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Is every trip to the dentist a difficult one because your child suffers from dental anxiety? Or has difficulty sitting still in our chair? Or needs a first filling, or another unfamiliar procedure that you are concerned might be upsetting? If so, consider dental sedation for your child’s next visit.

Nitrous oxide, often called laughing gas, has been used for more than a hundred years in dentistry. A very safe process, inhalation sedation leaves your child happy and relaxed. He or she will remain awake and responsive, and able to follow our instructions.

The mixture of nitrous oxide gas and oxygen is administered through a child-sized mask. When your child breathes in through the nose, the gas begins to work at once. As soon as the mask is removed, the effects begin to disappear immediately. Because nitrous oxide is non-irritating, starts and ends working quickly, and allows your child to remain conscious and breathe easily, it is the most common form of pediatric sedation.

Dr. James Robson and our team are concerned with your child’s safety above all, and we are carefully trained in any of the sedation procedures we offer. We always take into account your child’s age and weight, health history, medications, and any conditions that could have an impact on the sedation experience. We will talk to you and your child about what to do to prepare before the visit, and what will take place during and after treatment.

An important part of our work as children’s dental caregivers is setting them up for success in future visits. If you feel nitrous oxide sedation can help your child overcome anxiety, sit calmly to help make procedures go smoothly, or prevent unpleasant reactions to new or longer procedures, please talk to us about inhalation sedation during your next visit to our East Lyme, CT office. Our goal is to make each visit positive and worry-free for both child and parent!

Many parents worry that their children’s teeth are not falling out on time. A lot of concerned parents want to know: When will my child lose his or her first baby tooth? At what age should the last tooth fall out? Is there a specific order in which the teeth are lost?

Dr. James Robson and our team explain that a child's 20 baby teeth (primary teeth) typically come in by age three and begin to loosen and fall out on their own to make room for permanent teeth, which usually appear by the time your child is six. It is important to know that timing may vary, and girls typically lose their baby teeth earlier than boys. The last baby teeth will likely fall out by the time your child is 13.

So, which teeth do children lose first? Baby teeth tend to fall out in the order in which they came, which means the lower center incisors are usually the first to go when your child is between six and seven years old. The next teeth your child will lose are his or her top center pair, also called the upper central incisors.

It’s important to note that if a child loses a baby tooth early as a result of decay or an unforeseen accident, his or her permanent tooth may erupt early and potentially come in crooked due to limited space. If your child suffers an injury or has tooth decay, we encourage you to give us a call to set up an appointment with Dr. James Robson.

While we know some children couldn’t be more excited to lose their baby teeth, we know others are anxious about this childhood milestone. When your child starts to lose teeth, our team at Robson Dentistry encourages you to stress the importance of proper dental care on a daily basis.

Remember to:

• Remind your child to brush his or her teeth at least twice a day. Supervise and offer assistance as needed.
• Help your child floss his or her teeth at bedtime.
• Limit eating and drinking between meals and at bedtime, especially sugary treats and drinks, such as candy and soda.
• Schedule regular dental visits for your child every six months.
• Ask about the use of fluoride treatments and dental sealants to help prevent tooth decay.

To learn more about baby teeth, or to schedule your child's next visit with Dr. James Robson at our East Lyme, CT office, please give us a call today!

Everyday life can take a toll on the whiteness of our teeth: Foods we love as well as soft drinks and coffee can stain them over time. Poor brushing and flossing can also leave behind tooth stains. Even injuries to teeth or gums can cause some yellowing, and in certain cases, medicines can contribute to discoloration.

So don’t get discouraged if you notice your smile has dimmed. You can definitely take action to restore the natural beauty of your teeth. Here are some of the best ways to whiten them:

1. Drink through a straw or cut back on coffee and soft drinks to reduce risk of stains.
2. Brush and floss every day.
3. Try a whitening toothpaste or mouthwash.
4. Visit our East Lyme, CT office every six months for regular cleanings.

We also offer in-office professional whitening at our East Lyme, CT office. These whitening products are much more effective than whiteners you can buy at the store and are completely safe. Since they’re stronger, application by a member of our team is essential to achieve the best results.

Still, some teeth can resist bleaching. If that’s the case, we can try several other techniques, such as deep bleaching that applies whitening agents over several visits, veneers and bonds that cover existing stains with a whiter, brighter surface, or laser whitening.

If a whitening session is something you’d like to pursue, be careful about whom you trust to perform the procedure. Avoid using “bleaching stations” in shopping malls or at fairs. These so-called whitening techniques can irritate your teeth and gums, and leave them highly sensitive to pain.

Also, operators of these whitening stands will make customers apply the bleach themselves, to avoid charges of practicing without a license. That should serve as a red flag and a caution to seek trained professionals like Dr. James Robson, instead.

Remember all the things your parents would tell you when you were growing up to scare you away from doing something? Like how lying might make your nose grow, misbehaving meant you wouldn’t get money from the tooth fairy, and swallowed chewing gum would build up in your stomach and stay there for years?

Maybe that last one stayed with you well beyond your teens, and occurred to you every time you accidentally (or purposely) swallowed a piece of gum. We don’t blame you. It’s a scary thought.

But is it true?

We hate to take the fun out of parental discipline, but swallowing a piece of chewing gum is pretty much like swallowing any other piece of food. It will move right through your digestive system with no danger of getting stuck for months, let alone seven years.

This doesn’t mean you should start swallowing all your gum from now on, but if it happens accidentally now and then, there’s no need to panic.

Another common gum myth is that sugar-free gum can help you lose weight. Although it is preferable to choose sugar-free gum over the extra-sweet variety, no studies have show that sugar-free gum will help you lose weight.

If you pop a piece of gum in your mouth after dinner to avoid dessert, it could help you avoid eating a few extra calories every day. But the consumption of sugar-free gum without any other effort will not help you shed pounds.

 If you really enjoy chewing gum, we strongly encourage you to select sugarless gum, because it lowers your risk for cavities. Many brands of sugarless gum contain xylitol, a natural sweetener that can, in fact, help fight bacteria that cause cavities and rinse away plaque.

So if you can’t kick the gum habit altogether, sugar-free is definitely the way to go!

If you have any questions about chewing gum, feel free to contact Dr. James Robson at our East Lyme, CT office.