Entries in our May *GET ACTIVE* CONTEST!

Thank you all so much for all of your wonderful and adorable entries showing our little friends staying active and having fun! They were all just too cute so we decided to randomly choose 3 winners. The first winner drawn wins the 3-month community wide family membership to the YMCA. The second winner drawn wins a Cranium Brain Breaks Game with 200 One-Minute Mini Games for kids. The third winner drawn wins the DVD "ToothFairy." We wish we could come up with enough prizes for each and every one of you. Know that we loved all of them and appreciate you all so very much! Stay tuned for June's contest coming up soon for another chance to win! 

WINNER #1: Owen Swimming!

WINNER #2: Climbing trees at the Louisville Zoo & playing at Sam Peden's Park in New Albany!

Winner #3: Fun on the monkey bars! 

And all of the other adorable entries we received! You're all winners in our book! 

"Rub a dub dub, 4 boys in a....pool? :)"

 Biking and swinging while playing outside!

Riding bikes down by the falls and on the OFF Chopper!

 Chasing after the kite flown by Grandma! 

Riding his hand pedal bike but making time for a pit stop to share some puppy love! 

Playing in the creek - crossing the creek in the woods!

Esther playing ball and swinging on the playground!

George batting for the first time at his first game!

  Lizzie showing off her Derby hat!

Caleb picking strawberries at Huber's and climbing the "spider web," his favorite attraction at the park!

Playing in the sprinkler and first day on the new bike!  

Anna where she feels most "at home" - playing soccer on the soccer field!

Bella hiking outside and riding her brand new bike! 

The girls testing for their 4th level belt in karate! 

Upside Down Fun and First Bike Ride!

Dr. Kim's Response to the "Decay Dilemma, Do Kids Need Dental Sealants?"

"Decay Dilemma, Do Kids Need Dental Sealants?"

We first saw this recent news on Nightly News with Brian Williams, "Decay Dilemma, Do Kids Need Dental Sealants," so we went to Dr. Kim to have her share her own insights on dental sealants for children. We have taken some excerpts and quotes out of the article for you, but you can read the full article here. 


"...decades of research demonstrate that coating the biting surfaces of 6-year molars with a resin-based sealant can reduce cavities by up to nearly 80 percent immediately -- and up to 60 percent for four years or more."

“It’s imperative that as soon as those adult teeth erupt, that they be sealed…”

"In practice, however, less than 40 percent of dentists actually follow the recommendations of the ADA, according to a 2011 study by researchers at Temple University. The study tracked whether dentists were willing to seal teeth with the beginnings of decay, but no actual cavities."

"Dental sealants are formed when a plastic-like liquid is dripped onto the biting surface of the tooth, coating the pits and fissures that typically trap food and foster bacterial growth."

"[Sealants are] applied to the permanent molars and set with ultraviolet light, ideally between the ages of 5 and 7, when the teeth erupt. Cost can be $30 to $40 for each tooth and is typically covered by most dental insurance policies."

"Studies consistently showed that sealants warded off decay in high proportions of permanent teeth, sometimes for up to a decade."

"In dental circles, the question of sealants has been hotly debated for nearly 50 years, and at least since the ADA awarded the product its seal of approval in 1976. While there have been concerns that the sealants may expose children to the controversial estrogen-like chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, the benefits in preventing kids’ cavities outweigh the risks, the American Dental Association states."

"Between 45 million and 55 million sealants are applied each year in the U.S., with pediatric dentists performing more than twice as many procedures as either general dentists or dental hygienists."

Dr. Kim Hansford's response:

"Yes. We do suggest [dental sealants] where needed. Not absolutely every person needs them. If [a child has] deep cavernous grooves on the biting surface [their] toothbrush cannot possibly get down deep enough to clean them. This sets [children] up for cavities. If there is stain on them or small areas of decay starting we typically clean them out first, this is called enameloplasty. In my office, we do not use a sealant material that has Bis- GMA, BPA or Bis-DMA.  There are practices such as immediately wiping off the surface of sealants with wet gauze that can reduce potential exposure. Also, there are much greater sources of BPA exposure such as eating canned foods to consider altogether. Sealants are a great preventive [treatment] but they need to be checked regularly at check ups to make sure they are bonded well and have not chipped or come off. [Sealants] can be added to and rebonded. If a sealant is going to fail it most typically would happen sooner rather than later. If it has been there for some time it will likely last well into adulthood and still provide protection. We warn against crunching ice as this can damage fillings, healthy teeth and sealants."

Thanks Dr. Kim! Next time you come and visit us, be sure to ask us any questions you have about dental sealants! 

