The Laser Dental Group

It's undeniable that fluoride has played a major role in the decline of dental cavities in the United States.  However what isn't so clear to many parents is whether or not fluoride treatments are safe and/or beneficial for children. After all, children receive fluoride on a regular basis from many different types of foods and even water.  Through these sources alone, minerals lost due to plaque, bacteria and sugars are  remineralized on teeth. So, is an additional fluoride treatment at the dentists necessary and if so, at what age are the treatments most beneficial? Read on to find out. Why You Should Consider Fluoride Treatments For Your Child While it's true that fluoride found in foods and water can replace lost minerals, it sometimes isn't enough to strengthen teeth and protect against cavities.  In fact, if you don't consume enough natural fluoride, demineralization will occur much more quickly than remineralization, leaving enamel at risk and causin...

Give Kids A Smile Program On February 6th The Laser Dental Group participated in the American Dental Association Event "Give Kids A Smile". Dr. Ivy Injung Hwang along with Registered Dental Hygienist Marcia McCallum had both volunteered their time and services, to provide dental screenings, treatments and education to children in New Jersey. Give Kids a Smile is a program that was started by The American Dental Association in 2003 and has grown into 40,000 plus volunteers servicing more than 350,000 children. Children were seen in our Union office, located on 1205 Coolidge Avenue. To learn more about Early Dental Care  visit   www.TheLaserDentalGroup.com Dr. Ivy Injung Hwang and Registered Dental Hygienist Marcia McCallum 

Tooth Decay As you might guess, the number-one dental problem among preschoolers is tooth decay . One out of 10 two- year-olds already have one or more cavities By age three, 28% of children have one or more cavities By age five, nearly 50% of c hildren have one or more cavities Many parents assume that cavities in baby teeth don't matter, because they'll be lost anyway. But that's not true. Dental decay in baby teeth can negatively affect permanent teeth and lead to future dental problems. Teaching Good Dental Habits The best way to protect your child's teeth is to teach him good dental habits. With the proper coaching he'll quickly adopt good oral hygiene as a part of his daily routine . However, while he may be an enthusiastic participant, he won't yet have the control or concentration to brush his teeth all by himself. You'll need to supervise and help him so that the brush removes all the plaque—the soft, sticky, bacteria-...

In February, the American Dental Association updated its recommendation to caregivers of young children.  The old recommendation was using water to brush the teeth of children younger than 2 years old and to brush the teeth of children 2 to 6 years old with a pea-size amount of fluoride toothpaste.  The Council on Scientific Affairs (CSA) is updating its guidance to caregivers that they should brush their children’s teeth with fluoride toothpaste as soon as the first tooth comes in.  To help prevent children’s tooth decay, the CSA recommends that caregivers use a smear of fluoride toothpaste (or an amount about the size of a grain of rice) for children younger than 3 years old and a pea-size amount of fluoride toothpaste for children 3 to 6 years old. The new guidance is intended to provide children with the full benefit of cavity protection while limiting their risk of developing fluorosis, which is a mild discoloration of teeth usually appearing as faint lines...