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What You Need to Know About COVID-19, Gum Disease, and Your Child

Feb 17
5 min

What You Need to Know About COVID-19, Gum Disease, and Your Child

Gum disease affects over 50% of adults and, while cases in children and adolescents are less prevalent, there is still a risk. In this age of COVID-19, the ramifications can be even more widespread: gum diseases make COVID-19 patients three times more likely to develop severe symptoms and experience complications. As we find out more about this disease and how it can cause such a severe response in some people, dentists are discovering that preventing and treating gum disease

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What Jungle Roots is Doing to Protect Your Family from COVID-19

Feb 2
5 min

What Jungle Roots is Doing to Protect Your Family from COVID-19

Dental care is considered essential health care by both the ADA and the CDC (1,2), and we definitely agree! Amazingly, infection control practices that have been in effect for years are helping to make visits to the dentist during this COVID-19 era quite safe (3). In fact, one study found that less than 1% of dentists have tested positive for COVID-19, which is much lower than all other healthcare professions (3). Extra measures (as recommended by the CDC and ADA) that dental

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Can You Get Braces If You’ve Had Dental Work Done?

Jan 26
5 min

Can You Get Braces If You’ve Had Dental Work Done?

Have you had root canals or crowns done on your teeth and are unsure about whether braces would work for you now? Are you missing teeth, but would like braces to help straighten the rest of your remaining teeth-or perhaps to help close the gap? With the American Association of Orthodontists reporting the number of adults seeking orthodontic care rose to a whopping 1,690,000 in 2016, you’re most certainly not alone! Adults are increasingly seeking orthodontic care for various

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Are White Spots on Baby Teeth Harmful?

Jan 19
6 min

Are White Spots on Baby Teeth Harmful?

Perhaps you’re sharing a meal with your kiddo, or you’re playing and joking around, when your child grins or open their mouth wide - and you notice a few white spots on their teeth! You think: is that white spot new, or has that always been there? And more importantly, is it a sign that something is wrong? The answer to both of those questions will depend on the cause. Demineralization One of the most common causes of white spots is demineralization, which is the beginning st

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32 Wild, Wacky, and Fascinating Ways the World Has Thought about Teeth Throughout History

Jan 12
7 min

32 Wild, Wacky, and Fascinating Ways the World Has Thought about Teeth Throughout History

As we begin a new year, it’s always fun to reflect on the highlights of years past. For us here at Jungle Roots, it’s interesting to think about how far the dental and orthodontic professions have come since the earliest days of tooth care. Join us as we take a walk-through time and look at some wild and wacky ways the world has thought about teeth throughout history. ANIMALS IN DENTAL FOLKLORE Some of the original dentures of the past were made from hippopotamus teeth, altho

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5 Key Points You Should Know About Mouthwash

Jan 5
5 min

5 Key Points You Should Know About Mouthwash

We all know by now that a healthy mouth requires good oral hygiene: brushing twice a day, flossing daily, and regular check-ups and cleanings. What about mouthwash? It isn’t mentioned as often, so is it necessary? What is mouthwash used for and does it even work? Is it safe for kids? Read on to learn the answers to these questions and more. 1. Flavor is not the only thing to consider when picking out mouthwash. It may surprise you to learn that mouthwash can have different ac

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Tips and Tricks for Cleaning Your Braces and Aligners When Not at Home

Dec 22, 2020
7 min

Tips and Tricks for Cleaning Your Braces and Aligners When Not at Home

Whenever you eat away from home, how do you deal with food getting stuck in your braces or aligners? Or worse--what if something damages your orthodontics while you’re traveling? These are common problems, but they don’t always come with easy solutions. We’ve done a little research on what works best for our patients, plus a little investigating into what others have found effective and ended up with some great remedies! Follow along and consider which of these tips and trick

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Fascinating Facts About the Human Tongue

Dec 1, 2020
7 min

Fascinating Facts About the Human Tongue

The tongue is an interesting part of the human body, but many of us don’t ever think about it unless our tongue hurts. We could live without a tongue, but it would be much more difficult to eat and speak without it. Since it is one of our main sense organs, food wouldn’t taste nearly as enjoyable without the tongue. It also can give us interesting clues to some health problems. We have compiled this list of some of the most intriguing tongue facts, and helpful health insights

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When Should Baby Teeth Be Pulled?

Nov 24, 2020
6 min

When Should Baby Teeth Be Pulled?

Pulling a perfectly healthy baby tooth… Why would you even consider this? Interestingly, it can be an incredibly important step in preventing orthodontic problems. We always recommend the most conservative treatment option and often opt to wait and see if your child’s mouth will develop naturally. However, for some kids, extracting a baby tooth that won’t come out on its own can eliminate or minimize future orthodontic treatment. Let’s talk about when this may be the best opt

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Do smoking, vaping, or smoking a hookah harm your mouth and braces?

