Defending Against the Boggarts and Dementors
Hello all of my little friends! I hope you are all now settled back into school and into a good routine. I have been making the rounds at night and my friends, the dental hygienists, have been checking out your teeth and giving me reports. I am very happy to tell you that I am so proud that you have been doing a pretty good job with brushing and flossing over the summer! Of course, my partner, Herbie is very happy too! That means you are doing a great job defending against the Boggarts and Dementors!
Meet Samantha
I see there have been a few slip ups though, and that is terrible for your little pearly whites and your oral health. Samantha from Bridgeport decided she wasn’t going to brush her teeth this summer. Guess what happened? Yes, her gums got very red and puffy and even bled. Then her gums began to hurt. Oh, and her breath was terrible – very much like Norbert, the Norwegian Ridgeback Dragon from Harry Potter!
Her Mom had to take her to see one of Herbie’s friends who has an office in Bridgeport.
Gingivitis and Cavities and More, Oh My!
When the hygienist and dentist looked into Samantha’s mouth, they were really grossed out!!! There was buildup of plaque, which is the sticky, stinky stuff that coats your poor little pearly whites when you don’t brush. There was food debris in the plaque which was feeding the Dementors and Bogarts. You might remember, both the Dementors and Bogart’s thrive on sugar but they also like old food! Samantha had full blown gingivitis!
As the Dementors and Bogarts go happily along digesting the food debris and sugars they multiply. They also produce an acid by product which is their form of poop. The poop sits on the little darling and then dissolves your poor little darling’s hard enamel cover and cause a hole which the dentist calls cavities. Depending on how early the cavity is discovered, the dentist can fix it in many different ways. We will cover that topic later. Back to Samantha….
Well, Samantha had to receive some intensive dental hygiene treatment. First, the hygienist had to perform what is called a debridement. A Debridement is when the hygienist has to go in and GENTLY remove all of the plaque and food debris from the teeth and gums. Think of it as a first round of cleaning. Samantha’s poor gum tissue was so injured at this point, she bled a lot. So, the hygienist went over some special cleaning and rinses that Samantha would have to use for the next week until her second appointment.
Samantha returned a week later; her gum tissue was significantly better but still not healed. This time the hygienist was able to give Samantha a really thorough cleaning. Samantha’s gums bled a bit but not like the first time and her breath was significantly improved too. Samantha’s food also tasted better. The hygienist went over more hygiene instructions and showed Samantha how to brush and floss properly now that she was on a better path to recovery. Samantha was given another appointment to return in one week.
When Samantha returned to her third appointment, her gum tissue looked healthy and much better. The hygienist and dentist controlled the gingivitis – Samantha was very lucky.
Fluoride Varnish
Now it was time to turn more attention to her pearly whites which some were not so white. You guessed it. The Dementors and Bogarts left their mark. The hygienist cleaned Samantha’s teeth and gums again and then placed some fluoride varnish on her teeth to help them not get worse. Samantha was concerned because she had never had a cavity before. Now, she is going to have to get that fixed. She was thinking, gosh, did I make a big mistake by NOT brushing my teeth over the summer? Samantha decided that she was never going to do that again.
I hope you learned something new from Samantha’s situation. Halloween is coming up soon. A lot of candy will be handed out. There is nothing wrong with a little treat now and then BUT you have to take the right steps and keep bad things from happening. Remember to brush at least twice a day, floss once a day and rinse your mouth out after eating. It is better if you can brush but sometimes you can’t. You should also think about eating healthier snacks and not snacks that are full of sugar.
Tata my little buddies! Don’t forget, you can always contact me by email or call my friends at the Connecticut Dental Health Partnership! My friends at the CTDHP would definitely love to hear from some of you out there as you brighten up their day!
Dr. Tooth Fairy
855-CT-DENTAL Monday-Friday 8AM – 5PM
