How to Encourage Kids to Brush Their Teeth
We all know getting our young children to brush, never mind for the full two minutes, can be challenging. Whether it’s because they are still mastering their hand-eye coordination for brushing or they just do not enjoy brushing their teeth, thanks to technology there are many options for interactive and fun options to help promote better oral hygiene habits. Here are some apps to download that can help make brushing fun and help form good habits for life. 1. Brush DJ This free app plays two minutes of music from your device, makes effective length of time less boring, works Continue Reading
Is Diabetes Influencing Your Teeth?
Hello, my name is Melody and I work at the front desk in our Pediatric Department. You may have read my previous blog post; ‘Make Brushing Fun for You and Them’ a few months back! This month, I wanted to focus on a topic that is very near and dear to my heart, type one diabetes. I have been a type one diabetic for roughly 7 years and just like many diabetics, I still get overwhelmed sometimes. As a Type One, we have so much to focus on all at once that it can be easy to let some things Continue Reading
How Long Do I Need To Wear My Retainers?
One of the most satisfying parts of working in the Orthodontics department is seeing the smile on a patients face after they’ve completed their orthodontic treatment. Is that it? Am I done? NO…you are not done. The next step is retainer use. Definition of RETAINER: a thing that holds something in place Think of all the work you’ve put in this far- all the time you spent in either Braces or Invisalign, all the visits to the Orthodontist, all the extra time brushing and flossing- never mind all the money spent on treatment. Why would you want those perfect teeth Continue Reading
DOES YOUR PET HAVE BAD BREATH?
As humans we learn at an early age to brush our teeth. Do you as a pet owner brush your pets’ teeth? Periodontal disease or “gum disease” is the most common dental condition in dogs and cats. By the time your pet is 3 years old, he or she will very likely have some early evidence of periodontal disease. As you can imagine, as the years go on periodontal disease will worsen unless effective preventive measures are taken. Detecting this early will help your pet in the long run because periodontal disease doesn’t just affect your pet’s mouth. Kidney, liver, Continue Reading
When is the Right Time for a career Change?
When is the right time for career change? As we get older, we tend to become complacent in life. Especially when we have a family, mortgage, rent, car payments, etc. When you have all those responsibilities and people depending on you the mind seems to say, “just stay where you are for now”. Maybe you are waiting until the kids get through high school. Maybe we should wait until they graduate college and get their careers established. Maybe some medical issues arise or just hiccups in life make you stop and say “Not now. Now is not the right time Continue Reading
Making Brushing Fun for You and Them
If you haven’t read our April blog titled Brush Away Toddler Decay – A Dental Survival Guide For Parents I highly recommend stopping here and reading it before carrying on. Our very own Sabrina Pereira gives you the best tips, tricks, and techniques for helping your toddler get into the groove of daily brushing. Today, I want to share my own personal experience on how to make toddler brushing fun- for them and for you! Hello all! My name is Melody and I recently joined the DAW family, you will probably see me at the pediatric front desk while scheduling Continue Reading
Why Are You Taking My Blood Pressure?
A few months ago a patient left me a voicemail. The message was an interesting one for a dental practice to receive. She said, “I wanted to call you and thank you. Your offices policy just saved my life.” When I called her back she explained her message. She had recently begun coming to our office after many years at a different practice. When she had her first preventive care appointment with one of our hygienists, they took her blood pressure at the start of the appointment. The patient told me that she didn’t really want to have it taken, Continue Reading
BRUSH AWAY TODDLER DECAY – A DENTAL SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR PARENTS
As a mom you try your best to instill the best habits, behaviors, values, and communication skills with your child, but let’s face it, it’s not easy trying to get a toddler to listen or be attentive for long periods of time especially when it comes to “brushing teeth” and maintaining a good at home preventative care regimen. Working in Pediatrics, I have acquired many tips, tricks, and overall diet “yays” and “nays” that may be beneficial to all parents. Hello all, my name is Sabrina! I am a mother of a three-year-old who is your typical three-year-old (spirited, curious, Continue Reading
Causes and Management of TMJ Pain
Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) are conditions affecting jaw joints and the surrounding muscles and ligaments. TMD can be caused by many different types of problems such as arthritis, trauma, an improper bite and even stress. Stress can play a big role in temporomandibular joint dysfunction as people are more likely to clench their jaw and grind their teeth when they are stressed. Below is a description of temporomandibular joint disorder including common and how these types of disorders can be treated and managed. Symptoms of TMD include jaw pain, headaches, pain in the neck/shoulder area and can even lead to Continue Reading
What happens during your child’s first dental visit?
