Tooth Brushing is one of the easiest methods of cavity prevention.

Here are several tips to help optimize cavity prevention:

• If several toothbrushes are stored in the same place, please allow brushes to dry without touching each other or surfaces dampened by other toothbrushes.
• Normal wear can bend the bristles and move them out of line. Splayed bristles loose their ability to properly remove plaque from teeth.
• As a simple rule of thumb, toothbrushes should be changed every three months or more often if the bristles show wear and tear. Also change the brush after an illness or when the bristles begin to stiffen.
• Supervision for children brushing and flossing under the age of 8. They do not have the coordination to floss and brush as needed.
• Look for toothbrushes that are designed for children’s small mouth and handles they can control the brush.

The first time I noticed Madison's bottom front teeth were 'wiggly' I did a

double take and wiggled them again. After all, what 18 month-old little

girl would have loose teeth? They really were just a little 'wiggly'. The

next visit with our kids' dentist, Dr. Stewart, we pointed out this change

in her teeth and he began to watch them. Each visit, Dr. Stewart checked

each tooth, carefully measuring the changes as the looseness progressed.

Even though it appeared to be a simple problem with her bite, watching your

baby girl loose her teeth is a hard process.

 The first time Madison was big enough to get her full mouth x-rayed, Dr.

Stewart noticed the roots of her other teeth looked abnormal. He suggested

the possibility that she could possibly have a problem called

Hypophosphatasia, something briefly mentioned in dental school. Dr. Stewart

contacted our pediatrician and suggested Madison get some labwork that

would help diagnose the trouble she was experiencing.

 After completing the labwork and meeting with a pediatric endocrinologist,

it was confirmed Madison did have Hypophosphatasia, a rare bone disease

that causes the teeth to become loose and eventually fall out prematurely.

Throughout the process, Dr. Stewart personally called us regularly to check

on Madison and to see how we were doing.

 He has also provided words of encouragement and comfort during some of our

more difficult moments. When Madison was four she was outside and slipped

on the ice, causing one of her front top teeth to come out. This was hard

for us because most people didn't even notice her teeth missing on the

bottom; now it would be much more noticeable for her and we knew it would

be years before she would get her adult teeth. I remember frantically

calling Dr. Stewart's office late in the evening, hoping that there was

something that could be done but deep down knowing that because of her

disease there really wasn't anything we could do. The answering service

relayed the message to Dr. Stewart and he quickly called me back. He was so

kind and gentle in explaining to me we wouldn't be able to place her tooth

back in, sharing encouraging words that this was all going to be okay. I

can remember hearing his kids playing in the background and feeling

grateful he took time out of his evening with his family to talk to me and

help me feel better.

 Dr. Stewart continues to take amazing care of Madison and our other

children. As we've made difficult decisions regarding the care of Madison's

teeth, Dr. Stewart is always willing to share his professional opinion as

well as the options we have regarding her care. He always shows us

compassion and understanding and I can tell he wants to do what is best for

Madison. After taking Madison to one of the world's expert doctors on

Hypophophatasia, Dr. Stewart gladly accepted the additional medical

literature and research we received so he can understand and help Madison

as he cares for her teeth.

 We appreciate is the education both we as parents and our children receive

regarding dental care. Dr. Stewart consistently encourages good habits to

help our kids' teeth remain healthy and cavity-free, educating us and

sharing tips to help us more effectively care for their teeth.

 Not only is Dr. Stewart's care positive but his office is warm and

inviting for both parents and kids; my younger kids loving playing in the

waiting room where they can go in the kid-size barn and down the slide. I

appreciate that they value my time; only once in the seven year's we've

seen Dr. Stewart has the wait been more than five minutes. The staff from

the front desk to the dental assistants are professional and caring. This

helps make a visit to the dentist a comfortable experience.

 What we've valued most is the gentle way he treats each one of our

children. He is always calm and friendly with the kids, helping them to

feel comfortable during each appointment. Whether Madison has a loose tooth

that is so uncomfortable and needs care or one of our kids needs teeth

pulled for braces, it is clear his goal is to help children have a positive

dental experience. Thanks Dr. Stewart!

 The Bracken Family

It is good to keep up with all the possible hazards.

Some good ideas to keep those precious little ones safe.

http://www.cdc.gov/family/halloween

Don’t for get to brush and floss after the celebration of candy eating!

Carving pumpkins are a fun tradition.  

The patterns that are out in the stores look real complicated. They are not!

It is not as you can see with these little ones carving with Grandpa.

Children are so amazed by the finished product.  Just like magic!!

Pumpkin Carving is so much fun and has changed so much in the last 7 years.

They can be spooky or they can be silly. You choose!

They of course will need supervision with the tools needed.

Kits to carve are sold at most discount stores like Wal-Mart, Shopko, K-mart and Target,

You can go online too and find free patterns too. I recommend you buy a kit. They are sold under $10.00 and we have used our kit for years.

What a great activity that will bring fun for years to come.

It becomes a contest as they get older to be more creative.

Little Peoples Dental wants you to use your creativity be your Halloween fun.

