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You may have seen the ingredient Xylitol in sugarless gum, candy, or other foods your child likes to eat. It is even an ingredient in some toothpastes and mouthwashes. How much do you know about it?  Are artificial sweeteners safe for my child?  Xylitol is a polyalcohol (or sugar alcohol), which adds sweetness to many […]

How Will the Affordable Care Act effect my child’s dental coverage? Dental benefits for kids under the Affordable Care Act explained. Parents understandably have questions about the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and their children’s oral health.  We are often asked ‘Will my child have coverage for her dental needs?’ Under the Federal […]

Dental radiographs, or x-rays, are sometimes recommended by your child’s Pediatric Dentist. As a parent, you naturally have concerns about exposing your child to radiation.  Are dental x-rays safe for my child? Are they even necessary for children?  Here are some clear answers for parents: Is it really necessary for my child to have a dental x-ray? […]

How dental x-rays work.  X-Rays are beams of ionizing radiation.  They are invisible.  Ionizing radiation contains particles that carry sufficient kinetic energy to release an electron from an atom or molecule, thus converting it to an ion. Ionizing radiation exists all around us; we absorb the radiation equivalent to 4 dental bite-wing x-rays in slightly […]

Building Resilience in Children and Adolescents   – Help Your Child Learn to Deal With Stress                                                         by Miranda Kucera, PhD, school psychologist in Placer County Resilience is necessary […]

Babies nearly all love their pacifier or their thumb – or both!  The sucking reflex itself is instinctive.  Babies would quickly starve and perish if they didn’t possess this strong instinct. Will thumb sucking affect my child’s teeth? Via ultrasound, babies have been observed sucking their thumb at about 28 weeks in utero.  Thumb sucking is […]

Spit out that pacifier! The drawbacks of pacifiers for your child are numerous. Little humans have a very strong sucking reflex.  It is one of Nature’s ways of keeping them alive.  Most babies and toddlers use a pacifier at some point in their development. These are considered a ‘transitional object’, and can help little ones […]

How safe is your visit to the dentist?  In light of the recent Tulsa, Oklahoma case of Dr. W. Scott Harrington, who is accused of potentially exposing over 7,000 patients to Hepatitis and HIV, many are left wondering ’Is it safe to visit the dentist?’ According to Tulsa World, Dr. Harrington, an oral surgeon and […]

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Are over-the-counter teething remedies safe? Your baby is teething.  She is cranky, drooling, and may not sleep as well.  Some will pull on their ears or rub their cheeks.  How can you help your baby feel better? Are over-the-counter teething remedies safe to use? Teething remedies are sold over the counter.  That means they are […]