Ways to get your kids to brush their teeth

Brushing and Flossing Your Child's Teeth

Pediatric Dentist Chicago

Orthodontist Chicago

Brushing
Most children spend less than a minute brushing their teeth. Oral health care professionals recommend, however, that they brush for two to three minutes. If it helps, try putting a timer in the bathroom or giving your child a toothbrush with a timer built in. This way, your child will know how long to brush. Or, have them brush for the length of a song, which is generally two to three minutes.

It's especially important that your child brush his or her teeth before going to bed at night. The eight to 10 hours your child is asleep gives bacteria lots of time to feast on food particles left on the teeth and produce enamel-eating acid. The flow of saliva in the mouth also is lower at night so food is less likely to be washed off the teeth.

The technique for brushing your child's teeth is the same whether you do it or he or she does it. If your child is too young to do it him or herself, it may be easiest to cradle his or her head in your one arm while keeping your other hand free to brush.

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To brush your child's teeth:

1. Place the toothbrush alongside the teeth. The bristles should be at a 45-degree angle to the gum line.
2. Gently move the brush in a small circular motion cleaning one tooth at time. Be sure to have a system so you don't miss any teeth. For instance, you might start with the bottom back tooth and work your way to the front, then repeat on the opposite side of the mouth before switching to the top teeth.
3. Brush across the chewing surfaces, making sure the bristles get into the grooves and crevices. Clean the side of the teeth that face the tongue using the same circular motion. Again, start in the back and work your way forward. Remember to brush the inside of the top teeth, too.
4. Brush your child's tongue lightly to remove bacteria and keep breath smelling good.
5. Have your child rinse his or her mouth with water.

Most children miss the molars and the tongue sides of the bottom teeth when brushing. Be sure to pay special attention to these areas.

Flossing
Once any two of your child's teeth touch each other, it's time to start flossing. Flossing helps prevent cavities by removing plaque and food particles caught between teeth. It should be an important part of your child's dental routine.

Your child should be able to floss his or her own teeth by the time he or she is 9 years old. To floss younger children's teeth, place them in your lap facing you. The technique is the same, no matter who is doing it. To floss your child's teeth:

1. Take about 18 inches of dental floss and wrap one end around each of your middle fingers.
2. Using your thumbs and index fingers as guides, gently slide the floss between two teeth, using a saw-like motion.
3. Once at the gum line, pull both ends of the floss in the same direction to form a C shape against one tooth. Pull the floss tightly and move it up and down against one tooth.
4. Pull the floss against the other tooth and repeat the motion.
5. Repeat this for all of the teeth. Be sure to floss both sides of the teeth farthest back in the mouth.

Remember, good oral hygiene is an important part of your child's overall health. Your child can get off to a good start by:

• Seeing a dentist regularly
• Brushing twice a day and flossing at night before bedtime at home
• Getting the right amount of fluoride
• Eating a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables

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Breastfeeding Vs Bottle Feeding

From Dr. Kevin Boyd,  Pediatric Dentist Chicago
in response to a patient's inquiry about breastfeeding and bottle feeding for children.
Pediatric Dentist Chicago

Breastfeeding will be best for your new baby and I encourage you to do this if you are able; if not, please consider minimizing the transition from the bottle, to cup feeding....you can do this very early....and dad can help.

 If you plan to use a bottle, then certainly the Medela Calma seems to be the least harmful to normal growth and development of your baby's teeth jaws and face.  Please also consider pumping your own breastmilk in lieu of commercial formulas for as long as possible...none of them even come close to the superior quality of your own milk.

And finally, Dr.'s Carrie Gosch and Deanna Monroe are 2 of the finest pediatricians in Chicago and many of my patients, and my own daughters, see them or one of their associates; please call our Pediatric Dental Office  to get their number to schedule a pre-delivery appointment with them if you feel it necessary.

Also contact our pediatric dentist office to schedule a pre-natal visit with me if you'd like to ask more questions regarding infant/early childhood feeding, the Calma bottle, etc.; as I was aspiring to be an pediatric dietitian before entering dental school and have a master's degree in nutrition and dietetics, I enjoy diet counseling as a component of my dental practice.

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Pediatric Dentist Chicago

Pediatric Dentist
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A real story from a patient's second visit to Dentistry For Children, to see Dr. Boyd, the Chicago Pediatric Dentist.

Yesterday we took both girls back in for their first of many dental devices. You may remember our first visit back in November which was completely unpleasant for Lucy. This time I asked the hygienist if she could take off her mask and with that, Lucy was calm. Len sat in the chair this time and we let Kate go first so Lucy could watch and see what was going to happen. It made a world of difference because, as has been demonstrated in nearly every video I've taken of them, Lucy insists on doing whatever Kate is doing even if it's unpleasant. Fortunately, the visit was not unpleasant at all. They were both fitted for infant trainers to help align their jaws correctly. True to form, they remain opposite in every way, even in jaw structure. Lucy needs her upper jaw to move forward and Kate needs her lower jaw to move forward.

