Our Blog

Wow, we are so close to finishing up this year and we can thankfully say that Simsbury Pediatric & Adolescent Dentistry is finishing the year out strong!

We have some exciting news! We are working on setting up online bill pay to make it easier for patients to pay their bills. This will have the added benefit of saving on postage and phone calls. Stay tuned! Also, please be sure to confirm all appointments. When that reminder comes 5 and/or 2 days prior, just type C or click the link to confirm and save us a phone call!

In addition to looking forward to our new services, we also want to take a moment to highlight the current services we offer. Since we are a pediatric office, our focus is hygiene! Our hygienists do a wonderful job with their little patients, educating them (and their parents) on good oral health, proper brushing, and flossing techniques. When additional care is needed, Dr. Azadpur and her assistants do extractions, fillings, sealants, and more, including emergency care. When more work is required than can be done in the office, she can see them in the OR at a local hospital. Sealants are a great way to prevent cavities on permanent molars, so once they come in, be sure to schedule sealants for your child.

We have had a great year this year and have accomplished so many things. In May, we launched our new patient management software system. It is so much easier to use and very comprehensive! It comes with a brand-new Patient Portal. The Portal link is on the home page of our new website, also launched this spring. However, we do want to note that the link from the previous one is no longer valid. If you need a new link, please give us a call or check the 14-day appointment reminder email/text you will receive before all appointments.

We also celebrated our 20th anniversary in October. We had a booth at Septemberfeast and gave out lots of fun giveaways. One lucky family will win an iPad once they bring their child in for their first visit.

Speaking of giveaways, our quarterly drawing for $500 to Ski Sundown ends December 31. Write a review of our office and/or refer a friend for entries.  Check out our socials for more information on the drawing! We will be announcing a new one in the new year so stay tuned for it.

We want to hear what everyone is doing for their holiday. During the month of December, we like to close early on a Friday so that the team can enjoy a holiday party, usually at a local restaurant. We exchange gifts (secret Santa style) and spend some time just hanging out with each other catching up on things outside of the office. This year, our party will be on December 10 and we will be closing at noon that day.

Of course, as many of you know, holidays come with lots of extra treats and sweets so be sure to step up the brushing after meals. Chew some xylitol gum to help in between meals too. And please try to keep all appointments. Our schedule is fully committed through the end of the year so any cancellations will be rescheduled in mid-January or beyond!

We are so grateful for all of our patients and especially the over 450 new patients we welcomed in 2021! Please keep referring your friends and family members to our office. When you do, you will be entered into our quarterly drawing for a fabulous prize worth $500. A huge shout out to our entire team. The clinical team does such a fantastic job with their little patients in chairs and our administrative team crushes it with the phone calls, scheduling, and financial matters! Well done, team!

We wish all of our patients, their families, our team, and our families good health and peace in the coming year. With everyone's help and commitment to safety, we will hopefully be looking at COVID in the rearview mirror soon. Best wishes for a joyful holiday season.

Is the sound of a drill enough to make your child flinch or cringe? Does he or she worry about the twice-yearly dental checkup at Simsbury Pediatric & Adolescent Dentistry? Trust us when we say your child is not alone!

To help eliminate that distress, Dr. Maryam Azadpur and our team put together five steps to help your child overcome his or her dental anxiety when visiting Simsbury Pediatric & Adolescent Dentistry.

1. Ask your child what they’re most afraid of. Is it the sound of the drill? Do you have needle phobia? Has your child been traumatized by previous dental visits? Have children write down their fears, one by one, and talk about them.

2. Don’t wait. The more frequently your child visits our office, the less work will need to be done at any given visit. Simply having Dr. Maryam Azadpur professionally clean your child’s teeth twice a year prevents many, if not most, problems down the road.

3. Bring a distraction such as music to your child’s appointment. Just plug in those earphones, have your child close his or her eyes, and get lost in the music. Listening to tunes can also be a pain killer.