National Teacher Appreciation Week!

Teacher Gift Ideas

Thanks for ALL you do...by "Quenching" our kids "Thirst" for Knowledge!

A Daily Gift - Pill Box filled with sayings and treats for each day of Teacher Appreciation Week 

We could not have "PICKED" a better bunch of teachers! - Strawberry carton filled with strawberry candies.

You were MINT to teach! Thank you. - Wrapped Altoid Tin

Apple Cupcakes! 

"I'm one smart cookie thanks to you!"

Crayon wreath! 

Tumbler filled with pencils are berry lotions with a "Thank you for being so "berry sweet to our kids!!" note.

Crayon Bowl filled with candy!

SUCH CUTE IDEAS! What do you give to your children's teachers?

THANK YOU TO ALL THE AMAZING TEACHERS OUT THERE! 

March 2nd: National Reading Day!

With today being National Reading Day, we thought we'd share some fun books for kids about going to the dentist! It never hurts to warm your little ones up to a trip to the dentist with a fun book helping them understand what the dentist is and what they can expect! 

Buy it here.

Buy it here.

Buy it here.

Buy it here.

A fun introduction to teeth! Buy it here.

Buy it here.

Do you have any books about going to the dentist? 

Help Your Child Maintain Healthy Pearly Whites!

With Children's Dental Health Month coming to a close, we wanted to get one more post in and share some more tips for helping your children maintain a happy and healthy smile and establish great oral care habits that will benefit them for a lifetime! 

Many pediatric dentists agree that it can be difficult to enforce the rules of proper dental hygiene for children under 5. They often have trouble brushing their teeth properly, and they don't have a clear understanding of the effects that too many sugary foods can have on the health of their little teeth. With this in mind, it is important to to implement the following tips in order to help your child maintain healthy pearly whites!

Don’t allow your little one to nibble on fruit snacks or raisins all day long.

We know that raisins and fruit snacks of all kinds are an especially popular and convenient snack for kids. When nibbling on sugary snacks, your child's teeth are constantly in contact with sugar. Instead, limit sugary snacks by establishing a kind of routine. For example, offer them a sweet treat 3 times per day, at given hours. It's best to limit the amount of time they spend sipping on juice, too. If you allow enough time to pass between eating sweets and drinking sugary beverages, the mouth has enough time to become acid free. In between meals, try giving your child water to drink and limit the sugary beverages to meal-times -- or even better, only once a day as a treat!

Brushing the teeth of small kids can be an extremely challenging task.

However, you as a parent need to brush as many teeth as you can at a time while your child is willing to keep their mouth open. If you can't get them all at once, that's ok! You don't want to make brushing time a bad experience. Come back later and brush the rest of the teeth when your child is willing to open their mouth again. For babies, use a soft damp cloth or gauze to clean the inside of their mouth, their baby teeth  and the gums. 

An easy and comfortable method of brushing your child’s teeth is to stand behind them when brushing.

This will give you enough dexterity, because you are in the same position as you are when brushing your own teeth. 

When children brush their teeth, try having them spit the toothpaste, but not to rinse.

If they rinse with water, the effect of the fluoride will be minimized. Try not to rinse so the teeth can stay in contact as long as possible with the fluoride from the toothpaste. 

Before bedtime, give them water.

Once your child has brushed their teeth in the evening, stay away from offering them anything but water to take to bed with them. The best thing to do, is to fill the bottle or cup with plain water. 

Have any questions? Let us know and we'd be happy to help you answer them! 

Referral Source: Dental Health Magazine

What to do with leftover Valentine candy!

Valentine Candy Bark 

16 oz. (1 lb)  Semisweet chocolate chips
2 c. chopped Valentine candy or any kind

1. Line a small rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside. Make sure it is the right size for your freezer.
2. In a heatproof bowl over simmer water melt the chocolate chips until completely liquid. Pour onto the aluminum foil lined pan and spread with a spatula until 1/8″ thick.
3. Scatter on the chopped candies and nuts. Place pan in the freezer until chocolate is completely solid. Break into bite-size pieces and serve.

Want to save yourself and kids from eating them? Deliver them! Put the Valentine's Bark in cellophane bags (or Ziplocs work just fine, too!) wrap a ribbon around the top and take some to the teachers, the babysitter, the coaches, the bus driver, neighbors, etc!

