The ABC's of Elementary School Dental Exams

Spring is here and now is the time for Kindergarten and Elementary School registration. California State Law requires children entering the elementary school system to have a dental exam performed prior to May 31 of the child's first grade year. Your school registration packet should contain the necessary forms that will be required by the school, and these forms need to be completed by a licensed dental practitioner. Most schools and dental offices refer to this paperwork as "the Kindergarten Dental Exam", and many parents choose to complete the exam prior to the entrance of kindergarten.

Dental care is sometimes overlooked by families who feel that "baby teeth" do not need regular dental care. By requiring parents to complete this exam for their children, it helps to promote the importance of dental care for children and also identifies dental disease that may have otherwise gone undetected.

Check with your school if you have questions about how to obtain the proper paperwork, and note that some families who receive state assistance may be exempt from this examination process. And for a happy, healthy start to their school careers, make sure your children visit the dentist!

Not getting a good night's sleep? Your dentist may be able to help!

Good sleeping habits are essential to good health. For many people though, achieving quality sleep can be difficult. If you or your sleeping partner is affected by snoring your health may actually be suffering. Although the sound of snoring can be irritating and make it difficult for you or your partner to sleep, snoring is actually a result of airway passage narrowing. Snoring is caused by the vibration of the hard and soft tissue of the palate, which creates a "flapping" sound when air moves through narrowed airways.

As we age and/or gain weight, this airway narrowing can worsen, causing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA is linked to the increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, impotence, behavior and cognitive problems, and even death.

Snoring and OSA can be treated with dental appliances that help to open the airway allowing proper flow and resulting in better sleep. The Academy of Sleep Medicine affirms that that the treatment of OSA with dental devices is scientifically sound. Diagnosis for OSA and Snore Appliances should only be done by dentists who have had proper training in this area.

For more information on how to have an OSA/ Snoring assessment done, visit www.dentalmakeovers.com