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[caption id="attachment_1064" align="alignleft" width="640"] Are Dried Fruits Bad for my Child's Teeth[/caption]

Dried fruits are a convenient snack for busy families. Unless you’re drying the fruit yourself (go you!), you don’t have to wash or slice anything; just hand those kiddos a box of raisins and be out the door. Plus – you can feel good about adding to your kiddo’s servings of fruits for the day.

But…what about all that sticky, sugary goodness? Isn’t that a no-no when it comes to dental health? The quick answer is: it’s complicated.

What is Dried Fruit?

Dried fruit is simply fruit that has had its water removed to some extent, leaving a shriveled, smaller version of its original form. Compared to fresh fruit, it's more shelf-stable.

Some forms of dried fruit have sugar added to improve taste or texture. And some dried fruit is encrusted with sugar crystals or chocolate. What we recommend offering to your kiddos is the plain stuff – no sugar added.

How Might Dried Fruits Affect Teeth?

Dried fruits contain sugar, and have a sticky texture. Anything that’s sweet and sticks to your teeth for a long time has the potential to contribute to tooth decay. The longer that sugar sits on teeth, the happier your mouth bacteria are as they chomp away and produce the acid that can attack your enamel.

When we eat dried fruits, it’s easy to go overboard on the sugar. Typically when we eat dried fruits, we eat a lot more than the equivalent amount of fresh fruit. A handful of dried apricots looks a lot like the same quantity in our eyes as a single fresh one.

But don’t cross dried fruit off your shopping list just yet…

There are Benefits, Though

Dried fruits are still fruit, after all. That means they contain fiber, antioxidants, and other beneficial nutrients that are part of a healthy diet. Research tells us that some of these nutrients, such as polyphenols, actually help prevent the accumulation of plaque on teeth.

Other research theorizes that individual traits (such as the composition of bacteria in our mouths) have more to do with how a raisin will affect our teeth than the amount of sugar it contains.

You’d be surprised to learn how many other factors there are in relation to dried fruit’s effect on teeth. All in all, it appears there is insufficient evidence to conclude that dried fruit is, in fact, bad for our teeth.

So…hooray! Because there is some evidence to point toward dried fruit being beneficial for oral health in some ways, as well as containing important nutrients for our bodies, we say it’s a great option for hungry little tummies!

Again, you’re better off sticking with dried fruits that don’t have added sugars (though of course some yummy chocolate-covered fruits can be an occasional treat!). And offer some water to help wash anything sticky off teeth and down the hatch.

And, as always, maintain regular dental health visits with your child’s dentist to make sure their teeth are in good shape!

All Smiles Pediatric Dentistry

At All Smiles Pediatric Dentistry, we incorporate proven techniques to share with you and your child at each dental checkup visit. Dr. Allen Job and his team are committed to providing the latest in oral health care prevention. Check out our monthly blog posts! Our practice is centrally located in San Diego, CA.

COVID-19 Precautions

Find out how we are protecting our patients and our staff with our improved safety protocol.

Get acquainted with us by watching our practice video and find out what we do.

Scheduling an appointment for your child is easy! Start here to schedule an appointment. All of our forms are online. Fill them out securely from your smartphone or tablet and hit send. On appointment day, your child will be seen at their scheduled time. For example, if you have a 9:00 AM appointment, your child will be seen at 9:00 AM.

Dr. Allen Job, DDS, MS, MPH, MS is a board certified pediatric dentist who practices in San Diego, California, where he specializes in prevention. For more than a decade, served as assistant professor for the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at Loma Linda University School of Dentistry (LLUSD). He is currently an instructor at LLUSD.

Dear Patient:

We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety.

Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your visits to our office. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe.

Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. We do this to make sure that our infection control procedures are current and adhere to each agencies’ recommendations.  Our employees will be following strict guidelines that include donning additional personal protective equipment (PPE), getting daily temperature readings, and being asked the screening questions each day.

We will be scheduling all appointments starting Monday May 18, 2020.  You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example:

• We are limiting the number of people accompanying your child to one parent per child. If you have multiple children they are welcome to come with up to 2 parents. Please do not bring other family members or friends to the office at this time.
• Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. See the bottom of the page for the screening questions. If you or your child is experiencing any symptoms, please call our office to reschedule with at least a 24-hour notice. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you are in the office.
• A temperature reading will be taking for every person entering the office.
• We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed.
• You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, children’s toys and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
• Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
• We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.

We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. To make an appointment, please call our office at 858-737-9000 or visit our website.

Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.

Sincerely,

Dr. Allen Job & Team

Screening Questions for Parent/Guardian and Patient:

Have You (parent/guardian) or They (patient):

1. Had a Fever, Cough, or Shortness of Breath in last 14-21 days?
2. Had flu-like illness like gastrointestinal upset, headache, or fatigue?
3. Had a recent loss of taste or smell?
4. Been in contact with anyone who have tested positive for COVID19?
5. Traveled to regions affected by COVID19 in the past 14 days?

According to a recent study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, toothbrushing multiple times a day can lower one's risk of heart disease.

Let's Dig Deeper

This study involved one hundred sixty thousand participants between the ages of 40-79 years, who were tracked over a ten year span.  These individuals had no history of atrial fibrillation or heart failure at the the beginning of the study.

The study results were independent of factors such as age, gender, socioeconomic status, exercise frequency, alcohol consumption, and other behaviors that could damage the heart.

At the ten year followup evaluation, they there 4,911 participants who had developed atrial fibrillation and 7,971 developed heart failure.