Hi everyone! My name is Vanessa and I am one of the pediatric dental hygienists working here at Dental Associates of Walpole. Here’s a little background about myself: I have been practicing hygiene since 2015. I used to come here for all my dentistry needs throughout my childhood. I have a 3-year-old boy at home named Colton I have a 4-year-old Frug (French bulldog/Pug) at home named Raven Pediatric dentistry has always been my DREAM job. When I was young, I remember always being anxious about going to get my teeth cleaned. My mom would prepare me a week before Continue Reading
THE ORAL INDICATORS OF DISORDERED EATING
As dental professionals, our job is to care for our patient’s teeth and manage their overall oral health. In doing so, however, sometimes we can uncover aspects of a patient’s systemic health that leave clues within the mouth, which otherwise may go undetected. Moreover, as orthodontists we have a unique opportunity to see a patient population composed largely of adolescents and young people, who generally are at a higher risk for one particularly detrimental condition, disordered eating. Disordered eating encompasses a wide range of irregular eating behaviors that may or may not fit the diagnosis of a particular eating disorder. Continue Reading
The Prize Inside
Ever had a single event, even a seemingly innocuous event, change your perspective until you see things with an enlightened view? I have. I’ll tell you all about it. On December 1, the DAW Winter Wonderland monthly festival of contests, food, fun and prizes began. (Management created this month of fun in lieu of a holiday party due to the state of the world.)The first contest put forth by the committee was an office-wide decorating contest, pitting the departments against each other. We had two weeks and a $50 stipend to spend on materials. Our Adult Department chose Candy Land Continue Reading
The Story of a Tooth Ache
Tooth pain can sometimes be very debilitating, especially if there is an infection associated with it. There are several types of tooth pain, ranging from a dull, pulsating sensation to a sharp, jolt-like agony that makes you jump out of your chair. The causes of tooth pain can vary greatly and can sometimes be difficult to locate and diagnose. Below is a description of the most common problem that causes a tooth ache and how it is diagnosed and treated. Each tooth is composed of an outer hard enamel layer, an internal softer dentin layer, and a central pulp chamber Continue Reading
The Birth of “Burn it all Art”
During COVID lockdown I found myself in search of something to occupy my free time, so I went back to my love of woodworking, crafting and creating. I searched for ideas to burn into wood and was having so much fun seeing where these thoughts would take me and what my next project would be. My sister, husband and niece tried to convince me to sell my wood art on Etsy and finally I gave in saying, “I will put one piece up and if it sells, I will open up a shop.” That piece sold within thirty minutes of Continue Reading
A Maxy Story
Ok, So picture this… My husband surprises me with (what he thought was) a kitten for Christmas. Here is his story of how he “rescued” our fur baby Maxy. SECURE THE KITTEN Ok. So precisely 8 days before Christmas, my husband starts looking for a kitten. After much research on his part, he realizes “You can’t just buy a kitten from a store like a bag of chips…” So, after a lack of luck on his search, he does more “extensive research,” and narrows down the search to finding a “kitten” ON CRAIGSLIST. (We are now 4 days closer to Continue Reading
If I can, uke can!
Have you ever wished that you could learn to play an instrument? It’s a common misconception that learning to play a musical instrument as an adult is too difficult, especially if you were unfortunate like myself never to have had the opportunity to pursue music lessons earlier in life. Research has shown that while it’s harder for the mature brain to learn an instrument, it's not impossible. I was the lucky recipient of a ukulele as a gift just a few years ago. My first thought was, “What am I going to do with this thing?” I did not know Continue Reading
Never Work a Day
They say if you love what you do for a living, you’ll never work a day in your life. I know firsthand that this is true. I know this because I work with Dr. Saunders. Dr. Saunders has been an endodontist for over forty years. In that time, he has amassed a wealth of dental knowledge and expertise. I’ve seen him gain access to a calcified canal that would vex a lesser endodontist. He often finds a fourth canal in a previously treated tooth which that doctor missed. He’s in this field to save teeth and he does. Daily. If Continue Reading
A NEW BEGINNING
For 31 years I have been practicing dental hygiene in a small practice setting. By small, I mean one doctor, one assistant, two hygienists, and one office manager. It was all I knew. As a shy and quiet person, a large office was out of my comfort zone. Imagine my surprise when Dr. Hirshfield announced on December 22nd that we would be merging with Dental Associates of Walpole and as of January 1st, they would be our new employers. Within hours of hearing the news, we were in our cars and headed over to Dental Associates of Walpole for a Continue Reading
Concussions from a Mom’s Perspective
I have 5 children, 4 of which grew up playing sports. From basketball to hockey to lacrosse my kids were always, and one still is, playing sports. As a mom, the hardest thing to do is see a child get injured from playing the sport they love. It is also difficult trying to manage all the protective gear necessary to play each sport. Safety equipment is necessary, and my kids never argued about wearing it all…. except when it came to the mouthguard. It did not matter which sport, none of them ever wore one without a fight. I have Continue Reading
How cavities form and how we treat them
Cavities are decay in teeth that we treat with fillings. Here is a little tooth anatomy. The crown of your tooth has an outer layer called enamel, which is very hard. The next level is called dentin, which is slightly less hard. For a cavity to form it requires bacteria. Bacteria is in your saliva and can adhere to the outer layer of your teeth. When it adheres to your teeth it creates what is called a biofilm. The biofilm helps the bacteria aggregate and remain on your teeth. The biofilm uses carbohydrates (sugar) for food and after it digests Continue Reading