By staggering the loss of the front upper and lower primary teeth, children are assured of having at least half of their biting power at all times. This won't help if they want to whistle, but they'll look cute in family photos.

Permanent tooth eruption follows a well-designed sequence that is similar to when the primary teeth erupted, beginning with the lower front teeth.

However, one set of permanent molars come in about the same time as the new lower front teeth. The timing of the molars' eruption allows your child to maintain adequate and complete chewing ability. Improperly chewed food affects the digestive process and would prevent your child from maintaining proper nutrition for growth and development.

The chart shows the permanent teeth eruption sequence.

1. Lower central incisors and upper and lower 1st molars

2. Lower lateral incisors and upper central incisors

3. Upper lateral incisors

4. Lower canines

5. Upper 1st premolars

6. Upper 2nd premolars and 1st lower premolars

7. Upper canines and lower 2nd premolars

8. Lower 2nd molars

8/9. Upper 2nd molars

10. Lower and upper 3rd molars

It seems incredible that 32 permanent teeth are going to fit where 20 primary teeth reside. A child's jawbones are actively growing at a rapid pace during the tooth development years, so they are fully prepared to accept the new members.

It's important to take good care of primary teeth and make regular dental appointments for your child. If baby teeth are lost too early (from decay, for instance), the jawbone will fill in. Then the permanent teeth will tip and crowd, and your child will likely need orthodontics.

Questions or concerns? Call us today. We'll help keep your child's teeth beautiful for whistling and those family photos.

It's easy to use. The price is low. But the effect of an over-the-counter (OTC) whitening pen may not be what you expected.

OTC ads for tooth whitening pens, strips and gels lure you in with dramatic pictures and convincing results, but they don't tell you the whole story, such as

The condition of your teeth, your genetics and your lifestyle affect your results. The ad says your teeth will be four shades whiter in one week, but you may not see a difference for six weeks, and it may be only 1 shade lighter.

You must follow directions. Some people struggle maintaining a strict regimen. If you skip a treatment now and then, you will not see a difference in whiteness in an even longer period of time.

You should not use an OTC whitening product if you have braces, composite (white) fillings, crowns, bridges, dentures, and the like. A whitening product affects only natural tooth enamel; thus, you could end up with teeth of different colors. If you just had a crown placed, we would need to replace it with a crown that matched the shade of your whitened teeth. That inexpensive OTC whitener just cost you a whole lot more money.

You should not whiten your teeth if you have periodontal disease, cavities or thin tooth enamel. Whitening products soften tooth enamel. Your teeth need strong enamel to protect them from decay.

Should you whiten your teeth if you are pregnant? Please consult with your physician or obstetrican.

OTC whitening doesn't take the place of professional whitening treatments. Your teeth will not be dazzling white with one OTC treatment.

If you want a whitening treatment that can last up to one year, call and schedule an appointment. We'll gladly discuss your whitening goals with you!

Rolling dice and playing poker are popular ways to try to beat the odds and win money. But when it concerns your health, like betting against the house, gambling with tongue cancer is a sure loser. The American Cancer warns that over 34,000 new oral cancer cases will be diagnosed this year. Sadly, 50 percent of those victims have only a 5-year survival rate. The majority of those cancer cases will be people under 30 years old.

Tongue cancer is an unforgiving disease whose origin is not well-established, but research is showing encouraging results unmasking this vicious disease.

A surprising study concludes that tongue cancer may be directly associated with periodontal disease (perio, for short). Perio is a chronic dental infection that results in jawbone and tooth loss. Some of the bacteria that naturally live in your mouth create waste products that cause perio. Scientists think those waste products are toxic to the surrounding, healthy cells. The infection exposes the cells to substances that are known to cause cancer.

According to the study, the odds of developing tongue cancer are over five times greater for every millimeter of dental bone loss the patient has. [A millimeter is about the thickness of a dime.]

Using early detection tools, we can diagnose oral cancer and perio when they are in their early stages and much easier to manage. Perio is unlike other oral diseases because doesn’t hurt, and there is no cure. We can only control it.

If you gamble with your health, place your money where the odds are in your favor: on good home oral care and regular dental examinations.

Call and schedule an exam. Preventing oral diseases and taking care of your teeth is a sure bet.