Kate had it down pat last night but I could only get Lucy to keep it in her mouth if I distracted her with Yo Gabba Gabba. Pick your battles, right?

As for what else is going on in their mouths, here's what I can recall from trying to listen to the dentist while keeping 2 toddlers from destroying his office:

In order to explain, here's a visual to help in case you aren't familiar with tooth development: Kate has 16 teeth and is working on cutting the last 4--the 2nd molars. That's pretty much it. Normal.

Lucy has 13 teeth. She is missing both lateral incisors on her lower jaw and one lateral incisor on her right upper jaw where her cleft was located. She still needs to cut her 2nd molars as well. Since her bottom lateral incisors never came in that means she will not get them as an adult either. As for the top lateral incisor, it could be there in a stunted form or it may not be there at all. It could still come out through her gums or her palate (really hope that doesn't happen as that will cause nasty problems) or it might not ever come out. This all means that she may or may not have this tooth as an adult either.
For now, we wait are taking a wait-and-see approach. We'll work on jaw alignment with the infant trainer and continue that process with different appliances as they get older, shaping the jaw and keeping the canines where they are supposed to be so her face will keep the proper shape. In the past, dentists would just move all the teeth over to fill the gap where teeth are missing. Now, as they have realized that the canines are kind of like the cornerstones or framing of your face, it is best to keep those in their proper location.

The goal with the infant trainers now is for them to wear them 5-10 minutes a few times a day and then to work up to sleeping with them at night. This will also help them continue to breathe through their noses at night which is optimal for good health.

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A real patient's testimonial about their first visit to Dentistry For Children to see Dr. Boyd, Pediatric Dentist in Chicago.

Yesterday we took both girls to the dentist for the first time. We chose a dentist who works closely with our cleft team--Dr. Boyd. He said her lip and palate looked great--actually thought Dr. Vicari had done her lip it looked so good! She has a 2% overbite but she juts her tongue and lower jaw out which makes her appear to have a big underbite which is to basically say that it's all fixable. She screamed (but surprisingly stayed immobile on my lap, clutching my finger) through both the dental exam and the teeth cleaning which was helpful in that we could see all her teeth and her palate but it did make explanations from the dentist a bit difficult to hear. We go back in January to have her fitted for her first appliance to help her jaw form properly--an infant trainer.

Kate was up next and had the total opposite reaction to the masked hygienist and dentist. You can certainly tell which kid has been traumatized by masked doctors and which kid has not. After examining all the instruments and playing with the water wand, Kate reclined back on me and said "AAAHHHH" the whole time her teeth were being cleaned and examined. Got a clean bill of health but he also said the infant trainer could help her too as he can already see that she is going to have overcrowded teeth (sorry kid, that comes from me...) which is going to affect the way her jaw forms. So, she will go back in January as well.

He recommended that Lucy be weaned from the bottle in a month's time but in my opinion that is going to all depend on how quickly she picks up drinking from something else as the majority of her liquids still comes from the bottle. He also wanted Kate off the sippy cup and straws...bottom line, we should all be only drinking out of cups b/c the other types of cups force your jaw into growing in such a way that keep orthodontists in business. I guess that means Starbucks has been good for business with its version of the adult sippy cup!

Amazingly, no cavities for Lucy (or Kate but no surprise there as she's yet to eat candy and doesn't prefer sweet stuff). The dentist was actually really impressed with how good her teeth and mouth looked overall. He said it was obvious that someone was taking care of her nutritionally (which we could tell based on her overall health and her being able to self-limit on food when at the table). But she also received excellent surgeries which is just astounding based on the horror stories we've heard of fistulas, lips sewn too tight, etc. She got the best care she could have under the circumstances.
Lucy recovered quite quickly as soon as the masks came off the staff and the dental bib was removed. She did hug me and try to hide in my shirt as I was standing us up to leave the room but as soon as she saw Kate and Len in the waiting room she perked right up and started laughing and dancing around. It must just be the masked strangers because she loves to have her teeth brushed every night...in fact she's the one with her mouth wide open saying "AAHHH!"

Kate, meanwhile, was upset when the bib was removed and kept asking for both the bib and the toothpaste...I can assure you she's not as thrilled or compliant when I brush her teeth at night, mouth clamped shut or biting the brush. I guess I need the spinny brush and "Mr. Thirsty" (the thing that sucks the water out of your mouth).

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Thank you for visiting our blog! We specialize in providing all kinds of dental care for children and patients with special needs (including orthodontics).

Our main goal is to educate children and their parents about the best ways to take care of teeth and gums to ensure optimal dental health and prevent the onset of dental disease. 

Good dental health begins with proper nutrition, regular brushing and flossing, the right amount of fluoride, and regular professional exams and cleanings.

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Dr. Kevin Boyd, leader in Orthotropics Chicago

 Dr. Kevin L. Boyd, leading pediatric dentist in Chicago, provides leading orthodontic treatment, Orthotropics, to his patients.

