Pine Smiles
Blog
October 15, 2020
Let's Talk About Halloween 2020
Written for the first pandemic Halloween, this post links out to CDC guidance on staying healthy during the holidays and an Eater article covering safer Halloween ideas, then offers several lower-contact activity suggestions.
Read more →September 24, 2020
Let's Talk About Saliva
Written by Dr. Avani Gandhi, this post takes a closer look at saliva -- also called spit, drool, slobber, spittle, or froth -- something every parent becomes very familiar with during teething.
Read more →September 2, 2020
Career in Dentistry
Aimed at kids who love science, this post pitches dentistry as a growing, in-demand career with room to specialize in areas like family practice, pediatric dentistry, or cosmetic dentistry.
Read more →August 31, 2020
September 2020 Tooth Brushing Chart
A brief prompt to download a September tooth-brushing chart to keep smiles on track. There is no additional article content.
Read more →August 13, 2020
Back to School
Addressing the 2020 return to school -- in person, online, or a hybrid mix -- this post emphasizes open communication with kids about masks, distancing, and hand hygiene to ease anxiety about the pandemic.
Read more →July 30, 2020
August 2020 Tooth Brushing Chart
A brief back-to-school reminder to brush for two minutes, twice a day, paired with a downloadable August tooth-brushing chart. There is no additional article content.
Read more →July 16, 2020
Let's Talk About PIMU
Written by Dr. Avani Gandhi, this post introduces PIMU (Problematic Interactive Media Use), described as a relatively new DSM-5 diagnosis covering internet addiction, internet gaming disorder, gaming disorder, and media addiction -- an 'environmental condition of the digital age.'
Read more →June 10, 2020
Let's Talk About Smiling Through Summer 2020
Written by Dr. Avani Gandhi, this post introduces a 'Bloom Where You're Planted' theme for the disrupted summer of 2020, promising further at-home activity ideas throughout the season.
Read more →June 4, 2020
Let's Talk About Aerosols
Written by Dr. Avani Gandhi during the early COVID-19 pandemic, this post explains what aerosols are and how they relate to dental office safety.
Read more →May 28, 2020
Let's Talk Going Off to College
Written by Dr. Avani Gandhi, this post offers a checklist for parents preparing to send a teen off to college.
Read more →May 28, 2020
June 2020 Tooth Brushing Chart
A brief reminder to brush for two minutes, twice a day, paired with a downloadable June tooth-brushing chart. There is no additional article content.
Read more →March 8, 2020
Let's Talk About Women in Dentistry
Published for International Women's Day, this post profiles several pioneering women in the history of dentistry.
Read more →February 20, 2020
What's New in Pediatric Dentistry?
Published for National Children's Dental Health Month, this post shares updates attributed to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.
Read more →February 20, 2020
Let's Talk About Resources for Parents From the American Dental Association
This post highlights free public resources from the American Dental Association, an organization the post describes as having over 163,000 members and more than 160 years of history.
Read more →February 20, 2020
Let's Talk About the Dangers of Vaping
This post covers youth e-cigarette use in detail, opening with an August 30, 2019 CDC health advisory describing vaping as a public health crisis. It cites 2019 statistics that 27.5% of high school students had vaped in the past month, with close to 1 million youth vaping daily, e-cigarettes as the most-used tobacco product among teens, and 72% of youth users choosing flavored products. It lists product types and names including vape pens, e-cigars, e-hookahs, tanks, mods, personal vaporizers, and JUUL.
Read more →February 20, 2020
Let's Talk About Respiratory Health
Published in late February 2020, this post addresses winter respiratory viruses and what was then called the 'Wuhan coronavirus (2019-nCoV).' Note for the migration: this content reflects the very early, fast-changing understanding of COVID-19 in February 2020 and reads as dated -- worth flagging to the client as a candidate to retire or replace rather than migrate as evergreen content.
Read more →February 20, 2020
Let's Talk About Parenting Styles (February 2020)
This is a shorter, re-posted version of the practice's parenting-styles article, covering the same five categories -- Authoritarian, Authoritative, Attachment, Permissive, and Free Range -- with the same core descriptions as the November 2019 post but without the tooth-brushing jokes.
