Drinking Water for Oral Hygiene

Drinking water is important for your health at all ages.  Fullerton Dental has seen adult patients that are guilty of not drinking enough water, so we know it can be tough to monitor if kids are getting enough too.  We want to encourage you and the kids in your family to stay hydrated and healthy!

We all know kids love drinking juice and soda, but we forget that these beverages leave unwanted sugar behind on the teeth.  The type of bacteria that causes cavities feeds on sugar, and produces acid that wears away enamel. Enamel is not replaceable, so it’s important to take care of it even from a young age.  When kids drink juice or soda, it is helpful just to drink some water afterwards to dilute acids and wash away food particles and residue. You and your children should be drinking at least eight 8oz glasses of water each day.  Drinking tap water with fluoride is important to help prevent cavities.  If you’re worried that your children may not be drinking enough water, come see us to discuss tips that might help them drink more!

We love to see good oral hygiene habits formed early, and make lifetime patients out of kids from our community!  To learn more about the services we offer, visit www.fullertondental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Eric M Meyer, DDS, in Fullerton CA, call 714-879-7943.

Pediatric Dentistry

Fullerton Dental is proud to serve the families from our community, and we want them to know it’s just as important for children to have regular dental visits.  A child’s first dental visit should be scheduled when the first baby tooth appears, or around the child’s first birthday.  Baby teeth eventually come out, but their growth and development is important for overall oral health for the child and the development of their adult teeth. Baby teeth should be brushed and cared for like adult teeth, and it’s important to monitor their growth and development. 

Missing any tooth for too long can change the development of surrounding teeth and compromise the structure of the jaw bone, but regular checkups can keep a child’s tooth development right on track.  Our dentists are skilled and experienced in administering dental care to children.  If your child has seems nervous about seeing a dentist for the first time, we recommend going through a brushing routine with them at home, and talking about the dental visit before you arrive.  Once we get your child’s oral health off to a great start, we offer a full range of services for child patients including dental cleanings, fluoride treatments, and sealants.

We love to see good oral hygiene habits formed early, and make lifetime patients out of kids from our community!  To learn more about the services we offer, visit www.fullertondental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Eric M Meyer, DDS, in Fullerton CA, call 714-879-7943.

Dental Sealants for Pediatric Patients

Dental sealants are a preventative measure used to preserve the teeth and tooth enamel. Almost half of all children and adolescents in the United States have had cavities in their permanent teeth, and Dr. Eric M Meyer, DDS can help you protect your child’s teeth with a sealant.

Most tooth decay in children and teenagers occurs on the chewing surfaces of molars, where the pits and grooves tend to trap food and bacteria.  Molars first come in at around 5-7 years of age, with a second set coming in between the ages of 11-14. It is best to have a sealant placed when the molars first come in to ensure they are protected early.

Dental sealants are applied to surfaces of these molars much like paint. The plastic resin fills any pits and grooves on the surface and hardens. Now the surface is protected from bits of food being stuck, so bacteria cannot multiply and cause decay, and tooth enamel is protected from plaque and acids.  Sealants can effectively prevent cavities for up to ten years and can be reapplied of necessary

To learn more about dental sealants and all the services we provide at the practice, visit www.fullertondental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Eric M Meyer, DDS, in Fullerton CA, call 714-879-7943.

When Your Kid Loses the First Tooth

If your kid is turning into a big kid, losing the first baby tooth is on the horizon.  It’s an exciting sign of growing up, but many kids still feel anxious or uncomfortable dealing with the unfamiliar sensation of a loose tooth.  The doctors at Fullerton Dental want kids and parents to be prepared and understand why this pain occurs so your child can still have a positive tooth loss experience.

