Dental Care

My child needs crowns…now what? 

Why Pediatric Dental Crowns instead of Fillings? 

There are many reason reasons for pediatric dental crowns.  A large amount of decay or a fracture to the tooth are the two most common reasons for pediatric dental crowns.

Rather than filling a cavity, a dental crown helps to protect the entire tooth. 

Your child’s first and second molars come in between the ages of 2-3 and last 10-12 years.  Dental crowns on the child’s molars, or any other baby teeth,  allow the teeth to last for their lifetime expectancy. 

Stainless Steel vs White Dental Crowns

Just 4 Kids Pediatric Dentistry & Sedation offers two types of crowns; stainless steel crowns & cubic zirconia crowns.

Stainless steel  dental crowns

The most commonly used crowns by dentists are stainless steel dental crowns.  This type of dental crown is often used for posterior (back) molars. The are durable, strong, and resistant to moisture and a child’s growing and developing mouth.  Most insurance company cover these types of dental crowns.

Cubic zirconia dental crowns

Cubic zirconia dental crowns (white crowns) are made with tooth colored material.  This type of dental crown is often placed on anterior (front) teeth needing crowns. These dental crowns are metal free and are practically indestructible and are even stronger and more durable than natural tooth enamel! Cubic zirconia crowns are also resistant to plaque accumulation and decay, and are allergy free. Cubic zirconia crowns are not known to initiate any allergic responses, and the material has a long history of being a biocompatible material in the human body.

If your child is need of pediatric dental crowns,  Contact Just 4 Kids Pediatric Dentistry to learn more about options for your child!

How can I help prevent my children’s teeth from decaying?

Follow these simple steps to prevent tooth decay: 

• Brush your child’s teeth twice a day. For younger child that want to brush their own teeth, allow them to brush first, then followup behind them to ensure that all teeth were properly cleaned.
• Always brush teeth for 2 full minutes. 
• Clean between your child’s teeth daily with floss.
• Encourage healthy habits. Keep meals nutritious and balanced, and limit snacking. Stay away from sticky and chewy substances, along with juices that are high in sugar. Check out our Pinterest board for Healthy Recipes That Will Make Your Teeth Smile! 
• Schedule regular dental visits for your child for professional cleanings and oral examination. Dental visits should be scheduled every 6 months. 
• Read more about cavity prevention services provided by Just 4 Kids Pediatric Dentistry

Let’s face it…if you are a parent or caregiver, you laugh hysterically at the image above because you know it speaks the truth. All-day snacking is just another indication of summer’s arrival. Wondering how to keep it in check? Here are a few tips from your friends at Just 4 Kids. Keep the cavities away with these simple steps!

Summer snacking tip #1: Make healthy snacks accessible

Make space in your pantry and refrigerator for ready-to-go snacks. Find a few fun baskets that can be designated snack baskets for your little munchers! Make them even easier to access by placing baskets in a cabinet that your child can reach with no fuss. For the pantry: stock with individual serving sizes of goldfish, applesauce, trail mix, crackers, rice cakes, granola bars, healthy muffins, and the like. For the fridge: stock with hard boiled eggs, string cheese, fruit, veggies, lunch meat (roll ups are always a winner), yogurt…the list could go on and on! Find more ideas on self-serve snack baskets here.

Summer snacking tip #2: Choose water over juice,  gatorade, and other sugary drinks

Though Gatorade and apple juice may TASTE more refreshing on a hot day, water will help you stay hydrated the most since it has 0g sugar. Gatorade and apple juice are full of sugar bugs (yuck!). A bottle of Gatorade contains 56g of sugar; according to the USDA, children should consume 40g sugar per day.

Summer snacking tip #3: Make it homemade

For more filling and nutritious snacks, try homemade! Homemade snacks cut out a hefty amount of the sugar and preservatives that are found in store-bought products. You can find lots of ideas on Pinterest. Try baking and cooking with kids as a fun afternoon activity during the summer. Cooking with kids also introduces them to new foods, along with kitchen concepts.

Summer snacking tip #4: Road trip tips

Here’s one of our favorites!!!! Instead of making countless stops at the convenience store (where begging is sure to ensue and sugary treats glare at all of us), try this! Grab a crafting storage box and go to town creating a fun, healthy, and colorful snack box that is sure to keep kids occupied the whole ride through. We LOVE i should be mopping the floor’s post. 

Summer snacking tip #5: Eat the rainbow!

Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple…challenge your children to eat the rainbow each day. Have them search for new and interesting fruits and vegetables in the grocery store and host an in-home taste test. It’s always more fun when you make it a game!!

We hope you enjoy these ideas, and that they take the stress out of the summertime snacking. Wishing you and yours the best this summer…have fun exploring!
To keep up with us on Pinterest (and to stay up to date on the latest recipes that make your teeth smile), follow us here! 

If you are heading out of town during Spring Break, be sure to take extra special care of your teeth!
Many families seek out big adventures, and who knows what can happen during those!

Preventative dental emergency measures you can:

1. Visit the dentist before your big trip. Contact us to schedule your dentist appointment.
2. If you are traveling to a lesser-developed country, a Hepatitis B immunization is a good step to take in case a dental emergency arises and the local dentist is not vaccinated (OSAP suggestion).
3. Avoid chewing ice, popcorn kernels, and hard candy. Don’t use your teeth to open packages.

Here’s what to do in case of a dental emergency: 

1) Toothache? First, floss to make sure a piece of food isn’t irritating your tooth. If the ache continues after a few days, seek out a dentist.

2) Broken/Chipped/Cracked Tooth? Rinse your mouth out with water. Put pressure on the area with something cold to keep swelling to a minimum. Call us at 804.562.2667 to schedule an appointment upon your return! If it feels urgent, don’t wait. Head to the emergency room as soon as possible.

3) Knocked Out Tooth? Retrieve the tooth and hold it by the crown (top of the tooth). Rinse the tooth if it’s dirty, but try not to scrub in case there is attached tissue. Put the tooth in a small container of milk or lightly salted water. Contact a local dentist as soon as possible, as knocked out teeth have a higher chance of being saved within 1 hour of the accident.

 How to find a dentist abroad: 

Happy March! We have been so busy here at Just 4 Kids. Check out our updates below! 

Celebrating Dental Health Month

Did you know that February is Children’s Dental Health Month?
Just 4 Kids had a blast celebrating this special occasion-it may have been busier than Christmas!

We were able to donate several toothbrushes to Midlothian Middle School as they assembled hygiene packets for Housing Families First. Tilly + Team were also busy with lots of visits to local schools. They visited over 315 children! Check out some snapshots from our visits below. 

Interested in a community visit? Contact us at community@just4kidsdentistryva.com or drop us a line at (804)562-2667.
We cater our visits to children of all ages! 

No Cavity Club Updates

Our February No Cavity Club Board was filled to the brim with 140 new No Cavity Club Members!
We are so proud of our patients for having great brushing habits.

March Happenings

Monday, March 6th is National Dentist’s Day!

We are collecting Thank You notes for Dr. Burke for this special day.

He certainly has made an impact on our children and our community!

If you’d like to write him a note, you can send one in via email (click here), or you can mail a thank you card to our office! 

If mailing, please address your envelope as follows: 

Just 4 Kids Pediatric Dentistry & Sedation
Attn: Community Relations
10409 Midlothian Tnpk

Richmond, VA 23235

Monthly Contest

St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner and our resident leprechaun has been busy! He has collected too many coins to count, and we need you to take a guess at how many need to be delivered to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

Drop by our office to guess between now and March 31!
The closest guess to the right number of coins will win 2 tickets to SkyZone!

Thank you for your continued support of our practice.
We look forward to seeing you again soon!

The J4K Team at the 2017 Children’s Hospital Foundation Bowl-A-Thon

Dr. Burke & Your Friends at Just 4 Kids Pediatric Dentistry & Sedation

We are busy bees here at Just 4 Kids…check out our newsletter below! We hope to see you soon 🙂

Happy November! 

What a wonderful time of the year to express our gratitude. We are so thankful for our friends here at Just 4 Kids Pediatric Dentistry & Sedation. Thank you all for being such wonderful clients. We appreciate your support of our practice and hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

**Health Tip for the Holidays**

 Drink water! 

You need a lot of energy for holiday activities, but avoid drinking sodas, sports drinks and juices with lots of sugar. Instead, drink water to avoid sugar crashes and to keep your teeth healthy!

**Insurance Reminder** 

As the year is coming to an end, the time to use your dental benefits through insurance is running out! Please remember to schedule your child’s 6-month cleaning or other treatment before the year’s end to take advantage of your insurance benefits.

**Around the Office:**

Cash for Candy Totals and Thank You’s 

We were so excited to take a trip to Estes with all of our candy! With your help, we were able to send 655 pounds of candy to Operation Gratitude. Thank you for helping us give back to the troops-a lot of soldiers are going to be very happy!

