Women share with him that they had perfect teeth until they got pregnant. That all of their calcium leached out of their teeth and into the baby’s bones causing all their cavities.

The reality is that the calcium does not leach out of teeth.

There are several reasons why many pregnant women and new moms get tooth decay:

• Hormones change during pregnancy causing the gums to be more susceptible to infection.
• Many women experience nausea during pregnancy not allowing them to eat let alone put a toothbrush in their mouth. So the teeth aren’t getting cleaned.
• Many women can only stomach certain foods and often give in to cravings that contain a lot of sugar and/or carbohydrates. These foods can cause tooth decay.

If you are pregnant, one of the most important medical appointments you can make is to call your dentist.

Why? Because the bacteria that cause gum disease may increase a mom’s risk for delivering prematurely.

Gum Disease & Developing Babies

There is a link between uncontrolled gum disease (and the mom may not even know she has gum disease as 80% of people have it) and pregnancy complications such as premature labor and preeclampsia (rise in blood pressure).

A study exploring the possible link between gum disease and preeclampsia found that 50% of the placentas from women with preeclampsia were positive for one or more periodontal pathogens.

Scientists believe these infections cause a rapid increase in certain fluids in the body that, in turn, induce labor. It’s not necessarily the infection itself but the body’s response to the infection that causes the premature birth.

Mom’s Hormones and the Baby’s Teeth

Pregnancy causes hormonal changes that increase the risk of developing gum disease, which can affect the health of their babies.

Studies have shown that bacteria responsible for tooth decay are passed from the mother to the child in utero. The more frequently you give in to the craving for sugary snacks, the greater the chance of developing tooth decay.

Additionally, pregnant women with acid reflux are also at a greater risk of tooth erosion and

periodontal problems as the acid dissolves away the protective coating of teeth (enamel) leaving them weakened and at a very high risk of needing extensive (and expensive) restorations.

Dr. Korenman recommends that women visit his office as soon as they learn or their pregnancy.   Dr. Korenman and his team will test for any dental health problems that might affect your baby.

If you are diagnosed with gum disease, Dr. Korenman can design a safe treatment plan to treat it and to help you keep it under control.

For the health of your unborn baby, we urge you to call Loveable Smiles for your Total Health Dental Care appointment at 972-231-0585.

This is just one of many examples of how we treat people, not just teeth.

These are photos of recent babies Dr. Korenman has helped.

On the left we have baby Eden who was having trouble staying latched when she was nursing. Immediately after her procedure, she was able to latch on deeper and stay latched longer. Her parents also opted to have her receive the laser frenectomy to prevent improper spacing between her front teeth.

On the right we have precious twins Lincoln and Addison.
Lincoln was having problems latching and also difficulty keeping his bottle and soother in for an extended period of time due to the tongue and lip ties. Afterwards Lincoln quickly went back to sleep!

Dr. Korenman suggested he take a look at Lincoln’s sister Addison who also was found to have a lip tie as well. She, too, was having latching issues and required a shield prior to the procedure but now she’s nursing better and no longer uses the shield.

Thanks to advances in dental technology with a Laser Frenectomy, which uses cool water during the procedure, there is virtually no bleeding, no pain, no risk of infection and the healing is almost instantaneous for infants. The procedure takes less than 1 minute.

Tongue and lip ties are very common, but often not diagnosed even when it causes problems. Lip tie is usually missed as well as it is under the upper lip and actually causes more pain to the nursing mothers than tongue tie.

The “wait and see” approach can lead to more problems
• Nursing and eating
• Nutritional issues
• Speaking
• Inability to develop proper airway which has been correlated with asthma, sleep disorders (possibly S.I.D.S.), allergies, ADD/ADHD
• Spacing between the upper front teeth as well as improper location of the teeth as they erupt

And the issues can persist on into adulthood causing sleep disorders and the myriad of health issues related to that.

Dr. Larry Korenman of Loveable Smiles in Richardson provides Laser Frenectomy for tongue and lip tie issues.

Please call our office at 972-231-0585

Dr. Korenman was interviewed by Janet St. James on WFAA about frenectomies for newborns.

We hope you and yours are in good health during these stressful times.

A Dallas County Judge has ordered all dental offices to treat only emergencies until April 3, 2020.

Tongue-tie and lip-tie babies are considered emergencies and will be seen immediately.

We will be available during our normal office hours:

Monday/Tuesday 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM and

Wednesday/Thursday 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM.

Please call us at 972-231-0585 if you need us.

Dr. Korenman and the Loveable Smiles Team

Contact us with any questions. We are here to help you.

Dr. Korenman is known as the “Listening Dentist” and I would also say he is the “Gently Explains” dentist.

He took the time to talk about and demonstrate each step of the procedure to put my daughter at ease. He showed her the cool water that comes out of the Biolase laser and the red “laser light.”

