xmlns:fb='http://www.facebook.com/2008/fbml'> Growing Smiles: January 2011

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

What's in a Smile?


Interesting article in the New York Times about when and how we interpret smiles. A short excerpt from the article:

people recognize smiles by mimicking them. When a smiling person locks eyes with another person, the viewer unknowingly mimics a smile as well. In their new paper, Dr. Niedenthal and her colleagues point to a number of studies indicating that this imitation activates many of the same regions of the brain that are active in the smiler.

A happy smile, for example, is accompanied by activity in the brain’s reward circuits, and looking at a happy smile can excite those circuits as well. Mimicking a friendly smile produces a different pattern of brain activity. It activates a region of the brain called the orbitofrontal cortex, which distinguishes feelings for people with whom we have a close relationship from others. The orbitofrontal cortex becomes active when parents see their own babies smile, for example, but not other babies.


So, smiling at each other does lead to positive feelings. Growing Smiles recommends plenty of them! To read more from the article, follow the link here.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

The Importance of Early Dental Health

As an effective way to begin a lifelong program of preventive dentistry, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends that dental visits begin with the appearance of a child's first tooth, typically around six months but no later than one year.

During the first visit, Dr. Kelli Henderson and her staff check for proper oral and facial development to determine whether teeth are growing in properly and to detect early tooth decay. It also gives the Growing Smiles team a chance to walk parents through a home dental care program for their children.

Early preventive care also is a sound health and economic investment. Studies show that the dental costs for children who have their first dental visit before age one are 40 percent lower in the first five years than for those who do not see a dentist prior to their first birthday. In addition, without preventive care, the impact of tooth decay on child development can be striking. Numerous studies have linked childhood cavities with lower than ideal body weight. Even more disturbing is evidence that the effects of poor oral health may be felt for a lifetime: emerging research suggests that improper oral hygiene may increase a child's risk of eventually having low-birth-weight babies, developing heart disease or suffering a stroke as an adult.

In addition to regular dental visits, Dr. Kelli Henderson recommends that parents take the following precautions to help prevent tooth decay in children:

• Brush your child's gums twice a day with a soft cloth or baby toothbrush and water even before the first tooth appears.

• Talk to Dr. Henderson about your child's fluoride needs.

• If you must put your child to sleep with a bottle, use nothing but water - other beverages can damage teeth, leading to cavities.

• Never dip a pacifier into honey or anything sweet before giving it to a baby.

• The best times for your child to brush are after breakfast and before bed.

• Limit frequency of snacking, which can increase a child's risk of developing cavities.

• Take good care of your own teeth. Studies show that babies and small children can catch cavity-causing bacteria from their parents.