Chocolate Dipped Carmel Apples

8 cups Sugar

2 cups butter

4 cups light corn syrup

4 cans evaporated milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, syrup and butter over medium heat. Bring to a rolling boil.  Add milk a little at a time so mixture never stops boiling. Cook at lower temperature, stirring every few minutes.  Cook to firm ball stage or 230 degrees.  You can test the Carmel in a bowl of cold water by dropping a small amount of Carmel in a bowl of cold water by dropping a small amount of Carmel into water and letting it cool.  Carmel could make a fairly firm ball when removed from water. Remove form heat and add vanilla.

Wash and dry apples and remove stems.  Refrigerate apples.  When ready to dip, insert a pop cycle stick into the top of each apple try to keep the stick as straight as possible.

Take one apple at a time and dip into Carmel.  Do not let it sit in the Carmel too long or apples will weep at the stem end.

Let the Carmel drip of and use a knife to scrape excess Carmel off the bottom of the apple. Set the apple on the sheet pan that you have sprayed with Pam. When the tray is full, put them in refrigerator so the Carmel will cool.

After the apples have cooled, you can start dipping in chocolate. You will need to chop up the chocolate in the microwave 1 minute at a time, stirring between each minute ad adding a little of the cut up chocolate to temper it.

Take an apple and dip it into the white chocolate about 2/3 of the way up on the apple so the Carmel still shows at the top.  Let the chocolate drip, and then scrape excess off the bottom.  Sprinkle chocolate mixture of sugar and cinnamon and set the apple in the sugar mixture, so the bottom has sugar on it too.  Set it back on the tray and when the tray is full put back into the refrigerator.

One the chocolate is set you can wrap them in cellophane bags and tie the top with a ribbon, to give as gifts or just to eat.

What happens at the checkup?

Dr. Stewart and staff will provide you with the following services:

• Review your child’s dental and medical history
• Evaluate dental growth and development
• Examine your child’s teeth, oral tissues and jaws
• Clean your child’s teeth, removing plaque and tartar that cause decay
• Polish your child’s teeth
• Apply fluoride
• Perform an oral cancer screening
• Perform a preliminary orthodontic screening
• Provide instructions concerning at-home oral health care: including flossing, brushing and proper nutrition
• X-rays to see where the eye will not catch like between the teeth.

Are twice-yearly checkups necessary?

Regular dental checkups help prevent cavities. Dr. Stewart will also assess changes in your child’s oral health. For example, as your child develops, he or she may need sealants or fluoride treatment to achieve ideal oral health. Regular checkups at an early age are the foundation for a lifetime of excellent oral health.

If you have any questions about your child’s oral health, Dr. Stewart or one of our team members will be glad to speak with you.

The majority of children should visit their pediatric dentist twice a year for their dental checkup. Depending on their oral health, some children may require more frequent visits.

If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one. ~ Mother Teresa

The food bank needs our help! From now through the holidays we want to help the people in our community. Let together help to fight against hunger!

For every item you donate to the food bank you will get your name in a drawing to win a $25.00 gift certificate.  Drawing Dates are October 15^th, November 15^th and December 15^th.

Grilled Zucchini So Easy!


Slice the Zucchini into spear like shapes.

Take a pastry brush and lightly put olive or vegetable oil on the zucchini
on each side.

Sprinkle some seasoning on them. Seasoning of your choice. I like Mrs Dash
or Johnny's seasoning.

Put them on the grill. They need to grill about 3-5 minutes on each side.

So Delightful! My non -veggie eating boy likes them a lot.

I grilled up several zucchini’s and put them in container to have for
lunches for the next day, but they did not last they were eaten as a
snack.

Butternut Squash Comfort Soup

5 tablespoons Butter

1 large Onion – chopped into small pieces

1 large Stalk of Celery- sliced into about 1 inch pieces

7 medium red potatoes or 4 medium Potatoes- cut into about 1 inch pieces

5 cloves or Garlic- sliced into smaller pieces

2- 32 fluid ounces of Chicken Stock or Vegetable Stock

2 medium butternut squash- cut into about 1 inch pieces

In a large pot put the butter, onion, celery, potatoes, and garlic and while melting the butter stir continually until the onion is clear.  Then add in the Chicken or Vegetable Stock. Bring to a low boil. Cook until the veggies are tender. This should take around 30 minutes.

Then you take the veggies and stock and blend them. You can use blender stick or a blender to blend until creamy smooth.  I then season the soup with Mrs. Dash or you can use red peppers or curry as your taste desires.  This becomes a smooth yummy bowl of goodness.

You can add chopped ham or cooked bacon pieces if you choose.

The speckles in the soup are the red potatoes peels. No need to peel!

Zucchini Bread

3 Eggs

1 cup Vegetable Oil

2 cups Sugar

2 cups grated Zucchini

2 tsp. Vanilla

3 cups Flour

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Baking soda

1 tsp. Cloves

1 tsp. Allspice

1 tsp. Cinnamon

½ Cup Walnuts (Optional)

¾ Cup Raisins or chopped Dates

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs until light and foamy mix this in the mixer before adding all of the other ingredients. Then mix all nine plus ingredients together. Mix this lightly but thoroughly.

Pour batter into two loaf pans, larger loaf pans. Then Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes.

To make this Zucchini Date Nut Bread:

Add 2 cups of chopped Dates.

1 cup of chopped Walnuts

I take out 1 cup of Sugar

My favorite for sure!