tooth decay

Every time you visit Northwest Children's Dentistry, your Tucson pediatric dentist, you may have noticed that we ask a lot of questions about your child's diet.  Generally, we will discuss the following topics with you every time you come to the office:

• What your child eats at meals, drinks, and snacks
• The frequency each type of food or drink is consumed
• Recommended changes for improving your child's dental health

Our goal in asking these questions is to pinpoint potential problems that could result in costly and complicated dental treatments in the future.  We believe that prevention is worth an ounce of cure, so we will often advise to limit your child's consumption of sugary foods and drinks.

We understand that all children are unique and may have differing oral health needs. Being able to understand how your child’s teeth and gums are impacted by nutrition reduces their risk for cavities and decay.

As your pediatric dentist in Tucson, we want your kids to eat healthy and maintain strong teeth.  If you have any dental questions, feel free to call us at (520) 544-8522.

About Northwest Children's Pediatric Dentists

Dr. Norman Bunch and Dr. Jennifer Marshall are doctor spouses who have been working as kids dentists in Tucson for years.  They have deep ties to Tucson, as well as the surrounding Oro Valley, Marana, Oracle, and other areas. Northwest Children's Dentistry provides top-notch care for toddlers, children, teens, and special needs children. If you’re looking for a general dentist for kids in Tucson, contact us today at (520) 544-8522.

If you were asked what was the most chronic childhood illness, you might come up with a lot of potential answers, but tooth decay, is the #1  most common chronic childhood disease.  According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, tooth decay in children is five times more common than asthma, four times more common than early childhood obesity, and 20 times more common than diabetes.

Tooth decay is important to prevent because it leads to painful toothaches, infections, and even tooth loss.  You may not think it's a big deal if it's a baby tooth, but losing baby teeth can impact a child's life forever by prematurely shifting teeth and causing other deep tissue infections.

Fortunately, you can minimize your child's risk of getting tooth decay by enforcing regular brushing and flossing habits.  If you catch decay early on, you may be able to restore tooth enamel with fluoride treatments.

As your pediatric dentist in Tucson, we want to help you manage all your children's dental needs.  If you have any questions about your child's dental health, feel free to call us at (520) 544-8522.

About Northwest Children's Pediatric Dentists

Dr. Norman Bunch and Dr. Jennifer Marshall are a husband and wife team providing general dentistry for kids in Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, Oracle, and surrounding areas. Northwest Children's Dentistry provides top-notch care for toddlers, children, teens, and special needs children as your local Tucson dentist. If you’re looking for a kids dentist in Tucson, contact us today!

As parents, we all know that sugar isn't good for our kids' health.  Dentists always tell us to reduce our children's sugar intake.  But why is that?  Here's a quick breakdown on how sugar affects your teeth.

Tooth decay isn't actually caused by sugar, it is just acerbated by it.  When we eat sugar, it coats our teeth and bacteria clings to it.  Saliva has a hard time washing away the bacteria because the sugar acts as an adhesive.  As the bacteria clings to our teeth, it produces an acid which slowly erodes the tooth.  The longer the bacteria clings to our tooth, the more it decays.

Reducing your sugar intake, brushing your teeth, and flossing can all help stop this harmful process in your mouth.

As your pediatric dentist in Tucson, we want to help you manage all your children's dental needs.  Feel free to call us at (520) 544-8522 if you have any questions.

About Northwest Children's Pediatric Dentists

Dr. Norman Bunch and Dr. Jennifer Marshall are a husband and wife team providing general dentistry for kids in Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, Oracle, and surrounding areas. Northwest Children's Dentistry provides top-notch care for toddlers, children, teens, and special needs children as your local Tucson dentist. If you’re looking for a kids dentist in Tucson, contact us today!

As summer approaches, many parents will want to make sure to keep their kids hydrated as they engage in sports and other outdoor activities.  We want to remind you that although it's tempting to load your kid up on juice during the summer months, juice should only be given to your child in moderation.  Too much juice, even 100% fruit juice, can aggregate tooth decay in otherwise healthy teeth.

Here are some rules of thumb for how much juice is appropriate for your child:

1. No juice for infants younger than 6 months
2. Limit juice to 4 – 6 ounces per day for children 1 to 6 years old
3. Limit juice to 8 – 12 ounces per day for children 7 to 18 years old

As your pediatric dentist in Tucson, we want to help you understand all aspects of your child's dental care.  Feel free to call us at (520) 544-8522.

About Northwest Children's Pediatric Dentists

Dr. Norman Bunch and Dr. Jennifer Marshall are a husband and wife team providing general dentistry for kids in Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, Oracle, and surrounding areas. Northwest Children's Dentistry provides top-notch care for toddlers, children, teens, and special needs children as your local Tucson dentist. If you’re looking for a kids dentist in Tucson, contact us today!