National Children's Dental Health Month

Each February, the American Dental Association (ADA) sponsors National Children’s Dental Health Month to raise awareness about the importance of oral health. NCDHM messages and materials have reached millions of people in communities across the country. Developing good habits at an early age and scheduling regular dental visits helps children to get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums.

Here at Dr. Arango's office we understand the importance of making sure children have healthy teeth. Early intervention can make a dramatic impact on establishing the proper occlusal foundation. The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recommends that all children have a check-up with an orthodontist by the time they reach age 7, for early detection of any potential problems. By the age 7, some of the permanent teeth have erupted, so that most children have a mix of adult and baby teeth. At this stage of mixed dentition, we can spot potential orthodontic problems related to jaw growth and eruption of adult teeth. Some growth-related orthodontic problems are easier to correct when they are identified early…while the facial bones are still growing.

An early orthodontic examination does not always result in immediate treatment. After evaluating your child, we may simply want to monitor your child periodically while the permanent teeth erupt and the jaws and face continue to develop. Contact our office today for more information regarding early intervention.

3 Healthy Snacks Kids Will Love

We know that getting kids and teens to eat healthy isn’t always an easy task, especially when they’re busy with school and other activities. And as parents…we’re even busier. It’s OK to admit that sometimes it’s just easier to grab fast food on the way home from work or toss our kids a couple bucks to purchase lunch in the school cafeteria. But proper nutrition not only insures that our kids will grow into healthy adults, it also insures that the money we spent on their orthodontic care does not go to waste.

Did you know that a proper diet provides all the essential nutrients to bones and tissues undergoing change? So, the healthier you are, the better the results of your orthodontic treatment.

Knowing this we thought we’d pass along 3 quick, delicious and nutritious snacks your kids are sure to love.


1. Cheese – Cheese is one of the healthiest snacks for your child’s teeth. In addition to providing
calcium, cheese also helps fight cavities. According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, Cheese stimulates the body’s salivary glands to clear the mouth of debris. This means cheese disrupts the development of cavities, especially when eaten as a snack or at the end of a meal. Also…the Calcium and phosphorous found in cheese prevents decreases in the plaque’s ph level and work to re-mineralize the enamel of your child’s teeth. There are some many ways to incorporate cheese into a healthy snack.

2. Oatmeal - Instead of high-sugar, high-fat options from the grocery store, try baking a batch of low-fat oatmeal cookies. Raisins, cranberries, dried apricots and nuts can be great additions to the cookie dough because of their nutritional value & taste.


3. Yogurt - Eating dairy is not just healthy for building strong bones, but is essential for maintaining a strong, healthy mouth. Consider Yogurt as an alternative to ice-cream for
dessert. When mixed with berries and granola…yogurt is a tasty treat.


For more information about which foods are best for keeping your kids and their teeth healthy…feel free to give us a call or check out Dr. Arango's Food's to Avoid list here to know what kids under treatment SHOULD'NT be eating.

Kids' Healthy Mouth Campaign

Seeking orthodontic treatment one way for you to make sure your oral health is in good shape. However, there are various factors that affect the health status of your teeth, such as: brushing, flossing and eating habits. When treating your teeth we want to be sure we are working with healthy teeth. Developing healthy habits start at a young age, so parents we must work together to teach children proper oral hygiene habits.

The Ad Council, a non-profit organization that helps promote public service campaigns, has started the 2min2x Children's Oral Health Campaign. 2min2x.org states:

The Children’s Oral Health campaign encourages parents to reduce their children’s risk of oral disease by making sure they're brushing for two minutes, twice a day.

The PSAs (Public Service Advertisements) aim to show that if parents spend just 2 minutes, twice a day making sure they brush, it can help save their children from a lifetime of tooth pain. The campaign demonstrates what a short amount of time 2 minutes is to accomplish such an important piece of parenting. We do this by showing parents trying to squeeze other parenting moments into just 2 minutes - and struggling in such a short period of time.

This website is a great tool for parents to refer to when looking for more information about taking care of their kids’ teeth, and it also has fun, entertaining 2 minute videos that kids can watch while brushing their teeth.

Here a PSA video for the campaign

For information regarding Oral Hygiene tips while under orthodontic treatment please visit arangoorthodontics.com/oral-hygiene.php