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Some of the greatest scientific discoveries occurred by accident. From falling apples, to sandwiches that don’t mold, some of our greatest achievements began as simple analysis of the natural surroundings. Fluoride, one of dentistry’s most powerful tools in the fight against cavities, also has a similar origin story.  

The Colorado Brown Stain

In 1901, a young dental school graduate named Frederick McKay moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado to open a dental practice. Upon his arrival, he was astounded to observe that many of the locals suffered from brown stains on their teeth. After observing this, McKay searched for information about the disorder causing the stains, but couldn’t find anything sufficient.  

Teeth mottling and Dental Fluorosis 

For six years, McKay worked and found that nearly 90% of children native to Colorado Springs suffered from the stain. He gave the brown stain a more technical name (tooth mottling, which was later changed to fluorosis) and were surprised to discover that mottled teeth were highly resistant to tooth decay. While they couldn’t identify a cause for tooth mottling, they noted the anti-cavity effects of the stain and moved on.  

Rocky Mountain Brown Water 

In 1923, McKay went from Colorado Springs to Oakley, Idaho to investigate a recent uptick in tooth mottling in Oakley. The parents told him that the stains began appearing shortly after Oakley constructed a communal water pipeline to a warm spring five miles away. McKay observed the water and found it to be slightly browned by the pipeline. McKay advised town leaders to abandon the pipeline and use a nearby spring as their water source. The town obliged, and within a few years the brown stains disappeared. McKay still hadn’t found the exact cause, but he isolated the source of tooth mottling. 

What Causes the Stain? 

McKay then travelled to Bauxite, Arkansas, where the residents were afflicted with mottled teeth, but nearby towns were not. McKay asked the town to conduct a study on the water, and returned to Colorado. A town chemist named H.V. Churchill analyzed the water with more powerful tools than available to McKay when he was in Oakley. He found high levels of fluoride in the water at Bauxite, which compelled Churchill to write a 5 page letter to McKay, urging him to test samples from Colorado Spring and Oakley for increased levels of fluoride. McKay obliged, and within months, he found the answer to the brown stain problem: increased levels of fluoride were in fact staining teeth.  

National Institute of Health Refines Measurements 

Upon learning of McKay and Churchill’s findings, the National Institute of Health (NIH) decided to investigate water-borne fluoride, and the effects on teeth. The NIH developed a state-of-the-art method to measure fluoride levels in water with an accuracy of 0.1 parts per million (ppm). By the late 1930’s the NIH concluded that fluoride levels up to 1.0 ppm could not cause enamel fluorosis, or brown teeth.  

Schedule an Appointment with Us 

Today, fluoride is added to many communal water sources to improve the quality of water, and aid in the fight against tooth decay. Fluoride is included in many toothpaste, mouthwashes and other oral health care products to help people fight tooth decay at home.  

Visit our office to learn more about how fluoride works, and how it affects your children’s teeth.

Thumb sucking and finger sucking are habits common in many children. In fact, nearly one third of all children suck on their thumbs or fingers in their first year of life. Sadly, thumb sucking is an unhealthy oral habit that can have many different consequences down the line.

Thumb Sucking can Cause Oral Health Problems 

Unfortunately, thumb sucking can lead to many oral developmental issues that negatively affect the development of the mouth. Thumb sucking can casue an open bite, where the top and bottom teeth do not toch when the mouth is closed. It can lead to a narrowing and distortion of the palate and cause abnormal speech and misaligned bite patterns are common.

What Causes Thumb Sucking? 

Boredom, anxiety, anger, hunger, or even sadness can all cause children to suck on their fingers for comfort. Children mostly suck on their thumbs or fingers for comfort from an uncomfortable emotional state or stressful situation. 

Quick Tips to Defeat Thumb Sucking 

If your child hasn’t stopped sucking their thumb or fingers by age 4, then you must wean them from the habit so that they can develop a healthy young smile. By 4 years of age, your child’s mouth will be rapidly developing and thumb sucking can interfere with that process.

Identify their Thumb Sucking Triggers 

The simplest way to prevent thumb sucking is by figuring out what triggers your child to suck their fingers in the first place. If you can identify that, then you can help them adapt their behavior with positive reinforcement, or prepare them for the situation ahead of time. 

Intervene 

The best way to end thumb sucking is by intervening when your child is in the act. Explain to them that thumb sucking is a bad habit, and that it needs to stop so that they can be as healthy as possible.

Take a Family Approach 

You can’t be everywhere at once, so employ the help of your family to help rid your child of the bad habit. Make sure everyone is using the same language and intervention technique so that your child has a consistent understanding of why they need to break the habit.

Divert their Attention 

Diversion is another great method to overcome thumb sucking. If you catch your child sucking their finger, try diverting their attention with their favorite stuffed animal or toy, something that involves their attention and hands, to get them to quit right then and there.

