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RECENT REFERRALS :

My Child is a Biter- What Can I Do?

Though it can be unsettling, biting behavior in very young children is certainly not uncommon. Infants bite as a way to explore their surroundings, or to try to relieve the pain of teething. Toddlers bite primarily as a form of communication, since they lack the language skills to vocalize feelings such as frustration, anger or fear. 2and 3-year-old children often experience biting phases, which can cause trouble in social situations like day care and preschool. (When children over the age of 3 bite especially if its a frequent occurrence it can be an indicator of a behavioral or emotional problem. If this is the case, we recommend talking to your family doctor for advice.) In most cases, children stop biting on their own, once they learn that biting is not appropriate and nd other ways to express their feelings. A clear response from parents and caregivers immediately after a biting incident will help a child learn to avoid this behavior. Following is a guide for how to respond when a child bites: Stay calm. Dont react to aggressive behavior with aggressive behavior. If you were the one bitten, overreact to the bite, to show the child that the bite has caused you pain. If another child was bitten, rst turn your attention to him. Comfort him and check to see if the bite needs medical attention. Calm him down if he is upset. Then, address the child who did the biting. Firmly state that biting is not allowed. Explain that biting causes pain, and that the other child is upset because he is hurt. After the child has had some time to calm down, talk to him about why he bit, and address his feelings. Explain that we can express our feelings by talking about them, and not by biting. If biting behavior persists, try using time-outs or removing toys from the childs play area as negative consequences. Never hit a child and never bite back to try to show the child that biting hurts. This type of response will teach the child that violence is ok and encourage violent behavior.

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Parents and caregivers can help children understand that feelings are ok, and that there are better ways to respond to them than biting. There are many ways to teach your child appropriate emotional responses. Here are a few: Talk to your child about feelings and encourage him to use words to express feelings. Share your feelings, both happy and sad, with your child verbally, to provide a model for appropriate behavior. Reinforce positive behavior; praise your child when he exhibits good social skills, such as sharing, being polite and showing patience.

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Getting a new smile has been great! I didn't have to miss as much work and school as I thought I would."

BurlesonOrthodontics.TV Resource Guide

Dr. Burleson answers your questions every week on BurlesonOrthodontics.TV Watch popular episodes like Flex Spending and Braces or Hidden Incognito Braces by 3M. Submit your questions to our Facebook page or info@burlesonortho.com and watch for your question to be addressed in a future episode. Visit the resources here : www.BurlesonOrthodontics.TV

-Jordan W.

Brushing Your Braces: Tips for a Clean Mouth

Keeping your teeth clean is more important than ever when you have braces. Food bits have more spots than usual to hide in your mouth, so you must be diligent in order to avoid bad breath, swollen gums, discolored teeth and cavities. If you remove plaque regularly during treatment, you'll experience better results and shorter treatment time. Keep plaque at bay with these top ten tips: 1. One tooth at a time. When you brush, take time with each individual tooth at least 10 seconds each and pay careful attention to the spots where your teeth touch your braces. Its all about the angles. Brush the tops of your teeth and braces with your brush angled down toward where they meet. Brush the bottoms of your teeth and braces with your brush angled up. 5. Like a Boy Scout, always be prepared. The easiest way to be sure you can brush after every meal is to get in the habit of taking a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss with you wherever you go. Designate a special container just for your teeth-cleaning tools and keep it in your purse, backpack, or laptop case. Fluoride is your friend. Fluoride helps prevent cavities. Be sure to brush with fluoride toothpaste, and rinse with fluoride mouthwash. Pointy brushes reach tiny places. Interproximal brushes (sometimes called proxa brushes or interdental brushes) are cone-shaped and come in very handy for reaching spots around your braces that standard brushes cant. Find the floss for you. Regular floss works for some patients, but others find it easier to work with a floss threader, which helps you get the floss into tight places. Other patients like an all-in-one product called Super oss, which comes with a sti end for easy threading, a spongy section for cleaning wide spaces, and regular oss for narrow spaces. Make time for the pros. Its your job to take care of the everyday cleaning. But make sure to visit your dentist regularly while in treatment, to get the deep, thorough cleaning that only a professional can provide.

Patient Spotlight

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Hunter Schmitt
Hunter is a patient at our office who is very talented and uses his time and energy to help others! Hunter is a champion swimmer who has been swimming for 11 years. He is a member of the Northland United Swim Team and re ce nt l y q u a l i f i e d fo r sectionals in his division. He practices two hours per day and five days per week to hone his skill When Hunter is not in the pool, he is an excellent student. He hopes to major in biology in chemistry in college and one day go to medical school. Hunter also spends time bettering his community. Most recently, he spent time volunteering for the Bob Hiatt Beautification Day in North Kansas City. Thank you Hunter for being such a talented swimmer and generous person. We feel so blessed to have such great patients!

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3. The tooth, the whole tooth, nothing but the tooth. While the front surface of your teeth may seem like the most logical to clean, its equally important to clean the inner surface of your teeth (tongue side) as well as the chewing surface. And be sure to clean along your gum line a key spot for plaque buildup. 4. Step 1: eat, step 2: clean. While youre in treatment, its important to brush after every meal. Bits of food can easily get caught between braces and teeth, and these food bits interact with bacteria in your mouth to cause decay. The longer food is in contact with your teeth, the greater opportunity for plaque to form. If you are eating somewhere that you cant brush, thoroughly rinse your mouth with water.

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This Months Braces FAQ

One question that frequently comes up in our o ce is use of relief wax. For minor tooth discomfort, use what to do if a part of your appliance or braces breaks or whatever pain reliever works best for you when you is uncomfortable and you are unavailable to come into have a headache. If a wire or braket is causing your the o ce. The good news is there are a cheeks or gums discomfort, relief wax can be found few easy ways to manage discomfort at our o ce or at major chains and just needs to or broken appliances on the go. Many be applied to the area to make the uncomfortable orthodontic discomforts can be appliance smooth to the touch. If a wire is too relieved by the use of over-the-counter long, you can often use new nail clippers to clip the analgesics like acetaminophen or wire until you can make it into our o ce! ibuprofen or with the

Do You Know a Patient Who is Accomplishing Extraordinary Things? Send your story to info@burlesonortho.com