Today, it is very common that children are involved in some form of sporting activity, from football to dance. Over two million teeth are knocked out every year in the U.S. largely during sporting activities. Wearing a mouthguard could have prevented a lot of those incidents. Read More
Five Ways to Help Your Child Through a Dental Emergency
Kid’s emergencies can happen at any time, especially dental emergencies. Dental emergencies tend to happen more frequently during summer or vacations when kids are active and participating in physical activities such as playing sports, jumping on a trampoline and riding bikes.
During an emergency, it is critical that you, as a paren,t remain calm and reassure your child that everything will be ok. The following will outline five common dental injuries and how you should react if they happen in your family.
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Tongue Thrust
All babies have a tongue thrust or reverse swallow when they are younger. When a baby swallows, his tongue pushes forward toward his gums or front teeth. When a baby is being feed pureed food, his tongue pushes forward while pushing some of the food back out of his mouth. The adult scoops the food off of his lips and puts it back in his mouth. The cycle continues on and on until all of the food is gone. As babies grow older and more mature, they will learn how to swallow with their lips closed and how to move the food back towards the throat with a mature swallow.
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Updated 07/09/2026
Losing a baby tooth is an exciting milestone, unless it happens too soon.
Whether a baby tooth is knocked out while playing, damaged in an accident, or has to be pulled because of tooth decay, premature tooth loss can impact how your child’s permanent teeth come in.
Thankfully, an appliance called a dental space maintainer can save the day.
In this post, our Naperville pediatric dentists will be sharing eight things parents should know about space maintainers for kids, including when they’re needed, how they work, the different types available and how they can help prevent future orthodontic problems.
Steps to Solving Thumb Sucking
Thumb sucking is a habit common for young children that most parents want to stop. However, a lot of parents have a hard time figuring out a good systematic way to help the child break the bad habit. Below are four steps that you can take as a parent to help your child break the habit of thumb sucking. Read More
Dental sealants are acrylic based coatings that protect the chewing surfaces of your teeth from bacteria and plaque that cause tooth decay. They are usually applied where decay occurs frequently, which is along the molars and premolars. Tooth decay often happens in children as well as teens. When dental sealants are applied to the teeth, they protect the teeth from germs and food getting stuck to the grooves of the teeth. One of the best ways to protect your child’s (and even your adult) teeth from decay is to apply dental sealants. Read More
Are you currently trying to teach your child about dental hygiene? Below you will find four activities that you could do with your child to promote good dental hygiene or facts about teeth. Read More
Kids and Flossing
Between the ages of two and six, your child’s teeth will become to become closer to each other. When this happens, it is important to start flossing their teeth and teaching them why flossing is critical to oral health. As your child reaches 10 years old, they should be able to floss completely on their own without much help. The floss used in your child’s mouth should be flexible and soft so it does not hurt. It is important to remember that children have more sensitivity in their mouth and gums could get irritated quickly due to rough flossing.
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Parents understand that it is important to have kids practicing good dental hygiene. In order to have kids brush their teeth regularly, it is critical that there is an element of fun to everyday routine while eliminating the potential of brushing too hard or not long enough. Fortunately, there are a lot of electronic toothbrushes on the market that can be used as a tool to help provide the best dental care for children. Read More
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