Cover their Thumbs 

You can also make their thumbs less appetizing by wrapping them with Band-Aids, or cloth. This surprisingly simple method works well, and incentivizes children to get their uncovered thumbs back as soon as possible.

Visit Our Office 

Thumb sucking is a bad oral habit that can be fixed with proper knowledge and healthy habits. Schedule an appointment with our office so we can teach your child about the benefits of a healthy smile, and how they can work on one through healthy brushing and flossing, and a mouth-healthy diet. 

In a perfect world teeth would never need maintenance, and every smile would be healthy and bright. But, life isn’t perfect, and teeth sustain a lot of wear over time. Luckily, dental crowns are a fantastic way to combat a number of tooth ailments and improve overall oral health.

Dental Crowns Alleviate Multiple Problems 

Dental crowns are incredibly versatile tools that aid smiles in many ways. They are used to prevent weak teeth from fracturing, as tooth replacements, or to cover a root canal or dental implant. Dental crowns also help maintain proper teeth spacing, and aids in maintaining a proper bite alignment.

The Different Types of Dental Crowns 

Dental crowns can be made out of a gold alloy, stainless steel, all-porcelain or all-ceramic, composite resin, zirconia, or porcelain on the outside fused to metal or zirconia on the inside. Each type of dental crown works, and it’s up to the patient to work with our dentist to decide what works best for your child's needs.

Do Dental Crowns Hurt? 

Dental crowns are meant to function painlessly as a natural tooth. The procedure to place a dental crown is done with a numbing agent applied to the nearby gums. This allows for less painful procedure. Tooth sensitivity and light pressure can last for 1 to 2 days after getting a new crown.

How Long do Dental Crowns Last? 

Typically, dental crowns last between 5 and 15 years. But, the lifetime of a dental crown depends upon the material it is made of. Porcelain crowns are durable, but not unbreakable, and can crack or chip when patients grind their teeth. Other bad oral habits liking chewing fingernails, chewing on ice, or using teeth as tools to rip and tear can crack and damage dental crowns.

If your child has dental crowns, then try to teach them about good oral health habits that keep their crowns intact. If they grind their teeth, consider getting them a nighttime retainer that protects teeth from the stress of grinding and clenching. 

Dental Crowns Need Maintenance 

Children and teens with crowns and fillings can develop cavities near the device if it becomes old, or worn out. Over time, dental crowns can weaken and develop rough edges. This allows plaque to flourish in a hard-to-reach area, and can quickly result in a cavity. If your child has dental crowns, be sure that they regularly see their dentist to ensure that the crown is monitored and in working order.

Schedule an Appointment with Our Office 

A broken tooth is a serious dental problem that needs to be treated by a team of dental professionals. Our office will be able to treat your child, and inform you on how to avoid an oral emergency in the future. Schedule an appointment today to help your child get a healthy smile that is pain-free.

Life can’t be completely mapped out, but parents can take some practical steps to prepare for some common dental emergencies.

Fractured Tooth

Kids play rough, and their teeth sometimes bear the brunt of their actions. If your child fractures a tooth, then gather what fragments and store them in a clean container of cool water, saliva, or milk. It is important that you visit the dentist immediately to prevent infection and other complications that are brought on by chipped teeth. Your dentist will be able to repair your child’s tooth, or fix it with a crown.

How to Prepare: 

A large amount of fractured teeth are sustained as the result of a sports injury. If your child plays contact sports, be sure they wear a mouth guard that protects their teeth.

Knocked Out Permanent Tooth

If possible, find the tooth. Handle the tooth by the crown, and be careful not to touch the root portion. You may rinse the tooth but DO NOT clean or handle the tooth excessively. Inspect the tooth for fractures. If it is sound, try to reinsert it in its socket. Hold the tooth in place by gently biting on a gauze or clean cloth. If you cannot reinsert the tooth, place the tooth in a cup containing the saliva of the person that lost it, or use milk, but NOT water. The tooth may also be carried in the mouth beside the cheek. The person who lost their tooth must see a dentist IMMEDIATELY! Time is a critical factor in saving the tooth.

Ongoing Toothache

If your child has a toothache, then have them rinse their mouth with warm water to ease the pain. Persistent toothaches can indicate more serious problems that need to be observed by a dental professional. If the pain persists for more than 48 hours, then see your dentist as soon as you can. 

How to Prepare: 

Toothaches are often the result of neglecting a proper oral health routine. Be sure that your child drinks plenty of water, and brushes for two minutes at a time, twice per day. They should also floss once daily, and clean the area below the gum line.

Visit Out Dental Office 

If your child has lost their teeth from serious accidents like a head injury or broken jaw, then visit the hospital before you see the dentist. It’s absolutely imperative that you care for the more serious injury first. However, if their oral emergency is not immediately threatening their overall well-being, then call our office. We are equipped to deal with a litany of oral emergencies and will be able to help get your child’s smile back in working order.