Back to Basics

Anatomy of the Heart:

The heart has 4 chambers.  The two upper chambers are called the atria.  The two lower chambers are called ventricles.  Oxygen-poor blood returns from the body and flows first into the right atrium then into the right ventricle.  From here the blood gets oxygen from lungs. Now oxygen rich blood flows into the left atrium and then into the left ventricle.  Now the blood is pumped out of the heart to the rest of the body. The atria and ventricles contract or "pump" blood in a coordinated way.  Click here to see an animation by the American Heart Association.

What is Atrial fibrillation?

According to the American Heart Association, atrial fibrillation is noted by a quivering heart beat or irregular heart beat.  This can lead to blood clots, stroke or heart failure.  Click here to see an animation of Atrial fibrillation.

What is Heart Failure?

According to the American Heart Association, heart failure occurs when the heart is not pumping as effectively as it could be.  The heart cannot keep up with its workload.  Therefore, the body is not getting enough oxygen that it needs. This condition is a chronic continuous degradation of heart muscle that leads to worsening performance of the heart without medical intervention.  Therefore, one common term that is associated with the ineffective heart, is congestive heart failure. Click here to seen an animation of heart failure.

Toothbrushing Benefits

According to this study, toothbrushing at least three times a day reduces one's risk of atrial fibrillation and heart failure. Researchers from this study believe that the mechanical action of the toothbrush against teeth help lower bacterial levels that are below the gum level before they enter the bloodstream.

Put this Concept into Practice

Brush your teeth after mealtimes.  Parents, do this for your own health and then model this habit to your children.  Children often will follow a parent's lead.  Children who are too young to brush their own teeth should be assisted by a parent or guardian. Often I hear from parents that say that their child doesn't like to have their teeth brushed or won't tolerate it.  When I ask the parent how often they brush their teeth, it is often less than two times a day.  Please note that you are the parent. It is your responsibility to take care of your child.  A child will protest all day long to avoid anything he or she doesn't like.  Toothbrushing is one battle that you have to win, parents.  For a toothbrushing refresher, head to our page on preventive care.

Toothbrushing is an effective way to not only help your teeth, but it can also reduce your risk for some heart diseases like atrial fibrillation and heart failure. Start today!

Dr. Allen Job, DDS, MS, MPH, MS is a board certified pediatric dentist who practices in San Diego, California, where he specializes in prevention. For more than a decade, served as assistant professor for the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at Loma Linda University School of Dentistry (LLUSD). He is currently an instructor at LLUSD.

Learning a musical instrument enhances cognition, trains focus, and helps channel adolescent energy. There’s also the added benefit of a built-in social network of kids working to bring alive once again the musical works of the masters.

Despite all that good stuff, though, some instruments might pose a hazard to the integrity of your child’s teeth, mouth, and jaw – and even their overall health. For most parents, this isn’t top of mind when considering or fostering the learning of a musical instrument.

Let’s take a look at what should be on your radar.

Bacteria

We’re all pretty good at annihilating the bacteria that crop up around our children at home, but how good are you at cleaning their spit-collecting musical machine?

Brass and wind instruments harbor a bounty of nasty molds, yeast and bacteria that can cause asthma and a host of other illnesses. Those yucky spit monsters can indeed make your child ill.

Be sure instruments are cleaned regularly, and cleaned well. Doing so can help your child stay healthy, while also ensuring the instrument will perform at its best.

Here’s a very comprehensive grouping of instructions to help you clean both wind and brass instruments. Print ‘em out and hang ‘em on the fridge!

Lip and Tooth Trauma

Playing a wind or brass instrument requires the player to forcefully hold their instrument against or within the lips to produce a sound. This pressure can present problems for delicate lip tissue and growing teeth.

Soft acrylic guards can be purchased to offset some of this pressure, and are commonly used for children wearing braces. Ask us for suggestions.

Additionally, children prone to  cold sores  can suffer more frequent outbreaks due to playing an instrument. You’ll see this cause and effect play out by noticing where your child tends to get sores.

Woodwind players tend to have outbreaks on the lower lip, and brass instrument players on the upper lip. Woodwind players also experience outbreaks at a rate  twice that of non-musicians.

Head and Neck Trauma

A stringed instrument might seem like the most benign choice when picking an instrument for your child. After all, there’s no contact with the lips or teeth, and there’s no bacteria to worry about.

That is until you realize the position one must get in to play these instruments.

Holding a violin or viola all day might not be the best thing in the world for one’s face, neck and chin. Good playing posture, and reduced playing time is the best preventative medicine if your kids play these two instruments.

It’s also worth noting that because of this awkward playing position, violas, and violins can contribute to, and even exacerbate, cross-bites and overbites.

Consult with your music teacher for the best advice specific to your child. Which brings us to …

Choosing the Right Instrument

Before your child even picks up an instrument, consult with a music teacher familiar with how a player relates to that instrument. A well-informed, passionate band director will know which instruments fit which children best based on their size and weight, teeth structure, finger and hand strength, etc.

Here is a wonderfully thorough starter on  choosing the right instrument for your child  to help get you started.

All Smiles Pediatric Dentistry

At All Smiles Pediatric Dentistry, we incorporate proven techniques to share with you and your child at each dental checkup visit. Dr. Allen Job and his team are committed to providing the latest in oral health care prevention. Check out our monthly blog posts! Our practice is centrally located in San Diego, CA.

Get acquainted with us by watching our practice video and find out what we do.

Scheduling an appointment for your child is easy! Start here to schedule an appointment. All of our forms are online. Fill them out securely from your smartphone or tablet and hit send. On appointment day, your child will be seen at their scheduled time. For example, if you have a 9:00 AM appointment, your child will be seen at 9:00 AM.

Dr. Allen Job, DDS, MS, MPH, MS is a board certified pediatric dentist who practices in San Diego, California, where he specializes in prevention. For more than a decade, served as assistant professor for the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at Loma Linda University School of Dentistry (LLUSD). He is currently an instructor at LLUSD.