Our Blog

We want our children to have every advantage, including oral health. That’s why you encourage your child to brush twice a day. You keep the sugary treats to a minimum. You schedule dental exams and cleanings at our Simsbury, CT office.

So, how did your child get a cavity? What to do to prevent more tooth decay?

First, don’t feel guilty. Some people are more prone to cavities, even with diligent brushing and flossing. But to make sure children have all the advantages when it comes to preventing cavities, we have some tips which might improve their dental habits.

• Better Brushing

Even for adults, brushing technique can be haphazard! Brushing’s not as effective without covering all the tooth surfaces (inside, outside, and molar tops), holding the brush at a 45° angle, gently brushing the teeth with small strokes, brushing for at least two minutes, and flossing between the teeth at least once a day.

Until children develop the motor skills to brush by themselves (around age six or seven), you can help by monitoring their brushing and flossing. If you like, you can use these four minutes a day for fun as well as dental care by playing music, awarding stickers, using an app with entertaining timers, or having your child mirror your brushing habits as you brush together.

And do make your child’s life easier with the right tools. Brush heads should be small enough to fit in little mouths comfortably, and bristles should always be soft. Floss, too, should be soft and flexible. Don’t forget to retire your child’s brush after three or four months—bristles start to fray and won’t clean effectively.

• Sealing the Deal

Ask about dental sealants. This treatment provides a protective coating for your child’s molars. Cavities are so common in molars because the tops of these teeth are quite uneven. Food particles and plaque are trapped in grooves where brushes have a hard time reaching.

The sealant process is a simple and safe one. Healthy teeth are cleaned and dried, an etching solution prepares the tooth surface, a thin coat of sealant is applied, and the coating is hardened under a curing light.

Dr. Maryam Azadpur might recommend sealants when your child’s first adult molars erupt. Enamel takes a while to develop its full strength, so new molars are especially vulnerable to cavities. Sealants typically last from three to five years, and studies have shown a dramatic reduction in cavities when teeth are treated with sealants.

• Fluoride Helps Prevent Cavities—in Two Ways!

Fluoride helps strengthen enamel in developing teeth. Because many communities have fluoride available in their water systems, your child gets the benefit of this natural mineral.

If you’re providing your child with fluoride toothpaste, you’re helping prevent cavities in the teeth, which have already erupted. The acids from oral bacteria weaken the mineral structure of enamel, which is the first step in forming a cavity. Fluoride helps repair weakened enamel in a process known as “remineralization.”

Dr. Maryam Azadpur can let you know the amount of fluoride that is right for your child, including how much or how little fluoride toothpaste to use, a prescription supplement if your water doesn’t contain fluoride, or the application of a fluoride treatment directly to your child’s teeth.

• Avoid Tricky Treats

Some treats are much better than others. We’re not talking taste, though. When it comes to dental health, texture and time are more important.

When your child enjoys a plain chocolate bar, saliva helps wash away sugary food particles. Sticky candies and starches, like caramels and potato chips, are a “stickier” problem. They cling to enamel, providing lots of sugar as fuel for cavity-creating bacteria. Similarly, drinking a soda with lunch (not every day, of course!) provides a short exposure to sugars. Sipping sodas throughout the day is like bathing teeth in sugar for hours at a time.

To eliminate some of the treats bacteria love, choose snacks with an eye to how they affect teeth throughout the day, and teach your child to brush or rinse with water after eating.

• Schedule Regular Dental Exams and Cleanings

Most children should be visiting Simsbury Pediatric & Adolescent Dentistry twice a year, even during the baby teeth years. Dr. Maryam Azadpur will monitor your child’s primary teeth and developing teeth and bite. And a professional cleaning removes built up plaque that even the most dedicated brusher might miss.

If you have any concerns about cavities and their prevention, Dr. Maryam Azadpur will have suggestions tailored to your child’s individual needs. Us working together to make sure your child has a healthy, confident smile? That’s a partnership that will provide lifelong advantages!

Dr. Maryam Azadpur and our team know it can be a challenge to get our children to brush, brush well, and brush often. Here are some tips that can help you keep those beautiful little teeth healthy.

Make it Fun, Make it a Habit!

We should all brush twice a day. The most important time to brush is at night before bed. When we sleep, our saliva production decreases, and this creates an environment for oral bacteria to cause greater destruction to our teeth and gums. Brushing should last at least two minutes, followed by flossing and mouthwash if you choose.