Before a baby tooth is lost, it begins to break free of its nerve endings.  This is the natural process that makes the tooth feel loose and wobbly at the gums, and the area will become swollen and red.  It can be painful, and for kids a great way to soothe tooth pain is applying a cold compress to the outside of the mouth in the affected area.  Children may complain that they find it hard to bite or chew with loose or missing teeth.  It’s still important to keep eating healthy while they grow new teeth so encourage soup, pureed fruits, and cooked vegetables.  A few tales of the tooth fairy can usually ease a little pain, too!

If you have questions about pediatric dental care, visit www.fullertondental.com for more information.  To schedule an appointment with Dr. Eric M Meyer, DDS, in Fullerton CA, call 714-879-7943.

Sealants

Dental sealants are a preventative measure used to preserve the teeth and tooth enamel. Almost half of all children and adolescents in the United States have had cavities in their permanent teeth, and Dr. Eric Meyer wants to help you protect your child’s teeth with a sealant. Most tooth decay in children and teenagers occurs on the chewing surfaces of molars, where the pits and grooves tend to trap food and bacteria.  Molars first come in at around 5-7 years of age, with a second set coming in between the ages of 11-14. It is best to have a sealant placed when the molars first come in to ensure they are protected early.

Dental sealants are applied to surfaces of these back teeth much like paint. The plastic resin fills any pits and grooves on the surface and hardens. Now the surface is protected from bits of food being stuck, so bacteria cannot multiply and cause decay.  Sealants also protect tooth enamel from plaque and acids, and can effectively prevent cavities for up to ten years. If you think anyone in your family would benefit from a dental sealant, our dentists can determine if you are eligible candidates and start preserving your teeth.

Eric M. Meyer, DDS, operates at 2720 North Harbor Blvd, Fullerton, California, 92835. To schedule an appointment, call 714-879-7943 or visit FullertonDental.com and fill out a contact sheet.

Do Pacifiers Damage Baby Teeth?

It’s one of the hardest habits to break and can require a great deal of persuasion – parents often struggle with weaning their child off a pacifier. Yes, pacifiers provide a sense of security and a method of self-relaxation for infants, but the downside of pacifiers is the effect they can have on the growth and development of the teeth and mouth. At the dental practice of Dr. Eric M Meyer, DDS, we always welcome new patients, including pediatric patients who have yet to wean off of the pacifier.

Prolonged pacifier use can cause changes in the shape of the roof of the mouth, prevent proper growth of the mouth and create problems with tooth alignment. Long-term pacifier use can lead to a variety of complications including tilting in of the bottom teeth and slanting in of the top and front teeth. Narrowing of the roof of the mouth and misalignment of the jaws can also occur. The Academy of General Dentistry recommends that children stop using pacifiers by the age of two. Up until that age, any alignment problem with the teeth or developing bone is usually corrected within six months after pacifier use has stopped.

If you have questions about pacifiers and teeth development, give us a call. To learn more about the services provided at the practice, visit www.fullertondental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Eric M Meyer, DDS, in Fullerton CA, call 714-879-7943.

Sealants from Dr. Eric Meyer

Although brushing and flossing are effective cleaning techniques for removing food particles and plaque from the smooth surfaces of our teeth, sometimes these methods are ineffective at thoroughly cleaning the nooks and crannies in our premolars and molars. Because molars are the hardest to clean and the teeth most used in the chewing process, they are the most susceptible to cavities and decay. This is why Dr. Eric Meyer recommends sealants soon after molars emerge when children are between the ages of 6 and 14.

Dental sealants are a thin, plastic coating applied to the chewing surfaces of the molars to prevent cavities and tooth decay. The sealant is applied by Dr. Meyer, who first roughens the surface of the molar with acid and then paints on the sealant. The sealant bonds into the depressions and grooves of the teeth, hardening and forming a shield over the enamel to protect it for approximately 10 years.

Sealants are normally applied to children’s molars because their teeth are especially susceptible to cavities. However, sometimes they are applied to adult molars if they have hard-to-clean grooves that are causing cavities.

To schedule an appointment in Fullerton, CA, call 714.879.7943. For more information, please visit www.fullertondental.com.