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Did you know the actions leading to the beginnings of Valentine's Day were actually centered on the avoidance of war? A Catholic priest named Valentine defied the orders of the Emperor Claudius II and secretly married young men and their brides after the emperor had declared it illegal because only single, young men could be sent to war. Rather than lose potential soldiers to fight his war, Claudius attempted to hoard them by proclaiming marriage illegal.

Valentine continued to marry young couples anyway and, eventually, was put to death for it in 270 AD. Before his death, he sent a letter to a secret love and signed it “From your Valentine”. Nearly 1,800 years later, people are still signing letters and cards in this manner. This year, carry on the tradition started long ago, while adding your own twist. Here are a few suggestions.

Simple and Creative Valentine's Day Ideas

• Memorialize it with a Photo. Couples often have photos taken around Christmas, but Valentine's Day photos allow you to capitalize on romance. Famous couple Julia Child and her husband, Paul, had their picture taken together every Valentine's Day and included their sense of humor with silly props.
• Return to Your First Date Location. Even if your first date together was at a local hotdog stand, its sentimental value can make it a fun part of your Valentine's Day agenda. Be creative and make a treasure hunt with clues that lead your partner to the original date location, where you can express your love with flowers or a gift.
• “From Your Valentine” Messages. Deliver your message in a creative way to make this Valentine's Day stand out from the others. Bake your partner's favorite treat and write a message on it with a tube of icing, or draw a note on the steamed up mirror so it shows up when your partner takes a shower.

Although Valentine's Day is a day to celebrate love, it doesn't have to be a special day only for couples. If you're single, use this special day to shower yourself with love, because you're worth it! After all, the priest Valentine believed so strongly in the sanctity of love that he was willing to risk his life for it. Whether you're in a relationship or single, young or old, romantic or not, Valentine's Day is for you. Happy Valentine’s Day from the Pediatric office of Dr. Maryam Azadpur.

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, so it’s a great time for our team at Simsbury Pediatric & Adolescent Dentistry to talk about the importance of getting proper oral health care for your children. Oral health has been closely tied to the overall health of our entire body, so making sure that our children have the best oral health care can not only ensure that they have great smiles, but they are protected from the negative effects of poor oral health as well.

Special Care for Children’s Teeth

Oral health care should begin with the very first tooth that grows in your baby’s mouth. Even though these teeth will fall out within a few years, baby teeth hold a space for your child’s permanent ones, and it’s important that your child has a healthy mouth when those permanent teeth arrive. Without proper care, even baby teeth can decay and cause a host of problems, including:

• Painful teeth and gums
• Difficulty chewing, eating, and sleeping
• Gum disease and inflammation
• Embarrassment when talking and smiling

Develop Good Oral Health Habits Early

As a parent, you can teach your child the right way to care for teeth and make sure he or she visits Dr. Maryam Azadpur regularly for cleanings and checkups. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, almost 50 percent of children under 12 have some form of tooth decay, and it is one of the most common childhood diseases. Alarmingly, a report by the National Institutes of Health, Oral Health in America, found that almost six out of ten children have cavities or other tooth decay (also called “caries”).

There are many things you can do to help your child maintain a healthy mouth with strong teeth and gums.

• Brush your children’s teeth twice a day when they are babies, then teach them to do it on their own when they get older.
• Be sure your child gets enough fluoride—you can find out whether it is already in your drinking water, and provide supplements if it is not. If you are unsure how to get more fluoride, give our office a call to discuss. In addition, make sure your child is brushing with fluoride toothpaste.
• Feed your child a healthy diet, high in fruits and vegetables and low in added sugars. We especially recommend you avoid sugary drinks.
• Bring your child to our Simsbury, CT office for regular dental checkups and cleanings. Coming in every six months is recommended.

Helping children develop healthy habits to care for teeth while they are young is important. These habits can set the stage for good oral health care throughout their entire life. They can avoid many of the problems that result from poor oral health, including gum disease, cavities, and tooth decay. Start encouraging those habits now during National Children’s Dental Health Month, and help your children reap the benefits through the rest of their lives.

