Bernstein Dental Care: Blog

We care dearly about all our patients’ comfort at Bernstein Dental Care in Bay Ridge.  Children often get toothaches and they should be taken seriously. What causes them may differ slightly from what causes toothaches in adults, and they may be the first sign of a larger problem. Children often have trouble brushing. They are the age-group with the highest rate of caries, but they may also brush too hard and damage their gums. Brushing should be done for two minutes per session, with a soft-bristled toothbrush, and on every tooth surface. There are grips available for people who have difficulty with dexterity that can be used to hold a toothbrush. Sometimes, teeth are sensitive when they first erupt through the gum line, but this should resolve within a few days. Another potential cause of tooth sensitivity is a sinus infection, which can cause pain that radiates into the upper teeth. Fillings that come loose or “leak” need to be replaced and often cause sensitivity or allow new infect...

Bad breath can be a sign of bad health, and there are some particularly pressing reasons why a child may experience it. At Bernstein Dental Care in Bay Ridge, we do more than just clean teeth; we’re a core part of each of our patients’ healthcare teams, and we want parents to understand how to help children with halitosis. Children have a harder time brushing their teeth. Consequently, even a child without health complications may develop oral infections, which are the most common reason for bad breath. It is important for children to know to brush their tongues as well as each tooth surface, and to do so for a full two minutes during each session. A child with trouble brushing will need more supervision. However, bad breath can also result from bacteria feeding in the back of the throat, where fluids can drip from the nasal cavity. Children get a lot of colds and can benefit from the use of a non-alcoholic mouthwash. Anybody who has difficulty grasping a toothbrush may be better off u...

February is National Children’s Dental Health month, and at Dr. Paul Bernstein’s Bay Ridge dental practice, we wanted to observe it by sharing information about one of the worse scourges of children’s teeth: Baby Bottle Tooth Decay. This condition affects the youngest of children and can cause problems in their early dentation if not reversed. Babies are dependent on other people to brush their teeth for them. Many parents are attentive to this and follow doctors’ recommendations that they begin to do so as soon as the first tooth erupts. But because of how parents often use bottled milk and formulas, babies’ teeth are often exposed to sugar for much longer periods of time than other those of other people. Formula and milk will cling to a baby’s teeth for as long as the baby continues to take swigs from the bottle, which could be for several hours. This contributes a distinctive pattern of decay on the fronts of their incisors. The easiest way to avoid Baby Bottle Tooth Decay is to not...

We at Bernstein Dental Care in Bay Ridge want children to learn good oral hygiene habits early, and one of those habits is making bi-annual trips to the dentist for cleanings. Unfortunately, fear of the dentist also often begins at an early age, which is why we want to help parents make sure their children’s visits go as smoothly as possible. The best approach is to tell your child that the dentist and hygienists are helpful people who are going to clean their teeth and make sure they’re healthy. It’s not a good idea to go into detailed descriptions of different procedures since most of these probably won’t be necessary. We can explain what we’re going to do, give demonstrations with our instruments, and let your child settle into the chair when you and your child arrive. Children should begin seeing the dentist when their first tooth emerges and it's best if parents treat dental visits casually, like they’ve always been a normal part of life. Often, when a child is nervous, it’s b...

Although kids are back in school now, don’t think it’s too late for them to have a biannual check-up. Tooth decay is a major problem in children, and it only gets worse if it’s not treated professionally. At Bernstein Dental Care, we provide the thorough treatments your family needs to avoid needing extensive work later. The Centers for Disease Control’s latest data shows that 20% of children under 12 and 13% of children between 12 and 19 had untreated tooth decay. Sadly, children are the demographic most likely to suffer from caries, and the pain of this condition interferes with their sleeping and eating habits, their speech development, their moods, and their ability to stay focused. It’s much better to remove decay and fill in caries now than to force children to endure tooth aches during the academic year until they need root canals. Biannual check-ups also have an important preventive aspect. They are a chance to provide children with sealants, which reduce decay in the future a...