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Dental & Back to School

BH FRANKLIN DENTAL

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Back to school globally means getting your children and yourself ready for a successful year without any unpleasant interruption to children's learning as well as interruptions to a parent’s work flow. Back to school is an indirect message to our children how important health is and to stay on top of it. It teaches the importance of preventative care as well as catch yearly, treat early to our most loved ones. Prevention and early detection can help avoid pain, trouble eating, difficulty speaking and school absences.

Growing up in the Former Soviet Union, I will tell you dentistry there is not what is in the United States. Even so, my parents made sure we all had our bi annual check ups to make sure we were cavity free. Anesthesia was scarce and sometimes you had to provide your own. Imagine that. Getting dentistry while feeling all the sensations of the healthy nerve reacting; such was the experience of one of my parents. Awful. I practice in the States where so much of everything is available and expected yet patients are afraid, or push off getting the most basic of things -a check up. I get amazed hearing how many children and adults are diagnosed with cavities each year and end up in emergency departments from pain. From my experience once the nerve is reacting it is hard to perform pain free dentistry. Root canals are tolerable when done before the nerve is stimulated and have a better outcome. Not only is there effective anesthesia but also numerous relaxants such as Nitrous Oxide ( known as laughing gas).

Furthermore, a dental cleaning known as a prophylaxis is a cleaning for a person not only with healthy gums. If healthy, a patient will have a great experience with minimal to no sensitivity. However, most patients that "hate" cleanings usually have many indications of diseased gums. Thus, due to inflammation, the patient experiences discomfort while the dentist or the hygienist cleans around their teeth. Periodontal disease is easy to acquire, however, to get rid of it is virtually is impossible. From the experiences my dearest parent went through I wowed as a professional I will educate and provide comprehensive care that each and every single patient will receive under my care indifferent of age. Again I will stress it all goes back to basics - routine check ups.

Emergencies are never pleasant for both adults and kids alike. It affects the child's emotional, mental, and physical state. Some children become traumatized for life. At BH FRANKLIN DENTAL this is one aspect we try very hard to avoid. We work with the parents on how to administer proper oral hygiene, advise them on snacks, teach proper habits though warm techniques. For example, when my children were growing up we had a bedtime routine. Flossing meant spending individual time with mommy or daddy during story time. I would tell them a story or sing them a song while flossing them and brushing them. Our children are seeking our undivided attention and what is the best time other than looking out for their health and bonding with them over flossing / brushing. 

It is a big misnomer to think it is just baby teeth. Just like untreated decay in adults cause tooth ache once near the pulp, so too, decay in a child's tooth causes the same effect. Decay just does not go away without treatment. It actually spreads not only to the teeth adjacent to them but to your organs as well every time you swallow.

Why are premature extractions of baby teeth a problem? Because they hold space for the adult teeth to grow in. Premature extractions will cause drifting and mal-positioning of teeth, thus requiring serious orthodontic work later on in their lives.
Most parents wonder why bring a 2-3 year old in? We would like to see children to come in for their check up as early as the first tooth is out. The reason being is sequence of teeth eruption is important. Oral hygiene and bottle feeding are a major issues of early childhood cavities. Another issue that we look for is an underdeveloped palate which can be the cause of crowding and mouth breathing. Mouth breathing in children is very common. Our mouths were not created to breath through thus the tonsils get inflamed. The job of the nasal passage is to purify the air we breathe. It was designed to clean it from viruses, bacteria and fungus. Our mouths were not. Under developed palate is a floor of the nasal passage, thus it decreases air we and our children bring to our body. Reduced oxygen in the body as you understand affects our mental, physical, cognitive health and our performance no matter what age level you are. Most of these problems are easier to correct when caught earlier.

A trip to a comprehensive dental office contemplates all of the above factors. Your mouth is the a gateway to your body! A trip to a dental office is more than just a cleaning or reacting to pain. It is a trip to make you a healthier you.

Dr Nina Babayev
BH Franklin Dental
405 Franklin Avenue,
Franklin Square, NY 11010
516- 233- 1227
Bhfranklindental.com