteria feed on the sugars left behind in your mouth after you eat. This process releases acids that erode the protective enamel on your teeth. Weakened tooth enamel leaves your dentin — the softer layer underneath your enamel — exposed and susceptible to tooth decay. 

And how about cavities? What causes cavities in kids? Over time, tooth decay can turn into permanent holes in your little one’s teeth called cavities. Deep cavities can expose the nerves in teeth causing painful toothaches, or worse, infection or tooth loss.

So What Causes Tooth Decay in Children?

Understanding what causes cavities in kids can help you and your child prevent them. Here are three of the most common causes for tooth decay:

Poor oral hygiene:

We know that kids aren’t always hyped about cleaning their teeth. But inadequate brushing and flossing allows sticky plaque to cover teeth and produce enamel-damaging acid on your child’s tooth surfaces.

Frequent snacking on sugary and starchy foods:

Kids and snacking go hand-in-hand but keep in mind that teeth need a break sometimes, a break from food that is. Your kids’ teeth need a pause between meals to give their saliva time to do its job: saliva plays a starring role in washing away plaque and neutralizing the acidic pH in your child’s mouth that weakens their tooth enamel. 

Excessive consumption of acidic beverages:

It’s not only acids from bacteria that weaken teeth; acidic drinks like juice, soda, or sports drinks can also damage tooth enamel and provide a feast for cavity-causing bacteria. Keeping acidic beverages for rare occasions can help reduce the likelihood of cavities in your kids.

Signs of A Cavity in Kids

So back to that sharp pain your little one experienced when chewing. Let’s talk about that and six other most common signs of a cavity in children.

1. Pain When Chewing or When Drinking Certain Beverages

Sensitivity or pain from a cavity or tooth decay can be especially noticeable when your child chews or bites down, even without food. And certain foods or beverages can trigger tooth pain, too: super sweet foods and beverages like candy, soda, or baked treats can trigger tooth sensitivity. Hard foods like nuts or crunching on ice can crack your child’s enamel. And those sweet drinks? They introduce the acids that weaken enamel over time, exposing the softer dentin underneath closer to the nerves and causing discomfort.

2. Persistent Toothache

One of the most obvious signs your child needs to see your Denver-area pediatric dentist for kids’ cavity treatment? A persistent toothache. Their tooth pain may range from mild discomfort to a throbbing ache depending on the severity of the decay. Ask your kiddo how the pain feels on a scale of 1-10, or if the pain worsens when they bite down on food or consume hot, cold, or sugary items. 

One thing we want to mention is that toothaches in kids aren’t always because of cavities. Persistent toothaches in kids can also be because of: 

• Adult teeth erupting
• Loose baby teeth
• An infection
• Cracks or damage to their tooth
• A damaged filling
• Aggressive brushing
• Teeth grinding

This is why a professional evaluation by a Kids Mile High dentist is absolutely essential for pinpointing the cause and getting your child the right treatment.

3. Increased Sensitivity To Hot and Cold

Does your child cry out in pain when they sip a hot chocolate or bite into an ice cream cone? Heightened sensitivity to temperature extremes is one of the typical signs of tooth decay in both kids and adults. When your protective enamel is compromised, the underlying dentin is exposed and the nerves inside the teeth are in closer contact with the temperatures of what’s consumed.

4. Dark Spots On Your Child’s Tooth Surfaces

Visible holes, pits, or dark spots on your kid’s teeth could be telltale signs of a cavity. Cavities often appear as white, brown, or black spots on the tooth surface. We suggest making an appointment at our Englewood, Thornton, or Central Park office as soon as you can if you see  these discolorations on your child’s teeth.

5. Visible Holes or Pits in Your Child’s Teeth

This is a similar story to dark spots and discoloration. Sometimes cavities in kids look like small holes in their teeth and indicate exactly where your child’s tooth decay has happened.

6. Bad Breath or An Unpleasant Taste

The bacteria responsible for cavities produces unpleasant-smelling gasses that contribute to bad breath. If you can smell that your child has consistently bad breath even after brushing and flossing, this might be a sign of tooth decay. You can also ask them if they have an unpleasant taste in their mouth: chewing food near a decayed tooth can cause a weird taste and point to a cavity.

