A healthy smile is one of the best gifts you can give your children -- and one of the best you can help them maintain. Try these tips to ensure that your children's teeth will stay healthy for a lifetime.

• Avoid baby walkers and guard stairs with gates.
• Secure loose rugs and push in chairs.
• Try not to leave a child alone in a highchair.
• Make sure they protect themselves when playing sports. Although mouthguards may be unwieldy, they are absolutely necessary in contact sports like field hockey, ice hockey, football, lacross, basketball, and soccer.
• Stress the importance of seat belts. In case of an accident, teeth need to be kept out of harm's way.

• Emphasize brushing and proper daily dental care (and let them learn from your good example).
• Make sure they begin to visit our office regularly. Call us to find out how to start your child on a lifetime of good dental health. Protect your children's teeth -- and show them how they can protect their teeth, as well.

Seniors need checkups just as frequently as young people--and having dentures doesn't mean that the dentist can be ignored. Talk to us about your concerns. We'll be happy to help you adjust to any changes in your teeth, and advise you on how to protect your oral health in the years to come.

It's not uncommon for family members to share the same dental care habits such as where, when, and how they brush. New research shows that families might share more than just habits -- they might also share periodontal disease.

For example, Heather and her husband Vince share a bathroom and sometimes they accidentally pick up the same toothbrush. Recently, Heather's gums have been sore and sensitive to hot and cold; when she asked her dentist about it, she was told she had periodontal disease.

Her dentist asked her to tell Vince to come in for a checkup. When he did, he was also diagnosed with periodontal disease.

Why? Because he had shared Heather's brush.

The bacteria which cause periodontal disease pass through saliva, so contact with the saliva of someone with periodontal disease puts you at risk, too. Families, therefore, can easily (and unknowingly) pass periodontal disease from one member to another very rapidly.

Fortunately for Heather and Vince, they were diagnosed accurated and treated quickly. Try to limit contact with family members' saliva during your everday dental routines, and ask us about how to protect your whole family against periodontal disease.