Valentine's Day is every day; tell your sweetie that chocolate may be just what the doctor ordered. Chocolate, the ultimate feel good snack of chocoholics, has been given a scientific thumbs up. Researchers discovered that dark chocolate contains tannin, a bitter-tasting substance that can prevent cavities.
Tannin prevents oral decay-causing bacteria from using sugars and starches to produce acid that pulls minerals out of your tooth enamel.

Tannin is found in many foods, such as

* several varieties of berries (blueberries, cranberries and strawberries),
* apple and grape juices,
* grapes,
* red beans,
* red wine,
* fish or meats cured or smoked in some woods, and
* the spices cinnamon and cumin.

If you have ever bitten into an unripened fruit, puckered and made a squinty face, that pucker is caused by tannin.

Your favorite black tea and raisins also contain tannin.

Raisins have gotten a bad rap over the years. Many people think they are junk food because of their high sugar content, but new research shows that bacteria are unable to stick to your teeth after you eat raisins. However, any food left on your teeth, healthy or not, can cause decay.

It's important to limit the amount of snacks you eat and not graze throughout the day. Remember, even though a snack food may help your teeth, it should not take the place of a balanced, nutritional diet.

Wait 20 minutes to brush your teeth after eating an acidic food because acid weakens tooth enamel, and waiting lets the enamel reharden.

Foods that have beneficial qualities are not a substitute for good oral care. It's important to brush with a non-abrasive fluoride toothpaste twice daily, floss at least once each day and have regular check-ups.

Maybe this year you can give your sweetheart a heart-shaped box of chocolate toothpaste. OK, maybe not.

Dentists and hygienists are like 007 or Sherlock Holmes. We're always looking for danger in dark, out-of-the-way places. Fluoridated water and better oral hygiene have driven decay into hiding. And we're there with our smarts and high-tech gadgets to drive it out.

Tooth enamel is softened when you eat sugary or carbohydrate foods and beverages. Decay-causing bacteria penetrate the soft enamel and hide under the enamel's surface. There are oral care products that reharden softened tooth enamel. Unfortunately, any decay-causing bacteria trapped underneath the rehardened enamel can continue to do damage.

That makes it almost impossible for us to detect the decay in traditional ways.

When looking for decay that isn't obvious to the naked eye, we first use an explorer. That's a thin, metal instrument used to gently touch the surfaces of your teeth. If the explorer sticks to an area, we suspect decay; but it can't find decay below the surface. X-rays are the other most common way to look for decay, but they can be misleading and miss decay, too.

Enter DIAGNOdent. It's a handheld device about the size of a pen that bounces a laser beam off your tooth. A reading appears on a small screen, and the DIAGNOdent emits a sound. If the reading and tone indicate an early stage caries lesion, we probably won't need to drill. We might use a minimally invasive air abrasion procedure to "blow" away the tiny spot. [bottom image]

The DIAGNOdent is painless, uses no radiation and is 90 percent accurate. The old probe combined with a visual exam and x-rays missed tiny surface caries lesions about 40 percent of the time.

You will be delighted how easy your dental exams can be when we use high tech tools like DIAGNOdent to uncover hidden problems

It's no secret. Looking for a job is nerve wracking. And in a down economy the competition is fierce. But there's one thing that can help you land the offer: a great smile.

Studies show that people who have bright, white teeth are perceived to be more successful, attractive, intelligent and healthier, and you deserve to be one of those people.

Teeth become dark and stained for many reasons, including everyday wear and tear. Time takes its toll on your teeth, causing micro fractures in tooth enamel. Food debris and foods or beverages such as red wine, carrots, tea, colas and coffee, for example, fill in the micro cracks and stain your teeth. Nicotine in tobacco leaves a dark brown deposit on your teeth and is not easily removed with brushing.

In most situations, professional, chairside tooth whitening can have an instant effect on tooth stains. In-office whitening is the safest and fastest way to have white, sparkling teeth. In as little as 1 hour your teeth can be as much as six shades whiter. We may also send an at-home whitening kit with you to continue working on those tough stains.

Using an over-the-counter product is a slow process because the whitening product cannot be as strong as we can use in the office. It can take as long as four weeks to notice any color difference.

Already, there are myths and misinformation swarming about the wonder ingredient, xylitol.

