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It’s no secret that kids and adults have different priorities: your duty is to raise a happy, healthy child, but your little one’s only priority may be to have fun. When it comes to brushing teeth, it can be hard to combine a healthy habit with having fun. You might fear it can’t be done, but with a little creativity, brushing time can be a great experience for both of you!

Make It a Party

Brushing time doesn’t have to be a chore when you throw a little party! Get Mom and Dad together so the whole family can brush their teeth at the same time.

Let your child choose a song to dance to while you all brush for the required two minutes. Your son or daughter may grow to love this silly routine, especially when the parents are clearly dedicated to brushing their own teeth as well.

Big Kid Decisions

Kids love the responsibility of making “big kid” decisions. Keep a variety of toothbrushes, colors of floss, and toothpaste flavors on hand so they can choose something “new” each time they brush, just like when they visit our Simsbury, CT office.

Not only can this help them grow more comfortable with the idea of seeing the dentist, but they’ll love having the responsibility of picking what would be fun at brush time.

Practice Makes Perfect

It’s true that the only way to get better at something is to practice, practice, and practice. Have your child practice brushing on his or her favorite stuffed animal, and use that opportunity to teach your youngster how to hold the brush and use circular cleaning motions. Showing how you brush your own teeth can also be worthwhile.

There’s An App For That

Did you know there are lots of fun apps that encourage good brushing habits among children? Brands like Oral-B and Aquafresh have free apps you can download on your phone.

The child gets to select a character, scenery, and a song he or she would love to accompany the task of brushing. If you have a daughter, she might like to use the Tooth Fairy Timer, which allows her to pick her very own fairy as her brushing buddy.

The important things to remember when you seek to establish good brushing habits is to keep it fun and stay consistent with your routine. It may take some getting used to, but after a while your child will become familiar with brushing and might even look forward to the new dental routine.

A study conducted in Washington State in 2004 and another conducted in Madrid, Spain in 2012 both reported findings that support a direct relationship between parents’ dental fear and their child’s fear of the dentist.

The Washington study examined dental fear among 421 children ages 0.8 to 12.8 years old. They were patients at 21 different private pediatric dental practices in western Washington state. The Spanish study observed 183 children between the ages of seven and 12 as well as their parents.

The Washington study used responses from both parents and the Dental Sub-scale of the Child Fear Survey Schedule. The survey consisted of 15 questions, which invited answers based on the child’s level of fear. The scale was one to five: one meant the child wasn’t afraid at all, and five indicated he or she was terrified. The maximum possible points (based on the greatest fear) was 75.

Spanish researchers found a direct connection between parental dental fear levels and those among their kids. The most important new discovery from the Madrid study was that the greater the fear a father had of going to the dentist, the higher the level of fear among the other family members.

Parents, but especially fathers, who feared dental procedures appeared to pass those fears along to every member of the family. Parents can still have some control over fear levels in their children. It is best not to express your own concerns in front of kids; instead, explain why going to the dentist is important.

Dr. Maryam Azadpur and our team work hard to make your child’s visit at our Simsbury, CT office as comfortable as possible. We understand some patients may be more fearful than others, and will do our best to help ease your child’s anxiety.

Happy May from Simsbury Pediatric & Adolescent Dentistry. We are excited to announce our office will open again starting May 21! Please note: In order to allow for social distancing, as well as our new room turnover protocols, all patients will be contacted prior to their appointment for confirmation and prescreening. They should not come in unless they have been contacted by one of our team members.

The appointment procedure will look a little different. The day before appointments, all parents will need to answer prescreening questions regarding general health, recent travel, etc. of both themselves and their child. On the day of the appointment, please plan to arrive early for health screening and temperature checks. We kindly ask you to wear masks.

Simsbury Pediatric & Adolescent Dentistry is doing everything we can to ensure the continued safety and health of both our team and our patients. Our team, both clinical and front desk, will add additional PPE on top of what they wear currently. Every team member will be screened prior to each workday to ensure they are healthy. All extraneous items such as toys and stickers will be removed from operatories. Patients and parents/guardians will be asked to wait in their cars until a team member comes out to escort them into the office.

In addition to the high level of safety and sanitation we have always employed, the following practices will also be in place:

• Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you are in the office.
• We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed.
• Parents and children over 2 should come in wearing a mask. If they don’t, one will be provided that they should wear while in the office.
• Only one parent or adult will be able to accompany the patient and we ask for no siblings be brought unless they have an appointment as well. We will try to schedule families together whenever possible.
• You may see that our reception area will no longer offer magazines, children’s toys, beverage station, and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
• Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
• We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.

During the time away from the office the team at Simsbury Pediatric has stayed active both mentally and physically with a variety of engaging activities. We’ve all stayed connected with family, friends, and each other. We’ve also taken the time to declutter spaces, listen to music, take walks, stay away from the 24-hour news machines, be kind to others, read, catch up on shows on TV, home improvement projects, planting flower and vegetable gardens, practice yoga, take vitamins and probiotics, going for hikes, get into photography more, play with pets, and finish puzzles!
Due to social distancing, many people have cooked and baked more than ever! Some of the foods our team has cooked up include gluten-free, vegan, grain-free chocolate chip cookies, and tofu and okra stew with Cajun coconut sauce.

This time has been so challenging for many of us but it’s important to find the silver lining. For us, knowing that our families and friends are staying safe and healthy, connecting with supportive neighbors, and having a return to work date is continually lifting our spirits and making us thankful! Once social distancing measures end, we can’t wait to go visit our families in person and give them huge hugs!

Simsbury Pediatric & Adolescent Dentistry looks forward to serving the health and well-being of our community once again.

At Simsbury Pediatric & Adolescent Dentistry, we know that unfortunately, gum disease can exist in your child’s mouth without you even knowing. In fact, your child may be suffering from the beginning stages of periodontal (gum) disease without noticing any pain or discomfort. Since gum disease can be undetectable, it’s critical to watch for the warning signs in order to prevent the disease from growing worse!

If your child is experiencing any of the following symptoms, you may want to consider scheduling an appointment with Dr. Maryam Azadpur as soon as possible:

• Gums that are red or swollen
• Gums that feel tender
• Gums that bleed easily during brushing or flossing
• Gums that are receding
• Persistent halitosis (bad breath)
• Loose teeth
• Any change in the way teeth come together in the biting position

If your child is experiencing these symptoms, schedule an appointment right away by calling our Simsbury, CT office. Dr. Maryam Azadpur and our team can diagnose the problem and begin treatment to save your child’s teeth!

Our team at Simsbury Pediatric & Adolescent Dentistry looks forward to seeing you!