Strollerderby : teeth

Your Kid's Mouth Stinks: Here's Why

JeanneSager — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 21:11:00 GMT

Stressed? Get out the toothbrush . . . and get it out on your kids' teeth. Because a new study says parents who are stressed are more likely to have kids with tooth decay.

Yes, you read that right - parents, our kids will have another thing to complain about in therapy. And at the dentist!

The study actually makes sense if you think about it. Stressed parents have less time to be paying attention to their kids' oral hygiene. Or maybe they're stressed because their kids throw up such a fit in the morning over brushing their teeth?

Either way, scientists at Ohio State University found that while a low income, little education and being single could all add to a parent's stress, those were also the parents whose kids were more likely to suffer from tooth decay. And getting their kids' teeth cleaned or cavities filled was likely to decrease parents' stress.

Which probably only lasts until they get the bill. . .

Image: StartingCavities

10 Naughty Things We Do to Our Kids (but keep doing anyway)

Cole Gamble — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Let’s face it; if you were to put secret surveillance on them 24/7, any parent would look like a putz. There are things that we do with our kids, when others aren’t about or are out of ear shot, that we maybe feel bad about. But not bad enough to stop doing.

#10: Laughing when your daughter farts.

#9: In a moment of weakness, grousing about one child to the other.

Your Four-year-old: Why does Dalton (the toddler) get to stay up?

You: Because he’s crazy and I’m tired of fighting him. He’s being a butthead.

YFYO: Yeah, he’s got a stinky head.

#8: When they get way too many Easter baskets from relatives, hiding one and keeping the candy contents to yourself.

#7: Making your spouse the bad guy. “Mommy wouldn’t like it if she saw what you’re doing.”

#6: Keeping your kid downstairs on a perpetual loop of Sesame Street because you want a beer/glass of wine.

#5: Forget to brush their teeth.

#4: The next night encouraging them to brush by telling them their breath smells like “dog food.”

#3: Let your kid, freshly bathed and wet, prance around the house naked playing her favorite character “Jungle Girl” for way longer than perhaps appropriate.

#2: Not being as diligent as you think you should about your own nudity around the kids.

#1: When you don’t have time to go to the park, telling them the “park is closed.”

What are your dirty parenting secrets?

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Should TomKat Still Be Giving Suri a Bottle?

Jen Chaney — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:32:00 GMT

The gossip magazines provide plenty of reasons to question TomKat's parenting skills. But is it fair to go after Mr. Cruise and Ms. Holmes for continuing to give their two-year-old daughter, Suri, a bottle?

The adorable little girl has frequently been photographed hitting the town with Mommy and Daddy while toting around a babby bottle, even though she turned two last month. (No one has inquired yet as to whether she still uses a bottle all jacked up with BPA. An investigation into this crucial issue will undoubtedly be launched by Us Weekly.)

Most parents start the process of weaning the kid off the 'ol faux nipple sometime shortly after baby's first birthday. One orthodontist even tells the New York Daily News that feeding Suri milk or juice via a bottle at this age could be damaging her teeth, the last thing the Good Lord would want for the daughter of Capt. Smiley. So why hasn't the Cruise family kicked her of the habit?

It's unclear, although they were spotted over the weekend watching David Beckham play soccer, and Suri was notably bottle-less at the time. Still, here is the bigger question: Do we, the public at large, have a right to judge Tom and Katie for their bottle-serving habits? Does it make them bad parents?

It might, but I have to err on the side of we don't have a right to make the call, if only because it seems harshly judgmental to criticize their parenting skills when we are basing our information largely on photos and stories in not-always-reputable media outlets. Still, it definitely doesn't look good for Suri to have that bottle in her hand. And if Tom Cruise wants to continue bolstering his image as the Ultimate Movie Star Dad, then he would be smart to at least start slipping her a sippy cup.

It may be true that they are fostering a bad habit, which is clearly not wise. But they're not endangering her life by, say, driving around with her in their laps or something. Only someone with serious problems would do that.

Photo: Famecrawler

Blame the Teeth

Adrienne Martini — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:29:00 GMT

Without old wives and their many tales, new parents would never know that every physical ailment of their infant can be chalked up to teething. Diarrhea? Must be teeth. Constipation? Teeth. Mysterious rashes? Teeth. Drool? Fussiness? Cradle cap? Sleeplessness? Teeth, teeth, teeth and teeth.

There is one thing that most decidedly shouldn't be pinned on the eruption of chompers: High fevers.

Old wives -- and not a few pediatricians -- used to advise parents to ignore a high fever in a baby older than 6 months. Turns out, that is really bad advice, given that a high fever is a sign of a viral infection, which can go from unpleasant to life-threatening quickly in infants.

Still, there may be other ailments that the old wives were right about. Anyone know of any?

Illo credit: Leif Parsons for the NYT

Fat Kids Might Not Be Responsible For Everything Bad In The World

Adrienne Martini — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 19:00:00 GMT

From the "Huh." Department --

Researchers at the Eastman Dental Center in Rochester, NY, have discovered something that runs counter to almost everything we've been told about over weight kids, namely that they are doomed and, possibly, responsible for everything from factory farms to global warming.