I think all of this explanation and Dr. Korenman’s gentle nature helped my daughter to remain calm during the entire procedure.

It was fascinating to watch and I’m thankful Dr. Korenman has invested in the latest dental technology to be able to conduct these types of services painlessly.

Thank you Dr. Korenman for taking great care of my daughter!

Here are more photos of babies Dr. Korenman has been able to help recently!

The Laser Frenectomy at Loveable Smiles in Richardson uses cool water during the procedure. There is virtually no bleeding, no pain, no risk of infection and the healing is almost instantaneous for infants. The procedure takes less than 1 minute.

Dr. Korenman was featured on WFAA Channel 8 about the service.

You can watch it here. http://www.wfaa.com/videos/news/health/2015/02/24/simple-solution-helps-nursing-babies/23965539/

To schedule a consultation to check your baby for a lip or tongue tie, please call our office at Loveable Smiles at 972-231-0585.

Pediatric dentist Dallas Ft. Worth

Baby Neilah, 7 weeks old, was recently in the office to have a frenectomy for both her lip and tongue ties.

Before her frenectomy, Neilah’s mom, Hillary, shares the following:

• She had a lot of discomfort with nursing.
• She could hear “clicking” whenever Neilah nursed and a lot of milk would leak out of the corner of her baby’s mouth.
• Neilah seemed to be swallowing a lot of air and experienced a lot of gassy, abdominal pain.

During the laser procedure, Hillary was able to swaddle her baby in a blanket and hold her during the entire procedure, which lasted about 1 minute.

Hillary shares that Dr. Korenman and his staff made the procedure very easy. She is grateful that the office hours at Loveable Smiles in Richardson were convenient and Dr. K’s fees were more reasonable that other providers she had researched.

After her laser procedure to fix her lip and tongue ties, Hillary reports that Baby Neilah is doing great! There is no clicking and she’s eating more when she nurses. Baby Neilah hasn’t been as fussy since the procedure and mom thinks this is due to Neilah not swallowing so much air when she nurses.

The Laser Frenectomy at Loveable Smiles in Richardson uses cool water during the procedure. There is virtually no bleeding, no pain, no risk of infection and the healing is almost instantaneous for infants. The procedure takes less than 1 minute.

Dr. Korenman was featured on WFAA Channel 8 about the service.

You can watch it here. http://www.wfaa.com/videos/news/health/2015/02/24/simple-solution-helps-nursing-babies/23965539/

To schedule a consultation to check your baby for a lip or tongue tie, please call our office at Loveable Smiles at 972-231-0585.

Pediatric dentist Dallas Ft. Worth

“Baby teeth do not matter since they are going to fall out anyway.”

Here is an alarming statistic:

Tooth decay is still the most common chronic childhood disease and left untreated, it can impair a child’s ability to eat, speak, sleep and learn.

Your child’s teeth need to be strong and healthy to chew, speak, sing, smile with confidence, play a musical instrument and most important, act as “space savers” for adult teeth.

If your child prematurely loses a tooth/teeth, the tooth beside it may drift into the empty space, which then doesn’t allow for the adult teeth to erupt into its proper place.

If your child has a cavity, it’s usually painless at the beginning. If left untreated it will become quite advanced, often with no symptoms at all. The tooth can become abscessed without the child having any noticeable symptoms until it’s too late and it becomes infected and then there IS pain!

Baby teeth may be temporary, but giving them proper care can help you achieve a lifetime of oral health as well as overall health.  Simple preventive checkups twice a year can prevent childhood decay and help you and your child learn how to protect their teeth throughout their lifetime as well as helping your child to have a great attitude about having dental care.

All the adults who fear having dental treatment and who hate seeing dentists tell us the horrible problems they had as children. This is extremely sad because it is so simple to prevent those bad experiences if we get to meet early enough.

Caring for Your Baby’s Teeth

Running a damp washcloth over your baby’s gums following feedings can prevent buildup of damaging bacteria.

Once your child has a few teeth showing, you can brush them with a soft child’s toothbrush or rub them with gauze at the end of the day.

The best type of toothbrush to use at first, is a long handled brush with a small head. This design makes it easy to reach all areas of your baby’s mouth.

Your baby’s toothbrush should have rounded, soft filaments. You should replace it every 10-12 weeks, or sooner if the filaments become splayed.

It isn’t absolutely essential to use toothpaste to clean your baby’s teeth – the brushing action itself is actually the most important part of keeping them clean. If you prefer to use toothpaste, then you should choose one that is designed specifically for infants, because they contain very little – if any – fluoride. In fact, the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry guidelines suggest that babies under the age of 2 receive NO fluoride at all.