Content from Orthotropics.com


Orthodontic clinicians in the past have been severely criticised by scientists for ignoring the scientific evidence. Here are some of the comments about orthodontics from world scientific heavyweights they are “behind homeopathy and on a par with scientology” (Sackett 1985), their work is “based on trial and error” (Johnston 1990), the schools “teach technical skills rather than scientific thinking” (Richards 2000), “Sadly it is hard to see this situation change unless the inadequacy of current knowledge is acknowledged” (Shaw 2000), their treatment of crowding “treats a symptom, not the cause”. (Frankel 2001).


Orthodontists are taught that the size and shape of the jaws is inherited and most of their treatment is based on this belief. Clearly if the teeth were too large for the jaws some teeth would have to be extracted but there is almost no evidence to show that this is true.

Many orthodontists consider crowded teeth are caused by interbreeding between humans with different sized jaws. Biologists do not support this view, and even if a 100 kg Great Dane were crossed with a 1kg Chihuahua the offspring would be unlikely to have a malocclusion. There is evidence to suggest that the size of the teeth and jaws is inherited, but little to suggest that disproportionate growth is.

Some orthodontists believe that evolution has caused jaws to become smaller over the last few thousand years (Walpoff 1975). Certainly crowding has got worse, but this has been mostly within the last 400 years (More 1968), which is far too short a period for an evolutionary change. Also an evolutionary change would have to start in one area and spread, but irregular teeth are found all over the world, wherever people take their standard of living above a certain level.

Despite this overwhelming evidence, most orthodontic treatment is still carried out on the basis that disproportionate jaws are inherited and that little can be done to change them. Based on this belief and in contradiction to the evidence the teeth are moved into line mechanically usually coupled with the extraction of either four or eight permanent teeth. If the jaws are in the wrong position orthodontists may recommend that they are cut and corrected surgically. Many thousands of children and young adults have this surgery each year although a substantial proportion of those who have been told that surgery is the "only answer" have subsequently been corrected with Orthotropics. Despite this surgeons are refusing to tell there patients that there might be an alternative.

Iatrogenic Damage caused by ‘Train Tracks’.
Scientists have clearly shown that ‘train tracks’ can damage both the roots and the enamel. "Over 90% of the roots of the teeth show signs of damage following treatment with fixed appliances". (Kurol, et al 1996). "40% of patients show shortening of more than 2.5mm". (Mirabella and Artun 1995). This is a substantial proportion of the root length and must shorten the life of the teeth. Enamel damage, with fixed appliances, is rapid, widespread and long-term. (Ogaard et al 1988) (Ogaard 1989) (Alexander 1993).
All orthodontists accept that faces can be damaged by inappropriate treatment but they disagree about which approach will cause least damage. "The maxillary retraction associated with ‘train tracks’ (Edgewise) contributes to the poorer aesthetic result." (Battagel 1996) and may be "accompanied by exaggerated vertical facial growth".

It is known that ‘Train Tracks’ tend to lengthen the face ( Lundstrom,A. &Woodside,D.G. 1980) and that longer faces look less attractive’ (Lundstrom et al 1987). However there is little sound research to establish how often or how severe the damage may be.
Twins who are genetically identical still show more contrast in the shape of their jaws than any other part of their skeleton (Krause 1959) showing that much of the variation is due to non-genetic environmental factors such as open mouth postures and unusual swallowing habits that distort the growth of the jaws. Orthodontists in the past have found it difficult to explain why modern children have so much malocclusion but the following new hypothesis appears to fit the known facts better than those put forward previously: -

"Environmental factors disrupt resting oral posture, increasing vertical skeletal growth and creating a dental malocclusion, the occlusal characteristics of which are determined by inherited muscle patterns, primarily of the tongue" (Mew 2004).

Most children with sticking out front teeth are treated by pulling them back. However, if you look at the side of such a child's face, you can see that the fault is often their lower jaw which is too far back (see Antonia below). Almost all orthodontists pull back the top teeth in this situation risking an increase in downward growth with subsequent damage to the face. It is important that prospective patients are warned of this risk, because little research is being done to establish how often it occurs. However Antonia had Orthotropics to take both her upper and lower jaws forward.

In conclusion, space to align the teeth can be provided by extractions and ‘train tracks’ but the crowding is likely to return, especially of the lower front teeth (Little 1988). There is also a risk of damage to the teeth and face. Orthotropics aims to avoid extractions by early correction of the cause rather than later treatment of the result, but is highly dependent on the ability of the child to learn to keep their mouth closed.

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Mom Loves Pediatric Dentist, Dr. Kevin's Passion

June 28, 2011

"I appreciate Dr. Boyd's focus on children's overall health. He stresses the importance of good nutrition and how it affects dental health and how orthodontic work can improve a child's breathing. Dr. Boyd also studies history and anthropology so that he can better understand how our teeth got to where they are today. Gotta love his passion for what he does; I do."
Audrey Zuschlag Chicago



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