At Caring Tree Children’s Dentistry, Dr. Kucera and the team are committed to sharing our dental and health-related knowledge. We want to keep parents informed and arm them with tools to help their families live healthy, happy lives. Our bi-monthly blog features articles about different oral health topics that affect growing kids, from what to pack in a healthy lunch to the links between gum disease and different health conditions. We hope the topics we choose help you make better all-around health decisions for your kids and to ask questions. Feel free to share, comment, and join the conversation!
To binky or not to binky? Pacifier use for infants has been a subject of debate as long as they’ve been around. [DR. NAME][LINK] shares some pros and cons below. Pros Pacifiers can soothe a fussy baby. Whether your child has a strong sucking reflex or has difficulty falling asleep, a pacifier can be an […]
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A child’s happy, healthy smile is a source of pride and joy for parents—and dentists, too! For this reason, you’ll likely spend a good deal of time helping them develop superb oral hygiene routines to ensure they keep their teeth for life. When you’re just getting started, you may have a lot of questions. We […]
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The smallest smiles in your family are as vulnerable to oral health issues as you are—likely even more so! Your oral hygiene regimen may already be thorough enough to keep your teeth free from cavities and your gums safe from gingivitis, but young ones typically need help brushing and flossing for years before their skills […]
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You may think of our Lincoln and Grass Valley teams at Caring Tree Children’s Dentistry as part of your child’s defensive line keeping them safe from gum disease and tooth decay, but we’re also myth busters! You’ve probably heard one of the most common misconceptions we have to challenge: dentistry isn’t important until after children […]
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least 40 Americans die from prescription opioid overdoses every day. As the opioid crisis grows, so does our expanded public knowledge—such as the realization that addiction to this family of drugs often begins with an innocent prescription. Many teens first experience opioids when a […]
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Studies conducted in 2016 found that 43% of children ages two and up had cavities—that’s a decrease from 2012 study results that found cavities in 50% of children in the same age group. While that drop gives us hope, it means tooth decay still affects 43 out of 100 children two and up. We know […]
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At Caring Tree Children’s Dentistry, our bad news is usually limited to the diagnosis of a dental infection we can treat without much difficulty. We’d like to keep it that way, which is why we may broach more sensitive subjects at times—specifically around the ages of 11 and 12 when doctors might recommend a Human […]
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Benzocaine has been an over-the-counter local dental anesthetic for people of all ages for many years. It is available in most drugstores, often under product names such as Anbesol®, Orajel™, Hurricaine®, and Baby Orajel™. Recently, the use of benzocaine has been linked to a rare but serious condition called methemoglobinemia, a disorder that reduces the […]
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We’ve all heard the expression that a dog is a (hu)man’s best friend, and dog lovers wouldn’t disagree. There’s also a common misconception that “a dog’s mouth is cleaner than a human’s mouth”. As it turns out, that’s not true at all, and there are many reasons you should never let your dog kiss you […]
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Lincoln and Grass Valley pediatric dentist Dr. Michelle Kucera wants to tackle the issue of babies and water intake in today’s blog. Of course, water is the healthiest beverage available for kids and adults, particularly when it comes to oral hygiene, but in babies less than six months of age, water is a no-no. Until […]
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