7. Changes in Tooth Texture

As a cavity progresses, your child may notice changes in the texture of their teeth. The affected area might feel rough or uneven when they run their tongue over it. When cavities are left untreated, tooth decay can advance and weaken your child’s tooth structure.

Why Kids’ Cavity Treatment is Super Important

At Kids Mile High, we want your kids to have the healthiest, happiest, superhero smiles possible. Like the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists, we recommend scheduling your child’s checkups and cleanings every six months so we can catch little problems before they become big ones. When it comes to tooth decay and cavities, regular checkups allow us to spot any early signs of tooth decay in your children and provide prompt treatment. 

On the other hand, tooth decay that goes unnoticed could worsen and become bigger, more painful dental problems for your child. Bacteria and acids can move deeper into their tooth, reaching the sensitive pulp that contains the tooth’s nerves and blood vessels. The pulp can then become swollen and irritated, and since there’s no place for the swelling to expand inside the tooth, it presses against the nerves causing pain.

This pain can also travel beyond your child’s tooth root into their jawbone. In severe cases, untreated cavities can lead to tooth loss, infection, and even an abscess — a painful pocket of pus caused by the infection. Ewww.

Making It All Better – Kids Cavity Treatment

Bottom line? If your child’s been experiencing one or several of the cavity signs we’ve discussed above, schedule an appointment immediately with your expert pediatric dentist at Kids Mile High. Your board-certified pediatric dentist will conduct a comfortable exam to confirm if your child has a cavity. We might even use our cool, high-tech DIAGNOdent™, a special laser that detects even the earliest and smallest cavities. Sometimes we’ll also opt to take quick and painless, low-dose digital x-rays to ensure we’ve got the most up-to-date images of your child’s teeth.

Once Dr. Paddy, Dr. Roger, or Dr. Meredith has diagnosed your child’s tooth decay, they’ll suggest an appropriate kids’ cavity treatment. Kids Mile High cavity treatment includes options like:

Tooth-coloured fillings:

We offer tooth-colored fillings color-matched to your child’s tooth. It won’t even look like they had a cavity in the first place! At Kids Mile High, we use Herculite composite resin, one of the strongest composite materials on the market so you know your child’s filling will last.

Pediatric Crowns:

If your child’s cavity is large or most of their tooth structure is now missing because of it, a special pediatric dental crown may be what we suggest for your kid’s cavity treatment. What’s a crown? A crown is a cap over the tooth that covers the entire visible part right to the gum line. 

We use NuSmile pediatric crowns on baby teeth to keep them in place until they’re ready to fall out and make way for the adult teeth. NuSmile pediatric crowns are white, metal-free and made from durable zirconia. We color-match crowns to look natural and mimic the shape, contours, and slight translucency of real teeth. 

Root Canal Treatment:

When dental decay has reached the pulp of a tooth, a baby root canal may be recommended. Yes, we totally get that a root canal for your wee one can sound a bit scary, but rest assured, your child is in gentle, expert hands. The goal of a root canal for a primary tooth is to save what’s left of your child’s tooth to avoid extracting a baby tooth too early. We’ll restore your child’s tooth with a NuSmile crown so they can chew, talk, and smile with confidence… and without pain!

Tooth Extraction:

Although we do whatever we can to save a baby tooth that’s not ready to fall out, sometimes tooth decay is so bad that it’s healthier to remove it. Tooth extraction is a super last resort, and we make sure your kiddo is comfortable and doesn’t feel a thing. To help our young patients feel at ease, we offer sedation dentistry with nitrous oxide, oral conscious sedation, or in-office general anesthesia administered by the anesthesiologists from CarePoint Anesthesia.

Say Goodbye to Kids’ Tooth Decay With Your Denver Pediatric Dentists

Tooth decay can really put a damper on your child’s everyday life so if they’re going through any signs of a cavity, we’re here to help. Our engaging, kid-friendly office, friendly staff, and high-tech approach make us your go-to pediatric dentist in Denver.

Don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment today.