Is it an oxymoron for a dentist to pass out Halloween candy? According to a survey done(with over 250 dentists) by Delta Dental, 60% of dentists give out candy at Halloween.  Not so surprisingly, 5% hand out toothbrushes and the rest pass up the tradition of goodie hand-outs altogether. In an effort to help out your local, friendly dentist and further the lifespan of your pearly whites, here are some non-candy ideas you may want to try to pass out this Halloween season: Stickers or temporary tattoos Play doh Glow sticks Raisins Apples or apple chips  Kids Clif Zbars [...]

How I Quit Sucking My Thumb BY BRUCE LANSKY My mother says it’s childish and my father says it’s dumb— whenever they discover that I’m sucking on my thumb. It’s such a silly thing to do, as everybody knows. So now instead of sucking it I stick it in my nose. Do you have a thumb sucker in your house?  Lots of us do!  And let’s be honest, it’s pretty adorable to watch sleeping little ones as they soothe themselves and dream of cotton candy and rainbows.  Luckily, most kids outgrow the habit within the first few years of life. [...]

The Toothless Wonder By Phil Bolsta Last night when I was sound asleep, My little brother Keith Tiptoed into my bedroom And pulled out all my teeth. You’d think that I would be upset And jump and spit and swear. You’d think that I would tackle Keith And pull out all his hair. But no! I’m glad he did it. So what if people stare. Now, thanks to the Tooth Fairy, I’ll be a millionaire! The Loveable Toothfairy Tradition | What You Can Teach Your Kids The loveable tooth fairy tradition is said to have started [...]

It's hard to know when to take your child to their first dental appointment. You want to be prepared and responsible, but you also don't want to jump on the fast track of being a helicopter parent. Why It's An Important Decision... Tooth decay is a prevalent problem in the lives of children. "'Far too many children suffer far too much dental disease, and it is overwhelmingly preventable,' says Burton L. Edelstein, D.D.S., founding director of the Children's Dental Health Project in Washington, DC. Legislators are listening: A bill, the Children's Dental Health Improvement Act of 2002, aimed at [...]

It's every parent's worst nightmare when their kids hate the dentist. What can you do? They need their teeth cleaned, but obviously you don't have the energy to deal with your kid crying into the carpet, arms going limp as you hoist them off the floor. In their defense, the dentist can be scary. No one really prods around in their mouth all the time or has such bright and scary alien equipment. BUT, there's some good news in all this - we're a special kind of dentist office. While we can't guarantee a fuss-free zone completely, we do [...]