Super special thanks to Estes Express Lines for shipping our candy for free, and to NBC12 for supporting our Cash for Candy program.

We also thank Midlothian Middle School, Gayton Elementary, JB Watkins Elementary, Woolridge Elementary, Gordon Elementary, Alberta Smith Elementary, Enon Elementary, Swift Creek Elementary, and Midlothian YMCA. 

The success of this event wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible partnerships with our community. We are so grateful!

November Canned Food Drive and Raffle
for Chesterfield Food Bank

This month, we’ll be giving back to others in our community. Bring in a non-perishable food item to donate to our local Foodbank, and you’ll be entered into our monthly raffle! November and December are the busiest months for Foodbanks, so we want to help make sure they are well stocked!

Here’s a list of non-perishable food items: Baby Food, Canned Fruits & Vegetables, Peanut Butter, Canned Tuna & Chicken, Beans

Tooth Fairy Mail (Midlothian Office)

Do you have a little one who in anxious to know more about the Tooth Fairy? We now have a mailbox set up in our office where children of all ages have the opportunity to write to the Tooth Fairy or draw her a picture. What’s better…she writes back!

No Cavity Club (Midlothian Office)

We are so excited to announce the start of our No Cavity Club. If your child has a clear report card after a Comprehensive or Periodic exam, he/she will be able to write their name on a star that will go on our Super Star Bulletin Board! They will also receive a membership card, certificate, and recognition on social media (with parent/guardian permission). Each No Cavity Club member will also be entered into a raffle for a chance to win a neat prize at the end of each month!

Happy October! We hope you are enjoying the beautiful colors and smells of Fall.
We have lots going on here at Just 4 Kids-check out our newsletter below! We hope to see you soon.

***********PLEASE VOTE FOR OUR PUMPKIN!!!!**********

Vote for our pumpkin in the Great Annual Pumpkin Contest!
Presented by Dr. Davis & Dr. Nyczepir

HOW TO VOTE
Option 1: Visit their office at 10436 Ironbridge Rd. Chester, VA 23831
Option 2: Vote online by going to their Facebook page here and ‘liking’ our pumpkins picture!

******OCTOBER RAFFLE******

Can you guess how many spiders are in the jar? Take a gander and enter to win a Magic Science Kit!
Raffle ends October 27, 2016. The winner will be announced on Monday, October 31st.
One entry per patient, please! 

*HALLOWEEN PARTY*
Join us in celebrating Halloween! If your child’s appointment is scheduled for Monday, October 31, 2016, bring them in their costume for our costume contest and enjoy face painting and balloon animals. We’ll have some other tricks and treats going on throughout the day!

*CASH FOR CANDY DRIVE*
We are all anticipating Halloween…costumes, candy, tricks, and treats! Ever wonder what to do with all of that candy? Consider donating it to our 2nd Annual Cash for Candy Drive.

Trade in your Halloween treats for CASH!

You will receive $1.00 for every pound of candy you donate to the Cash for Candy Drive (Max 5 pds/child). You’ll also receive ONE ticket to participate in a prize raffle!

All candy donated will be sent to our troops through Operation Gratitude. For more information, you can contact community@just4kidsdentistryva.com or visitwww.operationgratitude.com.
Donations accepted from October 31, 2016 to November 3, 2016. 

Special thanks to Estes shipping for shipping all of our candy for FREE!!
We are so thankful for great partnerships with our community. 

It seems as if Fall is upon us…cooler weather, changing leaves, and pumpkins everywhere!

Family trips to the pumpkin patch and decisions on costumes seem to be at the forefront of every child’s mind, along with tricks and treats!
Wondering what to carve into your pumpkin this year? Here are a few super fun stencils.

Enjoy and be sure to tag Just 4 Kids Pediatric Dentistry & Sedation if you decide to go with a dental theme for your pumpkins this year.

You can find us on Facebook, and on Instagram as @just4kidsva!

Did you know that February is Dental Health Month?

In honor of that, we’re sharing fun, hands on ways for kids to play, interact, and learn about their teeth and how to take care of them.

http://www.123homeschool4me.com/2015/01/dental-health-month-20-teeth-crafts-for-kids.html

Have summer learning about teeth with your kiddo! Explore how teeth grow with these free to download teeth nomenclature cards:

http://www.pinayhomeschooler.com/2014/10/free-teeth-development-nomenclature.html