Xylitol protects your teeth in two ways. First, it puts decay-causing bacteria on a starvation diet. Hungry bacteria can't reproduce and their numbers drop off. Second, xylitol also creates a slippery surface on your teeth’s enamel so plaque and bacteria can't latch on.

Xylitol's naturally sweet taste and 20 years of clinical research on the dental benefits now have it showing up in oral care products like mouthwash and toothpaste. It is also being put in chewing gums, candy, baby pacifiers and lozenges.

Now, let's bust some myths.

Making xylitol will decimate forests. Xylitol originally was a product of the birch tree, but any woody-stem plant can be used to produce xylitol. In fact, most xylitol is made from corncobs.

Xylitol is only for kids. It certainly benefits children because we know that tooth decay is the number one chronic (and preventable) childhood disease. Fact is, xylitol benefits anyone who is at risk for tooth decay, especially some elderly adults who are unable to take care of their oral health.

Xylitol is just another sugar substitute. No. It is produced from the natural sugar xylose that is extracted from plants.



The effect doesn't last long. Studies show that new mothers who chewed or ate 6-10 grams of xylitol every day for two years passed fewer decay-causing bacteria to their child. Dental exams showed that childhood decay decreased by 70 percent three years after the study ended. Some studies showed benefits six years later!

If I chew gum I'll get TMD. That is unlikely unless you already have problems with your temporomandibular joint (the hinge that moves your jaw). A stick of xylitol gum is chewed for only 5 minutes. If you're not a gum chewer, try mints, granulated xylitol, or toothpaste.

Remember, using products with xylitol is a good supplement to your oral care but will not replace brushing and flossing.

Any oral care routine needs to be followed up by regular dental exams. Call today and schedule your next exam. We can give you more information about xylitol products while you are here.

Diabetes and teeth. There's more to the relationship than you might imagine, especially if your diabetes is not under control. Of course, what you eat with those teeth affects your diabetes, but if you get gum disease, your diabetes will worsen. It's a vicious circle that looks like this:

Sugary or starchy foods and beverages elevate your blood sugar level. An unchecked increase in blood sugar feeds decay-causing bacteria that live in your mouth. If plaque and tartar accumulate undisturbed on your teeth, the tarter that harbors the bacteria irritates your gums. Your gums become sore, red and swollen, and they might bleed when you brush your teeth. Uncontrolled bacteria progresses to a chronic infection called periodontitis.

Here's where diabetes and unhealthy teeth lock horns.

Periodontitis causes your blood sugar to rise. More blood sugar jeopardizes your diabetic treatment because you'll need more insulin to control your diabetes. Elevated blood sugar prevents your body from effectively fighting the periodontal infection. Healing power dramatically decreases.

You break this cycle by following a healthy, diabetic diet and treatment program and by maintaining a daily oral care routine. Brush!-with a soft-bristled toothbrush at least twice each day. Use a tongue scraper to clean the surface bacteria off your tongue.

Floss after you brush. If you have trouble using regular floss, we can find a suitable replacement for you.Use oral care products specifically for diabetics; ask us for a recommendation.

It doesn't come up much in polite conversation, but saliva is important. In fact, if saliva had a theme song, it would be "You Have a Friend in Me."

Saliva-that runny stuff that fills your mouth when you think about eating a lemon or that leaves your mouth high and dry when you snore-is on the front line of defense against cavities.

Certain medications, chemotherapy, or even stress can cause your mouth to consistently dry out to dangerous levels. Without a healthy saliva flow, decay-causing bacteria attach to the tooth surface where they quickly grow into a mob-type colony called "biofilm" that robs precious minerals from tooth enamel. When calcium and phosphorous are stolen from your teeth, the tooth surface softens, which opens a gateway for tooth decay.

A healthy saliva flow constantly bathes your teeth with enamel building minerals and lays down a protective barrier on clean teeth. Your saliva naturally contains buffers that affect the acid produced by bacteria. Saliva flushes away waste products that could harm your teeth. It teams up with your immune system to repel bacteria that cause gingivitis, which is the beginning stage of gum disease (periodontitis). If you notice that your gums are swollen and red, you likely have gingivitis.

Saliva helps you chew and swallow food and talk. Saliva, a very important body fluid, is your best friend.