Childhood tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease, affecting nearly one in three children between the ages of two and five. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry reports that tooth decay can appear in children as young as six months old. As a parent, it is possible to spare your child from early childhood tooth decay, and potentially prevent a lifetime of oral health problems in one fell swoop.

Birth to age two

Good oral health begins before your child’s teeth ever erupt from the gums. During the first few months of life, you should be wiping your child’s gums with a damp cloth after eating. As soon as teeth appear, Dr. Maryam Azadpur and our team at Simsbury Pediatric & Adolescent Dentistry recommend you start brushing them with a toddler toothbrush and water, and call our Simsbury, CT office to schedule your child’s first visit. Never allow your child to go to bed with a bottle, and try to limit beverages other than water only to meal times. Children who walk around or go to sleep with bottles or sippy cups full of juice or milk are exposed to more sugars and are more likely to develop tooth decay.

Ages two to six

All of your child’s primary teeth should erupt by age three. Brush your toddler’s teeth at least twice daily with a toddler toothpaste and toothbrush. As your child gets older and learns not to swallow toothpaste, you may begin to use oral care products specially designed for preschoolers and elementary-age children. Be sure to maintain regular dental appointments and cleanings as recommended by your child’s dentist, and encourage your son or daughter to begin drinking from a regular cup. This is also the time to teach your child the importance of healthy eating habits, which includes limiting sweets and sugary desserts to mealtime.

By first grade, your child will begin to lose primary teeth. This is the time to start talking with Dr. Maryam Azadpur about dental sealants, which can prevent tooth decay from forming on the chewing surfaces of the teeth. Sealants are painless, easy to apply, and undetectable to other people.

Tips

Fluoride is an important ingredient for healthy teeth. Check to make sure the water your child drinks is enriched with fluoride. Also, brush your child’s teeth with fluoridated toothpaste, and talk to our office about whether fluoride treatments could be right for your family. For more information about preventing your child’s tooth decay, or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Maryam Azadpur, please give us a call at our convenient Simsbury, CT office!

Happy 2021 from Simsbury Pediatric and Adolescent Dentistry! We are ready for a new year, new goals, and exciting times ahead. On today’s blog, we look ahead to the months to come and share with you our goals and hopes for what the new year will bring.

As we enter into the new year our team will continue to adhere to strict health and safety protocols in order to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. The health and safety of our patients, their families, and our team is our top priority. For this, we will continue to monitor local statistics, follow state and federal guidelines and mandates, promote good oral hygiene, especially for those who are unable or not yet ready to visit the dentist, and be good role models for mask-wearing and handwashing with our little patients. With the availability of the vaccine on the horizon, it won’t be much longer until we have a return to normalcy. Until then, let’s all do our part to stay safe and healthy!

We are so pleased to announce that our team will receive our COVID-19 vaccines this month! It is the next big step in the fight to get control over this virus that has dominated our lives for too long. We will still need to wear PPE and maintain all of our safety and sanitation protocols, however.

As for our team’s personal goals in the new year, we would all like to focus on our health and stay physically active as much as possible. We want to get off the couch and move more! 2020 was a very sedentary year for many of us and with the cold weather, it makes it harder to get out and exercise. Through the remaining winter months, we are going to incorporate more indoor activity with our families, even if it means just taking more laps around the house!

We, as a business, would like to do more community outreach in the year new. While we can't visit area preschools or daycares to promote good oral hygiene like we normally do, we created a video they can show to their students in February for Children's Dental Health Month. Other office goals include keeping our appointment calendar full, staying on top of potential cancellations, continuing office training, and trying our best to anticipate issues before they arise and become problems.

On this month’s blog, we’d love to highlight Kay and Alison from our amazing hygiene team! These two fantastic hygienists really know how to keep their patients laughing and we so appreciate them! Our patients are so happy to see them and they always leave with a huge smile on their faces!

Be on the lookout for our next quarterly promotion! The prize will be $500 to RidgeLine Bikes. To enter, write a review and get 1 entry, refer a friend, and get 2. The drawing will be held on April 1, 2021, just in time to get out and enjoy the warmer weather.

We hope you’re all having a phenomenal start to the year and we can’t wait to see you in the office!