As it turns out, there is one good thing about being a kid who is overweight. You probably won't have as many cavities as your lighter peers. No one seems to be certain why that may be but this data point does offer further proof that it is difficult to separate one body part from all of the other parts and get a good picture of how it works.

Or maybe there's just a dental-based advantage to being an overweight kid in Upstate New York. Time may tell.

Mercury Fillings Don't Eat Your Kid's Brain?

Karen Murphy — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 17:31:00 GMT

Uh oh, Paradigm shift ahead. At least, if you can believe the apparent results of this new study, which indicates that I've been spending far too much time/money/effort worrying about the content of the fillings in my kid's mouths. (Er, not that they have any. Nope, their teeth are Colgate perfect! Because cavities in THEIR mouths are obviously MY fault, if you can believe that damn dentist we no longer go to.)

Yeah. Turns out that mercury amalgam fillings, long avoided by the AP/Waldorfy people I've been hanging with, may be okay after all. Uh, but read this before deciding:

1. The study looked at only about 500 kids.

2. But they were aged 8-12 and were studied for 7 years.

3. What was being looked at was three things: hard neurological signs of damage (indicating damage to specific neural structures) and soft ones (subtle signs of central nervous system dysfunction that likely point to immature sensory-motor skills rather than to any structural damage in the brain), plus signs of tremor. And they didn't find much.

4. Mercury can still be really really bad for you in other ways. Bad!

5. There's still an ongoing controversy about dental amalgam fillings (my mouth is full of them, thank you), and Norway banned them the 1st of this year.

So I'm still skeptical, but open to that paradigm shift especially if somebody gives me a bit more (and better) evidence that it's warranted.

What about you? Where do you stand on the whole mercury-filling thing? Do you have composite fillings put in your kids' teeth? Or yours, for that matter? Or do you not worry about it? Or, er, are your teeth perfect?

Photo: www.foogle.biz

Tooth Decay On The Rise: They're Lying About Flossing

Melissa Summers — Wed, 02 May 2007 23:03:00 GMT

My dental hygenist always asks, "Do you floss?" And I always reply, "Yes. Yes, of course." And she is very kind, ignoring my lie and says, "Well, why don't I show you (again) how to do it correctly." We both know the truth, I always neglect to floss my teeth because I am a bad person. My kids though, they floss at bedtime....they do it because it stalls bedtime for a few minutes longer. Maybe some little kids haven't figured out that secret.

According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control, tooth decay in baby teeth has increased from 24% to 28% between the 1988-1994 study and a more recent 1999-2004 study. Decay in permanent teeth did improve for children, teens and adults overall and one-third of kids had dental sealants which further protect their teeth.

The report shows the greatest amount of pediatric tooth decay happening among the poor and minorities. Researchers say, to stop the decay, they'll need public health education and greater financial help so all children are able to have quality dental work. Maybe we should just try letting kids in on the fact that flossing = a later bedtime. Or not.

UK Artist Turns Lost Baby Teeth Into (Really Tiny) Works of Art

Alisyn — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 13:01:00 GMT

One's first loose tooth is a big deal. Losing one's first tooth is monumental - so much so that British artist Cordelia Cembrowicz has made it her mission to turn lost baby teeth into intimate works of art.

Using a specially made drill and a rotary cutter, Cordelia can carve a child-size tooth in about 7 hours. She carves them into - what else? - miniature tooth fairies. "The first thing that sprang to mind was the Tooth Fairy. She symbolized both sanctuary and reward, arriving as a blessing after a period of pain," she explained.

As you can see, the results are unique, touching, and utterly gorgeous. Each carving costs about £100 pounds, which is pretty steep - but when you consider the delicacy and talent that this work requires, not to mention that "canvas" from which it is created, it seems like a fair price to pay. Cordelia is taking orders here.

[Via Blogging Baby]

Teeth Grinding in Kids: I Need Help and You're the Only One I Can Ask

Karen Murphy — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 13:16:00 GMT

I'm at my wit's end here and I figure I'm in the right place, I mean, you're pretty much most of you parents, right? And I know you have opinions. So please, please, share yours with me now. This post of Stefania's about the world's worst sounds has got me thinking. I know, I know, she's all about the "poo-splosion" and certainly the whining, and I have to give her those, but I gotta tell you, I think my three-year old is going to drive me to drink, or to get gray hairs, to to an early grave. Wait! Two out of three already! See??

He grinds his teeth. Oh, yeah, sounds like nothing, right? Phhhht. Except this has been going on even since he's had teeth, which thankfully came late in his case so we're only talking about over a year now, but ever since he had two little enamel grinders that matched up top and bottom, he grinds.them.incessantly. And? They're wearing down, of course. Which means that someday he'll be in a dentist's chair getting caps or something, or a root canal (on his front teeth!), because at the rate he's going those little suckers are gonna be stubs. Before he hits first grade.

Yeah, I talked to his speech therapist and his occupational therapist, and they suggested a plastic chewie toy, which his older sister covets mightily, being very oral, but he of course will have nothing to do with it. And why would he? Why stick a very lose-able piece of plastic in his mouth when he's got nice handy little organic things right in there, already built in?

So...anybody here ever dealt with this? What did you do? Aside from, maybe, propping his mouth open somehow with duct tape?