Here at Sweet Tooth Pediatric Dentistry we have been so happy to be back to work for many months now since our COVID-19 shutdown. Our patients and parents have been wonderfully accepting of all our changes since our return and we continue to maintain safety as our top priority. The following information is some Sweet Tooth updates we thought you would all would like to know now that we have been back seeing patients for 6 months: Prior to coming inside the building please continue to call the office to let us know when you have arrived for your appointment. We must still pre-screen ..read more

As Connecticut begins its phased reopening, Sweet Tooth is preparing to open its doors in order to attend to the oral health needs of our patients in the safest way possible. Since mid-March, we have remained closed for all but dental emergencies in an effort to “flatten the curve” and allow us time to adapt our infection control procedures, protocols, and equipment. Our plan is to start seeing patients with urgent and emergent needs over these next two weeks and open fully for routine wellcare appointments in June.  Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and i ..read more

A few years ago we shared a blog post all about smart snacking, and it seemed appropriate to bring up the topic again amid the Coronavirus shutdown. With so many kids, quarantined at home, the temptation for snacks is constant (for adults too!). It’s a never-ending “I’m hungry!” or “Can I have a snack??” when you’re trying to homeschool with the refrigerator and pantry within feet. This worries a lot of pediatric dentists because we know that it’s not really the AMOUNT of sugar in one sitting that is dangerous for cavities, but really the FREQUENCY. And although we know you’re not offering can ..read more

We all know that soda, juice, and sports drinks are a no-no for teeth, but what about sparkling water or seltzer?? In the last few years, seltzer has increased in popularity and there are so many choices of brands and flavors now, it can be a fun treat for adults and kids alike. Most varieties have zero sugar, zero calories, and zero artificial sweeteners, but yet you’ll see headlines that sparkling water is actually bad for your teeth – how can that be?? The bubbles in any carbonated beverage are from the addition of carbonic acid, which as the name implies, is acidic in nature. The reason ..read more

Here at Sweet Tooth Pediatric Dentistry we see many patients with thumb or finger sucking habits. While this natural soothing method can be a lifesaver for new parents and can be pretty darn cute at a young age, long term thumb or finger habits can cause concerns for the shape of a child’s mouth and the position of their teeth. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children stop their finger or thumb habits by the age of 3. While most children can stop their habits easily and quickly, there are some that will continue long past an acceptable amount of time. It is enco ..read more

While many of our patients know to limit juice and soda as much as possible, many don’t realize that this recommendation includes sports drinks. Companies like Gatorade and Powerade have done a great job marketing their products so children and adults alike think the drinks have magical benefits for sports performance, while ignoring the extremely high sugar content. Did you realize that a 20-ounce bottle of Gatorade has 36 grams of sugar?? Turns out there’s no magic here – it’s sugar water with a sprinkle of salt and potassium and plenty of artificial flavoring and coloring that is bad news f ..read more

A protective coating called fluoride varnish that’s applied in the dental office twice a year is an easy, quick, cost-effective method for the prevention of cavities. We often call it “painting” the teeth at the end of our patients’ visits and it can be applied to primary (baby) or permanent teeth to help against the battle of tooth decay. There have been many studies that show that fluoride varnish can reduce the incidence of cavities by 37-43% by inhibiting the loss of minerals from tooth enamel and killing the bacteria that cause cavities. Fluoride treatments also help treat enamel sensitiv ..read more

We hope all our patients and their families had a fabulous Halloween! Our team gets pretty excited for Halloween because we look forward to dressing up together and sharing the fun with our patients. This year we dressed up as Toy Story characters which was a total blast: Beyond dressing up, Halloween is also infamous for the loads and loads of candy that end up in houses across the country on November 1st. When all that candy is hanging around, it’s tempting for kids and their parents to indulge a bit too much with sweets. It’s tons of fun going door to door saying “Trick or Treat!” and fill ..read more

A very common preventive pediatric dental recommended procedure is pit and fissure sealants, or as we like to call them – “power shields” for teeth! Any molar surface that forms with deeper pits and grooves would be likely to trap food and bacteria and so the likelihood that dental decay could begin in these difficult to clean areas is quite high. Most patients can benefit from sealants around age 6 when their first permanent molars typically erupt and again when they are a bit older and erupt their second permanent molars, which is usually around age 12. Although sealants can be applied ..read more

Many pediatricians recommend pacifiers for infants for a variety of reasons, including the prevention of SIDS and to “pacify” a cranky baby, as the name suggests. Every baby is different – some could care less about pacifiers, some find a pacifier helpful for winding down to sleep, and some babies are absolutely addicted to their binkies. You’ve probably heard that pacifiers can cause dental issues after prolonged use, so many parents come to our office asking about when their child needs to kick the paci habit and the best way to take it away. Dr. Erica and the American Academy of Pediatric ..read more