Dental Health - Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Growing Up and Growing Older

Brad Kava — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 17:06:00 +0000

One of the worst things that happened when raising my son was that no one told us that breast feeding in the middle of the night and not brushing his teeth right then could cause cavities. I wished someone in obstetrics had mentioned that. Instead, we had to take him to a pediatric dentist, where he was put under anesthesia and a great dentist did the work. His mother and I were in tears of fear watching this not quite a toddler on the chair. That’s one of the guiding principles for this magazine ever since. We want to get as much information out to parents as possible. This month we have a pediatric dental column to help with things they might not have told you yet. It’s so important and can be overlooked amongst the trials of child birth. We are trying to cover child rearing experiences for all ages, from birth to grand parenting with content provided by local experts and local writers. You won’t find that in online parent guides or many other magazines, which use syndicated writers. Here you will find everything homegrown in our county, something I’m really proud of. I love this line from our special needs columnist Tovah Petra Kolodinski, who is both a writer and an expert: “In some ways, a newborn experiences the world much like we experience Halloween— loud, unpredictable, and filled with strange sensations.” Perfect for the season, in which we celebrate births and the frenetic end of month holiday. Susan Tatsui-D’Arcy, who is an educator and owns her own school, took a break from more serious topics to bring us a fun Halloween treat. Yum. And we have two of my favorite stories ever: one on the top baby names here in California and in the rest of the country. I find parents’ choices so fascinating. What’s the strangest or most unusual baby name you’ve heard lately? The other piece we love is our fashion column in which writer Malia Fort takes a look at what older and younger people in Santa Cruz are wearing. Love, Love Love. Our finance column also has lessons you’ll keep for a lifetime: the most important being that kids start learning about finance at a much younger age than you would expect. There’s much more here to entertain and teach. Have a great read. PS: As we go to press, we saw major changes in federal and state regulations for pain killers for pregnant women. We’ll investigate with local doctors for the next issue. If you have ideas on the important topic, please send to editor@growingupsc.com Thanks for reading!

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Dental Care During Pregnancy

growingupsc — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 17:43:42 +0000

Pregnancy rites of passage can include pregnancy portraits, baby showers or blessing ways, and many prenatal doctor visits. But visiting the dentist? Yes. Prenatal dental care plays a vitally important role in a healthy pregnancy and healthy start for an infant. Good oral health is important for everyone throughout life. It supports good nutrition, good speech development, a healthy heart, and even good confidence. The benefits are even more important for the pregnant parent. Pregnancy can lead to increased risks for cavities and other oral health challenges. Morning sickness can promote erosion of tooth enamel due to exposure to stomach acid, which can lead to developing cavities. Sweet foods and drinks craved and eaten during pregnancy can increase the risk of cavities. A new parent may miss regular teeth brushing at home due to fatigue or distraction or will prioritize baby’s doctor and dental visits over their own routine care. The hormonal changes caused by pregnancy make the gums of the pregnant parent more prone to gingivitis (gum disease). If gingivitis progresses, it can turn into periodontitis (very advanced gum disease), which left untreated can ultimately lead to tooth loss and bone loss in the jaw. Both conditions are also associated with elevated levels of cavity-causing oral bacteria (streptococcus mutans), which has been associated with pre-term labor and low birthweight outcomes. Additionally, when the pregnant parent carries a higher oral bacterial load, they are more likely to transfer cavity causing bacteria to their baby through regular parenting behaviors, such as kissing, sharing spoons, and licking pacifiers clean. A decision to keep the mouth of the pregnant parent healthy and treat cavities is also a decision to help protect the baby from future cavities. Oral health is such an important part of a person’s health during pregnancy that it is integrated into two of our County’s Public Health nurse home visiting programs: Nurse Family Partnership and Trauma Informed Approach-Field Nursing. Each of these important programs connects a Medi-Cal eligible pregnant person with their own personal Public Health nurse (who are all Bachelor of Science prepared nurses with an added certification in Public Health). Qualified Public Health nurses support pregnant individuals and/ or parenting families with children 0-5 years of age. Oral health education is part of the client’s initial assessment when enrolled in the program and throughout their perinatal care. Public Health nurses have established close relationships with our local dental clinics, making it easier to schedule dental appointments throughout their pregnancy and post-partum period. Fortunately, Santa Cruz County is home to Dientes Community Dental Care and Salud Para La Gente, each offering priority appointments for pregnant people with Medi-Cal insurance to support them during this important and time-sensitive life stage. If you have Medi-Cal, you have dental coverage for exams, cleanings, fillings, and more. If you have private dental insurance, check for covered dental services. No dental insurance? Ask your local dental office for discounted rates or sliding-scale payment options. You do not need a referral from your obstetrician to see a dentist, but some dentists may still ask for one. Here are some easy ways to maintain and support good oral health before, during, and after pregnancy: Go to the dentist! Getting dental x-rays is safe during any trimester. Brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste 2 times a day for 2 minutes and floss daily. Visit your dentist 2 times a year for dental cleanings – especially if you are pregnant. Care, Don’t Share: Have separate eating utensils for you and baby and use a clean cloth to wipe off the pacifier. Take your baby to the dentist for their 1st Tooth or 1st Birthday appointment. For dental providers who accept Medi-Cal Insurance, visit smilecalifornia.org or call at 1-800-322-6384. For local low-cost dental clinics that accept Medi-Cal Dental and have a sliding-scale call Dientes at 831.464.5409/ (dientes.org) or Salud Para La Gente at 831.728.0222/ (splg.org). If you have private health insurance, ask your carrier if you have dental benefits or how to get them. If you are interested in learning more about Nurse Family Partnership or Trauma-Informed Approach Field Nursing, please call 831.454.4339 or visit santacruzhealth.org. For the latest updates from Santa Cruz County Public Health, follow us on social media.Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @PublicHealthSCC Dr. Sepideh Taghvaei is the Vp Of Operations At Dientes And Primavera Hernandez, Mph, Health Services Manager, Children and Family Health, Santa Cruz County Public Health.