Read more →February 20, 2020
Let's Talk About How Dental Insurance Is Different From Health Insurance
This post, drawing on a WGBH history piece, explains why dental and health insurance developed as separate systems and behave differently today.
Read more →November 11, 2019
Veterans Day Craft Download
A very short post pointing readers to a downloadable Veterans Day craft. There is essentially no article text beyond the title and a 'click below to download' prompt.
Read more →November 8, 2019
Let's Talk About Parenting Styles
Written by Dr. Avani Gandhi, this post opens with a lighthearted nod to holiday visits from opinionated relatives, then runs through several well-known parenting-style categories, pairing each with a joking take on how that style might handle tooth-brushing resistance. It stresses there's no single right way to raise a child.
Read more →October 31, 2019
Trick-Or-Treat Download
This is a short download-only post offering a printable 'Just In Case' phone-number sheet for trick-or-treaters, meant to be filled in with contact numbers and tucked into a child's Halloween bag in case of separation or a dental emergency. The office pre-filled one of the contact slots on the sheet. There is no additional article text beyond this description and the download link.
Read more →October 4, 2019
Let's Talk About Oral Health During Pregnancy
Pregnancy brings physiological, dietary, and hormonal changes that raise the risk of gum disease and cavities. The post notes that unmanaged oral health problems during pregnancy can also increase the risk of cavities in the child, meaning a mother's oral care routine before, during, and after pregnancy affects her baby's future oral health.
Read more →September 22, 2019
Let's Talk About Tough Topics
Prompted by the approach of Stand Up to Cancer Day and September 11th, this post offers guidance on discussing difficult subjects with children.
Read more →September 22, 2019
Let's Talk About Dental Specialties
The post notes that pediatric dentists complete 2-3 extra years of training beyond dental school and make up roughly 5% of dentists in the US, then runs through the American Dental Association's ten recognized dental specialties.
Read more →June 27, 2019
Chino Hills Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics
A brief post whose entire content is a prompt to download the practice's July tooth-brushing chart. There is no additional article text.
Read more →June 25, 2019
Protect Your Kids This Summer
Written by Dr. Avani Gandhi, this post rounds up summer-safety guidance from several outside sources, covering bug spray, sunscreen, sunglasses, goggles, hats, water bottles, and dental care.
Read more →April 23, 2019
Your Child's First Dental Visit
Answering a frequently asked question, the post explains that the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends a first dental visit when a baby's first tooth erupts, or by their first birthday, whichever comes first -- though families who missed that window are welcome any time, including families new to the area.
Read more →April 23, 2019
What's For Dinner?
Written by Dr. Avani Gandhi, this post opens by noting that good nutrition matters from the womb onward, while acknowledging that real family dinners rarely look like a nutrition ad.
Read more →April 23, 2019
Child Abuse Prevention Month
Written by Dr. Avani Gandhi, this post marks April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month, referencing a 2016 presidential proclamation from Barack Obama and noting that 2019's theme was 'Strong and Thriving Families,' symbolized by blue pinwheels.
Read more →March 18, 2019
Let's Talk About Nutrition and Dental Health
Written by Dr. Avani Gandhi, this post explains why the practice shares nutrition content alongside dental advice, then breaks down several nutrients important for kids' health and where to find them.
Read more →March 14, 2019
Children's Dental Health Month
Written by Dr. Avani Gandhi, this post walks through four pillars of pediatric dental care: brushing, flossing, fluoride, and sealants.
Read more →November 10, 2015
Why Brushing Your Child's Teeth Is Not Enough to Prevent Cavities
Today's children face a higher risk of tooth decay than in previous generations, and diet is a big, often-overlooked reason why. The post cites Parents Magazine's estimate that at least 4 million preschoolers have tooth decay, an increase of more than 600,000 kids over the prior decade, and notes CDC data reported by USA Today that tooth decay is the most common childhood disease -- roughly five times as common as asthma and seven times as common as hay fever.
Read more →September 22, 2015
When Is Your Child Ready for Orthodontic Treatment?
Prompted by growing client interest in orthodontics for kids, the post explains that the American Association of Orthodontists recommends an evaluation around age 7 -- not necessarily treatment at that age, but a good time to assess how existing and incoming teeth are developing.
Read more →