More Edible Ideas

• Baking Bites has instructions on how to melt chopped up chocolate. If you have extra individually wrapped plain milk or dark chocolates (like Hersey Kisses or Dove hearts), you can melt them and make chocolate-covered strawberries, bananas or pretzels.
• Sweetly Serendipity has a recipe for Candy Bar Brownies. Any candy bars can be chopped up and put into these from-scratch brownies.
• Bake at 350 makes Conversation Heart Candy Bark with those leftover “you rock” and other hearts.

Non-Edible Ideas

• GeekDad has a microwave experiment that allows you to measure the speed of light with chocolate that has melted in the microwave. Educational.
• Grab the Basics says to think ahead to St. Patrick’s Day to use up your leftover conversation candy hearts. They suggest spray painting them all green and then using them to create shamrock decorations.
• eHow suggests that you shellac those conversation hearts and use them as decorations in ornamental vases, much like you would marbles.

Sources:
http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/blogs/ideas-for-leftover-valentines-day-candy http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2012/02/15/leftover-valentine-candy-bark/

Kid's Dentistree Valentine Poems!

WINNER:

*SUGAR FREE*
The Dentist just checked my teeth no cavities hooray!!
But O no tomorrow is Valentines Day
I am just so handsome and cute mom and dad say O shoot
With all the Valentines you will have this year
It will be right back to the dentist, I fear!
With all the sugary & chocolate hearts, my little teeth might fall apart
Mom and dad say "no we cant let this be all the treats this Valentines Day will be sugar free!"
Because the dentist just might have a heart attack
If all your little teeth start turning black. 

- Camren from Kid's Dentistree Outer Loop

KID'S DENTISTRY FOR ME!

Kids Dentestry is the best. 

I think better then the rest. 

They keep my teeth clean. 

They are also not mean. 

WHY KID'S DENTISTREE IS GREAT

I am writing a poem to tell you how great I think you are.
I wanted to think of a really good rhyme,
But in between brushing and flossing my teeth I didn’t have the time.
I want you to know I think you are cool.
Plus when I come for a visit I get to leave early from school.

-Kid's Dentistree Middletown Patients

KID'S DENTISTREE

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Kid’s Denistree,
I love you! 

- Kid's Dentistree New Albany Patient 

KID'S DENTISTREE AND ME

Kid’s Dentistree, Kids Dentistree how great can you be. 

You make my teeth white and bright for everyone to see. 

I come to the office nervous and scared as any child would be

but you hold my hand with a smile. 

Then let me know it will only take a little while. 

Kid’s Dentistree, Kid’s Dentistree when I come to your office I know I will be fine. 

Cause when it’s all over I get a prize every time. 

- Kid's Dentistree New Albany Patient

LIKE CANDY

Oh Kid's Dentistree
You make my son's teeth so shiny
He eats a box of chocolates
Gets cavities.

Oh Kid's Dentistree
How we need you this Valentines Day
I look in his mouth all I think is
Oh Kids' Dentistree. 

JUST ANOTHER PRETTY SMILES

Kid’s Dentistree,
oh how I love thee
My smile was broken,
but then you awoken
Me to the light of my new pearly whites.

Kid’s Dentistree,
Oh how you love me
To help my teeth and bite
So that I might
Have the most beautiful smile of my life.

Kid’s Dentistree
Oh how i love thee
With my head held high
My smile lights up the night sky.
Now my teeth are beautiful, clean and bright!

- Kid's Dentistree Middletown Patient

ROSES

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Sugar free candy is sweet
and so is the staff at
Kid's Dentistree!!
With smiles on their faces,
they wait on each kid,
to give them bright shining
and sparkling clean teeth. 

5 EASY STEPS

You have to brush your teeth at least twice a day,
'Cause if you don’t you will get a tooth decay.
Just follow these 5 easy steps and your teeth will shine, and when you smile you will feel just fine!
The toothbrush is where the toothpaste goes. Brush on top, in the middle and the bottom row.
Next you rinse your mouth all clean, Then you floss the spaces between. Last but not least, the mouthwash you swish. Don’t forget to spit, spit, spit!

- Kid's Dentistree Outer Loop Patient 

A POEM FOR OUR PATIENTS

We are so lucky at Kid’s Dentistree

To have such cute little patients who fill us with glee.

We love ALL of your smiles

And your stories are great

We love your little imaginations

They always make our days.

We care about you and your sweet little smiles

We want to always make sure that your visit is worthwhile.

We love helping you clean out those little “sugar bugs”

And we love it even more when you leave us with big hugs.

In Jeffersonville, New Albany, the Outer Loop and Middletown

We just love it when we’re able to turn your frown upside down!

Being your dentist is such a joy for us

And we thank you so much for trusting in us.

Until next time, don’t forget to brush, brush, brush!