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Providing Healthy Smiles for Children

growingupsc — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 18:26:17 +0000

February is Children’s Dental Health Month and the perfect opportunity to write to you, amazing parents, about why your kids’ oral health matters and how to ensure healthy smiles for your children. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions that we get: Why do baby teeth matter? Don’t they just fall out? Baby teeth matter because kids need healthy teeth to chew, smile, talk, and have good self-confidence. Cavities in baby teeth can cause pain and infection, lead to missed school days, inability to pay attention in school, poor self-esteem, difficulty eating and many more problems. Also, baby teeth save the space for permanent teeth so it’s important to keep them healthy until it’s time for them to fall out on their own. When should I take my child to the dentist for their first check up? Medical and dental experts all agree that you should bring your child in for a dental exam soon after the first baby tooth comes through (usually around the age 1.) Bringing your child to the dentist at an early age serves two purposes: 1. We can focus on parent education and preventing cavities (it’s much easier to prevent than to treat cavities!) 2. The child gets used to the dental office. During this visit, the dentist will show you how to brush your baby’s teeth and may do a fluoride treatment to prevent cavities. What are some other tips for keeping my baby’s teeth healthy? • Start brushing your baby’s teeth with a rice grain-sized dab of fluoride toothpaste as soon as the first baby tooth comes through. • Don’t put your baby to sleep with a bottle of milk or formula! The liquid pools and causes “baby bottle tooth decay.” Only use water in the bottle at bedtime. • Don’t share spoons or eating utensils with the baby! Cavities are contagious and can be transferred from the parent to the baby. Do you have any tips for older kids? • All children should see a dentist for a check-up and cleaning every 6 months! • Children or their parents should brush their teeth with a fluoride toothpaste twice a day and start flossing when teeth next to each other begin to touch (usually around the age 2 or 3.) Fluoride toothpaste is important because the water in our county is not fluoridated! • If your child’s dentist identifies a problem, be sure to follow up with treatment. The earlier a cavity is addressed, the easier it is to treat and usually less expensive. What are some milestones that are especially important for visiting the dentist? • First tooth first birthday visits and every 6 months after that (see above.) • Kindergarten oral health screenings: a dental check is mandatory in California when a child first enters the school system! There is a form that parents need to have the dentist fill out and turn into the school. • Pre-teens and teens: we’re doing a great job in Santa Cruz County bringing our young kids to the dentist, but once they get to the pre-teen and teenage years, the visits are dropping off! Make sure you schedule a dental checkup for your pre-teens and teens. How can I find a dentist that accepts Medi-Cal/Denti-Cal? The Dientes clinic on Commercial Way is accepting new pediatric patients (18 and under)! Call 831.464.5409 for an appointment. For other options, please visit: dental.dhcs.ca.gov/Members/Medi-Cal_Dental/Find_A_Dentist. Dr. Sepi Taghvaei is a dentist and VP of Operations at Dientes Community Dental, a non-profit organization with the mission to improve the oral health of underserved members of Santa Cruz County. Dr. Sepi graduated from NYU College of Dentistry in 2009 and has spent the last 9 years of her career in her dream job at Dientes. She lives in Aptos with her son, partner, and two cats. They love Santa Cruz and spend their free time exploring all that our beautiful county has to offer.

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