Phone: 910-778-8485 fax: 910-436-8485

2980 Ray Road Spring Lake NC 28390 Near Overhills Schools

Vincent Vissichelli, DMD

Board Certified Pediatric Dentist

Specializing in the treatment of infants, children, teens and special needs patients.

Patient Forms

Teething

The most common symptoms of teething are swollen gums, drooling and crankiness. Symptoms shouldn’t last for more than three to five days, but it can feel much longer.  By and large, symptoms are not a chronic thing. They come and go, and the job of the parent is to comfort the child using teething rings, cold teething rings, and vibrating teething rings.  For more sever symptoms see your pediatrician as it may be something other than teething.

When to start seeing a Pediatric Dentist

Ideally, it is best to take your child to the pediatric dentist between 6months and 12 months of age.  The earlier you begin, the better chance your pediatric dentist has to prevent problems.  The pediatric dentist will look for decay, show you how to properly clean your child’s teeth, evaluate adverse habits, evaluate growth and dental development, and identify your child’s fluoride needs.

Your Child’s First Visit to the Pediatric Dentist!!!

Your child’s first set of teeth are very important in helping them chew food easily, learn to speak clearly, and look good.  A child’s first dental visit is also very important in launching him/her on a lifetime of good dental health.

Tell your child that the pediatric dentist is a friendly doctor who will help your child stay healthy.  Talk about the visit in a positive, matter of fact way as a pleasant new adventure.

DON’T

* Bribe your child into going

* use the dental visit as a punishment

*let the child know you feel any anxiety about the visit.

*  Let anyone tell your child scary stories about dental visits

DO

*  Try to make the dental visits enjoyable for your child – at Firehouse Kid’s Dentistry we have taken great efforts to make your child and you feel at ease.  We have TVs in every room, video games, child friendly murals, a friendly staff all in a real firehouse.

* Set a good example y brushing and flossing daily and visiting the dentist regularly

* Encourage your child to talk to the staff and ask questions.  We are glad to explain what we are doing so your child can understand.

Happy Halloween

After having all that fun and eating candy remember to brush and floss before you go to bed.

Each year Americans spend nearly $9 billion on candy. In October, much of that candy ends up on the teeth of the 41 million trick-or-treating children ages 5 – 14 across the U.S.  When it comes to keeping children’s teeth healthy, not all treats are created equal.

“The longer teeth are exposed to sugars, the longer cavity-causing bacteria have to feed on them. Instead of gummy, sticky candy, offer children candy that melts and disappears quickly – like chocolate.  Always make sure children brush and floss their teeth before going to bed.

Happy Halloween!!!   From all of us at Firehouse Kid’s Dentistry

Electric VS manual toothbrushes

Used correctly both work well.  For some children the electric tooth brush may motivate them to brush more often.  The whizzing sounds of an electric toothbrush and the tingle of the tufts swirling across teeth and gums often captivates people that own electric toothbrushes.  They are advantageous because they can cover more area faster.  Electric toothbrushes are recommended for people who have limited manual dexterity.

Which toothbrush is best?

A toothbrush head should be small for easy access.  It should have a wide handle for a firm grasp.  It should have soft nylon bristles with rounded ends so you won’t hurt your gums.  Be sure to help your child brush until they develop the dexterity to brush on their own.  Usually about 7 to 8 years old.

The first toothbrush was invented in China in 1000 A.D.  It was an ivory handled toothbrush with bristles made from a horse’s mane.  Toothbrushes became popular in the 19th century among the Victorian affluent.  Mass marketing and the advent of nylon bristles in the 20th century made toothbrushes inexpensive and available to everyone.

The tooth fairy around the world!!!

We all know how the tooth fairy works, right? When you lose a tooth, you put it under your pillow and the tooth fairy leaves money in exchange for the tooth. Well…that’s not always the case, depending on where you were born.

In Spain, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Venezuela, Urguay, and Colombia the Tooth Mouse exchanges gifts for baby teeth left under pillows.
The Tooth Mouse charicter was created in 1894 by the Spanish author Luis Coloma for King Alfonso XIII after he lost a tooth at the age of 8. Coloma wrote the story of a mouse that lived in a box of cookies and visited children when they lost their teeth, including his adventures with the king himself.

In France they have a similar story to that of Spain with “La Bonne Petite Souris” crawling under pillows and exchanging lost teeth for cash or candy.
In Japan, India, China, Vietnam, and Korea they do not have a tooth fairy tradition. Instead, when kids lose their baby teeth they throw their teeth on the roof!
Traditionally, kids will throw their lower teeth on the roof and throw their upper teeth on the floor. The logic here is that the new tooth will be pulled towards the old tooth.

In Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan children throw their baby teeth up in the sky towards the sun.  This tradition dates back to at least the 13th century. Now that’s got to be a lot of teeth in the air!

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.