Putting your baby to sleep with a bottle in his or her mouth may be convenient in the short term — but it can harm the baby’s teeth. When the sugars from juice or milk remain on a baby’s teeth for hours, they may eat away at the enamel, creating a condition known as bottle mouth.

If your baby is “stubborn” and fusses about having their teeth brushed, gently continue trying every few days.  Children who are nearly 2 have a passion to copy everything they see done around them. If a 2-year-old girl sees her parents brush their teeth, she one day grabs one of their brushes and insists on trying it herself. This is a good time to buy her a brush and let her go to it. Naturally, she won’t be very efficient at first, but you can help her tactfully.

During summer vacation, kids are more likely to indulge in sugary snacks like popsicles, ice cream and slushies.  Parents, should be helping their child brush their teeth every night until the child is 9 or 10 years old. After that, they should have the dexterity to properly clean their teeth.

The Oral Systemic Connection is the driving force at Loveable Smiles.  It’s called the “Mouth-Body Connection,” and it means that poor dental health can severely deteriorate your body, especially your lungs and heart, and it can also lead to a host to other conditions including Alzheimer’s disease and even some Cancers.

If our children have healthy mouths, they are more likely to have healthy bodies and can ward off serious health issues later in life.

The health of a woman’s mouth and gums has an impact on her overall health and self-esteem.

Hormonal fluctuations throughout a woman’s life, including puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause, can affect many tissues, including gum tissue.

Throughout her life cycle, women should be aware of these hormonal and oral/overall health connections.

Gum Disease & Puberty

During puberty, an increased level of sex hormones, such as progesterone and possibly estrogen, causes increased blood circulation to the gums. This may cause an increase in the gum’s sensitivity and lead to a greater reaction to any irritation, including food particles and plaque. During this time, the gums may become swollen, turn red and feel tender.

Menstruation: It is not uncommon for gums to swell and bleed prior to menstruation. Some women may also suffer from the formation of canker sores. These symptoms typically disappear once their period arrives.

Oral birth control: Inflamed gums are a common side effect of taking the pill.

Pregnancy: There is a link between uncontrolled gum disease (and the mom may not even know she has gum disease) and pregnancy complications such as premature labor and preeclampsia (rise in blood pressure).

Menopause: Typical mouth changes that occur during menopause are red or inflamed gums, oral pain and discomfort, burning sensations, dry mouth and altered taste, especially salty, peppery or sour.

Gum Disease Statistics

80% of people have Gum Disease and DO NOT KNOW IT! There is usually no pain involved for people until extremely late in the degeneration. Most gum problems will go unnoticed until they are diagnosed by a dentist.

The good news is that Dr. Korenman and his team are dedicated to educating the public about the dangers of gum disease and they check all their patients for it.

If you are diagnosed with gum disease, Dr. Korenman will design a treatment plan to help you get it under control and even more importantly, to keep it maintained in a healthy state.

We urge you to call Loveable Smiles for your Total Health Dental Care appointment at 972-231-0585.

The bacteria that cause gum disease may increase a mom’s risk for delivering prematurely.

Gum Disease & Developing Babies

There is a link between uncontrolled gum disease (and the mom may not even know she has gum disease) and pregnancy complications such as premature labor and preeclampsia (rise in blood pressure).

A study exploring the possible link between gum disease and preeclampsia found that 50% of the placentas from women with preeclampsia were positive for one or more periodontal pathogens.

Scientists believe these infections cause a rapid increase in certain fluids in the body that, in turn, induce labor. It’s not necessarily the infection itself, but the body’s response to the infection that causes the premature birth.

Mom’s Hormones and the Baby’s Teeth

Pregnancy causes hormonal changes that increase the risk of developing gum disease, which can affect the health of their babies.

Studies have shown that bacteria responsible for tooth decay are passed from the mother to the child in utero. The more frequently you give in to the craving for sugary snacks, the greater the chance of developing tooth decay.

Additionally, pregnant women with acid reflux are also at a greater risk of tooth erosion and periodontal problems as the acid dissolves away the protective coating of teeth (enamel) leaving them weakened and at a very high risk of needing extensive (and expensive) restorations.

Dr. Korenman recommends that women visit his office as soon as they learn or their pregnancy. Dr. Korenman and his team will test for any health problems that might affect your baby.

If you are diagnosed with gum disease, Dr. Korenman can design a safe treatment plan to help you keep it under control.

For the health of your unborn baby, we urge you to call Loveable Smiles for your Total Health Dental Care appointment at 972-231-0585.

This is just one of many examples of how we treat people, not just teeth.

Health reporter Janet St. James of WFAA interviewed Dr. Larry Korenman of Loveable Smiles in Richardson about tongue and lip ties and how a laser frenectomy can help with successful breastfeeding!

Click here to see the story.