G&G Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics Blog

Kids play to learn about their surroundings and put themselves into a new perspective. Whether they want to be an astronaut, a dinosaur, or a rancher, there’s a wealth of toys and accessories available for them to live their dream. But what if they want to be a dentist? As it turns out, they’re in luck!

Read on to find three dentist-themed toys that could pique their interest and teach them some skills.

Caring for the oral health of children with special needs presents unique challenges, especially when it comes to the routine of brushing twice a day and flossing once a day. Due to emotional, behavioral, physical, or intellectual disabilities, these children may encounter difficulties in remembering or executing these tasks independently. Additional assistance may be necessary to ensure their teeth are properly cleaned. Explore four helpful tips for maintaining the oral health of children with special needs through specialized dentistry.

With the holiday season approaching, you may be contemplating ways to bring joy to your child, especially if they have braces. It might be a bit challenging to find items for the tree or stocking that won’t interfere with their orthodontic journey but will still bring a smile to their face. Here are four fantastic stocking stuffer ideas that are braces-friendly and sure to delight your child.

As a parent, Halloween can simultaneously be the most fun and worrisome time of year. On one hand, you will get to see your child dress up and have a blast trick-or-treating, and on the other, they will have access to a mountain of sweets afterward! Not only does this mean dealing with spurts of sugar-fueled energy, but it can also lead to oral health problems linked to sweets, like cavities. Read on to learn how you can stop decay in its tracks and keep your favorite smile healthy.

Is your child covered under your family’s dental insurance policy? If so, now is a good time to think about how you can use your benefits to help your young one enjoy a healthy smile. What exactly does dental insurance for children cover, and how can you get the most out of your plan? This blog post provides some helpful reminders.

Your child practicing excellent oral hygiene every day at home is a massive part of keeping their smile healthy for life, but it can’t do the whole job on its own. Regular dental visits can catch developing oral health problems early on so they can be resolved before they become painful and expensive ordeals. Read on to learn more about the benefits of taking your little one to regular dental exams.

Pacifiers have long been used to soothe a crying baby, but misuse of them can lead to long-term consequences for your child’s developing smile. Constantly sucking on a pacifier or a thumb can cause dental problems such as alignment issues. Here’s what you need to know about how using these comfort objects can go wrong and what can be done to prevent “pacifier teeth.”

When you read about dentistry online, most of the advice that you’ll get is geared toward people who have had most of their adult teeth come in. While a lot of that advice transfers over well (like brushing thoroughly and staying away from sweets), little smiles require some special expertise to handle properly.

It’s worth taking some time to talk a bit about baby teeth specifically. Here are a few facts you should know if you’re a parent to a young child whose teeth are just sprouting.

Just like you, the key to your child’s oral health is regularly visiting the dentist. Once it’s a part of their routine this should be no problem, but getting over the hump of the first one can be a little bit difficult for both you and your child.

Or at least, it might feel that way. Thankfully, your dentist will work as hard as possible to make the appointment stress-free for you. So long as you keep a few things in mind, you should be able to get your child through their first appointment without a problem.

If your child needs braces, they may see the treatment as purely cosmetic. After all, orthodontics’ most apparent effect is a beautifully-straight smile. However, the reality is that there are several health benefits of straight teeth. Braces would thus strengthen your child’s whole body, leading to a higher quality of life. Your Naperville orthodontist would be happy to explain further. To that end, here are four physical health perks of a straight smile.