Benefits of Laughing Gas (Nitrous Oxide)

Written by: Dr. Grace Yum

Anxiety and going to the dentist seem to go hand in hand for most people. Dental schools teach future dentists the term "white knuckled": patients who are so terrified that they grab the handles on the dental chair so firmly their knuckles turn white!

Laughing gas, in particular for children, can decrease anxiety in the dental chair and calm patients down so they can comfortably receive dental treatment that they need. Laughing gas is the lightest form of sedation that is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. 

How it works

Laughing gas is inhaled through a mask that sits on the child's nose. The gas goes safely to the lungs and then through the body to help calm the patient down. Unlike medication that is metabolized through the liver, gas is not metabolized by the body, so once treatment is finished, there are no long wait times for the gas to wear off. Not only does it help with anxiety, it can also be an analgesic and help mask pain.

Often used with a numbing agent

Laughing gas is not meant to replace lidocaine, so if a patient needs to be numb for dental work, the dentist should also provide a numbing agent.

Morning is best

Children usually perform better in the morning, so scheduling a morning appontment is highly recommended in order to set up the child for a successful visit. There are eating guidelines as well that your dentist will discuss with you in advance. 

Be sure to ask us about laughing gas: providing a safe, calm and easy experience for your child will set the tone for future dental visits!

www.yummydental.com

Infant Oral Health

A new baby in the house brings so much excitement and joy to the family!  But we all know that new babies can also bring exhaustion! With all that we have to do for a baby, taking care of teeth often falls to the bottom of the "to-do" list. People don't realize that baby teeth can also get cavities and baby teeth that are damaged can damage the adult teeth to come.

There are natural sugars in breast milk and sugars in formula that can cause tooth decay at a young age. Did you know that one of the first ingredients in formula is corn syrup? When a parent nurses or gives a bottle in the middle of the night or during the day the baby's teeth are most often not wiped down or brushed. This can lead to what is called nursing decay or baby bottle decay, which often shows up at the age of 2.

When teeth are badly damaged they may need to be removed due to infection and the fear of the infection spreading and damaging adult teeth that lie underneath. Additionally, the infection can spread to other parts of the body such as the brain.

As a pediatric dentist and a mom of young children, 2.5 years and 10 month old, I know how difficult it can be to brush teeth. So I invented Dr. Yum's Baby Teeth Cleaners to make it quick and effective and safe for babies. IT takes literally 10 seconds to apply and it can protect your baby from developing cavities.

www.dryums.com

What to do if your child's tooth turns grey?

Written by: Dr. Grace Yum

Children frequently fall an injure their teeth, gums and other parts of their mouths, especially during their toddler years. We all know how fast toddlers can be and how curious they are about their surroundings.  They frequently don’t break their falls. 

I regularly have parents bring children in to my office who have fallen and injured their teeth. When that happens, the nerve of the tooth can get damaged. Sometimes blood vessels in the tooth pop – that can discolor a tooth from the inside. But sometimes, the nerve can heal and the tooth can go back to white.  Other times the nerve doesn't heal and the tooth stays discolored until the permanent tooth comes in and replaces it. There is unfortunately no treatment for discolored teeth for toddlers. 

If the tooth gets injured again, it can get infected and an abscess can form. If that occurs, a dentist should evaluate and prescribe antibiotics if necessary.  In this situation, the dentist often must extract the tooth because leaving an infected tooth in place can damage the permanent tooth that is lying underneath it.

Chew on This

Written by: Dr. Grace Yum

Patients often ask me what they should feed their kids in order to prevent cavities and be healthy? The obvious is what not to feed them such as candy, soda, and processed foods.

What about foods and snacks that are labeled as 

"organic" or "no sugar added"? Often parents tell me that they give their kids fruit snacks or dried fruit because 

they are packaged conveniently and because their toddler will actually eat it. Or they will give them fruit and vegetable pouches because it's the only way toddler will eat fruits and vegetables.

Remember to check labels and read the number of grams of sugar. Try to be less than 2 grams of sugar. And remember what the serving size is! Just because food is organic doesn't mean there is no sugar or hidden sugar. And that goes for juice as well. Four ounces of juice a day is recommended by the Academy of Pediatrics. And please be sure to water it down! You are what you eat!

 www.yummydental.com