Gum disease, also called periodontal disease, is a widespread problem in the United States and can have a terrible impact on your health. It has been linked to serious health conditions, including heart disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that “47.2% of adults aged 30 years and older have some form of periodontal disease.” This is a huge number and, unfortunately, children are also susceptible. However, gum disease can be treated and, even better, c

If you are considering braces for yourself or your child, all the information about options, length of treatment, and finances can seem so overwhelming that you may easily forget to consider an important factor, how does this even work? For the most part, we take for granted the fact that braces do work. However, the science behind how braces move your teeth is both interesting and helpful to know if you are considering them. Going into your appointment with an understanding

Tooth decay in infants or toddlers is so prevalent that, according to the CDC, cavities are the most common chronic disease among children and adolescents. In young children, tooth decay is called early childhood caries (ECC), and the cause is important to know so you can be proactive in preventing it. No parent wants to take their toddler to the dentist to get fillings, but how can cavities be prevented? Is it true that bottle or breastfeeding can cause cavities? To answer t

Your dentist recommended that you or your child get braces or other orthodontic treatment, so where do you go from here? If you are new to orthodontics, the sheer number of treatment options may be mind-boggling. Questions abound. Is there a difference in results between bracket braces and invisible braces? Will my child need rubber bands? What do rubber band even do? Why might my child need headgear? We have compiled a handy guide to the differences in standard orthodontic t

Thumb sucking is so natural for babies that it is hard to imagine it could possibly harm them. Some of the cutest ultrasounds even show babies sucking their thumb while still in their mother’s womb. It helps them self soothe and is especially helpful during the pain of teething. Yet, many mothers have been told that they need to stop their child’s thumb sucking because it will cause problems with their teeth. Is this true? If so, how soon should you stop your child’s thumb su

A Guide to Prices, Benefits, and Payment Solutions Your orthodontist has stated that you or your child needs braces. Now what? You know that quality orthodontic care is essential to the body’s overall health. Aesthetically, protruding or crooked teeth can take a toll on a child or adult’s self-esteem. Beyond aesthetics, crooked or severely crowded teeth can prevent proper brushing or flossing, making the mouth more vulnerable to tooth and gum decay. Misaligned jaws or incorre

It is so exciting when your child gets their first loose tooth. They wiggle and play with the loose tooth, talk about it all the time, and get excited about a possible visit from the tooth fairy. This is just the beginning of a long process of all their baby teeth being replaced by permanent teeth. What if something happens and a permanent tooth grows in wrong? What if the incisors come in before their baby teeth come out? Or, what happens when the canine teeth stick out, or

Fluoride, like so many things these days, is a controversial topic, with most people either strongly for or against it. On one side, people claim that the research from many decades supports the use of fluoride. On the other side, there are claims that it is a toxin and there are other natural substances that work better. So, what is the truth? What are the benefits and disadvantages of fluoride and how much is safe? First, fluoride is a natural substance found in the soil, w

When a child loses their first tooth, it’s a big milestone! As children start to show their jack-o-lantern smiles, parents often start to wonder how the adult teeth might grow in. With the naked eye, it is completely impossible to tell what your child’s smile will look like once they have their full set of adult teeth. Will there be crowding? Will they have crooked front teeth or an overbite? Did their thumb sucking causing permanent problems? More importantly, how can you se

We all know that it is important to go to the dentist for regular cleanings and checkups, but did you know that your dentist is doing much more than cleaning during your appointment? The health of your whole mouth is important, and your dentist conducts a variety of screenings to determine the status of your oral health. In addition to cavities and gum disease, a dentist can even find signs of sinus infections, diabetes and oral cancer. Pediatric dentists have additional thin

As children’s bodies grow and change, it is very hard to juggle every milestone with the next step in preventive dental and oral health care. Most parents may not even think to ask, “When does my child need to visit the orthodontist for the first time?” While braces and orthodontia are often associated with the pre-teen and teenage years, it is recommended that a child’s first orthodontic evaluation is scheduled at the age of 6 or 7. This may seem early, but there is good rea

Welcome to the Jungle!!! At Jungle Roots Children’s Dentistry, we strive to provide the highest comprehensive children’s dental care in a unique, fun-filled environment staffed by a team of caring, energetic professionals. Every aspect of our practice is designed to fulfill this mission statement, so you and your family will enter our offices knowing that every member of our staff is dedicated to providing you with the best possible dental experience. Environment plays a part

Animals have teeth with specific shapes, sizes and quantities depending on what they eat and what their teeth need to be used for. Predators need sharper pointy teeth, while grazers need strong flat teeth. In the last few posts we have learned about the differences and similarities in the teeth of humans and other mammals but what about other types of animals like reptiles, fish and birds? Are their teeth like ours? Do they even have teeth? Additionally, nature is not always

In the last two posts, we learned interesting facts about incisors and canine teeth in humans and animals. Now it is time to learn about molars and how they work with the other teeth. They are one of the most diverse types of teeth, and while some animals have smaller, sharp molars others have huge flat molars. They need to be strong enough to withstand the massive pressure of biting down. A hyena’s bite force is 1100 pounds per square inch and their molars are strong enough

Did you know that a canine tooth is the longest human tooth ever extracted? It was pulled from a boy in India last year and measured a whopping 1.44 inches! Just imagine how tough it would be to eat and speak with a tooth that long in your mouth. The tooth currently holds the guinness world record. So why do we have teeth named after a dog? Actually, most mammals, particularly the predatory carnivores and omnivores, have canine teeth. These are the longer pointed teeth on the

Teeth do many different jobs. Humans use their teeth to break down food by chewing, bite, speak and even to smile. Other mammals also use their teeth to grind, stab, tear, chew, and a few species dig with them. Elephants sometimes use their tusks, which are giant teeth, to lift things. Most reptiles and fish also have teeth, and even a few bird species have something similar to teeth. The shape of a tooth can help you to figure out what species it belongs to, what job the too

There is so much conflicting information about x-rays, their safety and how often they should be used, so what is the truth? How can you know what is best for your child? Why are dental x-rays even necessary? A dentist can learn a lot about the health of your child’s mouth based on visual inspection, but dental x-rays are important for many reasons. When your child’s teeth are close together x-rays allow their dentist to find cavities between the teeth before they become big

The sound of grinding teeth is awful, and it can be a bit frightening to hear your child do it, particularly when they grind while sleeping, but is it something to worry about? Can it cause lasting problems? Is it something a child will grow out of? The official name for grinding teeth is called bruxism, and this condition includes clenching, grinding or gnashing teeth, while asleep or awake. As many as 3 out of 10 kids grind or clench, but many outgrow it. The most common ti

For many years it seemed like nearly everyone had their wisdom teeth removed as a teenager or young adult, but is it really needed? In recent years, many researchers and public health officials have stated that removing healthy wisdom teeth is not required, however, there are circumstances when removing wisdom teeth is beneficial, and even necessary. Wisdom teeth usually grow in between the ages of seventeen to twenty-five and should be evaluated early by a dentist. If they a

We all know that we need to keep our teeth clean, and that they can get cavities, but did you know that teeth are complex and very interesting? They seem like bone but are not. They contain the hardest substance in the human body, and parts of them are alive. They are necessary for biting, chewing and grinding so we can digest our food, but also essential for speech. They are made up of many parts, and each one is unique with a special purpose. First, we have the crown, which