Nov 17, 2020
6 min

Do smoking, vaping, or smoking a hookah harm your mouth and braces?

The good news is that tobacco smoking among Americans has decreased in prevalence from 40% in the 1960s to around 14% in the year 2017. The bad news? Habits like vaping and water pipe (hookah) smoking are on the rise, primarily among teens and young adults, mostly due to the misconception that they are harmless (1). While most of us are aware of how damaging cigarettes can be to the mouth and overall health, the newer habits of vaping and waterpipe (hookah) smoking are a bit

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How to Handle a Cracked Tooth

Nov 5, 2020
5 min

How to Handle a Cracked Tooth

Halloween candy is a delicious temptation that few people resist. Before you indulge in all the leftovers, you may want to know that certain kinds of candy could crack a tooth. Sometimes you can hear or feel the crack, but many times it can be small enough that you don’t even notice. No matter the size, it is important to get a cracked tooth evaluated and treated right away. Read on to learn more about the interesting symptoms of a cracked tooth, common causes that can be av

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Tips on Taking Care of Your Retainer

Oct 27, 2020
6 min

Tips on Taking Care of Your Retainer

At Jungle Roots, we pride ourselves on achieving optimal results with all of our patients. Once your freshly aligned teeth are finished here, it’s up to you to keep them in their best condition and contact us if you need help. Aside from continuing the good dental hygiene habits we taught you, one item in particular will need regular upkeep as it’s essential to keeping your newly straightened pearly whites in line. This item - the key to preventing your teeth from drifting ou

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Dental Visits Are Safe, Essential

Oct 21, 2020
1 min

Dental Visits Are Safe, Essential

During ABC’s Good Morning America (10/19) show, medical correspondent Dr. Jen Ashton responded to viewers’ coronavirus questions, including whether it is safe to receive nonemergency dental care during the pandemic. The ADA and the CDC say “dental care is considered essential health care,” noted Dr. Ashton, and “dentists have been taking extreme precautions” since even “before the coronavirus pandemic.” With this in mind, “you should not delay dental care,” said Dr. Ashton. T

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What to Do When Illnesses Cause Sores in Your Child’s Mouth

Oct 20, 2020
5 min

What to Do When Illnesses Cause Sores in Your Child’s Mouth

As parents, it is difficult to watch our children feel miserable when they have a childhood illness. Oftentimes, all you can do is try to minimize their discomfort and get them to eat a little bit and drink enough to keep from getting dehydrated. So, what happens when an illness like hand, foot, and mouth disease or chickenpox causes sores or blisters in their mouth? Foods they normally would eat when sick may cause pain and just the thought of brushing their teeth is awful.

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Why Does Your Smile Change as You Age?

Oct 13, 2020
6 min

Why Does Your Smile Change as You Age?

Have you ever thought about how your smile might look different as you get older? Even if you maintain perfect dental hygiene and avoid bad habits like smoking, natural shifts and gradual changes can make a youthful smile appear vastly different as age sets in. Loss of bone density over time, repeated pressure placed on certain areas of the mouth, teeth grinding, missing or loose teeth, and other issues can lead to a significantly different look than your once-brilliant smile

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Top 5 Ways Teen Athletes Can Keep Their Teeth Healthy

Oct 6, 2020
5 min

Top 5 Ways Teen Athletes Can Keep Their Teeth Healthy

It seems like everyone wants beautiful teeth these days. Braces and whitening products have become the norm for teenagers, but it may seem like brushing, flossing, whitening, and wearing braces are the only way to impact your teeth, and the rest is up to chance and genetics. That actually isn’t true at all! There are 5 important steps teens, and teen athletes can take to have a beautiful healthy smile. 1. Mouthguards First things first – you can’t keep teeth healthy after the

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9 Awesome Crafts and Some Helpful Hints for Remote Learning

Sep 22, 2020
6 min

9 Awesome Crafts and Some Helpful Hints for Remote Learning

Everyone’s lives look different these days. Some kids are back to school, some are modified and only online part-time, others are completely remote, some kids are not going back until the new semester, and many of us are experiencing change from month-to-month. All this change comes with challenges, and many challenges that we are hearing about have to do with online learning. We have put together a few useful tips to help out your kids and families, and included a few fun, s

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Healthy lunch and snack ideas when you can’t brush your teeth afterward...

How We Treat an Underbite

Sep 8, 2020
5 min

How We Treat an Underbite

Have you ever seen someone push their lower jaw forward when they are angry, pouting, or stressed? In this position, their lower jaw is so far forward that the bottom front teeth jut in front of the upper teeth. In some people, their lower jaw always sits in this position no matter how they are feeling. While it is not a problem if it happens occasionally, if it is the jaw’s normal alignment it is called an underbite. Unlike an overbite, which may safely be left alone if it i

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The Legend of the Tooth Fairy and other Ways the World Celebrates Children’s Growing Teeth