4. Remind your child to unwind. Inhaling slowly and counting to five helps. Encourage children to hold their breath for ten seconds, then exhale slowly to the count of eight, and repeat as needed. It’s easier if they’re not focused on the work going on inside their mouth.

5. Ask us. Before any procedure your child undergoes, we encourage you to ask Dr. Maryam Azadpur or one of our assistants why we’re using the tools we’re using. Ask us what we’re doing during your child’s procedure, what the tool is used for, and how it benefits your child. Also, please ask about anti-anxiety medications we may prescribe to help your child relax during his or her appointment.

Remember, our team at Simsbury Pediatric & Adolescent Dentistry are health care professionals who strive to improve your child’s oral health, and will do all we can to ensure a trauma- and pain-free experience during his or her visit!

We hope these tips help! For more on pediatric dental anxieties, ask us during your next visit to our Simsbury, CT office! Or, ask us below or on Facebook!

At Simsbury Pediatric & Adolescent Dentistry we love learning trivia and interesting facts about Thanksgiving! This year, Dr. Maryam Azadpur wanted to share some trivia that might help you feel a bit smarter at the holiday dinner table and help create some great conversation with friends and family.

The Turkey

There is no historical evidence that turkey was eaten at the first Thanksgiving dinner. It was a three-day party shared by the Wamponoag Indians and the pilgrims in 1621. Historians say they likely ate venison and seafood.

According to National Geographic, the dinner at the Plymouth colony was in October and included about 50 English colonists and 90 American Indian men. The first Thanksgiving dinner could have included corn, geese, and pumpkin.

Today, turkey is the meat of choice. According to the National Turkey Association, about 690 million pounds of turkey are consumed during Thanksgiving, or about 46 million turkeys.

The Side Dishes

The green bean casserole became popular about 50 years ago. Created by the Campbell Soup Company, it remains a popular side dish. According to Campbell’s, it was developed when the company was creating an annual holiday cookbook. The company now sells about $20 million worth of cream of mushroom soup each year, which is a major part of the recipe.

While there were likely plenty of cranberries for the pilgrims and Indians to enjoy, sugar was a luxury. What we know today as cranberry sauce was not around in those early Thanksgiving days. About 750 million pounds of cranberries are produced each year in the US, with about 30 percent consumed on Thanksgiving.

The Parade

Since Thanksgiving did not become a national holiday until Lincoln declared it in 1863, the annual parades were not yearly events until much later. The biggest parade that continues to draw crowds is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Beginning in 1924 with about 400 employees, they marched from Convent Avenue to 145th Street in New York City. Famous for the huge hot-air balloons today, it was actually live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo that were the stars of the show then.

However you choose to spend your Thanksgiving holiday, we wish you a safe, happy and healthy holiday with those you love.

At Simsbury Pediatric & Adolescent Dentistry, we know that brushing your toddler’s teeth can be an intimidating prospect. So we’re providing a few tips in the hope of making the process a lot more easy, effective, and all-around enjoyable for everyone!

Start by getting into a position that gives you control and enables you to see well into your child’s mouth. If you can see clearly, you will be able to maneuver the toothbrush better around your son or daughter’s mouth for a better quality of brushing.

It’s important to choose a time when your toddler is calm. Have your little one sit with his or her favorite stuffed animal, or play a fun movie in the background so your child can focus on something comforting while you’re brushing.

Using a circular motion, brush all sides of their teeth. Be sure to let your toddler have a turn after you’re done, to start getting used to it. This way, he or she is more likely to repeat the brushing and flossing exercise when your youngster is old enough.

Dr. Maryam Azadpur and our team agree that brushing and flossing need to be performed with kindness and care. To ensure your child learns good dental hygiene habits early on, be gentle and make this time a happy, learning time.

Your child should also have regular appointments at our Simsbury, CT office for checkups and cleanings to keep on track!