Helping ease your child's fear of the dentist

Dr. Styrt knows some children fear going to the dentist, and this morning, we found a great article on how to help your child overcome fears of visiting our office, courtesy of our friends at WebMD.

Serving San Diego and surrounding areas, it is our goal to make your child's first dental experience a positive one. It all starts when you first walk in - in addition to our cyber room, filled with everything from Nintendo and computers to books and toys, we also provide private video monitors above each dental chair.

Our wide selection of videos will keep your child’s mind on more entertaining matters than the dentistry at hand. Whether it's a simple checkup or restorative care, Dr. Styrt & our experienced team provide comprehensive gentle dental care in a comfortable and welcoming environment. In fact, most of our patients look forward to their next visit! Schedule an appointment by calling (858) 458-1088, and we'll see you soon!

Ask Dr. Styrt: Which foods should I avoid while wearing braces?

Thanks for your question. For the first day or so in your new braces, stick to soft foods. Avoid tough meats, hard breads and raw vegetables. Before long, you'll be able to bite a cucumber again. But you'll need to protect your orthodontic appliances when you eat for as long as you're wearing braces.

Foods you'll definitely want to avoid during your treatment include:

* Chewy foods: bagels, hard rolls, licorice
* Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, chips
* Sticky foods: caramels, gum
* Hard foods: nuts, candy
* Foods you have to bite into: corn on the cob, apples, carrots
* Chewing on hard things (for example, pens, pencils or fingernails) can damage the braces. Damaged braces will cause treatment to take longer.

For some great and braces-friendly recipes, check out the Braces Cookbook or ask Dr. Styrt or one of our staff members.

More than just a day off from school

Today, our country celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was a thinker, leader and civil rights champion. In the 1950s and ’60s, Dr. King recognized the need to bring about social justice, and worked tirelessly to instill tolerance in our nation, strengthen America’s communities and move the nation forward.

Today and this past weekend, thousands of people of all ages and races in San Diego and across the California spent their time building, giving and renovating our communities to help celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend. Do you have the day off on Monday? If so, what do you plan to do to help your local community?

We’d love to know about your activities and events this MLK Jr. Day. If you have any video or pictures you’d like to share, please pass them along! If you’re not sure how, give us a call!

Dr. Paul Styrt and our entire team are proud of all our patients, families and colleagues who continue to make a difference in the San Diego community!

Gummy Tummy? From Dr. Styrt

At Dr. Styrt's office, we know the rumors going around that once you swallow a piece of chewing gum it will take up residency in your stomach for at least seven years! We really hate to take all the fun out of the mystery, but the truth is that chewing gum, when swallowed, will enter the stomach and move through the digestive system just like any other piece of food and leave the body long before seven years! So, if you ever have accidentally swallowed a piece of gum, there is no need to worry!

This being said, gum does not have any dietary benefits, so while it’s not harmful to swallow, you still want to avoid swallowing it. If you are a gum-chewer, make sure you chew sugarless gum, because gum with sugar can lead to cavities. Sugarless gum still has the same amount of flavor, but with less cavity causing ingredients. You see, when the bacterium in your mouth breaks down sugar, what’s left behind is acid. This acid eats away at the enamel coating of your teeth, causing holes that we call cavities. Cavities can lead to other long term mouth problems if they are not treated in time, so it is best to try and avoid overexposing your teeth to too many harmful substances!

Give us a call at our convenient San Diego office if you have any questions!

Happy (sugar-free) gum chewing from Dr. Styrt and our entire staff!

The importance of regular checkups

Are you brushing teeth twice a day and flossing during your orthodontic treatment? If the answer is yes, we think that’s fantastic! But, Dr. Styrt & our staff would like to remind you to visit us in addition to taking good care of your oral health during orthodontic treatment. Regular dental checkups are important for maintaining good oral health. We can:

•Check for problems that might not be seen or felt
•Detect cavities and early signs of decay
•Treat oral health problems early
•Show you how to properly brush and floss your teeth

Drs. Styrt and Job are pleased to offer pediatric dentistry at our San Diego office - during an oral exam we will check the health of your mouth, teeth, gums, cheeks and tongue. Checkups will also include a thorough teeth cleaning and polishing. If you have not been to the dentist in the last six months, please let us know!

Happy New Year!