Here are some ideas to make this nightly ritual more entertaining.

• Set a good example. Brush your teeth with your children and make it fun! Pick a song to play while brushing.
• Make it a race to the bathroom to see who can get their toothbrush and floss ready. But don’t make it a race to finish; make sure brushing lasts at least two minutes.
• Try using a sticker sheet. For every night your children brush well, give them a sticker. (Be sure to check their work.) After a certain number of stickers, they earn a reward. Let them pick the reward! As the child improves at brushing every night without reminders, you can wean her or him from the reward.
• SPECIAL TIP: Let your child check your brush work!

As parents, we should help our children make health and wellness something to take pride in. Be gentle with your children when they make mistakes, whether forgetting to brush or maybe developing a cavity. Tell them even our team at Simsbury Pediatric & Adolescent Dentistry gets cavities. Thankfully, there is always room for improvement. Happy brushing!

If you have been thinking about getting a piercing, or if you already have one or more, there are some health risks our team at Simsbury Pediatric & Adolescent Dentistry wants you to know about. It's important to know the risks involved with oral piercing, including infection, chipped teeth, gum damage, nerve damage, loss of taste, or tooth loss that could occur as a result.

Your mouth contains millions of bacteria, and infection is a common complication of oral piercing. Many people who have piercings tend to regularly touch them, paving the way for bacteria to enter piercing sites. Also, food particles that collect around piercing sites can lead to infection.

Besides hindering your ability to talk and eat, oral piercing also leads people to develop a habit of biting or playing with their piercings, which can lead to cracked or fractured teeth. While the fracture can be confined to the enamel of the tooth and require a simple filling, you also run the risk of the fracture going deep into the tooth, which may require a root canal, tooth extraction, and additional dental treatment.

If you still decide to get an oral piercing, you should realize that it will take some time to heal (anywhere between four to six weeks) and it may be very uncomfortable. Also please keep in mind that it will be an added responsibility to your life, as it will require regular upkeep. We want you to make sure that you’re committed to the task of taking care of it for the full healing period and beyond.

We encourage you to clean the piercing with antiseptic mouthwash after eating, and brush the jewelry each time you brush your teeth. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to give us a call!

“I recently visited and I was thoroughly impressed with the exceptional warmth and kindness of the entire staff. From the moment we walked in, they made my 3-year-old feel comfortable, going the extra mile by giving him a tour of the office. The welcoming atmosphere and the genuine care shown by everyone truly set this place apart. Highly recommended for a positive and child-friendly dental experience!” – Anonymous

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and it's the perfect opportunity to show your loved ones how much they mean to you. At our practice, we believe that love and appreciation should be expressed every day. This year we are celebrating this special day by handing out plushie toys to the kids! Even though we are closed on Wednesdays, we want to make sure that our young patients feel the love.

Expressing love and appreciation is essential for our mental and emotional well-being. However, in our busy lives, we often forget to show our love to those important people in our lives. Taking the time to tell someone that they are special and loved can have a significant impact on their mood and health. It makes us feel good, increases our endorphins, and can even help with depression and seasonal sadness.

There are many simple ways to share your love with friends and family. It can be as easy as sending a quick text during the day, asking about their day or activities they are involved in. You might even consider picking up a few things at the supermarket that you know your family likes. Sending cards, flowers, or plushie toys are also great options. A few years ago, one of our team members sang love songs to people in a quartet, which was a fantastic experience that brought joy to everyone.

As we all know, chocolate and other sweet treats are popular Valentine's Day gifts. While indulging in these sugary treats is okay once in a while, it's important to brush and floss our teeth after consuming them. Drinking plenty of water and seeing the dentist twice a year is also necessary. Besides sweets, we think that flowers, jewelry, dinner, or a movie date night can be a great gift option.

At our practice, we're not offering any Valentine's Day specials this month. However, we want to highlight our life-changing service - frenectomies. If your child has been evaluated and diagnosed with a lip/tongue/buccal tie, we can schedule this procedure. Parents have reported a significant improvement in their children's food intake, sleeping habits, and speech.

Lastly, February is National Children's Dental Health Month, and we're excited to visit local preschools to talk with their 4-5 year olds about good oral hygiene and eating healthy snacks. We also hand out special toothbrushes that can stand up on the counter. Our goal is to make dental hygiene fun and accessible to children, and we love seeing them excited about taking care of their teeth.